John Barleycorn Must Die [Remaster] by Traffic (CD, Feb-2001, Island (Label))

Album Features
UPC:	731454854122
Artist:	Traffic
Format:	CD
Release Year:	2001
Record Label:	Island (Label)
Genre:	Art Rock, Rock & Pop

Track Listing
1. Glad
2. Freedom Rider
3. Empty Pages
4. I Just Want You to Know - (previously unreleased)
5. Stranger to Himself
6. John Barleycorn
7. Every Mothers Son
8. Sittin' Here Thinkin' of My Love - (previously unreleased)

Details
Playing Time:	39 min.
Producer:	Steve Winwood, Chris Blackwell, Guy Stevens
Distributor:	Universal Distribution
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	ADD

Album Notes
Originally released on Island (9116).Traffic: Chris Wood (flute, saxophone, electric saxophone, organ, percussion); Steve Winwood (flute, bass instrument); Jim Capaldi.Personnel: Steve Winwood (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, electric piano, organ, bass guitar, percussion); Jim Capaldi (vocals, drums, tambourine, percussion).Liner Note Author: Brian Hogg.Recording information: Island Studios; Olympic Studios, London, England.Although JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE was originally intended as Steve Winwood's post-Blind Faith solo debut, Winwood and producer/label head Chris Blackwell first drafted Jim Capaldi to provide lyrics, and then Chris Wood dropped by to add his familiar reeds, and almost by accident, Traffic was reborn.This was a different, and better, Traffic than the ill-fated quartet lineup with Dave Mason, which never entirely settled on an artistic direction. The sound of JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE, on the other hand, remained the template for the rest of the reunited band's career--long, organically developed songs with a subtle jazz-rock feel, powered by Capaldi's percussion and Winwood's organ. "John Barleycorn," a traditional English folk song about the process of brewing ale (not, as the liner notes mistakenly claim, a call for temperance), here becomes a pastoral reverie carried along by flute and acoustic guitar, and proves to be the record's highlight. However, the quality of the other songs, particularly the instrumental opener, "Glad," and the outstanding ballad "Empty Pages," is nearly as high.

Editorial Reviews
...shows that Traffic were capable of thoughtful, inventive and occasionally very beautiful music.
Mojo

3 stars out of 5 - ...a stew of jazz, folk and prog....seeing the band lapsing into a little too much jam-based indulgence...
Q (20000201)

...The best cut on the album is probably the title tune....Wood's flute is again exceptional, delicate and ornate, and Steve sings the song just right, with an admirable sense of restraint and simplicity...
Rolling Stone (19700903)

4 stars out of 5 -- It's a trio record with an economical sound canvas....A much more sophisticated affair, pointing more towards jazz and improvisation than folkish simplicity.
Uncut

4 stars out of 5 -- [With] tracks such as 'Glad' and 'Freedom Rider' featuring extended jamming sections within robust song structures, while 'Every Mother's Son captures Winwood at his most soulful.
Record Collector