John Barleycorn Must Die

Come on. How many more albums 70s lads from Birmingham with long hair and a love for overblown organ solos must we listen to before we get some albums by some other genre of musician up in this junket?

Listening to this album makes me want to scour Craigslist for an organ, attempt to play it at a few jams, then abandon it a couple months later—much like my criminally-brief stint with the trombone. Digging the layers. Never considered how unifying of a force the humble flute can be. Jazz, rock, Middle English folklore. There's no genre those delicate winds can't touch. Occasionally getting some Steely Dan vibes, Traffic's definitely dipping their toes in the jazzy side of rock here. Steve Winwood has some pipes. Wasn't sure who John Barleycorn was or why he had to die so I did a little research. Turns out he's a character from an old English folktale, circa 15th(?) century. Much like Rasputin some centuries later, the song chronicles the many varied and brutal methods by which the townsfolk and the nobility kill and grind John Barleycorn up, only for him to return once more in the spring—the anthropomorphized body of the crops he farms. Though it's not by a giant penis that he provides pleasure but the alcohol fermented from his barleycorn carrion. The album certainly cycles through deaths and rebirths and is a fitting tribute to this folk hero of intoxication. The flute really ties the room together.

A techincally competent and well-adjusted blend of post-psych jamming and blues with enough levity to keep the scourge of sincerity-via-roots-music at bay. In the context of this book, yet another one scoring high for inoffenive listenability and low for musical evisceration, spiritual edification, intellectual expansiveness or any other good form of "challenging".

This album started out on a high note and went on to reach an even higher note. It’s like a weird combination of jazz and folk. Some songs are some great jazz fusion, while others sound straight off a Jethro Tull album. Thoroughly enjoyed. Favorite Track(s): “Glad,” “Freedom Rider,” and “John Barleycorn”

Who names their band Traffic? Everyone hates Traffic. Maybe Traffic in 1970 existed in some existential academic journal as something that might happen if too many people got cars and tried to go someplace all at once, but today Traffic is real and it's miserable. Green Day, now there's a band who has a name that is nearly future proof. In another 10 years, people will think to themselves, "remember photosynthesis?" Or, "remember when there were these green things called trees and plants that grew food on them?" Ten years may be too far into the future, but you get my point, someday soon, we'll all be wishing there was more Green Day. My parents used to listen to Traffic while smoking a joint after dinner. But whatever, that's beside the point. These guys smell like a bunch of dirty hippies and the name of this album is weird. Isn't Barleycorn a euphemism for alcohol? Anyhow, I guess it's a good thing that they broke up, because the world can only handle one band that sound like Chicago. Though I do have a secret crush on Steve Winwood, and more specifically j his song 'Valerie,' this album didn't didn't make much of an impression on me and I was thankful it was only 34 mins.

I think Steve Winwood might be my musical nemesis.

somehow i have never seen this band mentioned anywhere before i will forget the whole album within the next 5 days but it was good

Jazz-Rock. didnt know my body needed this. holy shit that sax. AND THAT VOICE. Freedom rider is amazing. Very replay-able for background or vibing

Traffic is a perfect blend of piano, organ and R&B sound. This is a real defining album for future sounds.

Nothing inherently wrong with this record, the first and *probably* the best of Traffic's discography post-Dave Mason's departure. With their modal jazz flourishes foretelling Steely Dan's later explorations during the seventies, "Glad" and "Freedom Riders" are great cuts. Steve Winwood's piano improvisation (?) at the end of the first track is surely a dreamy moment, thanks its use of eastern-sounding scales. And the title-track (a cover of a traditional tune) is very evocative as well. Not sure this rock record is material for an "essential albums" list, though. I don't really understand why "Empty Pages" was picked as as a single for the album, for instance--even if said single seemed to have helped Traffic reach a certain success across the pond. Maybe the more "middle of the road" nature of that song can explain such success. But it's not one that aged specifically well, in my humble and honest opinion. Besides--and speaking of singles--selecting a Traffic record that has none of their wonderful staple songs "Mr. Fantasy" (from the album of the same name) and "Feelin' Alright?" (from *Traffic*), seems like overkill a little. *John Barleycorn Must Die* is just a nice "little" record--certainly more *cohesive* than the relatively topsy-turvy affairs that the two first Traffic LPs were--hence why it ends up on a list like this--and yet also devoid of the striking pop highlights also found in *Mr. Fantasy* and *Traffic*, unfortunately. Formal perfection is not *always* the key that opens the door of an essential album. Sometimes, a little imperfections here and there can be forgotten when a bunch of poignant hits surge from a tracklist. To conclude, *John Barleycorn Must Die* suffers from being mostly a "transitional record". And since this is a transition which ultimately lead to a phase of Steve Winwood's career that became increasingly *cheesy* as the years went by, it might be as easy to single it out as it is easy to dismiss it. And this for very similar reasons, ironically. Indeed, Winwood's music slowly became ridiculous from 1970 onwards, up to the point when his cheesy antics became utterly *unbearable* during the late seventies / early eighties. Had his (and Traffic's) next steps been as memorable as Steely Dan's *Pretzel Logic* or *Aja*, people might have remembered it the way some olks still remember *Countdown To Ecstasy* today. By the way, terrible Winwood solo album *Arc Of A Diver* is in Dimery's list as well, astonishingly. And as said, things got even worse than that in the following years. Evidence enough that anything related to Steve Winwood in the 1001 Albums book must be taken with a grain of salt. At least *John Barleycorn Must Die* still clearly avoided such later horrors, and I'm glad about that. But that's not a sufficient reason to include the album in my own finite list, very sadly. 3/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential albums". Which translates to a 8/10 grade for more general purposes (5+3).

Old music. Good, but after a few songs, I started tuning out.

Quirky freeform jazzy organ and folk rock sounds with random pan flutes thrown into the mix….don’t hate it but don’t love it either. Steve Wnwood’s soulful vocals are a high point.

SO glad I found this album! A few really great tracks that will be in my regular rotation more often. I can definitely see where a look on interesting bands in the 70's took some inspiration but at the same time the combination of the keys, flute, and saxophone make this something completely unique from anything else.

Seems a bit half-baled, typical grunty blues/rock and lots of noodling. Not my thing

One of the "must Listen" for those with want to learn about American Rock. Classic great album. Even good on its own.

Epic! Sounds from my childhood that I never knew the source of. Groovy.

I didn’t expect this at all. Imagined it would be more like Fairport Convention, but actually a huge mix. Really enjoyed it.

Pretty cool :O

7/10… psychadelic rock / blues rock

Enjoyed a lot. Cool sound

Not my favorite style of music but I enjoyed it

Good should listen again

I quite enjoyed a lot of this album, even if it was one of those were all the songs slightly blended together in my mind. Not always a bad thing however

Chill 70s rock

Traffic are in borrowed clothes, but they’re lovingly derivative and the passion and core of tight playing in baggy structure took me through this record a few times today, as slight as it seems. The title song itself I’m ambivalent to; one day I’ll get to working out the mystery of British folk’s burst of popularity and subsequent fade-out. Winwood’s voice is a force of some sort.

Lowkey cool and fun album i likey

John Barleycorn Must Die I used to really like this album, but listening now I’m not sure it’s as good as I remember. Maybe I just loved the song John Barleycorn Must Die and thought it was all in that vein, evocative, pastoral and folky, rather than it being so proggy with jazz inflections. Glad’s jauntiness wears thin pretty quickly, the piano and organ are great, but I find the groove/riff a bit dull, and the horns and wah wah are on the annoying side of cheesy, before it just drifts away. Freedom Rider is more enjoyable, the bass line is great and I like flutes, but it’s not the most interesting song. Luckily it picks up with Empty Pages, a great soul inflected track, with a nice bouncy groove and feel. There are some nice moments in Stranger to Himself but overall it’s a little forgettable. JBMD is the standout though, a fantastic version. It’s arranged in a brilliantly simple way, the flute, piano and backing vocals beautifully augmenting the tune. And Every Mother’s Son is another nice blue eyed and bluesy bit of soul to end on. As with all Traffic albums, Winwood’s vocals and playing are excellent, and it all has a nice, warm sound. But While JBMD is excellent and Empty Pages and Every Mother’s Son are also very good, the rest is extremely skilled but slightly uninspiring jazz-prog-rock, which puts this at a 3. 🍺🍺🍺 Playlist submission: John Barleycorn Must Die

On the Progressive Rock Scale of Lameness (TM), Traffic lands squarely in between Jethro Tull (very lame) and Genesis’ late-70’s, post-Peter Gabriel era (lame, but not without some merit).

Light rock misic with soothing vocals. Interesting and folksy. Not bad, but will not listen again.

Nothing special, short but sweet

This is all the best and worst of multi instrument experimental stuff. The title track has feelings of early Genesis. This is kind of interesting in some ways but it doesn't get me that excited.

This is a fun 1970s Album. The engineering could be better but there is charm in its sound. Favorite track, John Barleycorn

After listening to John Barleycorn Must Die, I don't really have much to say about it. Its a purely fine album that doesn't really stand out in any meaningful way, neither good or bad. The songs were okay and didn't go on for too long which is nice. But beyond that, I don't really have anything else to say. Best Song: Freedom Rider Worst Song: Glad

Just kinda boring

This is a lot of Steve Winwood. For some, this would be a draw. For me, it is the opposite.

Not bad. Some good late night camp fire stuff.

Meh...

Rubbish, but short

Hm I don’t know how to rate this. It was just not interesting at all. Some songs where nice but most of it was very boring.

Yet another bland 70s' British LP, this time with a bit of organ to hopefully (but not successfully) distinguish it from the glut of other albums of its kind on this list. Technically well-executed, but ultimately forgettable - listened to it yesterday afternoon and can't really remember any melodies or tracks worth remembering over my morning coffee.

It was just instrumental, nice chill music to put in the background but I didn't listen to the full album

Definitely did not like this album. Not my style.

Wow. This made me want to have lamb chops for breakfast. I can't remember a thing about it.

Good solid musicianship. The pianist shreds. Loving the variety of percussion instruments at the end of the first song (more cowbell!). I'm so curious how many musicians are in this band. That jazz organ is such a great addition. Flute + saxophone in the second song is dope. These guys have some serious jazz chops, I love that it's like jazz meets old rock. The vocalist has really nice tone. This is cool. I feel like they're not trying to be anyone else, it feels authentic and playful... Like music is play, and they've captured that in album form. That vocal harmony in John Barleycorn is SO satisfying, and ending it one the Picardy third - resolving the last chord to major instead of minor - was so perfect. The album is a very tasteful length and every song is strong, imo they nailed it. The ONLY thing I wish is that the last song wasn't a fade out

Been a fave forever. I love Traffic

Classic!

I love the flute! Not enough artists incorporate this amazing instrument. In some ways their sound reminds me of the Allman Brother's- high praise as it was my father's favorite band. They are definitely jamming and I want to listen to this album again.

Day624 - everything steve winwood touched for two decades turned out amazing

Beautiful album.

Toppen

John Barleycorn Must Die is a seamless blend of rock, jazz, and folk that showcases the band at their most adventurous and refined. From the soulful improvisations of “Glad” to the haunting reimagining of the English folk ballad “John Barleycorn,” every track is rich in texture and musicianship. Steve Winwood’s vocals and keyboards shine, while the band’s interplay creates an organic, timeless sound. Nearly every moment feels both spontaneous and meticulously crafted. A brilliant, genre-defying classic.

(94/100)

Nice short and sweet jams here from winwood and boyz.

10/10 Traffic has got to be one of the most talent rock bands I’ve ever heard, going through their discography

While not conventional in terms of being Prog, it's still damn good regardless. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 5. Sometimes, you just have “it”, what can I say? At face value, someone else might hear this and recognize it as a wholly competent 70s album that hits on all the right rock tropes at a technical level, but they just can’t vibe with it for one reason or another, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for not being that impressed by this. However, Steve Winwood & friends here absolutely nail it for my tastes. Admittedly, I didn’t really take many notes of substance for this one; just a lot of timestamps where I’m impressed by certain instruments (piano, flute, drums, guitar, etc) & a LOT of praise for Steve Winwood’s vocals. The man has some pipes. If I could sing like that, you bet I’d be singing anything & everything, including the seemingly “cheesier” stuff people rag on him about. I refuse to accept any slander of “Valerie” though. Lyrically, this album’s pretty straightforward, save for the mildly baffling “Freedom Rider” – the strength of the storytelling entirely comes in the delivery, and it’s most apparent on “John Barleycorn (Must Die)”. The slower, more deliberate approach to match the tone of the original track is really effective, while still giving Steve room to add some power. Instrumentally, this album shines; not a single dull moment here, and with headphones in, this thing just has a ball of momentum that refuses to stop once it gets going. It’s especially strong on the eclectic closer that is “Every Mother’s Son”. When every instrument hits a sort of fever pitch around the chorus & Steve’s vocals are gliding on them, it’s one of those moments that just sort of elevates an album to a higher point for me. So, yeah, no complaints at all, only praise here. For 1970, this feels a little ahead of schedule, and I’m just really impressed by it. A very strong 35 minutes that, if nothing else, is really enjoyable to listen to from start to finish. I just caught the momentum of this thing, and I think it’s easily worth a 5, if a bit higher. Not quite a 10, but a highly recommended album regardless. P.S.: There’s two things I just need to point out; the flute solo on “Freedom Rider” is rad as hell, & someone NEEDS to sample the percussion of “Empty Pages” around the 3 minute mark.

Couple of great songs on here.

That band was amazing. Such incredible talent

Really enjoyed this one, so much so that I listened to it twice. It’s in the Goldilocks timing zone, the opening instrumental track is a jam, and Empty Pages is a great radio single. The mixture of folk, jazz, blues, and rock was very well done and never felt like they were trying too hard. I was skeptical at first, but this album is very much a surprise five stars. Will be listening to it again.

This was really a 5+ probably my favorite new-to-me album on this journey so far.

A short album with a bit of everything on it. I like it a lot, and Steve Winwood's vocals are superb.

Everything I could want from an album.

Loved the mix of musical sounds from rock to bordering on funk in a few songs.

Every song was good

Help, ik word dus ingehaald door een luistermaatje. Ik moet aan de bak! Maar goed dat we gaan klussen. En dit is een heel mooi plaatje daarbij. Daar moet ik wel achter komen, want de titel suggereert meuk. Tot mijn verbazing begint het album vrij luchtig en jazzy. Het wordt gevolgd door een mengeling van overgebleven jaren '60 klanken en oudere muziekgenres. Je hoort wat getokkel en wat soul. De titeltrack blijkt de klapper. Er wordt nu gekozen voor een folk-klank, waarmee er een voorloper van Stairway to Heaven lijkt te zijn ontstaan. Dit nummer tilt het album (net) naar de laatste ster!

empty pages is mindblowingly great

no sé, me generó un 5 estrellas automático y no conocía. Grata sorpresa- (Fuerza naturaaaal)

I think this is a great album, overall my favourite traffic album. I love the jazzy side and the title tracks is among my favourite folk songs of this period. Just the last song slips a little, but Glad, Freedom Rider and Empty Pages make for a most satifying side of music. 5 stars

i'm a little biased because i grew up with this one. this is one of my dad's favorite albums and i have loved this album for a long time. what's crazy to me about this album is that steve winwood is in his early 20s! anyways, this album is terrific. the first side, in particular, is almost perfect to me. i adore all three songs. the second side i have learned to love more recently, but on this listen, i really liked it as well. the album is jazzy, rocky, and even folky, and is a pretty good mix and is never dull. to be honest, i feel like this one gets underrated a bit. but then again, i'm a bit biased.

Fuck it, 5 stars. Solid mix of tunes, there’s a song where killing and torturing someone is an extended metaphor for making beer. What more could you want?

One of my favorites so far. Scratches the Chicago itch. Short, but very sweet and very good.

This was an awesome listen. Was not really a fan of the first Traffic album I got a few days ago, but this sound feels evolved in a way that resonates with me. Folk-rock-jazz-blues jams. Yeah. Playlist adds - Glad, Freedom Rider, John Barleycorn

I loved that. Good variety and great instrumentation.

Classic

okay i need to listen more traffic. this album is terrific

Love Traffic, adore the talent of Steve Winwood. Wasn't too familiar with 'John Barleycorn must die', so I was glad to give it a listen. A bit more folk on this record, and not really memorable for the lyrics, but the music and the psychedelic, jazzy jamming are great.

Bliss. Soft jazzy rock. But brilliantly done. Love the flute.

A complete modernization of traditional British folk music. Great musicianship. Every Mother's Son is a very underappreciated rock classic in my opinion, but all songs are great.

Great instrumentation. Really tight band. I dig it.

This is awesome Love the overall instrumentation, it has everything that I love about the 70s Lovely sax interspersed

great album

Fantastisch album. Veels te kort

Every song is close to perfection. And done with flute on some. Winwood’s singular voice is one of the best. I’ve seem Stevie live many times and songs from this album are some of the most popular played. Classic, deserves to be on this list.

I listen to it and then I listen to it again. I've got this one on vinyl twice don't ask me why.

Brilliant album.

cool

I had previously dismissed some of Steve Winwood's solo efforts as proficient but too safe. Like he just needed a bit of a blunt edge to him. I hadn't listened to Traffic before, but that was my first instinct here too. But I have to say, this album really grew on me and I honestly think it's excellent after a few listens. While I'm not crazy about Winwood's voice, the music is fantastic mix of rock and jazz with a heavy nod to traditional folk music, particularly notable on the title track. The song writing is very impressive. It twists and turns all over the place, weaving a complex narrative. For me, this really benefitted from repeat listens. The first time thing, I was tempted to give a fairly generous 3, but man has it opened up now. Turns out that I kind of love this.

Yes, this is what I've always wanted from Traffic! I've checked out a few of their earlier albums but nothing really impresses me. And then this comes along, showcasing the genius of Steve Winwood in all his glory. It's harmonically intriguing, melodically sublime, well-crafted in all aspects and just a really exiting record.

Traffic was a great group with any talented musicians. And this is one of their great albums.

Really strong album. Glad to have been introduced to it!

Great Band

John Barleycorn must die by Traffic. What if we actually used traffic for the death penalty? Not the band but like if somebody murders someone we just throw them out on the highway, probably not a good idea. Anyway, good album, folky and jazzy with super clean vocals. It really transports me to the time and place it was made even though I have never been there and wasn't born yet. Last song "Every Mother's Son" was my favorite.

Wow, this was a blast from the past. I really loved this album back in the day. Listening to it now, it's even more interesting. NO GUITAR, except on John Barlycorn! Imagine that in 1970! I bought it for the John Barleycorn song, and really enjoyed the others as well. It's music with a lot to listen to. Probably a precurser to my love of jazz that happened later in my life. Steve Winwoods voice is terrific, but the organ, honky-tonk sounding piano, sax played un-typically, flute, drums perfectly set in the mix. Great stuff! 5 stars!!

Very unique and quit enjoyable. After listening to the album the only thing to do is to listen again.

Classic album, great songs.

Passt!

Another one that has some definite nostalgia factor as I've heard this many times over the years. It's good, very good

Winwood & Mason. I really enjoyed hearing this album. Once I owned it so it was like visiting an old friend.

Masterpiece

superb.