Reviews (page 3 of 9)
Not for me. 1/5
Musically good, but somehow the mix is off and it feels so boxy to me that it was not comfortable to listen to. Song wise, sort of generally poetic and standard fare for the era. I would give this a 4 if the technical production was better.
The playing and the vocals on this record are excellent. However the songs are dull. It is mercifully short however. Steve winwood was either better on his own or with blind faith. This is not of much interest.
Album #95 Traffic: John Barleycorn Must Die I’m amazed that this band has somehow evaded my awareness until now, since 70s piano-led prog-rock is something that I am quite a big fan of. My ignorance stretches further to only knowing of Steve Winwood because of his 80s pop solo-career, which he hit it mainstream with songs like “Higher Love”, which I actually found through Grand Theft Auto 5, and goes hard as fuck; as well as his playing on one of the greatest albums of all-time, “Colour of Spring” by Talk Talk. I guess it is sort of like only knowing Peter Gabriel for ‘Sledgehammer’ and not Genesis, or even only knowing Phil Collins for ‘In The Air Tonight’ and not, well, Genesis. I guess there is a theme of prog-rock band members going in a more mainstream pop direction in the 80s, and now I’m sad that we don’t live in a timeline where Rick Davies from Supertramp didn’t have a number one pop hit (Rodger Hodgson, however, did go in this direction to relative success). Now I can’t judge Traffic’s entire catalogue based on one album, but I don’t think they are quite at the level of Genesis or Supertramp; then again, not many are, but they are certainly not too far behind, as this album was quite good. I was satisfactorily entertained by every song, but when the track “John Barleycorn” came on, this album went from being good to great. It's definitely going to be a song that stays in my rotation for some time. I can see people being bored by this era of British rock, and I do think that this sound has not been as influential as a lot of stuff that came out later in the 70s that still has a chokehold on modern music (punk, gothic, post-punk) so people may not be as receptive to it, but since I grew up on bands like Supertramp, this is definitely up my alley. Going to have to check out more for sure, as well as the group Blind Faith, which I discovered contains Winwood as well as Eric Clapton, can’t tell if that is either going to be brilliant or too pretentious even for me. Best Songs: John Barleycorn, Empty Pages, Every Mother’s Son Worst Song: Stranger to Himself Score out of 10: 7.5
Just OK dad rock, way too much electric organ
I enjoyed this more than I would have thought. I'm finding that I REALLY like jazz and jazz-related music.
This was played a lot in my family hike when I grew up. Sentimental listening but not one of my favourites.
Jamais écouté avant. Du jazz rock qui ne se sent pas obligé d'en faire trop, avec une influence folk assumée. C'est court, très plaisant à écouter, parfaitement inoffensif et totalement oubliable. Top : John Barleycorn Flop : Empty Pages
Not everybody should do music.
music is love
7.5/10
One good song, in my estimation, the title track. But Maybe it’s not my kind of thing, nearly-prog rock.
I'm mostly familiar with Traffic's later singles, so this sounded nothing like I expected. This is a pretty good rock album and one I would definitely want to revisit. 3/5
Really solid album. I thought it sounded way more modern than it's 1970 release date would imply. Listened to the whole album a few times. 4/5
Traffic wasn’t really on my radar before this listen so my initial impression was driven by the album cover. I expected less jazz and more folk -- but I am not complaining. I like the instrumental sections and the jam vibe. The album is described as the band’s most exploratory and I think that’s a good thing. It’s exploratory in the “finding hidden gems” sense and not in the “lost explorer on the wrong continent” sense. 🪈 I loved hearing the flute get special treatment especially on “Freedom Rider”. I would give this 3.5 stars. I would be happy to listen to it again in its entirety in a playlist. I likely won’t seek it out.
More Traffic?! As if the first didn't bore me enough, here we have another one, and even less interesting at that. Truly a feat.
What a great album. Varied styles of songs show the groups talents.
John Barleycorn Must Die has one of the best opening songs ever in “Glad”—an instrumental! Traffic leans more into incorporating jazz with their rock sound to good success. The saxophone and flute combination in “Freedom Rider” sounds so fresh. They don’t go far from their folk rock origins, because of course they used a traditional song for their title track. I probably know more Steve Winwood solo music than his bands’ music, and I love how easy it is to pick out his style. There’s something very distinct about his piano and organ playing. Speaking of, the organ in “Glad” is beautiful and captivating. Winwood has the voice of an angel, to boot. I was reminded a bit of Jethro Tull with their progressive folk style—the flute and traditional folk song didn’t help none with that. Traffic’s two albums have shown me I prefer solo Winwood music, though I liked Barleycorn more than their self-titled. I found myself appreciating more Winwood aspects than the other two members. Winwood or bust. 3.5, rounding up.
For progressive rock, this was a lot jazzier and bluesy than I was expecting, which to be clear, is not a bad thing; I sometimes struggle with the approachability of progressive rock, and these factors made this album a lot more enjoyable for me! I also love an album that has a good hook in the artwork or title, and "John Barleycorn Must Die" definitely stuck the landing in terms of intrigue. The title song itself, derived from a traditional folk song, heavily utilizes that same traditional folk sound in the 1970s, reminiscent of Fairport Convention. Though the traditional folk sound is most prevalent on this song, it can be heard in minor ways across some of the other songs on the album. It sounds like this album was a defining moment for Traffic in terms of loosening up their style a little bit. And in my opinion, the results were positive.
I enjoyed it, even if it did border slightly on a jazzy side.
After listening to this album in the morning, this evening I saw Martha Carthy and friends play the songs of Martin Carthy. One of the songs they played was Iohn Barleycorn Must Die. The generator knows you know. One of the blind spots in this book is the abscence of English and Celtic folk song. There’s a host of acoustic singer songwriters a few folk rock LPs that draw on these traditions and Bert Jansch’s instrumental lp but no MacColl, Copper Family, Carthy, Shirley Collins. So despite the disappointment of their self-titled blues rock yomp the title and cover made me hope for more. Also Paper Sun and Hole in my Shoe were good songs - there must be a good Traffic album right? Well it’s not this one. It’s a series of jazz fusion jams similar to Soft Machine only without the focus or a singer of the quality of Wyatt or Ayers.. Gig was good though.
Couple cool songs
Solid 70s Chicago/Tulll vibe. Good dog-walking album
I enjoyed the listen. I will forget all about it in a week. Nothing spectacular about it. Good enough.
I really liked this!
I like it
I continue to not be very into prog rock
meh except for every mother’s son. i just couldn’t get anything to stick with me.
The grooves were pretty good. The flute on Freedom Rider was awesome. I really liked the rendition of the classic John Barleycorn song too. I rarely stay fully invested all the way through this kind of prog album. The ones that stand out are really great but this one was just alright to me.
Surprisingly soulful and groovy for prog. Pretty good stuff Fav tracks: Glad, Empty Pages
Now I know more about Traffic thanks to this list. There was an 80s sitcom - maybe Dear John starring Judd Hirsch? - in which a character said he was late because "I was stuck in Traffic longer than Steve Winwood." Sadly that's the first thing that always comes to mind when Traffic comes up.
Sort of sounds good, but try as I might nothing here catches on for me.
This album started off with some absolute bangers, but the song “John Barleycorn Must Die” was an absolute dud and really kind of just squashed the fun I had been having. 3.75 / 5
Doet me niet zoveel. Prima muziek, maar kan er niet meer over zeggen.
Ultimately boring.
Steve Winwood menudo carreron! Entran muy bien, se mantienen dignos
Epic long form soul and folk revival. It's like an intersection of a lot of my favourite things in music! Would be so easy to give this 5, but I feel like it needed to sit with me longer for me to say that I really love it. Definitely excellent.
Took me a few listens, but eventually it got under my skin. Loved most of the tracks.
Enjoyable jazzy listen. Likes: Glad, Empty Pages, Stranger to Himself
enjoyed some parts, but there are too many solo instrumental parts that make me lose interest..... I need lyrics. The songs seem to go on a bit too long. I feel neutral about this album. songs I might go back to: - freedom rider - every mother's son (if only it wasn't so long...) - sittin' here thinkin' of my love
This one really grew on me to the point where I adore it, even if it's not stunning. There's the folksiness of the title song which I know best as a weird noise rock cover from an obscure side project. Instead, it's the bands mesh of psychedelia, jazz fusion and a touch of gospel that is layered with the stunning work of Steve Winwood, little musical gremlin that he is. Really good stuff.
Liked the jazz-focused songs in this more. First two tracks were great 👍 overall good but not amaaaaazing
1.5/5 There's nothing really bad about this album but it does nothing for me. It felt like background music and not one of the greatest albums of all time.
Much like the other Traffic album I've rated on here, it was kind of bland, a bit too MOR for me, and Steve Winwood seemed to really love the spotlight. Some of the long jams felt like 70s background music, a bit cheesy even. At first, it just seemed like a meh, transitional album, missing the catchy tunes of their earlier stuff. But, once I gave it a chance, the vibes were, dare I say, was surprisingly cool. They mixed Jazz, Folk, and Rock in a unique way, especially with the flute and organ. Some songs got a little repetitive, but "John Barleycorn" was amazing, a beautiful take on folklore. It's not going to blow anyone's mind, but it's a chill, solid listen if you just let the band's jamming wash over you.
A little blues, a little jazz, I don’t know the meaning of the album name
Listened Before? N Pretty good jam-bandy stuff. I like his voice. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Empty Pages
I don’t hate it, but I also find it a little tough to get too jazzed about this record. It feels like vaguely jam bandy nonsense. And, while Jethro Tull has opened my eyes to the badassery of flute rock, I’m not sure I’m into all the flutes here. Like I said, this isnt terrible or anything, but I doubt I’ll be revisiting it. 6/10
I miss Traffic
Started off a 2 ended up 3.5/4 Jazzy, psychedelic and folky FairPlay, these boys are musicians
This didn't grab me until John Barleycorn. The first song sounded like an extended version of a 70s sitcom theme. Low 3.
This sounds like three different albums. The first two tracks which combine jazz and English folk rock probably jumped out for me the most. Overall this is a very high 3 (possibly warrants a 4)
Rich in textures. Early progressive with jazz, folk and blues overtones.
John Barleycorn Must Die makes me realise how limitless the possibilities of songwriting and album building are. Or at least, how many needless rules songwriters usually box themselves in with. Traffic are happy to ignore genre boundaries which makes them unpredictable. I never imagined hearing jazz flute, over the top of traditional English folk music, all held together with a time signature defying proggy sensibility. If you only heard brief snippets of this LP you could easily convince yourself that these sounds came from wildly different releases. Despite how wide ranging it is, it holds together as a cohesive whole, peaking with the title track. From my perspective this is a must listen for anyone interested in songwriting.
I’m actually surprised today’s album isn’t doing much for me, it’s my kind of genre but I’m finding it’s not landing with me, some cool parts and a decent enough listen but nothing more - low 3, last track almost pulled it up to mid 3 but not quite
I have given away/sold so many copies of this record…I now remember why. This album must die.
Hyvin urkupitoista progehtavaa rockia. Kevyttä kuunneltavaa.
Mukavan kuulosta, vähän vaan hämmentävä soulin ja psykerokin yhdistelmä - välillä mentiin toisessa päässä ja välillä toisessa. Löyty kans joku folkkibiisi välistä.
Not a fan.
Hade denna som bakgrundsmusik när jag skrev. Den var en skön matta men gjorde inget större intryck. Trea
Who actually likes Traffic? Not me, that's for sure. Anyway, after Googling John Barleycorn, I can understand the parallel of his lore, and this album. It made me appreciate it a little more. Favorite Track: "Glad".
Less offensive than the other stuff on this list that sounds exactly like this
I mean……why
Like it 3/5
7 / 10
126/1001 First listen. Not my kind of thing. Not something I’ll listen to again. 3/10
This is a fantastic album top to bottom; very laid back and relaxing grooves and monsieur has a very nice signing voice.
Love It.
Not for me at all.
A fine album, but nothing too special for me. The second half is a bit livelier, but the first half didn’t go anywhere for me, with a lot of long instrumental sections. Solid, but not one to stay long in the memory.
No surprise this started off as Steve Winwood’s first solo album; his powerful vocals and keyboard/organ-playing dominate the album, and he played all the guitars too. There’s also a healthy dose of jazzy flute (à la Jethro Tull). This is a textbook 3-star album for me; every track was perfectly pleasant/listenable, but none were really mind-blowing. Side two was certainly the stronger half: ‘Stranger to Himself’ was a fun country/folk-inflected track, the title track was a good bit of straight-up British folk-rock, and the closer was a pretty decent rocker. Overall, a reasonably good early prog-rock album.
It's fine. Sounds like 1970.
Solid 3.
Not that good. Sort of anxiety inducing.
Want to listen again
Me gusto el disco por su inclinación al Jazz fusión, Jazz rock/folk. Creo que la ejecución de cada instrumento es muy buena y la voz es excelente. En general creo que es un disco que cumple y sin duda podría volver a escucharlo. Aun así no se me hizo un gran disco, simplemente un buen disco. Ninguna canción se me hizo más memorable que otra.
neeee
Pretty basic rock album nothing to write home about lol
This one didn't grab me. I put it on and it quickly became background music as I carried on about my evening. Not a big fan of the flute either, especially in 70s rock. Jethro Tull I'm talking to you
Im surprised I loved it. It was my background music for the whole day
OK.
This album was hard to pin down for the first few tracks. Jazz/Rock fusion? I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but it certainly held my interest. But the back half was not nearly as dynamic or adventurous and the song writing failed to keep me engaged.
I appreciate the exploratory energy of this album and in general it's successful in its execution, with one big exception - the sax parts, which sound like they are played by a junior high kid who just picked up the instrument. Honestly, congrats to that kid. He's doing a great job, but I think this album requires more jazz mastery and less 'baa baa black sheep'-style solos. The songs are not really there but there’s some good stuff. It’s the ‘folk’ part of the jazz-rock-folk hybrid that’s not working, in my opinion. But the album still succeeds on its own terms- we’re here for Winwood's pipes, which are in fine form and for the grooves, which aren’t in short supply. The production is clean and the drum sound in particular is really sharp.
Decent
This was pretty good. Much better, and different, than expected. Pleasantly rock-jazzy.
Where the fuck did that last song come from? Damn. 3.5
Fantastic album, amazed me a lot more than I expected. Traffic is always been a great band but I feel like they're very underrated in terms of their musicianship. Amazing flute and saxophone parts and beautiful instrumentals throughout
Solo steve is better, but this is still good.
5/5
Kind of boring….2.75
Alright, this is pretty decent, nice keyboard work and instrumentation, however it's not super great either, probably very strong 3 stars for this, lacking a bit for me. But today is busy, and maybe I'll find some time to re-listen later on this eve. Def at least 3.5/5.0 on RYM
Bell'album, mi ha gasato abbastanza soprattutto le prime tracce
I actually liked it less the more the album went on. I'm in a bad mood, so it's getting 2 stars.
I really liked the jazz-folk-rock direction on this album. It’s not my favourite Traffic record but it’s pretty great.
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would based on a scan of the reviews.
3.5 rounding up to a 4
Great opener, no duds, nice and short, Steve Winwood's voice, tasty sax licks -hard to criticize this one in my mind. Also interesting to listen to a guitar-less rock album, wonder how many of those there are here.
You know what you're getting with Trafffic....cool songs that mix all kinds of genres from English folk, soul, and hard rock. I would listen to Steve Winwood sing the phone book, as they say, and hes basically playing every instrument here except drums and percussion. What a beast
3.5
Honestly a really strong set of songs the only thing that I would probably change is I would put the instrumental glad at the end of the album rather than at the beginning my main highlight are the title track and "Freedom Fighter", but quite frankly I did enjoy the whole darn thing. (9.6) ★★★★½
It doesn't start out too good, but get better and better. The title track is amazing. 4 stars
My dad used to have this album, but for wharever reason I never listened to it although I always thought the cover was cool. It kind of sits between British folk rock and prog, which makes it more tolerable than either genre on it's own. Not my favorite thing in the world, but I always liked Steve Winwood's voice and piano playing. Highlights for me were "Empty Pages" and "Every Mother's Son". 3.5 stars.
3.5
Must John Barleycorn die? I’m not seeing a compelling case here. Their next album Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys is a more 1001-worthy candidate with better art and more inventive packaging although do check out Toto’s Steve Lukather’s definitive version of the title track from 2021.
Meh, not for me
I heard that initial piano lick and immediately turned it up. I had never heard of Traffic before this but now I can't forget them. I'm listening to the whole album (which is only 6 songs! A sweet spot for me) again while I type this and wow, it's even making me type with more of a groove. Two headphone worthy. I will say, I preferred the album before the singing started, but it's very 70s so I enjoyed it! All the musicians are so good that I would listen to an album of just the music so happily. 5 if not for the singing which brings it down to a 4.
Yummy!
4/10 Best songs: John Barleycorn I have to admit, based on the album title I was expecting something folk or Irish. Instead I got yet another early 70s progressive rock/jazz (rock?) album. It's like... fine. Boring, honestly. Some of the songs are in a minor key which just doesn't work here. It's telling that the strongest song on the album isn't particularly prog rock/jazz.
Lots of rock n roll flute. 2/5
So much flute!
I’ve never really given this classic rockband much attention, partially because I don’t like Steve Winwood. Still, I didn’t expect it to kick off with a meandering jam tune then segue into pedestrian songs with a lot of flute and sax. The only thing this album has going for it is it’s blessedly short.
In a word, twangly. In two words, very seventies. In the field of ‘Must Die’ works, this ranks above ‘John Tucker Must Die’ and probably ‘Romeo Must Die’ but below ‘Invaders Must Die’.
The title track is stellar. But a lot of the album sounds like it could’ve been the soundtrack to a middling 1970-era sitcom. Steve Winwood’s inviting vocals can’t really make up for the instrumental void.
This album must die.
It’s always a slog making your way through traffic…even if there’s only six stoplights along the way.
Ah yes, who doesn’t love TRAFFIC. At least this was only six songs
I wish these dudes would save some chicks for the rest of us. Flautists have all the fun.
This was fine. A bit too much flute for my liking. Whatever, take your weak 3*. 2.75/5
First song is fun but the rest is a rough ride
Super groovy and radical!
Just terrible 0/5
Fun little album, nothing spectacular. Nice background music, I guess. 7 / 10
Traffic switch gears on this album which has more folk/jazz elements with extended instrumental on many of the songs. Windwood's voice on fine form too. Not a bad LP.
Bit much of a jam session for my taste.
En ollut aiemmin kuunnellut Trafficia. Ihan hyvää jazzahtavaa progea.
NIce easy listen
Wow, I expected this to be some folky rubbish due to the title and the album art, but no, this was fantastic! The drums, flutes, organ working together in harmony and Steve Winwood’s voice is great. Loved this.
pretty standard jazz rock. its good but a bit forgettable
Bra musik, svängigt, vet inte riktigt vad som som inte får det att funka för mig.
im having a hard time placing this. If anything, its what I assumed adults listened to when I was a child. It's not terrible, but not my vibe.
The jazz/pop/rock genre of the 70s is one of my least favorites
Just no. Another 2
ehhhh
A little dad rock-y, but the instrumentals were amazing on this one. Still by the end, it's a strong 3 and not a 4
Meh
I saw Traffic open for The Grateful Dead. 5
Yes!
Did not like this one at all. Maybe a good album but just not to my taste.
Really enjoyed the title track. Over the years I've become a bit of a Steve Winwood fangirl. 3.5, rounded down because I don't like long bouts of instrumental jamming.
The album that asks (like Jethro Tull some weeks ago), does the flute belong in this type of music. The answer, for me, is no. It feels out of place and conjures images of small woodland creatures prancing and frolicking on stage. There's just something about it that doesn't work. I realize Arcade Fire gets away with unusual or old-timey instruments but in those instances they feel natural there. In the case of this album several tunes are jamming along and then the flute out of nowhere starts riding on top. I was initially a 2 on this. On 2nd listen, with my wife in the car, she convinced me that perhaps I was being too harsh. Think about it like grades in school - its like a C and therefore a 3. I'd still argue 2.5 at best but ok. 3/5.
Not a huge Traffic fan, I've listened to this before but didn't retain a lot. And that's probably the major issue - white listening, "Glad" is a great soulful opener, "Freedom Rider" is a decent song; Winwood's voice and his Hammond stabs are great, but 30 minutes later I'm not really recalling much. The electric piano vamping against sustained organ chords on "Empty Pages" is excellent. "I Just Want to know" is barely a song. The title track is very Fairport Convention modern folk and is good if a little too earnest, a bit repetitive and overlong. Guy Stevens' production is good if very "guitar hard left, piano hard right." It's an album I enjoyed listening to, well played and produced, but not one I'll have on repeat.
Album 1021 of 1089 John Barleycorn Must Die - Traffic (1970) Rating : 4 / 5 This is one of those albums that just feels like a classic - the kind everyone should hear at least once, whether they realize it going in or not. Even when the songs were unfamiliar, the album sounded strangely comfortable, like music you already know but haven’t quite met yet. The instrumentation and performances are excellent across the board, leaning into a blues-rock feel that’s relaxed, confident, and unforced. Everything breathes naturally, and nothing feels rushed or padded. It made for a quick, enjoyable listen - the kind where you look up and realize the album is already over. Solid, well-crafted, and very easy to appreciate, this one reinforces why Traffic holds such a respected place in rock history.
Yeah it’s good
Unmemorable Fave track: Empty pages
I have no thoughts. 2.5/5
3.8/5
astonishingly unremarkable jazzy folk rock, steve winwood continues to baffle me with his sustained success
This was my first experience with prog rock and I must say I will be coming back. The jamming style of playing and the rock elements both give the album life in their own ways. As a fan of English folk music, I also really liked the track John Barleycorn.
Someone else said it first but I whole heartedly agree: “This is a lot of Steve Winwood. For some, this would be a draw. For me, it is the opposite.” At least it’s less than 35 minutes long.
Not bad at all, although I wish more songs were in the likeness of the album opener and less folky flutey Jethro Tullly.
What a beautiful and great listen all around will definitely revisit this one.
Brilliant!
Better than I thought it would be
Decent enough.
This was so meh, it’s the meh of all mehs. I listened to this yesterday, and although it was musically competent (which doesn’t equate to musically interesting), I remember only vague notions that it sounded kinda like Chicago and reeked of cultural appropriation.
Liked this album
I was Glad to listen to this one.
This sucked and was corny and boring. Barely made it through most songs. Nice voice I guess. You can tell it was mostly old white dudes that picked these albums.
I am going 2 stars instead of one because it made me laugh a lot
Kind of boring, classic rock Steve Winwood obviously has an amazing voice, but whatever
Steve Winwood is a legendary musician proven from the Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith, and then Traffic. I started really enjoying Traffic a while ago, especially with Mr. Fantasy, which was a great album. This album has elements of that classic rock sound, with songs like every mother‘s son. But other songs like John Barleycorn Must Die and the song Glad I feel like they took the off-ramp into flute land that just didn’t grab me. Some of the live tracks on the deluxe version show the power and talent of the band but those wouldn’t have been on the original release. Overall, this album is solidly OK, but compared to Traffic’s initial albums, is slowing for yield signs.
Random thoughts: * I liked this one enough to listen to it twice. * This did make me look up what John Barleycorn was about. I heard the name before and remember a bar in Chicago called John Barleycorn's. Turns out its about alcohol! Surprised I didn't know this before. * Anyway, the music was alright but I was way more interested in learning about John Barleycorn but I did enjoy the jazziness and expanded musical palatte.
Lots of instruments lots going on The start of the album is quite different to the end
Only three days into this project and it's thrown up my all time favourite Traffic album, a band that I love dearly and this album is five stars all the way. After the short lived Blind Faith project Steve Winwood pulled two out of the three other members of traffic back in to reform the band. A classic slice of 70's prog blending jazz, folk and blues seamlessly. The traditional title track has been arranged and recorded by numerous acts, this is one of the finest examples.
Normally when I have relatively quick repeats of a band I don’t care much for, I punish the second one out of annoyance. New year new me. I liked this one a bit better than the other and I don’t care who knows it!
Wasn't familiar with, but it was some nice sounding easy rock.
Nope. Not today Steve Winwood. Maybe not any day.
I bought this album used years ago and sold it back awhile later because it didn’t stick. I didn’t expect much. It exceeded my expectations. I like the instrumental they open with. Winwood has a nice voice and the drummer is good. There are also not a ton of tracks that have deep hooks.
Up from 3.5. Great piano sound.
2/5 - Steve Winwood and flutes. That’s a big fuckin hole to dig out of.
-i liked this a lot more than their self-titled, which was the only thing i’d heard by this band up until this point. some very good early prog rock -i think Steve Winwood is pretty talented as an artist, i’d like to listen to more of his stuff at some point -Favorites: Glad, Stranger To Himself
A technically sound and easy to listen to album of folky jazz rock, but nothing here sticks out or challenges the listener. Another album on this list that’s just sort of there. Interesting to hear early Steve Winwood.
Trotz handwerklichem Können wirkt das Album wie ein endloser Jam: langatmig, zäh, ohne klare Höhepunkte. „Glad“ groovt noch, doch der Rest bleibt ein monotoner Chum-Chum-Trip ohne Richtung.
I'm generally a fan of this band, and this is a strong record.
Never heard or heard of before, really enjoyed, listen over several times, was going with a 4 but this has become a firm favourite discovery for the new year, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, hippy-folk-rock-jazz, I was born in the wrong time, I should be about 20 years older😆
This album is literally in every record store in the cheap bin, that’s literally where I knew it from. I assumed that meant it was trash, but you know what - this is good???? It’s British white boy jazz/soul, which is one of my least favorite genres ever, but sometimes, it works! And this is one of those times! These songs are fun and enjoyable, and the album is a quick in and out! I liked this! Listened to it more than once!
Lots of jazz flute
This wasn't great. I had to jump through a few hoops (read: track down individual songs across streaming services) and the music wasn't strong enough to overcome that initial irritation. I like some Steve Winwood but this wasn't it for me
The musicianship is fantastic throughout and the title track is terrific
Fun beats, easy listening, nothing stood out to me too much.
I listened to this album but literally cannot remember it once i finished
This was better than I thought it would be. The first song was what I think when I hear Traffic, but the next few songs were suprising. I didn't realize these were british progressive guys and not a part of the yacht rock soft jazz. I don't think its really something I would listen to, but I won't shudder every time I hear this bands name anymore.
Don’t really have a strong opinion on this one. It was fine, but I have no desire to listen to this again.
It was fine
love
Un poil trop jazz pour être honnête.
Great in its time, and still great.
You see, this is the exact kind of thing that I needed after that MJ Cole bullshit from yesterday. Following up a long-ass album from a genre that I only sometimes care for with a short and sweet album from one of my favorite genres out there is actually perfect. Thanks, website! Anyway, I like this album quite a bit. Maybe not as much as other prog-rock records, but John Barleycorn must die is still a good time. This is one of the earlier prog albums of the list in the timeline, but it doesn't feel particularly primitive in any regard. This kind of album feels like it could've been made later in the decade, so to see this in 1970 is pretty nice. The instruments are good. There's some flutes and saxophones that are always nice, and Steve Winwood's organ playing is an absolute treat. There's not much to the album in runtime, but what there is is pretty solid. The title track is nice as a slower tune. "Freedom Rider" and "Empty Pages" are quite fun. The vocals kinda remind me of Peter Gabriel a little, which isn't a bad thing. I like the jazziness. This isn't the most exciting album out there, but it's the kind of thing that I can't bring myself to call anything worse than "pretty good." I enjoy this. Low 4/5.
This is music played by musicians in 1970. Songs.
Fun flute
The jams go on forever
Not bad, but I wouldn't listen to this again.
The group that created this 1001 list, it’s becoming clear they were drinking and smoking and likely more, somehow made it a thing! Don’t quite deserve a 1 though.
Was grand to listen to
90s grocery store background music
Not bad overall
Always live some Traffic. Not their best, but a few great ones. Great instrumental opening song. 3.75
A fine enough rock album with some jazz ideas. Solid enough musicianship but nothing that knocked me over. I’m about as down the middle on this as I can get. The remaster does sound fantastic though.
5.5/10
I dug this one. Had my head bobbing more than once. Not a full 4, but could grow to being one
The only good kind of traffic.
Pretty good, just not really my thing. I tended to zone out a lot.
meh
Another Traffic album! While I feel like one album is enough to represent Traffic on this list, and I prefer Self Titled, I really enjoyed this.
Another album where people jam out with a flute :-) I like the sax groove and chord progression in Freedom Rider. The album has a mix of funk and 70's rock sound. It also has a bit of Celtic sounds like in John Barleycorn. This is a high 3 for me - I could see it rising with more listens.
Could maybe argue this is a 4 star, just based on the fact that similar albums tend to be overlong jam sessions and this clocks in at a mere 34 minutes.
A rare instance of the instrumental opener being stronger than the tracks with vocals. Really liked 'Glad' but the rest felt very 70s blues/rock - maybe slightly better than average but nothing to really blow my hair back.
Hmm. Yeah, I'm thinking this is gonna be a proto-punk album based on the title and bandname, though 1970 feels like its too early for the genre. What else do I have. Folk? I think I'll go with folk. Oh, joy. A thirty-minuter. I've been needing one of these lately. I was pretty off with my prediction. I shoulda doubled down on the influences of punk rather than pivoting to a completely different genre. Anyways, this is fine. I can appreciate kicking back and spacing out to something which is just competent and inoffensive every once in a while. There's a good spread of styles and sounds on this album. A good level of variety in the instrumentation department, too. The vocals aren't to my liking, though this album is mostly instrumental and therefore works perfectly for me. "Glad" features my beloved cowbell. Always a favourite of mine. I wasn't listening to the music too intently, but I appreciated the relaxed sound - especially during the second half of the song. "Freedom Rider" is a good follow-up. Some pretty robust instrumentation. I like the pan flute and the cool, bassy sound. The jumpy piano and organ numbers are also pretty good. "John Barleycorn" Book time. The band was successful throughout the 60s, though the rest of the entry is a whole lot of wank. Wikipedia says that the album performed well on both sides of the Atlantic. Apparently the critical backing for this album has waned in the decades since release. Yeah, this probably doesn't deserve it's place on the list, though I'm too relaxed right now to engage in the whole thinking about a replacement thing. I cosign this inclusion.
Decent prog/psych. One is not always in a mood for that type of music, especially when hangover. I probably need to come back later. Three stars for now.
prog normalito pero ala qué título tan duro
Not my type
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I liked this but it did just breeze by and has left no lasting impression
Yet again I’m reminded not to judge a book by its cover. While nothing groundbreaking I actually really enjoyed this - short and sweet
This album rocked. Very chill but fun. Still not a fan of jazz flute, but man those guys were killing it in the 70s.
I definitely could have died a perfectly content man having never listened to this album. 1 star.
#1 - 3/12/25
I enjoyed this enough to like it and want to listen again but evidently I need to listen again because I can’t remember enough about it other than it was very close to getting 4 stars. At times a bit soulful, jazzy, bluesy and the title track a departure from all that into folk. Good stuff.
Not a particularly memorable album. Definitely a chill album to listen to but not something I would listen to on the daily.
Did we need two Traffic albums and a Steve Winwood album in this book? Absolutely not. I am not a Steve Winwood hater and I moderately enjoy his music and the music of Traffic. There just is not something "essential" about having two Traffic albums on here. This is excellent music to clean the house to. It's difficult to object to it, unless you have a propensity for disgust against the flute or other wind instruments. Did we need this? Probably not. Given the choice between this one and their self-titled album, then I would put John Barleycorn Must Die in the book. It's the better album. There are only six songs on here, with one of them being an instrumental. It's hard to pick favorites based solely on that fact. I have a collection of Traffic songs but I cannot recommend an entire album over a choice selection of their good songs.
Hard to get though. Don't see the appeal. Guess you had to be there.
Hard pass. I don't really know how to get into the right mindset to appreciate this. It didn't annoy me, so at least two stars, but otherwise didn't care for it.
This came and went without my thinking about it much. When I did notice it, I mostly thought, "That's an awful lot of flute." I guess if I want to listen to Steve Winwood, I'll stick with "Valerie."
A good album but not enough spark for me.
Another nothing burger again. Been alot lately. Its fine. Its enough. But not enough to do much for me. It exists and im chill with that. If you like it amazing. I wish I had ur brain.
Pleasant but nothing standouts
Aite
Que buena producción, para tener 6 canciones se siente muy completo y original. Favs: Glad, Freedom Rider
You know...first track you got this 7 minute long instrumental with blues, rock, gospel, funk elements that I really enjoyed. Then second track you get hit with very mid-vocals. The instrumentation remained great though.
Nice album, I like Steve Windwood.
I liked it alot For a british rock band they really like american soul sound and im not mad at 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
Why r these so long songs. Glad sounds like a movie soundtrack and very much gospel music. I actually really enjoy this track. Freedom Rider was pretty vibey. Weird sax take at one point in the song, you’d think they’d try for a better take, like it audibly sounded like a fuck up or missed notes lol. But whatever. John Barleycorn sounds like a wannabe Led Zeppelin song so bad, down to the flute. This came out after Led Zeppelin as well, but this sounds specifically like stairway which came out after. Hmmm. The rest of the album was pretty tight and doing its own funky soul thing till this song came on. Feels like the first two songs on the album are a different artist. Overall, not a bad listen but nothing special blowing my mind. 3.5/5
Doesn't surprise me this charted well in the states. Feels to me like they're mimicking almost directly the US genres of the time- despite being british. I wouldn't have guessed this was a British band, usually you can tell. Mostly by the grabby little fingers, for thieving of cultural treasures. I kid. Sorta. But yeah, guitar riffs and vocal stylings straight out of the states in most of the tunes. They finally reveal their britishness on the second to last song of the record, they tried to hide it from us. The sneaky poms. But we found out in the end. The record is all good. Fun, with a good amount of soul and rhythm. But it feels to me pretty unremarkable. The woodwind instruments are a nice touch. There are many black artists of this era in the states you could listen to instead, who bring unique offerings to the table. Interestingly it was mixed and mastered by the same guy who mixed London Calling, Guy Stevens. Man he blew out and clipped the bass hard on Empty Pages, my lord. Odd tone shift on the last song, I wonder if its some sort of running motif or story? Honestly I'm not interested or curious enough about this album to try find out Would've been a 2.5, but I liked the last song. 3
The soulful parts are OK but they are surrounded by too much hippie shit.
I've never listened to this album (59). First song is great! The rest is ok.
These guys did Dear Mr. fantasy, that song rips. There’s nothing on this album that comes close to Mr. Fantasy, it just sorta farts along offering glimpses of interesting music before continuing to fart along and offer up middling boring songs. Another example of the overindulgent British curators begging us to listen to their overhyped music. Also, why are you naming your band Traffic? I hate that so much, was the name wet socks already taken? Fuck you Steve Winwood, you cunt. 2 stars
I like pretty much everything about this album, but I'm having trouble articulating why. I'll just rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and go make sure I have it in my personal collection
Alright jam jazz rock
Bluesy and a twinge psyche. Wonderful combo for me
This starts well enough, then descends into keyboard hell. Way too much jazz influence for me. One brilliant song, that's how I remember it. Still just the one.
Nice to listen to start to finish
Loved the title track - quite enjoying these storytelling albums -s'pose the music I usually listen to doesn't have that
Fun listen, would listen to again. No crazy standout tracks but nice to have on.
At first I thought I was going to really enjoy this album. By the end I was bored. It wasn't bad, I guess I was just expecting better.
Aimless, bland noodling.
3.5/5
Eh. Inoffensive and bland
Wide range. Can see how they were contemporaries with Jethro Tull.
Hands down, this was a huge step up from the last Traffic album on the list. I really enjoyed this one—right from the seven-minute instrumental jam that kicks things off to the moments where Steve Winwood leans into what he does best: those rich piano and organ lines paired with his unmistakable vocals. I didn’t recognize any of the six tracks going in, but each one ended up being a pleasure to listen to.
This was ok 70s rock. Nothijg groundbreaking.
Great sax piano and horn section featured throughout. Great album
First time I listened to this one, had to listen a 2nd time thru to get some of the analogies in the title song especially. Was genuinely fun
This was a bit dull
I like a lot of albums like this, jammy, folky-rocky. Not this one though. Never liked Steve Windwood, and not liking any of the other voices or the songs.
I enjoyed the flute, but honestly there wasn't enough variation on the album for me. This album did lead me to look into Steve Winwood more though, so that's a plus.
I like a lot about this album. The genre is ambiguous but it seems to draw from rock, jazz, folk, blues, and maybe others too. The singer's voice is quite nice and I like the instrumentals too. The organ moments are cool and the flute is a unique element that sets this album apart. The flautist is truly giving it their all. Overall, this is a high quality album, but I feel like it's missing something that would make me rate it higher. 8/10.
Very inattentive listening to this one due to a late night before. Can’t really tell you if anything stood out.
I thought this was a pretty solid album. Nothing jumped out at me like crazy. But there were some really good instrumentals
Enjoyed this one! Loved the flute, wish there was more though.
To have been a 70’s stoner. Very psychedelic. Not bad.
Too much parping for my tastes but otherwise good.
Been a fave forever. I love Traffic
Cover 4 I didn't mind it. But that's as good as it got for me.
Didn't love this. Just not my jam. But respect, I guess.
Traffic was the first 60's band that I really liked. Something about them seemed timeless. Don't know why I never listened to this album though, having heard the others many times and liking them. Something about the name and knowing it was based on an old folktale made it seem like it was going to be folksy and boring. But I clicked "Glad" and instantly was glad I did. "Stranger To Himself" is quite good. Nice guitars Title track is almost everything I feared it would be. Yuck! "Empty Pages" was a single?? Don't know how. It's not radio ready nor interesting. I want to give this album about a 3.8. I'll round up because I'm sure that upon repeated listening, I'll like it even more.
Enjoyed this. Probably 3.5
Cool album. Great late 60's vibe
This album and probably Traffic as a band, will probably never cross my mind again - at least until this list offers up another one of their records. Mostly inoffensive 70's jazz/folk rock that I couldn't really pick out of a lineup of other 70's bands of this ilk. And there seems to be a lot of them. Freedom Rider caught my ear with it's notable sax motifs and flute interludes. I'm giving this a 2 star rating - although I (once again) appreciate the ability of these musicians, I can't dole out stars just because they learnt to play their instruments. Traffic is a dumb band name.
Listening conditions - Thursday afternoon in the office, Sony headphones on. Albums First Rodeo? - Yep Stand Out Tracks - "Freedom Rider' was cool, and maybe familiar. "Stranger to Himself" this is groovy, I reminds me of something else - baby you're rich man. Misses - "Every mother's sun" too long for no reason, felt a bit try hard. Final Thoughts - Kinda cool, not sure if I'd really seek this out again, not great not terrible, kinda cool, but not sure how much I care for it. First half is pretty alright.
Interesting title for a not very interesting album
generic good rock?
Mostly good
Interesting, a lot of variety.
Classic!
ChatGPT, give a me a generic early 70's jam band. The eponymous song of the album should try to be a serous epic story about a fictional character, with acoustic guitar.
Autant écoutable qu'oubliable. 2.75 étoiles
Super solid. Was John Tucket Must Die a reference to this?
not actually that funny but just interesting that the chicago album had a cover of a song that Steve Winwood wrote on it and the next day we got a Traffic album... Steve Winwood's band... it really is a small world afterall
loved the instrumentals~!
I don't know what that album was about, but I did like the way it sounded.
This is like the dictionary definition of 70s rock.
3 out of 5 Tons of great songs but some are so so. Still a great band
Its good working background music. Long tracks that all build on one another. I'll add it to my work album list when I'm doing spreadsheets.
1 stern
Ihan solidi rokkilevy vähän erikoisilla twisteillä. Ei mitään mullistavaa eikä tältäkään levyltä oikein mikään biisi jäänyt mieleen
Nooooh, periaatteessa ihan jees, mut ei kyllä tarjoa mitään ihmeellisyyksiä. Taustamusana meni. Nysäkullin kokoinen peukku lyhyestä kestosta
Kyllähän tämän läpi kuunteli, muutamia ihan kivoja kuljetuksiakin löytyi. Selkee kolkki.
Ihan kivaa rokkii, jossa on vähän progee ja jatsii. Tuntuu, että monessa veisussa on aika paljon jamittelua lyöty narulle. Bonusta tosta puhallinhommasta. Montaa puhkujaa tuntu olevan matkassa. Vois tätä varmaan vapaaehtosestikin kuunnella, mutta ei nyt mitään kauheen superihkuu tavaraa. Iso kolmonen pöytään.
Ekan biisin kohdalla tuli spontaanit "voi helvetti" -ajatukset, mutta sitten kyllä meno parani huomattavasti. Ihan ehtaa 70-lukua soundeiltaan, välillä tuli mieleen että Saimaa on paljonkin velkaa tälle bändille. Ihan hyviä biisejä, mutta ei mitään mestariteoksia. Kivaa kuunneltavaa joka tapauksessa.
No es un disco fácil, más cercano al jazz, al rock progresivo y al lucimiento de Winwood y demás compañeros que a las melodías. Desde luego, prefiero otros de Traffic y de Winwood (Mr. Fantasy y Arc of a diver sin ir más lejos). Empty pages es una buena canción, no se jace tan pesada como la anterior Freedom rider. Stranger to himself abre con brío la cara B.
tidy album overall, wasn’t too bad
Interesting
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.
I don't know who John Barleycorn was, but he did not inspire very good music.
Ok.
have been really in the mood for country/more rustic music in general today and woow what a perfect amalgamation of multiple genres this album is!!!!! its prog its folky with beautiful instrumentation. the vocals are a little bit forgettable but not bad by any means. these are automatically going into my driving in the autumn playlist
Good musicians but not my taste.
Album #941 Steve Winwood's pop stuff in the 80s didn't do anything for me. It felt generic. The stuff we have here isn't. It's jazz-influenced rock with a little bit flute and a singer that sounds like Peter Gabriel, which I never noticed before. I didn't really care for the title track. It felt a little too hippie folk and dated to me. Best track: Freedom Rider.
So, this is great if you like Steve Winwood. But I don't. I'm sure it helped to evolve the jazz-rock fusions going on in 1970, but I wasn't impressed. Perhaps there's been too much of this same genre being shoved my way by 1001 Albums lately. Perhaps it's not my genre. But if you're in the mood for some mid-range jazzy yacht rock that won't offend your abuela, here you go.
Flute rocked. Making Ron Burgundy proud. Solid album. Not sure I’ll revisit