Reviews (page 5 of 8)
I like most of the tracks on this record and have never listened to it end to end. Enjoyed it.
Digging this one out of the gate. Very free form and jammy vibes. Freedom Rider is equally open with a healthy dose of yazz flute through the mid-section. Empty Pages plays almost like a Genesis song in some senses. I think its the vocals paired with the organ. Stranger To Himself is a bluesy ripper -- nothing exceptional, just classic and done right. Then there is the title track (a weak point in my mind)... a weird divergence into folk, before Every Mother's Son pulls the organs back out to pipe some life into this thing. I'd say this is all around just fine. As I said earlier, nothing exceptional, but also very well done. Opener was the best track IMO, but the rest (outside of the title track) were extremely solid. For me this falls to a high 3.
3/5
Listenable, not all that offensive.
Not terrible, not great. Seemed like a middle of the road jam band.
Fun to listen to while working but not something I would go out of my way to listen to again. The music felt outdoors and peaceful.
YABA (Yet Another British Album) Yaaaay more 70s english rock. This is ok, nothing outstanding.
In 1970 a lot of the major record labels released sampler records. These were made up of single tracks of the labels artists from their latest albums. A God send for lads like me on a limited budget as these albums were cut price too. One of the most iconic (still?) such sampler albums was ‘Bumpers’ released by Island Records. One of my favourite tracks off this sampler was Every Mother’s Son which is also a track on this album. This spurred me on to listen to the full album the title of which also intrigued me. At that time I was disappointed as there was too much jazz influences on it for my liking and nothing at all measured up to sampler track. Cannot say that I have really sought out this album since then so another chance to listen in full was welcome. Must say that my younger self was right. Even though my appreciation of jazz has increased over the years there is not a lot on here to get my juices flowing. Every Mother’s Son remains the standout track and that song alone is worth my star rating. Traffic themselves always remained on my radar and their album a year or so later Low Spark of the High Heeled Boys is a cracker and should be on this list. 3/5 10/8/25
An okay 70's rock album with hints of prog/folk. The title track is the best song on the album for sure.
Pretty nice prog rock with jazzy elements.
I like Steve Winwood as a musician, but I can’t say I’m a huge fan of his vocals. For the sake of comparison, I’d say this sounds a lot like Jethro Tull if Ian Anderson was out of breath before taking the mic.
Steve Winwood — what a guy, huh? I guess. When this album popped up, one of my fellow group members made a point to tell the rest of us that this would be our first encounter with Winwood. Technically speaking, it isn't: he'd shown up previously on tracks on Jimi Hendrix's ELECTRIC LADYLAND and John Martyn's ONE WORLD. But given the fact that I didn't know he was on either of those until I looked up his name to try and figure out why he was so important... Yeaaaah, for all intents and purposes, this is our first Winwood album. Now, Winwood's one of those fun cases I have sometimes where they're a name I **recognize**, but for the damn life of me I can't figure out why I do. I know, deep down, that there has to be **some** reason I saw their name and went, "Oh!" — y'know, clearly they're important enough that this group member would actively point it out. But who the hell are they, actually, even? I suppose he's some kind of gifted instrumentalist, given how much he played on this thing. Hell, there's some songs here where besides maybe the drum, he's a one-man band — y'know, like he's Prince or Stevie Wonder. Honestly, it makes me wonder why this group is even credited as a band, then, because I don't think I'd ever heard of this sort of thing happening before... But there's probably something I'm missing, so I'unno. But, OK, so Winwood plays a lot of instruments, and also apparently he sings good. Fine. But what does that mean in terms of the music on this thing? Uhh, not that great, if I'm being honest. Oh, sure, sure, I wouldn't say it's **bad**. It's nice-enough-sounding jazz fusion-y blues folk rock whatever, and I really dig the organ playing on here (though getting me to like an organ isn't exactly much of a feat). The flute's neat, too. I can absolutely hear why someone would like this. Though, at the same time, the reason I came to for why is also the same reason why I'm not too big on this thing myself — and that's because this album is Steely Dan. Yeah. I mean, jumping into this album, I was actively searching for what this thing brings to the table... And it's Steely Dan. That's honestly the confusion I came to. This is that light kind of jazz and rock where I'm supposed to be just **really** impressed by the technical proficiency on display — probably even more so here because of how much Winwood did all by himself. And, sure, that's cool and all, if you're the kinda person who looks for that thing. But me, though, I'm absolutely the last person you wanna ask about technical proficiency. I mean, I'll recognize that the "Steely Dan" thing isn't a perfect comparison: this thing is **absolutely** not as yacht-y as Steely Dan could be. It might actually be more Jethro Tull than Steely Dan... But all the same, I listen to this album, and it has a lot of nice parts (especially the organ, which shines like hell on the closer), but I can't help but overall feel this creeping malaise of "Like, what, that's it?" I suppose if you want some nice 70's organ vibes, this wouldn't be a bad album to stop off with. As a piece of wallpaper, I can see it working. But actually listening in on it, and taking it as I presume it was supposed to be... Eh, it's fine. If you want it, go ahead and have it — be my guest. As for myself... I guess I'm just indifferent to whether or not I think John Barleycorne should die — and to whether or not Steve Winwood as a name I should jump up at when I recognize.
Beautiful tiny folk-rock album.
Traffic is solid early jazz-rock. This is not the best Traffic album in my opinion, but it’s a nice chill listen.
Super cool! Really enjoy this sound, it was totally off my radar.
Did not know what to expect from this. Jazz rock done well (for the songs without vocals, at least) with becoming Steely Dan.
It's a nice listen. Empty Pages is a great track. Not sure how profound or groundbreaking it is, though. Feels like the transition between "Winwood as a band member" and "Winwood as Winwood". I like Winwood, but more as an ingredient in a band than as the main course. So with that, I like this this one.
Interesting to see where singer Steve Winwood would be creatively just a decade later with "Valerie", "Back In The High Life Again", and "Higher Love". I guess if you can get around the big organ sounds, you can pick up on those pop sensibilities. John Barleycorn Must Die is a perfectly fine album, but not sure it's quite as critical as other albums that were snubbed from this list. No real new concepts or timeless classics, and I don't mean this as a slight at this record, there was just other bands doing this exact same thing before them, and in some cases better. I think it's a straight up the middle 3/5
This was okay. Nothing obnoxious but nothing to write home about. 3 stars.
Never heard of this before. Honestly that was pretty good. Better than I expected.
Good, bluesy rock. But a little repetitive.
Zaczynam myśleć, że z płytami rockowymi jest jak z filmami wojennymi - o ile nie są wybitne to wszystkie są takie same. Przesłuchałam całą i nie zapamiętałam wiele. Wokal bardzo generyczny, a kompozycje też nie mają żadnej pieczątki oryginalności. 5/10.
Soundtrack de taberna del medievo pero con instrumentos de ahora, buena vibe
Al principio pensé que era el típico álbum que es full instrumental pero luego repuntó. La guitarrita de fondo y la instrumental en general están muy guapas. Y la voz del cantante tiene un vibe a canción de guardianes de la galaxia. John barleycon mi fav o every mother's son
La verdad es que estuvo muy bien. Para poner en un asado.
My view may be slightly skewed as I was writing excel macros while I listened to this and it’s really hard to be less interesting than that, but I enjoyed it.
Fun and Jazzy 7/10
Pretty much what you’d expect from a late ‘60s British folk rock proto-prog band. I liked the flute though.
3.4 3x catch up mainly at ATL
My first date with my wife was a Steve Winwood show. Love some of Steve's vocals, but can't stand the overruse of jazz flute.
good sounds
Masse kult, men gir meg lite. Fin bakgrunnsmusikk, og en sterk åpning. Beste låt: Glad.
Solid. I liked the first half more than the second.
This album is fine. Neither amazing or terrible. I liked Empty Pages. That's about it. Steve Winwood's voice gets a bit grating after a bit.
Aight
This was fine as some background music today, but I'm just so fatigued by this style of music from the list - it all starts sounding the same.
Not bad, typical classic rock stuff
I'm afraid poor old John Barleycorn can be left to his fate for me. This is just quite boring. It's perfectly nice, quite MOR rock with a decent line in noodly guitars and a vocalist (are we talking about Steve Winwood here? Pass, and the fact I'm unprepared to Google it tells you everything about my investment in Traffic).
Now this is what I call music!
Seiskarit jatkuu. Kiinnostavia sovituksia, mutta kolmoseen jää.
chill - ok. not a fave
This album starts off phenominally. Wow, "Glad" and "Freedom Rider" are such bangers. Sadly, the album never reaches those heights again, the two songs after being super weak and forgettable and the last two songs being pretty good but not as good as the first two
Je ne connaissais pas du tout ce band avant aujourd'hui. Textures sonores vraiment cool et relativement differentes de ce qui se faisait à l'époque. (Pas sur toutes les tracks finalement, celles plus ancrées dans le folk/trad et celles avec des vocals sont p-e plus de leur époque) J'adore le solo de sax avec une envelope filter/effet wah dessus panné a gauche sur "Glad". Extrait de la page wiki : "Whereas previous Traffic albums had been dominated by more concise song structures, John Barleycorn saw the group develop into a looser, jam-oriented progressive rock and jazz fusion style, setting the tone for their subsequent output in the 1970s."
Some interesting stuff
Tracks I liked: freedom rider, john barleycorn. Would I revisit this: maybe.
Jazz / Folk Rock is a very interesting mix I never knew I needed in my life. It's a high 3, but once the novelty wore off I felt the album got quite repetitive. I particularly enjoyed 'empty pages' and 'every mothers son', and I think this would be great music setting the background ambience for game nights and similar events.
TS album was so smooth that before i knew it there was a finger up my ass... DIDDY... but it lowk felt so good. before i knew it that 1 finger turned into 2... BOIII suss, then 3, then 4, and then a whole fist slipped up by ass. dyk that a human fist can fit up to 12 inches into a rectum... how did i know that?? well ehrmm... lets just skip that part!!!! back to TS album... TS was a 3/5, like the amount of digits up my ass.... lol! (5) what if fortnite added an update where every single win your character gets a finger up their ass which would lowk be diddenbludden but anyways, once you get the victory your prostate gets stimulated and your character cums everywhere.
Enjoyable enough but nothing too exciting going on.
Another album that’s alright, but I could’ve definitely lived and died without having heard it.
Enjoy the raspy vocals and the 70s production style. Easy enough listen. More of an EP to me though personally, considering the 6-minute instrumental intro and the 1:30 track in the middle, so only 6 full tracks really which is disappointing. Favourite tracks are probably Freedom Rider and Sittin Here Thinkin of my Love, which have the best songwriting and lyrics to me. Overall, a pleasant sound with a great frontman yet too inconsistent and too short for me to fully appreciate.
A pretty good prog album. No songs that left me speechless, but pleasant to listen to. 3/5
tänä vuotena ilmeisesti pumpattiin kaikennäköistä, kaikenmuotoista musiikkia kaikille näköjään.. mitä tapahtui.. olen kuullut NOLLA albumia vuodelta 2025 mutta puolisatakuntaa vuodelta 1970 huoh.. ajat muuttunut paljon.. itseasiassa tarkalleen 55 vuotta. se on pitkä aika.. ja vitut on!!!!!! kohta 2080 poksattaa kulman takaa ei se saatana kaukana ole. mahdotonta tietää mitä tuleva tuo. ei tiedä oikeaasti mitään ei voi tietää tuleeko 2080.. voi tulla vaikka 2070 sitä ennen.. kukaan ei tiedä.. Steve Windwood is my GOD!!!!!! jonh braleycorn
This album didn't do a whole lot for me. There were some interesting musical bits, but as a whole it didn't really catch me. Didn't care for "John Barleycorn", personally. So yeah, lets get him! Highlights: "Stranger To Himself" and "Every Mother's Son." Really liked these two. The rest of the album was pretty standard. 3/5 for me.
Track 2 van cd 2 geeft me echt de vibes van een sumaru in oud japan die in zijn eentje reist door het land Voor de rest vind ik het erg leuk, daarentegen geef ik het een 3/5 puur om mijn normering beetje goed te houden, en ik denk er leukere dingen zijn.
ok, rockig. bisschen zu chillig. kann man bestimmt gut beim kochen hören.
nice but not particularly memorable 3.5/5
I'm going to copy part of my Steve Winwood review here. "I can't believe I don't hate this. It's just so pleasant and inoffensive"
Some kind of folk-rock fusion. Not bad.
What a strange assortment of genres. It didn’t all work, but on the whole it was pretty solid, and I appreciated the variety. Freedom Rider, John Barleycorn, Every Mother’s Son
Eeeeeh. This was okay. Extremely okay.
nice album but nothing incredible 5,5/10 fav song : John Barleycorn (Must Die)
It was fine but, for me, nothing that stood out.
4/10. Bit to like folk/ballads for my liking yk🤝🏽
Nah, boring
Spencer Davis' band (before his solo career). Good music, but his high voice sounds strained. Glad is an instrumental track. Title track is good.
Better than the last two on this list I listened too. Good melody throughout but nothing here worth revisiting
Decent album. Not terrible, not brilliant.
The band sure had some talented members, but the tracks on John Barleycorn Must Die are often too improvisational for my tastes - I like the band more when they are tightly structured than when they create a Traffic jam. Heh.
Traffic was a bit hit or miss for me, but this was a hit....
Good band from the 70’s. A good album. With good songs. Steve Windwood, went on to have a great career.
I don't have much to say about the actual album, it is fine and they are good musicians but nothing really gripped me. However, I want to talk about how 30-40 minutes is the perfect album runtime. It really makes you think about what you want to include on your album, and it isn't a huge commitment to the listener. It is the perfect album to throw on for a car ride. I can throw on an album like Doolittle or In Rainbows anytime because they are jam packed with hits and they don't overstay there welcome at all. Once an album hits 55 minutes or more, it really makes me consider if I want to listen to it or not. For example the New Sound by Geordie Greep was one of my favorite albums of 2024 but idk an hour and 2 minutes just feels a little bloated, and I often end up throwing on Schlagenheim over it because it is a nice crisp 43 minutes. I also don't want this ramble to come off as I am impatient, Mellon Collie is one of my all-time favorite albums (2 hrs.) I also just listened to Soundtrack for the Blind (2 1/2 hrs.) the other day for the first time and enjoyed it. I just want to express my love for sub 45 minute albums. Anyways, this album made fine background music as I ranted about album lengths. High 3.
Scrapes a 3 because of the last two tracks but generally this is a charisma free zone
kinda jazzy
Bluesrock, orgelsoloer, lidt cheesy
Enjoyed it!
The ubiquitous Steve Winwood is back, seemingly popping up everywhere - only recently on Broken English and Berlin. This is very much the acceptable face of jazz rock. Although I'm not sure this album has a coherency; at worst it seems a bit directionless. But I am tending to the 'at best' case, which is a string of semi-connected songs which have quite a nice feel and arrangement, with some very good breaks - and Winwood's obvious ear for melody. It's one of those with four potential, but gets a very strong high three. And no doubt we'll be seeing you soon Stevie.
It's Steve Winwood with jazz flute. What more needs to be said? It's odd, but not offensive.
It was a pleasant listen, nothing really stuck with me though. Got different vibes, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Jesus Chist Superstar and perhaps Uriah Heep (the flutes).
Interesting.
Solid rock album with all "long" songs! Enjoyed the 30 minutes I listened to it but no songs live up to the greatness of their two hits.
Nice and easy jazz rock. Unexciting, but pleasant.
I fine listen. Didn't blow me away but was pleasant music to have on. I guess that's a 3?
frekar gott og kom nokkuð á óvart, ekki mjög hrifinn af þessu breska fólki. 3,5.
I like the opening song, "Glad", and "John Barleycorn (Must Die)" is okay, but the remaining tracks were far less interesting.
Kind of lame, but quite well-done with a realized sound and some good musicianship. I’m cool with it. Best song: Glad
Sort of 1970s folky prog rock. A typical 3 for me - nothing wrong with it but does not move me. Happy I learned about this but a a bit meh
“Glad” is too long of an instrumental to be that boring. Either shorten it or add lyrics. It wasn’t that interesting. “Freedom Rider” has very similar instrumentation, so what’s the point? “Empty Pages” is a fucking banger, as always. “Stranger to Himself” is good. The title track is alright, but not good enough to be the albums namesake. Finale was a little dull, but whatever. This album’s alright. Enjoyed most of it. 3/5
It's fine. Traffic never quite reaches the heights that traffic affiliates did. Eg blind faith, spencer davis group
3/5
surprised i quite liked a lot of this. Stevie Winwoods voice is great, the first few tracks have a great groove. Shame the second half of the album isn't quite a special 3
More progressive rock than I expected which was nice on the first 3 tracks but musically it meanders and has little lasting impression.
It's alright. I'll give it a 3/5.
The first half of the album is filled with nice jams
Interesting fusion of jazz with rock elements (I think), again nothing that stands out that I really enjoyed though.
Very clever stuff, happy to rock along with plenty of soul but also sometimes veering into prog territory - before prog had a name! Earthy and folky, but not too twee thanks to consistently strong arrangements and songwriting - I just feel like it misses a wider range of moods to make the most of what this group had to work with. That said, the title track sees them stretch out beyond other song here. It feels like the missing link between Genesis and The Rolling Stones! Favourite tracks: Glad, Freedom Rider, John Barleycorn,
I was both interested and scared for this album, as I knew it could I either be some folksy prog jazz that would alter my life, or a Steve Winwood-coated snore fest with very little to speak on. It ended up being mostly the latter, with a lot of potential within the walls of the first two tracks, but instead of continuing the Winwood woodwind escapades, it becomes pretty generic rock tunes for a couple tracks only to completely stumble on what could've been a folk-prog masterpiece a la Led Zeppelin III and then end on cheesy rock power ballad. Maybe the horns and flutes stuck around, but I forgot about them as the tepid guitar playing continued and the embodiment of every generic white guy sang through Steve to give a so-so performance. There is a lot of hope within this album, and it starts pretty good, with two solid progressive tracks to keep the baby and soul at least engaged, and when it comes to a six song album that's a decent amount of songs, but the rest is so forgettable I find it hard to say this is worth the check-in when there are so many other acts doing this exact style of album multiple times better. It is alright, but nothing to miss out on here.
Jazz-rock is not my preferred genre. There are some nice parts, but overall not my kind of thing.
It was unique, I'll give it that. Like most jazz-infused music, I don't particularly want to listen to it. In general, way too much organ wankage, but I did like Jon Barlycorn. All of that adds up to a 3 star rating.
Pas mauvais du tout; mais je pense que j’ai trop entendu d’albums depuis le début pour distinguer ce qui fait l’originalité de celui-ci parmi la dizaine de cette époque que j’ai entendus.
Bardzo fajne,
Quirky, freeform proto-progressive rock 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 Winwood’s soulful vocals are a high point. 3⭐️
This was fun. All sorts of different genres appearing over the half an hour. Simpsons: No
It was ok. Nice song about beer but counteracted by a long uninteresting instrumental
A great band but none of these songs appeals to me.
It's nice, I enjoyed the mix of jazz and rock, but every time I put it on, it felt just a bit less special, and a bit less special and then a bit less special. It's pretty good as a background listen.
3.5
Was alright, bit didn’t wow me
Decent, a bit self indulgent especially at the start, but it ends up in a solid place
It was nice background music to work with
was quite groovy at the start but got progressively less groovy. I’m still a little unsure of why John must die, but perhaps on a second listen I will find out :))
Decent
I had a good listening experience with this album. I don't know why John must die but I'm okay with it if the scenario produces a decent album like this. I am definitely a sucker for some woodwind action and I enjoyed the sax and flute very cool stuff. Sometimes though it kinda seemed like bro had been practicing the flute and just wanted to show it off. The airy flute in the second track was kinda cool tho respect. Vocals seemed unnecessarily epic at times felt like there wasn't enough tension or buildup. Instrumental jammage (which I enjoyed) for a minute and then all of a sudden bro be screaming like ayo chill the fuck out yo.
Can't quite put my finger on who the singer sounds like, maybe it reminds of me Peter Gabriel? or some old Phil Collins? Big fan of the start of the album, the first two tracks had some nice woodwindage, some of the songs that follow are a bit repetitive for my taste but there is only 6 tracks so I'll let em off. I did wonder what the name was about when I first saw this album, and listening to the John Barleycorn song I understand it to be about the cycle of crops for alcohol (right?), sort of made me feel like I was doing GCSE english again, would've been cooler if we just had beef with a guy called john. Most songs I'd give a 3 or a 4 out of 5, overall giving it a harsh 3 Fav song: Glad
Liked it! Jazzzy
It’s all right. Kinda Mellow rock with alot of organ. Is this considered prog rock? I don’t care for prog rock so maybe that’s why, although I can appreciate the talent, I’m just not feeling this. The music kind of meanders. Prog rock to me is music that goes on for too long without really getting anywhere.
That album was a jam. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, and after the first song I almost expected an instrumental album. Definitely enjoyed my time with it
I had a really good time with some of the songs from here. Was very surprised to hear singing on the second track, but I still enjoyed it. The sound was pretty raw, one of those cases where "less is more" in terms of production.
Rock psicodélico de principios de los 70, muy bueno, con toques pastorales a lo Jethro Tull, con el añadido de un saxofón bastante interesante. Muy buen álbum, aunque no destaca mucho dentro de la música de su época. 3.5
Dobrej rockec, ale nic revolučního
Empty pages jäla BÄNGER. Inte hört om dessa förr Bra melodier, bra feeling. Lite spretig
3a, mysigt album, inget speciellt
A fun display of jazz/folk fusion and a good, ambling hang—in a kick-it-with-your-uncle-who's-way-more-into-this-than-you-could-ever-be type of way.
Good groove for the most part but meh sections
Never heard of this album before, but not shocked it made this specific list. No clue if it's on anyone else's list. 3.
I thought there were some interesting pieces in here but it wasn't super memorable. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5
This is a hard one for me to rate. I thought it started off quite slow, but "John Barleycorn" and "Every Mother's Son" were absolutely brilliant and ended the album on such a high note. But I was so underwhelmed by most of the other songs on the album. I find Steve Winwood and his various projects to be hit or miss most of the time. If I could rate this a 3.5, I would, but I think I have to go with my initial impression and round down.
It has a very folky oldish vibe to it I’m not sure about the lyrics but it seems to tell a good story
I know who Traffic is but don't think I've ever really listened to them. It does tend to all blend together but love the organ. Favorites: Freedom Rider, Empty Pages Would I listen to it again: No
This was pretty good!
Definitely heard of this band. My parents love these guys. I know a couple tracks. Interested to check this album out. Nothing special in the first two tracks, it's cool.
I got really into the instrumental parts of this. The vocals were fairly here nor there. I probably would have liked this as an instrumental album more, or with a different singer. He wasn't bad, just bland? Also I don't think I'm a flute guy. I like me a flute from time to time, but I think most times I hear a flute I'd prefer a different instrument. Album cover: (B) It looks like a linocut print that would be sold at a farmers market or craft fair in 2012. I think it would work better if they made the JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE bigger for the contrast with the pastoral imagery.
Alright a bit dull but acted good as background noise. Not much to it
🎧This is not the Traffic of Dear Mr. Fantasy I know. Good, not great. Final two tracks are favorites.
Always on the verge of becoming brilliant, but never quite gets there.
This is okay. Credit where it's due, Traffic did make use of instruments atypical for rock at the time (flutes, organ, saxophone) so that does provide some variety. Everything is executed well enough, the writing just isn't that compelling or memorable. In fact the most memorable part is how alike Steve Winwood's voice is to Peter Gabriel's, especially on Empty Pages. That could be viewed as a compliment but to me I'd rather just listen to Genesis. Otherwise, it isn't really anything that you couldn't find plenty of other 70s bands doing, besides maybe the organ, but even then, Deep Purple did a much better job of blending organ into hard rock Highlights: Glad
Nice
I kind of like Glad; I almost like John Barleycorn
I had never heard this before. I had heard of Traffic, but didn’t know realize Steve winwood was part of this group. His voice is very distinctive. This was really good, but I enjoyed his solo stuff more.
One of the songs (Freedom Rider) was fantastic! The other ones, just so-so.
This record was a lot of fun! A bit of steely dan, a touch of fairport convention, some good flute action. I would listen again but it’s never gonna be a top tier album for me. Probably deserving of a 3.something
As one half of UK Jazz Rock pioneers Houmous & Chutney, I really appreciate what Traffic try to do here and it’s almost flattering. But to quote the great late Barry Farrow….’go home mate, this is big boy shit’…..another middle of the road album that’s fine but absolutely not special! And another one I’m convinced I would have been fine with if I died having not listened to it. 2.7
Nice, like a mild Genesis with a medieval flute here and there
Just another mediocre 70s rock-ish album with nothing that really captures the attention.
The Jazz Flute (in Fred Armisen's voice) makes it almost sound Jethro Tull-y, but mixed with Chicago. I like the bass lines.
An enjoyable listen and yet another artist I've never heard of before today. I'm probably not doing it justice by listening to it in the background and not taking in the lyrics.
Cool album name. Felt a lot like classic jam bands of the past with a British flare to it.
A lot better than I thought it’d be based on the name. What did John Barleycorn do to these guys
I've already had their self titled for this project, which I didn't really enjoy. This was much better, very easy to listen to. Still not my favorite, but jazzy wind instruments with rock is cool. If the whole album was more English folk like the title track, I think I'd be way more into it. John Barleycorn and Empty Pages were my favorites.
This was pretty good in places, but probably not worth a revisit.
Short, bluesy, not bad. It sounded like a very good pub band, nothing more, nothing less. John Barleycorn always reduces me to tears, whoever sings it.
This was a fun lesson to a band I never would have come across
7/10
Bueno
decent enough but nothing to write home about - 3
Decent album
I had to look back at what I thought of the other Traffic album I’ve heard (it was the self-titled album). It looks like I liked it, but I don’t actually recall anything from it off the top of my head. Make of that what you will. Today’s album seemed decent, but there wasn’t really anything that stood out as excellent to me. It was perfectly fine background music. I’m writing this only hours after listening, and I only really remember that song about John Barleycorn.
Started off hot with the first two tracks and then kinda fizzled out.
A bit folky in places, some good instrumentals. Liked it.
Fine. Sounds like something that would play as background music in a used record store where the clerk is a baby boomer. Enjoyable, and probably sounds great on a good system, but I’m not going to buy a copy.
This was not bad, actually. Definitely better than the other Traffic album. A little better than some of the more generic 70s blues rock we’ve had. Still not my favorite but decent.
I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it. A nice, quick album with some decent vibes. I’m not mad I listened.
Traffic is pretty cool. Like an earlier, bluesier, jazzier version of an 80s jam band. Pretty fire.
Better than I expected.
it was... fine? quite weird but i've never let that stop me before. not my thing but i am glad i listened to it, sort of
Weird and (sometimes) oddly likeable music that I would best describe as "jingly British rock aggressively trying to sound like American country". For some reason, early on, I was reminded of King Crimson's music, even though I know they're stylistically wildly different to this. The singing and drumming were particularly reminiscent. I've not a fan of the title-esque track John Barleycorn, where I think Traffic bites off more than they can chew with the country twang. The final song, Every Mother's Son, is also unappealing. However, the first four tracks are good or better, with Freedom Rider and Empty Pages being the standouts. They're full of energy and make good use of piano and organ for a fun, inspired performance. 3/5 Key tracks: Freedom Rider, Empty Pages
Pretty enjoyable.
Det var da ganske hyggeligt!
Startede rimelig jazzet og slutter mere rocket. Musik som er behageligt at lytte til.
more flute than i expected
Early prog, with plenty of folk influence. Takes itself very seriously, and borders on pretentious at points, but I liked it a lot.
3.5 Good. Nothing more, nothing less
Never heard of Traffic before. It’s decent - I enjoyed the first tracks Glad, Freedom Rider and Empty Pages 2.5
That's not my taste in musik. But ok. Nice songs
3 decent cool piano work kinda generic
Bit of a random inclusion. Actually sounds pretty good for 1970, but not so stand out to warrant an inclusion on the top 1001 imo. Still, it's a lot better than some of the shite on this list.
A couple of really great tracks. Not a big flute fan.
2.5 roundin up not for me
Quite pleasant in an inoffensive way.
That instrumental jam at the end was very much up my alley.
pianolastiger sound mit fetzigen songs und gitarre, auch hier sind die 70er besser als ihr ruf.
Probably a 2.5 for me but feeling soft after a couple of 1's. Great to actually hear Steve Winwood in this environment with a decent band. I liked his solo stuff but was completely overwhelmed with the radio play of it.
These guys have a nice sound, and it's a fine CD, but just doesn't grab me. The first track is a long instrumental - instrumentals are fine, this song is fine, but it's not a gripping start. The second song feels more like an "opener" initially, with a zippy pace and a cool minor progression, but the hook is almost intentionally dull, the all-descending melodic line just makes it a real downer. That becomes a theme - a few of the other stronger tracks (notably "Empty Pages") nail the verses but have weak choruses. Partly that's because while they have a full and diverse instrumental sound, they basically never use backing vocals, and Winwood's got a nice voice but he can't carry these alone. Perfectly pleasant CD, but not exceptional.
2,5
3.5/5
Good 60s rock album, enjoyed the instrumental tracks, glad this was on the list.
started well but got kinda bland
I'm not a huge Traffic fan for some reason but I still enjoy them.
Not bad. I liked the folky vibe.
Steve Winwood is a fascinating figure. I think. I honestly don’t know that much about him. Had a couple of Pop hits in the 80’s, played the organ on Voodoo Chile. Was apparently in a band called Traffic in the late 60’s. This was an interesting listen, I’ve seen it on these sorts of lists, and it’s name and cover has always intrigued me, but I was expecting it to be a Hard Rock album. The mix of Folk and Jazz is one that seemed particularly fertile ground in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I’ve found it to be a genre mix that’s difficult to like, outside of a few choice examples. John Barleycorn Must Die is a better than average example, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially the title track. Despite this, I wasn’t blown away by it and can’t see myself returning to it any time soon. Maybe if I’m looking for something to smoke up to, like that guy’s parents in that one review, because it’s a calm, decent, hippie-ish listen, but outside of that…
loved the intro song
Soft
Solid
интересный фьюжн, весь день слушала. но наверно мне хватило)
Enjoyable album, liked the "psychedelic Americana" vibe.
Short and fun. Horns in Freedom Rider are interesting, but overall this whole album felt pretty average.
This album left no impression on me. I enjoyed it but couldn’t remember anything about it
3.4 stars rounded down. Very cool blues prog rock, but the semi-persistent non-Jethro Tull flute work made me laugh.
Enjoyable listen Standout songs: Empty Pages Every Mother's Son
op zich niet slecht, maar terug een kabbelend plaatje... na 2 nummers is je aandacht weg en plots is album gedaan zonder dat je het weet... ook de zang kan mij niet bekoren
I had not heard this before. I liked it; almost but not quite a 4 for me.
Steve Winwood's band. Psychadelic folk. Like The Doors lite. With a ton of organ work throughout. Not a bad album, but nothing to get too excited about. Favourite songs: John Barleycorn, Empty Pages, Freedom Rider Least favourite songs: Glad 3/5
I like the first song, Glad. The rest was ok but not so much my thing.
The 5 streak has ended, but this was an ok listening experience. Just kinda chill and vibey. Didn’t really do a lot for me, but it was fine.
Glad - Simple early funk Freedom rider - pretty average Empty pages - I'm starting to get bored... Stranger to himself - All very basic, restrained and simple. The guitar solo on this is so underwhelming. John Barleycorn - Pure folk. Completely different to all previous tracks. Again, though, now wow factor Every Mother's son - probably the best track on the album All pretty average and underwhelming. It's 3 stars
Not very memorable but not bad.
Meh
A wholly unique blend of genres with jazz, rock, folk, and even British traditional influences. The album itself just didn't strike me in a memorable way.
Short and sweet. Jazzy and okay music for me. The album felt very consistent, no high highs (songs I loved) or low lows. Empty Pages was probably my favorite song.
It’s ok
Pretty nice, 3.5
Pretty cool. The band meets Steely Dan or something?
Not bad.
Folksy/jazzy early rock, complete with organ (of course) and flute accompaniment. Solidly listenable, great background music.
I have to admit I did not know Steve Winwood was in a band. This was reasonably listenable. Modern music cold use more flute.
Groovy 70s album. Fun songs to listen to while relaxing with a cocktail.
Never heard of them. I do love me some flute though! Freedom Rider was really good. Glad is instrumental and sounds really familiar. I enjoyed it. Overall I give it a 3.
Un poco rollo. Pero no es mala música.
Freedom Rider // John Barleycorn // Every Mother’s Son //
Nope
he must
Would have given a 3.5.
Not bad, chill.
Liked Songs Glad Freedom Rider Empty Pages John Barleycorn
Meh.
No real standouts, but good playing hroughout.
its aight. the first track sounds like a sitcom theme and I like that.
3.5
Some of this is nice and jazzy; other bits kind of rote English-folky.
Like all my other 3’s, it was fine but I won’t listen to this one again.
Short and Sweet! Strong start but fades a bit. I remember listening to this album as a teen (Uncle Randy had a copy) and always liked Side A more than B. The minstrel sounding John Barleycorn, the temperance movement, and changing the US legal drinking age from 18 to 21 were topics at the time. (They did eventually take away our right to legally consume alcohol until we turned 21). That said, it’s time for a beer and to give this one (2.7*s)
Okay this was a weird rollercoaster that I was pretty cool with? Like the jam session went so many diff directions but in general it was pretty fun, I just wouldn’t seek it out again probably
Like this one, great sound and varied instruments. Love Winwood’s vocals.
Very classic rock that I’m surprised I’ve never heard before
This was fun, I like the jammy-ness with instruments you don’t really hear in this kind of music.
I liked this one! Vocals and instrumental was fun with the flute and the saxophone
Never heard of it before (Steve Winwood's band) and not sure if I'll remember it but i liked the prog-rock/ jazz/ blues sound
Early. Steve Winwood. This list is absolutely chock full with this type of music, but it displayed technical proficiency, talent and it was enjoyable for a quick half hour.
Some amazing musicians, but doesn't move me. Liked some tracks, others not so much
This is my second Traffic album. It was similarly ok, but not remarkable to the last one
Winwood’s voice is amazing.
Some of it was cool, wasn't a big fan of the instrumentals. Think it needs a closer listen to really get a feel.
3.4/5 Best Track: John Barleycorn
I don't like the band name but I liked this album. It gave me Jethro Tull vibes with the organs and flutes. It's very mellow and makes you want to chill out and smoke a joint after dinner. Very solid, will listen again.
70er Elektro- und Hammond-Sound.
Different! Bluesy 1960s rock, not my thing but a great example of what it is
This is fine. The songwiriting and muscianship is obviously good, but I can't say I was ever really wowed even in the context it was released.
3.5
More “music to do lines to.” A very solid 3 for me. I’m learning a lot about popular musicians pre or post famous bands they were in. Steve Winwood in this one John Barleycorn is an opp 🖕🗣️
A jammy prog album infused with both jazz and British folk, reminiscent of contemporaries like Jethro Tull or Genesis (in both folk style and Steve Winwood's cocals). Every song stands out and is full of creative ideas. I do find it a bit grating, but I think that's just how exhausting most prog sounds to my ears. Favorites: Glad, John Barleycorn
We've done it. Completely unpretentious progressive rock. Just a bunch of chaps singing about wanting to kill the mascot for beer or some shit, I dunno, probably something I'm not English enough to understand. Truly a quintessential album for today's Christmas Day. Have a jolly one, people wide or thin, near or far.
Ohhhhhhhhh i’m excited s piano macht mer so freud! Und blasinstrument und percussion und alles omg wie FUNNNN!! D stimm isch nice! Mer gfallt de vibe mega! 70er rock isch super
okok glad tönt schomal villversprechend, sehr verspielt iwie es sött ja sochli modernere folk sii? john barleycorn isch irgendeOAH HUERE SCHÖNS KLAVIER aso isch irgendes englisch/schottischs volkslied? uhh gfalltmer wie freedom rider chli s tempo ahzieht FLÖTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Bass und Klavier spieled so geil mitenand iwie ok john barleycorn hetmi jz nöd mitgrisse ah lol scho fertig, hanmer scho denkt "hä das hani doch schomal glost" ja ich find jz abgseh vo john barleycorn selber (de sött ja eh sterbe) sehr es cools album klavier findi mega wo immer wieder akzent setzt lugr het gfunde, de winwood het nöd gad die best stimm, ich glaub da heter scho au recht aber mich hets nöd gstört oder so
Já þetta er progressive. Traffic er flott band. Hljóðfæraleikurinn skemmtilegur og þetta er frábær vinnutónlist.
Fín plata. Gaman að hlusta á smá stífan vinnvið.
A bit dated
It's ok, but not really my thing.
Enjoyed it but probably not enough to go rushing back.
Un poco rollo. Pero no es mala música.
Listened to this a few times in the past, but it didn't do it for me this time around. Besides the first track, which is groovin' and rockin', and the title track, which is beautiful and mysterious with a lovely flute solo, it all just kinda blended together. Wanted to like it, but found it lacking real substance.
Liked it more than I thought I would.
It's no surprise this album contains a lot of good songs when it includes Steve winwood. Breeze to listen to, very high 3
Ah, it’s an okay album. I definitely see why other people would like it but I think it isn’t for me as of now. The sound is a bit too soft - the guitars don’t have any edge, the drums don’t hit like they should. The melodies aren’t sticking as well. I really liked the opener, Glad - the keys on it are fantastic and the a 7 minute journey with some great sections. The ender is good too, I love the slide and the piano on it. Freedom rider is nice too. The rest three didn’t click with me at all. It’s a strong 2 to a light 3.
Interesting, funky, trippy at times, not a bad listen 😊
The title track and the first song are great, the rest is just sort of there... I wish it leaned into the jazz-y elements a bit more, honestly!
Alright
The first couple tracks on the album seem like they are an experiment to add a jazz sound to their regular rock sound. It was interesting bordering on successful. I enjoyed the addition of the flute on the second song. The title track seems to be aiming for a rock ballad similar in tone with “Stairway to Heaven”. Not saying it is the same calibre by any means, but an interesting concept that snuggles in nicely with the album. After that, it seems to follow the general sound of late 60s/early 70s rock. Quite enjoyable. High 3
It was ok
It's fine. It didn't do much for me but I can see the appeal if you're into this sort of thing.
This was fine?
I remember seeing Clapton and Winwood in 2007 at the crossroads guitar festival and thought it was neat to see them. I like the Blind Faith album but never explored much of Traffic. This was pretty middle of the road prog rock. Not terrible or offensive, but nothing special.
Jam bands are great. For the band. It's self-indulgent and your audience will all be musicians. I am one, which is why this didn't get two stars.
It's not bad. A jazz rock album that turns full rock for the last two songs which are probably the worst two songs on the album. The jazz inspired tracks are pretty one note and not very imaginative. There are much better artists and albums that do this kind of sound better. Overall it's not hard to listen to and it does get some points for how early this kind of sound was during the time this album came out. 5/10
This gets a 3 simply for the jazz flute on “Freedom Rider”
Pretty typical folk fair in the beginning before finding its groove as something a little more interesting in the back half. Still not enough for me to revisit later, but I didn’t mind my listening experience.
If you don't like jazz rock, I don't see this changing your mind.
nothing too special
Surprisingly tolerable.
Funk meets folk meets funk. Starts BUMPIN. S/O: Freedom Rider, Stranger to Himself.
As the album progressed, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Favorite(s): Glad, Freedom Rider, Empty Pages, Every Mother's Son
Solid classic rock
Groovy, funky, adventurous
It's kind of weird and beautiful how music can come from a time before you existed, and let you know what it was like to be alive during that time. Pretty decent album. Not usually so much into classic rock, but this was nice to listen to at 2AM on a Saturday morning.
freedom rider absolutely ripped! stranger to himself was a good one too. Pretty fun album
Without further ado, but nice vibe 3.5
Middle of the road, totally inoffensive in a bad way
what i would think of if someone said, 'english early seventies folk rock'. Good for the harvest!
Good fun
I hate it when people use the word interesting, because it’s usually a euphemism for something horrible. But I did find this “interesting “. A weird blend of folk, jazz, psychedelia and some weird vibe that sounded like the soundtrack to a 1970s cop show. Also, it was mercifully short. I think anyone who remembers or whose family remembers the late 60s, early 70s, will have had some encounter with Traffic and Stevie Winwood. Cannot deny the man’s got a great voice. Definitely not a beige album but still verging on innocuous. You never know what you’re going to get with normal traffic, but it was a pretty easy ride through this Traffic.
I like Steve Winwood. This album was pleasant to listen to while waking up.
2.5/5
It was fine.
Kinda folk-rock, kinda Jazzy with rock-ish instruments (guitar, drums, organ, flute, sax)
I enjoyed this, but I enjoyed it in the background. Lot's of very nice musicianship, but not my thing.
Pretty much ditto what Craig said. Enjoyed it in the background for the musicianship, in the same way I might enjoy an Allman Bros. album or something in that lane. Never truly got the blood pumping, but also never annoyed me. Except that of course it’s too long because music.
Hey guys, let's get a Hammond organ and flute. It'll be completely different to anything else around at the moment......
This album has some great musicianship anchored by Steve Winwood's voice and organ playing, but it just feels gratuitous in parts. The album just washes over the listener as bland jazzy blue-eyed soul. While I enjoy jazz, this album doesn't utilize it beyond some superficial sounds and chords. Jazz is meant to be highly dynamic and was used much better by bands such as Yes. This album is inoffensive, but just doesn't feel like it's pushing anything forward.
Best Song: Freedom Rider. Excellent use of the flute, nice uptempo instrumentals. Worst Song: Glad. There just isn't quite enough there without the vocals to make this interesting. Overall: Definitely dadrock, but not terrible. I could imagine myself hearing this at a barbecue and having it augment the taste of a hotdog.
it was good
It was pretty alright, had some nice songs and the intro was really enjoyable although there was a moment where I thought "Oh wow this song is really good" but it had just ended and switched to The Beach Boys so.. 7/10
good band album. would listen again.