John Barleycorn Must Die (Remastered)

iTunes Review

By 1970, the original lineup of Traffic was kaput, as was Steve Winwood’s post-Traffic group, Blind Faith. John Barleycorn Must Die was originally intended to be Winwood’s first solo album, but after searching for the right backing musicians Winwood eventually relented and invited his former bandmates back to the studio. Utilizing the power trio of Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood, John Barleycorn is at once tightly focused and wildly inventive. This incarnation of Traffic was all about instrumental celebration, as evidenced by the opening song: “Glad” is a joyous seven-minute romp that fuses Ray Charles, Santana and early Sly Stone. In their musical ambition, Traffic was rivaled only by Eric Burdon & War, who achieved a similar mash-up of styles by utilizing an eight-piece multicultural ensemble. “Freedom Rider,” “Empty Pages” and “Stranger to Himself” meld Traffic’s taste for jazz-like jams to more specific song structures. Then, just when you think you have them figured out, the band unplugs their instruments and tones down the attack for the title track, one of the most stunning performances of Britain’s Renaissance folk revival.