JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE

Actually, I am not a great fan of Traffic. But when I heard one song from a compilation of Folk Song in the form of cassette sometime in seventies, I got one song that really blew me away at first listen: "John Barleycorn Must Die". WOW! It's truly a great track combining the power of acoustic guitar and accentuated singing style which made this song really powerful. The melody line is also wonderful and it brings the listener into the continuum of musical ecstasy without having to be necessarily listening to a complex arrangement at all. Steve Winwood is really skillful in this composition. The existenece of this song made its own standing among other songs by other heavier bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath. It was quite strange that this song was under compilation with artists like Joan Baez and Olivia Newton John (Please Mr Please). But I don't really care because this song is definitely different if I compare with other tracks. When the CD was available, I purchased it for this one song, really! I know that other songs are not bad at all, but this title track is truly excellent and it has become a legendary and memorable track for me. In fact, I recommend you to buy this CD.

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW