JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE

I'll bet that there are plenty of serious prog-rock fans who haven't heard John Barleycorn Must Die in its entirety. I'm guessing this because there are so many "classic" albums I've never listened to closely. Plus, while Traffic is respected by many, it has quite a few degrees of separation from the big names - - Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jethro Tull, etc. There really isn't an obvious "gateway band" leading to Traffic. Stomu Yamash'ta, maybe?

I got this cassette around 1990 from a radio contest. I was the correct caller, and maybe had to answer a question. The winner got to stop by the station offices and choose a couple of cassettes. (My other choice was an Elton John tape: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, I think.) The version of John Barleycorn Must Die I'm reviewing is the first US CD issue (Island, 1990). I would describe the sound as flat, or compressed in its dynamic range, compared to what remastered CDs from the 1970s usually sound like. Nonetheless I'd say the production is good (most of the album is remastered on a box set I have, and these tracks sound good).

Traffic is listed under the "eclectic" subgenre, but of course that doesn't describe the music. In terms of progressiveness, John Barleycorn Must Die is roughly equal parts progressive folk and jazz rock. And given that Steve Winwood is the bandleader and main vocalist - - drummer Jim Capaldi provides harmony vocals on two songs - - there's some soulfulness as well. Guitarist/bassist/singer Dave Mason, who had appeared on the group's previous albums, is not on John Barleycorn Must Die.

Winwood plays all of the keyboard, guitar, and bass parts on the album except for the some of the organ parts on "Empty Pages," played by Chris Wood. Wood also plays all of the wind and reed instruments. Capaldi plays the drums on every song but "Stranger to Himself," on which Winwood is the drummer. The playing is solid throughout, with Winwood and Wood displaying some virtuosity, especially on "Glad."

The only weakness, in my opinion, is with the quality of some of the songs themselves. Side one of the original vinyl, the jazzier side, is made up of excellent compositions: "Glad," "Freedom Rider," and "Empty Pages." The centerpiece of the second side, "John Barleycorn," is a centuries-old English folk song arranged by Winwood to good effect. But the remaining songs, "Stranger to Himself" and "Every Mother's Son," are relatively bland. I'm reminded of the title of a 1972 Winwood-Capaldi composition: "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired."

But while they are certainly the weakest songs on John Barleycorn Must Die, "Stranger to Himself" and "Every Mother's Son" nonetheless are each a good fit, a logical part of a cohesive album.

Overall, a very good album, and one I would recommend to any fan of progressive rock.