John Barleycorn Must Die
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| John Barleycorn Must Die | ||
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| Studio album by Traffic | ||
| Released | July 1970 | |
| Recorded | Feb 1970-Apr 1970 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 35:06 | |
| Label | Island | |
| Producer(s) | Chris Blackwell, Steve Winwood and Guy Stevens | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Traffic chronology | ||
| Last Exit (1969) |
John Barleycorn Must Die (1970) |
Welcome to the Canteen (1971) |
- For the article about the song and character John Barleycorn, see John Barleycorn.
John Barleycorn Must Die is a 1970 album by British rock band Traffic. As most of their albums did, it featured many different genres of music including art rock, jazz rock, and many psychedelic influences.
The album was initially intended by Steve Winwood to be a solo album, but when Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi joined him, it became Traffic once more. The album was originally dubbed "Mad Shadows".
After recording the album early in 1970, it was released with Island Records and United Artists in July of 1970. It became the first Traffic album to reach gold status, running 35 minutes, 6 seconds, on the original copy.
Many said it featured some of Steve Winwood's best musical writing, with the instrumental "Glad" being a favorite of many, running 6 minutes and 59 seconds.
[edit] Track listing
- "Glad" (Winwood) – 6:59
- "Freedom Rider" (Winwood/Capaldi) – 5:35
- "Empty Pages" (Winwood/Capaldi) – 4:47
- "Stranger To Himself" (Winwood/Capaldi) – 4:02
- "John Barleycorn" (traditional-arr. Winwood) – 6:20
- "Every Mother's Son" (Winwood/Capaldi) – 7:05
[edit] Remastered CD re-release track listing
- "Glad" (Winwood) – 6:59
- "Freedom Rider" (Capaldi/Winwood) – 5:30
- "Empty Pages" (Capaldi/Winwood) – 4:34
- "I Just Want You to Know" (Capaldi/Winwood) – 1:30
- "Stranger to Himself" (Capaldi/Winwood) – 3:57
- "John Barleycorn" (Traditional/Winwood) – 6:27
- "Every Mothers Son" (Capaldi/Winwood) – 7:08
- "Sittin' Here Thinkin' of My Love" (Capaldi/Winwood) – 3:33
- "Backstage and Introduction" (live) (Capaldi/Winwood) – 1:50
- "Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring" (live) (Capaldi/Winwood/Wood) – 6:56
- "Glad" (live) (Winwood) – 11:29
The first 2 bonus tracks (4 & 8) appear to be demos left over from when Winwood was still planning to make this a solo album. While they are co-credited to Capaldi, it is unclear whether he actually had anything to do with them. The live bonus tracks comprise what was to have been side 1 of a lost 1970 Traffic live album. Side 2 remains lost. These feature the transitional lineup of Winwood, Capaldi, Wood and Rick Grech.
[edit] Miscellanea
- The song "Freedom Rider" is playing during a restaurant scene in the movie, True Believer, starring James Woods
- The song "Stranger To Himself" features Steve Winwood playing all the instruments, with Jim Capaldi adding backing vocals.
