Rhinofy-John Barleycorn Must Die Primer

It was supposed to be a Steve Winwood solo project.

At this point Traffic had broken up. They'd already released their half live/half studio final project, "Last Exit." And Steve had moved on to Blind Faith, whose album had a prodigious first side but imploded after their one and only 1969 tour. But in the process of making the record, the group reformed, minus Dave Mason, who was about to resurface with his exquisite solo debut "Alone Together," and the end result was this LP.

Few were waiting for the Traffic reunion. The band had never had a hit, despite writing them for others. Fans were rabid, but most people were still clueless. But it was "John Barleycorn Must Die" that got everybody to pay attention, not because it had a single, but because of the sound and the songs, it was an amazing listening experience.

JOHN BARLEYCORN

This is the first cut the uninitiated were exposed to, the first song that FM banged consistently when that format was dominant. Yes, 1970 was the turning point, the better-sounding radio format had a presence in all markets and it was the heyday of album rock, you didn't have to cross over to AM to be a star.

Now Traffic did quiet and acoustic previous to this, although it was not their primary sound, but this song stuck out on the radio, unlike so much of today's music, and even the radio hits of yore, this was intimate and three-dimensional, it set your mind free, it made you think about life.

Every baby boomer knows it, I'm doubtful those under thirty have ever heard it.

EMPTY PAGES

My favorite cut on "John Barleycorn Must Die," the first side closer, there's the opening flourish, the melody, but even more Steve Winwood's voice, one of the best in rock history. "Empty Pages" is both flip and majestic at the same time. You can't help but be impressed by the anthemic chorus, never mind the keyboard noodling. A minor masterpiece that like its lyric has been lost and forgotten.

EVERY MOTHER'S SON

This closed the second side. And got early airplay. Once again, it features an exquisite Winwood vocal, but that's de rigueur on this LP. It too, like "Empty Pages," has a hooky chorus, but it's a slower number, more of a slow burner, that gets under your skin.

GLAD

An instrumental when that format was dead and buried. "Glad" opened the album and went on for seven minutes but no one fast-forwarded through it, actually, tapes barely had an impact at this point, even though it seemed closer to jazz than rock we all knew it and loved hearing it. Hearing it on Sirius XM last night inspired me to write this!

FREEDOM RIDER

Here's where Chris Wood shines, with his sax in the intro and then his flute accents. Sure, Winwood worked with others before and after Traffic, before and after Wood and Capaldi, but he never captured this exact sound without them.

STRANGER TO HIMSELF

It's about the interplay of piano and acoustic guitar. The way Winwood seems to be prancing through the English countryside. This is both lighter and more serious than the other cuts. What you hear here, throughout "John Barleycorn Must Die," is the pure joy of making music. It does not sound like they labored over getting it right, but more about capturing what transpired in the room.

I was a gargantuan Traffic fan. I started with the second album, went back to the first and owned "Last Exit," I loved "Medicated Goo" and "Shanghai Noodle Factory."

I saw Blind Faith live.

But I couldn't wait for the Traffic reunion, back when we truly waited for the next projects of our favorites to see what they were up to.

And in the spring of 1970, before "John Barleycorn Must Die" was released, I went to the Fillmore East to see the band.

The band was announced with a traffic light suspended from the ceiling, shining its beam. And even though I was not familiar with the new material, I got it, because you only have to hear stuff like "John Barleycorn" once.

The band went on to even further success with "The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys," its title track ubiquitous, but in truth "John Barleycorn Must Die" was the apotheosis. It distilled what came before and was less labored and self-conscious than what came thereafter. "John Barleycorn Must Die" is a perfect album, it's got only six songs, three per side, and you never lament its length, when it finishes you just play it again.

And isn't that what a great LP is all about?

Spotify playlist: http://spoti.fi/1vvknoM


--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25

To change your email address http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=preferences&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25




-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --