“There were three men came out of the West,

Their fortunes for to try,

And these three men made a solemn vow:

John Barleycorn must die.”

There are many versions of this folk ballad, some going back as far as 1465, and collected by Cecil Sharp from 1900 to 1910. There are between 100 and 140 versions, and in the one used by Traffic & Co., in spite of the solemn efforts of the three men to triumph over John Barleycorn, or distilled liquor, this was the outcome:

“And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,

And he’s brandy in the glass;

And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,

Proved the strongest man at last.”

Steve Winwood plays guitar on this, and Chris Wood plays flute. There are two vocalists, and I am guessing that it is Capaldi and Winwood. Not much percussion, and hard to sing when you’re playing flute. There is a tambourine. Winwood seems to be deeply into this music, and the treatment sounds both ancient and modern.

“Glad” is an instrumental, and there is an extended jam, mostly piano and keyboards. Great drums, and a fat sax riff that is easy to play, but it sounds so cool, and ends on a very cool sounding trill. This is a great instrumental track, and the rest of the record veers between these two extremes. I really like this Traffic album for “Glad” and “John Barleycorn” but the rest ain’t bad, either. Since those are my favorite Traffic songs, this is my favorite Traffic album.

“The huntsman, he can’t hunt the fox,

Nor so loudly to blow his horn,

And the tinker he can’t mend kettle nor pot,

Without a little Barleycorn.”

Rating: 5 / 5

When I played this LP, side 1 was the only side I listened to. 3 great songs, well blended in a delightful sequence, made it one of my favorites. I had not heard side 2 in a long time. Well, now I remember why. While Winwood could certainly play an astoundingly good piano, he had a tendency to noodle along without going anywhere. There is a lot of boredom on side 2. John Barleycorn, the much praised title track, sounded pretentious and lame to me then; today, with another 40 years of listening to British folk music under my belt, it sounds worse. This kind of music has been performed by a number of staggeringly talented musicians, and I’d rather hear any of them do it.

When I write these, I try to imagine what you, the reader, might be looking for. After all, even Dave Marsh’s opinions are just that, opinions. So, my opinion is that this CD, well remastered, has 3 incredibly fine songs on it, 2 toothless “extra tracks” to make it selllable, and 3 lesser songs on it that I will gladly live without.

I had not heard those opening riffs to Glad in many years, but the same smile I felt back then reappeared instantly. That is a good song!

As I publish this, I note that of 42 reviews, there are only 4 and 5 star reviews. That means something…..Forget the history lessons and who did what when stuff. Either it’s a good LP or it ain’t. It is!
Rating: 4 / 5

Did I not tell you (it seems like leagues ago) that Clapton and Winwood gave a great show with Blind Faith, but the best was yet to come. Well, I already gave you the Layla Lecture (a noted high point in your beloved Seer’s career), but now I give you Winwood’s triumph, John Barleycorn.

It is magikal, effervescent (sort of like the bubbles that make their way to the top of Metamorpho’s champagne glass), creative exhuberent music. This is music with heart and soul. And you will be totally enthralled by the riffs (sometimes keyboard oriented) and the whirlwind (or Winwood?) expertise contained herein. You doubt my word? How bold.

The fact that this music was accomplished by only 3 extraordinary musicians should peak your interest for sure. The sound is the unmistakeable sound of Traffic (sorry Dave Mason) with the inclusion of woodwind instruments. Well, what would you expect with names like Steve Winwood and Chris Wood? Very appropriate, if you ask me.

The sound is hardy, solid, sometimes mixed with soul and jazz kisses. There is really no other album like it. The genius behind Steve’s talent is that he was able to go from album to album and make each one a unique entity. Discovering new grooves along the way. This is one of his highest, finest moments. Of that, I have no doubt. (Then again, Seers rarely doubt their intuitions).

This is a classic. Miss it at your peril. From the beginning instrumental of “Glad”, you will get on a ride that will last the whole album. Listen to that piano riff with sax people! Are you going to sit there and tell me this is not great stuff? If you do I will vote you off the island! That sax note (the off center one) that Chris Wood hits in “Freedom Rider” is infectuous and will work itself into your brain that you will wait for it to please on subsequent listenings. Believe me, I know.

The opening organ joy riff and following ride on “Empty Pages” continues along this overindulgence avenue. And then Winwood gives you that wonderful, disjointed piano jouney with “Stranger to Himself” including that wirey guitar addition and fuzzy lead guitar. Everything here is so well done. Me, with all my ultimate wisdom, could not help to create a better blend of instruments.

They then take on an olde English folk tune, “John Barleycorn”, and this, my people, was sheer genius. They give you rock-pop-jazz and then tone it down to this. Amazingly effective and brilliant! Supposedly, it was a tune against alcohol but, in the end, John Barleycorn won out. As stated in the liner notes “but there are many other interpretations”. So kind of Traffic to leave it up to our imaginations! “Every Mother’s Son” gives Steve free range on the keyboards while allowing his vocals to reclaim the soul he had with the Spencer Davis Group. This song is not a rave by any means, but it’s meter reveals many colours.

In closing, this is one of my treasured and most liked albums in my archives. It is one of the few that I keep under lock and key. Only dragon fire can break the lock (and, believe me people, he is far away in an unused part of my castle!). Anyway, if you like late 60′s-early 70′s rock music at all, this one should definitely be in any worthwhile collection. If you have it-you know all my words ring true. If you don’t have it – take heart, salvation is yet to come with the purchase!

as always, thinking of my vast public — your own, Metamorpho
Rating: 5 / 5

Maybe not, but it still is great.
Rating: 5 / 5