home

The Vinyl Press

  • Features
  • Records
  • Cleaning – Care
  • Editorials
  • Compendia
  • Ephemera
  • Phono
  • About
You are here: Home / Records / Traffic -John Barleycorn Must Die

Traffic -John Barleycorn Must Die

May 14, 2015 by Bill Hart

FullSizeRender-6

I was a pretty big fan of Stevie Winwood in the late 60’s. Traffic was an interesting experiment, part blue-eyed soul, part exotica- the Indian music motifs, jazz elements and psychedelia was an interesting brew, even if it didn’t always work, e.g., the first part of track,”Colored Rain” from the Mr. Fantasy album (also known as Heaven is in Your Mind in the U.S.)[1] is a romp- classic early Winwood- on-pitch blues ‘shouting,’ carrying a great melodic line which just falls apart halfway through. Dave Mason’s on again/off again role in the group wasn’t really a big deal for me; his “solo” album, Alone Together, is a record I’ve enjoyed since its release (separate review later). I remain riveted to the Blind Faith album, which was another experiment, bringing together part of Cream (Clapton and the pugnacious Ginger Baker) with Winwood and (the unknown to me at the time) Rick Grech. That band didn’t last long, as we know. [2]

 

When the Barleycorn album was released as a Traffic record, I was overjoyed. I bought a copy in Chicago, where I happened to be when it was released- a U.S. pressing on United Artists.

The original UK recording, produced by Winwood and the redoubtable Mr. Blackwell (among others), was recorded in the UK by Andy Johns.[3] My U.K. copy of Barleycorn is a first press, variants of which appear to have been mastered by Sterling bearing the “LH” inscription (Lee Hulko mastered many great sounding records).

 

The music is more accessible than some of the earlier Traffic-it still has that pop tune mixed with jazz quality, including horn parts and percussion that make it more of a ‘soul’ record than a hard rock record.

Barleycorn also represents, to me, the last of the “old” (or “young,” depending on perspective) Steve Winwood.[4] Mason is MIA, but the story is, Stevie wanted to do a solo album, and Barleycorn turned into a Traffic album. It is dynamic, awash with Hammond organ and great flares of sax, the fluttering of flute and the marvel of Jim Capaldi’s drumming. The title tune, based on ye olde English Folk Song, is solid, and a classic.

IMG_0031

Which pressing? My “go-to” is the UK first, but the first UA is fine and probably much cheaper (at least in the States). Since the album was apparently mastered in the U.S., at least if you are buying an early copy with “Sterling” in the deadwax, there’s no reason why the U.S. pressing shouldn’t hold its own. But, the UK has that characteristic warmth. If you like this album, you really should have both, right?

[1] Heaven is in Your Mind also had a different track list, see review here.

[2] Finding a good sounding copy of Blind Faith is the subject of a separate review here.

[3] Johns, who died in 2013, had a pretty sensational discography including Tull’s “Stand Up”, Led Zeppelin’s II through IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti and Coda as well as the Stone’s “Exile on Main St.” among many others.

[4] Welcome to the Canteen is a live, greatest hits-style album, which, though satisfying on many levels, doesn’t really cut new ground (Mason reemerged with them briefly during this period); Low Spark, a hit for Traffic, is more polished but sounds more commercial to me than Barleycorn and earlier Traffic albums. Despite this, “Many a Mile to Freedom,” a track from Low Spark, is a heart-felt blues lament styled as a pop ballad and moves me.

Filed Under: Records

In Brief:

Incoming- Mrs. Henry Keep on Rising

Mrs. Henry Keep on Rising   A 21st century rock opera? Recorded to tape? And mastered at Bernie Grundman’s shop? I’ve started to explore this box (3 LPs, 2 CDs and a substantial book) in more depth and plan on interviewing the producer in an upcoming piece. … [Read More...]

Power to the People-Back Up Generator

    Shortly after the Texas "big freeze" in February 2021, I contacted various vendors of back up generators. Some did not bother to respond, a few came out, ostensibly to give me a quote and I never heard from them again. One vendor did send me a blank form with a very high total price, without completing the cost analysis for running gas lines, electrical wiring and the other things that are "adds" to the cost of the generator itself.  I kicked this around for a while-- given the heat in Central Texas during the summer--110F for days on end, we got constant warnings last summer (2023) to reduce power consumption, lest we suffer rolling blackouts. And then there's the fact that Austin really isn't "built" for freezing temperatures. Black ice with no road crews, downed power lines, and demand that teeters off the edge of power failure catastrophe. I do not want to go into the power grid … [Read More...]

Incoming-Know what I mean?

Cannonball Adderley's "Know what I mean? is a warhorse, to be sure,but one that deserves its reputation. I was prompted to explore a few different pressings as a result of a thread on the Hoffman forum: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/do-you-have-cannonball-adderley-bill-evans-know-what-i-mean-the-best-sounding-vintage-jazz-lp.1175660/  I used to shop these OJCs as bargains back in the day when Tower Records was thriving. They were a solid entry point into some very good sounding jazz--some of it "straight ahead" but well made, taken from analog masters for the most part and did I say cheap? Back in the day, these were bargain records when they were released, and until the more recent surge in prices of older LPs, could be readily found for little money.  The recent Craft reissue cut by Kevin Gray has brought renewed attention to the record. I thought it might be fun to do a … [Read More...]

We’re Back!

We’re Back! Some fresh content for your consideration. Neil Antin did some modest updates to his seminal book on Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records. Neil did not regard these changes as a “new version” so the download is now 3.1 with a “Record of Changes” at the end. I’ve talked to Peter Ulrich, the drummer from Dead Can Dance a few times over the years because I was fascinated by the group. They hit it big in audiophile circles with “Into the Labyrinth” which became a “demo” record with the MoFi release. I got that, but also sought out an original 4AD pressing, and as I delved into their music, bought more original copies- they were not crazy expensive at the time. When Peter told me he was doing a book on the history of his involvement with the band, I was eager to read it. It offers some great insight into a period when this band was inventing new sounds in the post-punk … [Read More...]

Drumming with Dead Can Dance: and Parallel Adventures- Peter Ulrich

  Drumming with Dead Can Dance: and Parallel Adventures Peter Ulrich   I didn’t really get on to Dead Can Dance until “Into the Labyrinth,” their most popular LP that made the audiophile rounds here in the States. 4AD, their label, wasn’t well distributed in the US when the band was first developing, it wasn’t exactly mainstream stuff here, even in the audiophile community. Yet the band had a following, starting in Australia, where Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry had a band and moved to a council flat in London where the two met our narrator, a soon to be jobless publicist for a theatrical/live show venue. Ulrich had the time, interest, musical background, and chops as a drummer to become part of their band. So we get the story of DCD from the outset of their adventures in England, playing local venues and developing a following. The scene was a sort of post-punk, … [Read More...]

Terms of Use ·  Copyright © 2025 The Vinyl Press.com ·  Privacy Policy
A service of Flying Reptile Media Group ·  Contact


Register | Login to Comment | Comments FAQ

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in