Condition: Brand New Ships from: Melbourne

• Description
• Release details
• Tracklist

• John Barleycorn Must Die, released in July 1970, marks Traffics reinvention following a brief hiatus and the departure of Dave Mason. With Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood forming a leaner trio, the album blends folk, blues, jazz, and rock into a fluid and expressive sound. The opening instrumental Glad features dynamic piano and sax interplay, while tracks like Freedom Rider, Empty Pages, and the traditional John Barleycorn highlight the groups evolving chemistry across compositional depth and improvisational space. Produced under the guidance of Winwood and Chris Blackwell, the record bridges the bands earlier psychedelic leanings toward a more expansive, jam-inflected resonance.

  Though compact in length, the albums internal diversity feels expansive: from intimate