In short, John Barleycorn Must Die was a miracle of rejuvenation. The simple, pastoral English folk of the title track fit in perfectly with the then-current Brit-folk resurgence spearheaded of the likes of Fairport Convention and The Pentangle. Opening with the 10-minute medley “Glad”/”Freedom Rider,” the band snaked and swam through funk, classical, jazz and rock, creating an aural masterpiece that still sounds vital today. Produced by Winwood, the group hit all the bases with a record that can easily be called definitive. The resulting album, John Barleycorn Must Die, was a bold and stylish resurrection that brought the group back to prominence in a very big way. The unfinished business that Traffic had became obvious, and the trio officially reunited at the dawn of 1970. A handful of tracks were cut, by which time Winwood had called in Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood for moral and musical support. Following Steve Winwood’s high-profile 1969 foray into Blind Faith, he had begun sessions for what was supposed to be a solo album for Island Records, tentatively to be called Mad Shadows (later to be used as a title for a Mott The Hoople LP).
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