# Album #11: Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
By Traffic (1970) 

=> https://1001albumsgenerator.com/albums/2TjodugH6rA5ZHPsWVErmw/john-barleycorn-must-die John Barleycorn Must Die on 1001albumsgenerator

I've dodged this one for *months*. British (particularly English) psychedelic/prog rock is a genre that still hasn't worked for me yet, and the Yes albums I've listened to (and also not posted reviews of) haven't convinced me otherwise. Something about this album's title and song length made me fear the worst of proggy noodling.

That's not the worst summary of the album, but it is reductive and unfair. OK there's a little bit too much organ across the whole thing, but it has enough good moments that it's not a total dud. Empty Pages is the nadir, with a slow chorus that throws out all the momentum of a nice tight drumbeat while an organ drones in the background, but by the time the title track comes around you've forgotten it happened. The folk inspired vocals and guitar are an odd match for the jazz flute, but it works for that one song.

Overall it's not as hard work as I expected. I thought it would be an hour of organ excess, but it clocks in at 35 minutes and there are entire tracks that are organ free. It's a stretch to say it's an album everyone must hear before they die, though.

# Rating
⭐⭐⭐
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