07/31/2026
remembering Emory L Rann, my old friend. he gave me this LP when it came out. i loved it. it's 5 on my list of 100. and i listen to every week
โMost of the Traffic stuff stands the test of time pretty well. All of those albums are like my children, so I really canโt pick a favouriteโbut in many ways, John Barleycorn is the core of what Traffic is, and it could be the most definitive album we did.โ
โItโs based on an English folk song sometimes called โThe Passion of the Cornโ. Itโs a parallel with the Passion of the Christ and the rural cycle. The winter: the land being dormant, and then the corn growing, rising, being cut off, being ground between stones and being mistreatedโeventually rising again in the form of alcohol or bread. And it was called historically โThe Passion of the Corn.โโ -SW
in 1970, Trafficโs fourth studio album โJohn Barleycorn Must Dieโ was released.