Traffic-John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)

In 1970, after the adventures of Steve Winwood with Blind Faith and Dave Mason, already totally out of the band, Traffic returns as a trio to the studio and records what was originally intended as Winwood's first solo album and that, in the end It turned out to be the group's masterpiece. With John Barleycorn the musical twist is evident, leaving aside any flirting with psychedelia and moving away from being a group of hits. Music becomes more complex by fusing rock with jazz and folk and resulting in a totally unique and original work.

And is that his fourth album can not have another qualifier than the masterpiece. From the jazz Glad to Every Mother's Son, a series of songs follow with a fusion of styles capable of leaving you a drunken musical drunkenness. Without underestimating the talent of Dave Mason, the truth is that the band showed that they could do without it. And one thing is clear, had he continued in the group, he would hardly have gone to such a jazzy line and that is that Dave was the architect of taking Traffic to more psychedelic positions.