Instead, the title song and 'Stranger to Himself,' credited to original producer Guy Stevens, along with 'Every Mother's Son,' appear in more densely layered alternate arrangements on the second disc that highlight, along with a faintly earthy texture, the more economical approach that comprises the official work. As a result, the core of Traffic appears on all but two of the seven tracks that comprise the original album, this version of which omits an outtake from a previous remaster ('Sittin' Here Thinkin' of My Love').

Even later in the project, multi-instrumentalist Wood would join the proceedings. Confounded in his early attempts to produce a true solo album where he would play all the instruments himself, under the title Mad Shadows, Winwood eventually turned to partner Capaldi for both writing and playing assistance.

It was not the last time the group made the most of such changes, but it signifies that point in time when Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood rediscovered the chemistry they shared. The deluxe version of the title suggests the work represents an even more significant turning point for the British band than the only other comparable work in their discography, The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (Island, 1971) This 1970 album constitutes Traffic's recommitment to itself and its music, in the wake of near-constant personnel shuffling early in its existence. Traffic reinvented themselves repeatedly over the course of close to three decades together, but perhaps never more dramatically than with John Barleycorn Must Die.

Traffic glad / freedom rider