Glad (song)
Encyclopedia
"Glad" is a song
composed by Steve Winwood
and performed by Traffic
. It is the opening track on the band's fourth album, John Barleycorn Must Die
, which was released in 1970. It is an instrumental running 6 minutes, 59 seconds and is heavily influenced by jazz
, especially in its instrumentation and improvisational nature.
"Glad" has three distinct sections. The first section is one minute, 46 seconds long. The melody is shared by Steve Winwood, on the piano, and Chris Wood
on saxophone (amplified and run through a wah-wah pedal) with melodic and rhythmic punctuations by Winwood on Hammond organ
and Jim Capaldi
supplying multiple percussion overdubs. The second section starts at one minute, 47 seconds into the song with Wood's saxophone playing a solo throughout this section. After a brief reprise of the opening section, the last section starts at 4 minutes, 18 seconds into the song and has a moody, contemplative feel. Long, sustained notes from Winwood's organ in the last few seconds of the song has it seamlessly flow into the second song of the album, "Freedom Rider".
The "Glad"/"Freedom Rider" sequence was a mainstay of Traffic's live shows in the 70's, with "Glad" often being extended to as long as 20 minutes through jamming and improvisation. The UK version of the 1999 CD re-release of "John Barleycorn Must Die" features an 11-minute live version of "Glad" (with the first few notes of "Freedom Rider" heard at the very end before an abrupt fade-out). "Glad" and "Freedom Rider" combined are the opening track of the "On the Road
" live album, which lasts almost 21 minutes, with "Glad" itself taking up the first 16 minutes.
During 2009, the song has been played at Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood's concert tour. Clapton substitutes his guitar for Chris Wood's saxophone parts in the song and Winwood and Clapton omit the song's last section, instead transitioning into the Blind Faith
rendition of Buddy Holly
's "Well Alright". The song is also on Clapton and Winwood's Live From Madison Square Garden
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
composed by Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
and performed by Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
. It is the opening track on the band's fourth album, John Barleycorn Must Die
John Barleycorn Must Die
John Barleycorn Must Die is the fourth album by the English rock band Traffic, released in 1970, on Island Records in the United Kingdom, and United Artists in the United States, catalogue UAS 5504. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200, their highest charting album in the US, and has been...
, which was released in 1970. It is an instrumental running 6 minutes, 59 seconds and is heavily influenced by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, especially in its instrumentation and improvisational nature.
"Glad" has three distinct sections. The first section is one minute, 46 seconds long. The melody is shared by Steve Winwood, on the piano, and Chris Wood
Chris Wood (rock musician)
Christopher Gordon Blandford 'Chris' Wood was a founding member of the English rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Dave Mason....
on saxophone (amplified and run through a wah-wah pedal) with melodic and rhythmic punctuations by Winwood on Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
and Jim Capaldi
Jim Capaldi
Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
supplying multiple percussion overdubs. The second section starts at one minute, 47 seconds into the song with Wood's saxophone playing a solo throughout this section. After a brief reprise of the opening section, the last section starts at 4 minutes, 18 seconds into the song and has a moody, contemplative feel. Long, sustained notes from Winwood's organ in the last few seconds of the song has it seamlessly flow into the second song of the album, "Freedom Rider".
The "Glad"/"Freedom Rider" sequence was a mainstay of Traffic's live shows in the 70's, with "Glad" often being extended to as long as 20 minutes through jamming and improvisation. The UK version of the 1999 CD re-release of "John Barleycorn Must Die" features an 11-minute live version of "Glad" (with the first few notes of "Freedom Rider" heard at the very end before an abrupt fade-out). "Glad" and "Freedom Rider" combined are the opening track of the "On the Road
On the Road (Traffic album)
On The Road is a live album by English rock band Traffic, released in 1973. Recorded live in Germany, it features the Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory lineup plus extra keyboardist Barry Beckett....
" live album, which lasts almost 21 minutes, with "Glad" itself taking up the first 16 minutes.
During 2009, the song has been played at Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood's concert tour. Clapton substitutes his guitar for Chris Wood's saxophone parts in the song and Winwood and Clapton omit the song's last section, instead transitioning into the Blind Faith
Blind Faith
Blind Faith were an English blues-rock band that consisted of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. The band, which was one of the first "super-groups", released their only album, Blind Faith, in August 1969...
rendition of Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
's "Well Alright". The song is also on Clapton and Winwood's Live From Madison Square Garden
Live from Madison Square Garden (Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood album)
Live from Madison Square Garden is a 2 CD/2 DVD live album by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood which was released on May 19, 2009 by Reprise Records...
.