- It Ain't Easy (Baldry album)
Infobox Album
Name = It Ain't Easy
Type =Album
Artist =Long John Baldry
Released = 1971
Recorded =
Genre =Blues Rock
Length =
Label =Warner Music
Producer =Rod Stewart ,Elton John
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|2.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:yyh9ke9tgq7c link]
Last album = "Wait for Me"
1969
This album = "It Ain't Easy"
Next album = "Everything Stops for Tea "
1972"It Ain't Easy" is a 1971
album byLong John Baldry .According to extensive notes about Long John Baldry's career in the re-release 2005
CD ,Rod Stewart was brought on board to produce "It Ain't Easy" forWarner Brothers . Soon after in 1970, Stewart met Reg Dwight (later taking the nameElton John ) at a party and thepiano player joined on, too. Stewart and John each produced half of thisblues y album, with John contributing much of the piano work. Stewart brought in mateRonnie Wood to playguitar , as well as many others who would appear on Stewart's "Every Picture Tells a Story ", released later in 1971.The Baldry album features his biggest U.S. hit, "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll." In the
liner notes , Baldry notes how Stewart's loose and late-nightrecording sessions affected the tracks, "especially those recorded on my thirtieth birthday when he showed up with cases of Remy Martin cognac and several measures of good quality champagne!" Baldry points out that "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of the Rock and Roll" was recorded "whilst laying on the floor."The 1971 release also features "Black Girl," the centuries-old American folk song most associated with
Lead Belly , though covered by the likes ofBob Dylan ,the Grateful Dead ,Dolly Parton and Nirvana. Baldry does an impressive version singing withMaggie Bell , who also appeared on "Every Picture Tells a Story"."It Ain't Easy" also includes
Willie Dixon 's classic "I'm Ready" and an Elton John-Bernie Taupin song, "Rock Me When He's Gone". The story goes that John, a budding star in the early 1970s, took his last name from Long John Baldry.Track listing
#"Intro: Conditional Discharge" (Long John Baldry, Ian Armitt)
#"Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock & Roll"
#"Black Girl" (Traditional,Leadbelly )
#"It Ain't Easy" (Ron Davies)
#"Morning, Morning" (Tuli Kupferberg )
#"I'm Ready" (Willie Dixon )
#"Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" (Randy Newman )
#"Mr. Rubin" (Lesley Duncan )
#"Rock Me When He's Gone" (Elton John ,Bernie Taupin )
#"Flying" (Ronnie Wood ,Rod Stewart ,Ronnie Lane )Personnel
*Long John Baldry - vocals, 12-string guitar
*Elton John - organ, piano
*Alan Skidmore - tenor sax
*Lesley Duncan - background vocals
*Tony Hazzard - background vocals
*Sam Mitchell - dobro, guitar, slide guitar
*Doris Troy - background vocals
*Ian Armitt - piano
*Tony Burrows - background vocals
*Kay Garner - background vocals
*Dave Glover - bass
*Roger Pope - drums
*Caleb Quaye - organ, guitar
*Liza Strike - background vocals
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