It Ain't Easy (Long John Baldry album)

It Ain't Easy is a 1971 album by Long 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 for Warner Brothers. Soon after in 1970, Stewart met Elton John at a party and the piano player joined on, too. Stewart and John each produced half of this bluesy album, with John contributing much of the piano work. Stewart brought in mate Ronnie Wood to play guitar, 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-night recording 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 Rock and Roll" was recorded "whilst laying [sic] 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 of Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Dolly Parton and Nirvana. Baldry does a version singing with Maggie Bell, who also appeared on Every Picture Tells a Story.

It Ain't Easy also includes Willie Dixon's song "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.

Reception

Track listing

1. "Intro: Conditional Discharge" (Long John Baldry, Ian Armitt)
2. "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll" (Jeff Thomas)
3. "Black Girl" (Traditional, Leadbelly)
4. "It Ain't Easy" (Ron Davies)
5. "Morning, Morning" (Tuli Kupferberg)
6. "I'm Ready" (Willie Dixon)
7. "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" (Randy Newman)
8. "Mr. Rubin" (Lesley Duncan)
9. "Rock Me When He's Gone" (Elton John, Bernie Taupin)
10. "Flying" (Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane)

2005 Re-issue bonus tracks:

1. "Goin' Down Slow"
2. "Blues (Corn Bread, Meat, and Molasses)"
3. "Love In Vain"
4. "Midnight Hour Blues"
5. "Black Girl" (alternate take)
6. "It Ain't Easy" (alternate take)
7. "I'm Ready' (alternate take)

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

References