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LONG JOHN
BALDRY - IT AIN'T EASY -
It Ain't Easy
features a British blues/rock line-up befitting the man behind
the
Long John Baldry moniker. This album returns Baldry
to a decidedly edgier and hipper audience, with a literal cast
of all-stars on some of the more adventurous material he had
covered to date. This is no doubt due, at least in part, to the
involvement of Rock superstars Rod Stewart and Elton
John.
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Among their
contributions to the project, Rod
Stewart and Elton John divided the production tasks --
each taking a side of this classic album. The backing band on
Rod Stewart's side include fellow Small Faces and future
Rolling Stone, Ron
Wood, on electric guitar and acoustic guitarist Sam Mitchell,
who appeared on many of Stewart's early '70s solo albums. His
contributions to this side are numerous, including an especially
potent solo on
Leadbelly's Black Girl.
This authentic duet featuring Maggie Bell on co-lead
vocals is a definite return to the Mississippi Delta for the song
which is also known as the Bluegrass standard In the
Pines. Other highlights from Stewart's sector include the
humorous and self-biographical lead-off track Conditional
Discharge, which is paired with the full-tilt boogie of Don't
Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll. Also
the haunting Flying (Buttons and Bows)
finishes the Stewart production perfectly. Highlights from Elton John's side include
Randy Newman's Let's Burn Down the Cornfield,
and Rock Me When He's Gone. Added
bonus 6 unreleased tracks have been included featuring
Robert Johnson's Love in Vain.- AMG/
MP3-
It
Ain't Easy |
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LONG JOHN
BALDRY - EVERYTHING STOPS FOR TEA -
Everything Stops
For Tea was recorded in Jan/Feb 1972 in London, England. Side
one was produced by Elton John and side two was produced by
Rod
Stewart. The record was released in Spring 1972 and
Long John Baldry spent
the rest of the year touring North America to promote the album. The artwork for the album was by Ron Wood based
on the Alice in Wonderland story.
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Long John does a
blistering version of
Willie Dixon's You Can't Judge A Book and Seventh
Son. Mother Ain't Dead is a great
acoustic folk song that Long John Baldry and Rod Stewart
duet on. This was the second time they had ever recorded
together as Rod sang on Up Above My Head which was released on United Artists in the UK,
1964. For all the Rod Stewart fans and collectors this will be a
great opportunity to pick up a rare Rod Stewart recording seldom
heard. Other faves include Iko, Iko,
Jubilee Cloud and Hambone. As with the re-release of It Ain't Easy, bonus tracks of unreleased material
is also included.
-Jeff Edmunds
MP3-
Mother Ain't Dead
w/Rod Stewart |
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