I was originally turned on to the late British bluesman, Long John Baldry, via his 1971 LP, It Ain’t Easy. Initially, it was Baldry’s take on The Faces “Flying” that stopped me in my tracks, as, until hearing his reading of the song, I could not imagine anyone else other that Rod Stewart’s pipes doing it justice. Here, Baldry does just that.
As a whole, It Ain’t Easy is a great record, with an interesting back-story to go along with it. Released in 1971, the album was dual-produced by Rod Stewart and Elton John, each handling one side of the LP. Stewart bring in his Faces band mates and, as expected, a raucous revelry ensues. Elton John’s technique is also fitting, reminiscent of his work on own album - also from 1971 - Tumbleweed Connection.
Download:
MP3: Long John Baldry :: Flying (cover)
MP3: The Faces :: Flying
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Amazon: Long John Baldry - It Ain’t Easy
+ Download other Long John Baldry albums via eMusic’s 25 Free MP3 trial offer.
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Thanks for posting this. I remember having this album - it was nice to hear some of it again.
1 | dudeasincool January 30th, 2008 at 3:45 pmThanks for this - interesting comparison. I’m sure you know that when Reg Dwight chose his stage name he took the “Elton” from Elton Dean the sax player and the “John” from Long John Baldry.
2 | Titus January 31st, 2008 at 8:00 amwow…this is fantastic…thank you.
3 | dc February 6th, 2008 at 12:02 pmSTILL HAVE THE ALBUM WISH I COULD FIND A CD SOMEWHERE. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE THE REAL FLEETWOOD MAC,LONG JOHN BALDRY AND SAVOY BROWN TOGETHER BACK IN THE DAY. FLYING IS MY FAVORITE.
4 | TAMMY February 10th, 2008 at 6:08 pmTammy:
5 | Brian February 28th, 2008 at 9:41 pmStony Plain records will send you a CD of the original It Ain’t Easy with 2 bonus tracks for around $22.00 Cdn. Very reputable Canadian Alt recording studio. http://www.stonyplainrecords.com/Web/artist.asp?id=317. My disc came in 3 days. Hope you enjoy as much as I have.
Hello to you all.
6 | Andrew Myers April 11th, 2008 at 10:26 pmI had the good luck to have produced a show with Long John Baldry. If you go to youtube and search his name you will find three videos from the show. It was Johns last live show in the US.
Enjoy
hi
Where are all the Long John Baldry fans?
Go to youtube and search Long John Baldry and you will find four cuts from his last live show in the USA.
7 | Andy Myers September 12th, 2008 at 9:38 pm