It Ain't Easy features a British blues/rock lineup 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. (In fact,
John confesses to have taken the last name in his stage moniker from
Baldry's first.) Among their contributions to the project,
Stewart and
Elton divided the production tasks -- each taking a side of the original album. Immediately,
Baldry sheds the MOR blue-eyed pop soul image. The backing band on
Stewart's side include fellow
Face 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 leadoff 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 & Roll." Arguably the oddest cover version on this album is also among the best; "Morning Morning" from head
Fug Tuli Kupferberg is given new and surprisingly fresh life by
Baldry. Highlights from
Elton John's side include
Randy Newman's "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield," which would have fit perfectly on
John's
Tumbleweed Connection album. Additionally, "Rock Me When He's Gone" was actually recorded by
John, although his version remained unissued until the 1992 odds and sods compilation
Rare Masters. ~ Lindsay Planer