Easy (Ralph McTell album)
Encyclopedia
Easy is the 1974 album by British
Folk
musician Ralph McTell
. Guest musicians include folk pioneers Wizz Jones
; Bert Jansch
and Danny Thompson
from Pentangle
; Gerry Conway
from Fotheringay
; and Dave Mattacks
from Fairport Convention
.
released in 1972:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musician Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
. Guest musicians include folk pioneers Wizz Jones
Wizz Jones
Raymond Ronald Jones better-known as Wizz Jones is an English acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been performing since the late 1950s and recording from 1965 to the present...
; Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
and Danny Thompson
Danny Thompson
Daniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
from Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
; Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway (musician)
Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
from Fotheringay
Fotheringay
Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay Castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots had been imprisoned...
; and Dave Mattacks
Dave Mattacks
Dave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
from Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Ralph McTell- "Take It Easy"
- "Maddy Dances"
- "Maginot Waltz"
- "Sweet Mystery"
- "Stuff No More"
- "Run Johnny Run"
- "Zig Zag Line"
- "Let Me Down Easy"
- "Would I Lie to You?"
- "Summer Lightning"
Personnel
- Ralph McTellRalph McTellRalph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
- acoustic guitars, banjos, harmonium, harmonica, lead vocals - Wizz JonesWizz JonesRaymond Ronald Jones better-known as Wizz Jones is an English acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been performing since the late 1950s and recording from 1965 to the present...
- guitar - Bert JanschBert JanschHerbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
- guitar - Danny ThompsonDanny ThompsonDaniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
- double bass, bass drum, hi-hat - Steve Bonnett - mandolin
- Mike Piggott - violin
- Lynsey Scott - violin
- Dave MattacksDave MattacksDave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
- drums - Gerry ConwayGerry Conway (musician)Gerald Conway is an English folk and rock drummer/percussionist, best known for having performed with the backing band for Cat Stevens in the 1970s, Jethro Tull during the 1980s, and currently a member of Fairport Convention as well as his side projects...
- drums - Michael Bennett - background vocals
- John KongosJohn KongosJohn Kongos is a singer-songwriter. He is best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single, "He's Gonna Step On You Again".-Career:...
- background vocals
Production
- Producers: Ralph McTell, Danny Thompson and Tony ViscontiTony ViscontiAnthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
- Recording Engineers: Phil Dunne, John Kongos, Mike Noble and Tony Visconti
- Cover painting: Enrique Serra
Awards and accolades
- "Easy" reached number 31 in the UK Album Chart soon after its release in March, 1974.
- "Easy" was awarded a Silver disc for record sales in August, 1976.
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1974 | Reprise | LP | K54013 | |
| United States | 1978 | Kicking Mule | LP | KM303 | The US release has a revised running order. |
| United Kingdom | 1999 | Leola | CD | TPGCD17 | The CD release has two bonus tracks. |
Track variations
The UK 1999 CD release includes two bonus tracks taken from a singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
released in 1972:
- "Teacher Teacher" (Ralph McTell)
- "Truckin' Little Baby" (Blind Boy FullerBlind Boy FullerBlind Boy Fuller was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss.-Life and career:Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina,...
)