Easy (Ralph McTell album)

Last updated

Easy
Ralph McTell Easy.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1974
Recorded1974
StudioJohn Kongos Studio, Mortlake, London; Marquee Studios, London
Genre Folk, folk rock, country blues
Length31:04
Label Reprise
Producer Ralph McTell, Danny Thompson, Tony Visconti
Ralph McTell chronology
Not till Tomorrow
(1972)
Easy
(1974)
Streets...
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

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. McTell started writing for the album at a friend's cottage in a tiny hamlet near the village of St Ewe, Cornwall. He fell in love with Cornwall and purchased a derelict cottage which he made habitable and still possessed 30 years later.

Contents

Things were going well with the recording when Tony Visconti’s manager tried to get McTell to sign with his “Rare Earth” production company. McTell's manager was his brother, Bruce, and he thought it a bad idea, this resulted in Visconti being taken off the record. Danny Thompson and McTell finished the production. The cover painting was by Enrica Y Auque Serra. It was one of a pair of popular Victorian prints popularly known as "Morning" and "Evening". [2]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Ralph McTell [3]

Side One
  1. "Take It Easy" - 2:32
  2. "Maddy Dances" - 2:15
  3. "Maginot Waltz" - 3:24
  4. "Sweet Mystery" - 2:32
  5. "Stuff No More" - 3:15
Side Two
  1. "Run Johnny Run" - 4:15
  2. "Zig Zag Line" - 3:40
  3. "Let Me Down Easy" - 3:13
  4. "Would I Lie to You?" - 3:20
  5. "Summer Lightning" - 2:38

Personnel

Production

Awards and accolades

Release history

CountryDateLabelFormatCatalogueNotes
United Kingdom1974Reprise LP K54013
United States1978 Kicking Mule LPKM303The US release has a revised running order.
United Kingdom1999Leola CD TPGCD17The CD release has two bonus tracks.

Track variations

The UK 1999 CD release includes two bonus tracks taken from a single released in 1972: [6]

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References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. "Easy – Ralph McTell". www.ralphmctell.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2022.[ title missing ]
  3. "Easy" LP sleeve, 1974.
  4. Chart Stats. “Ralph McTell”. Accessed 22 September 2009.
  5. BPI. “Certified Awards Search: Ralph McTell” Archived June 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . Accessed 22 September 2009.
  6. "Easy" CD insert, 1999.