| It Ain't Easy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 31, 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1969–70 | |||
| Studio | American Recording, Studio City, California | |||
| Length | 32:24 | |||
| Label | Dunhill, MCA, Probe | |||
| Producer | Richard Podolor | |||
| Three Dog Night chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Original "Wizards of Orange" Cover | ||||
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| Singles from It Ain't Easy | ||||
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It Ain't Easy is the fourth album by American rock band Three Dog Night,released in 1970.
According to lead singer Chuck Negron's book Three Dog Nightmare,the album's working title was The Wizards of Orange,with a cover featuring the band's members wearing orange make-up and posing in the nude. The band's record company,ABC/Dunhill,rejected the original album title and cover art,although some configurations of their first "greatest hits" album,1971's Golden Bisquits ,would later be packaged using It Ain't Easy's original cover photo.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B [1] |
| Tom Hull | B [2] |
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide:Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981),Robert Christgau wrote:"Admitting it won't gain me any of the hip cachet I crave,but I admired and enjoyed this group's first LP. I found the second mediocre and the live job that followed it wretchedly excessive,but this one—their fourth in just fourteen months—gets back:exemplary song-finding and not too much plastic-soul melon-mouthing or preening vocal pyrotechnique. Highlights:the hit version of Randy Newman's 'Mama Told Me Not to Come,' with just the right admixture of high-spirited schlock to turn it into the AM giant it deserves to be,and a departure from pre-Beatles times called "Good Feeling (1957)." [1]
Album –Billboard (United States) [3]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Pop Albums | 8 |
Singles –Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" | Pop Singles | 1 |
| "Out in the Country" | Pop Singles | 15 | |
| Easy Listening | 11 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [4] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967,founded by vocalists Chuck Negron,Cory Wells,and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards),Joe Schermie (bass),Michael Allsup (guitar),and Floyd Sneed (drums). The band had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975,with three hitting number one. Three Dog Night recorded many songs written by outside songwriters,and they helped to introduce mainstream audiences to writers such as Randy Newman,Paul Williams,and Hoyt Axton.
Three Dog Night is the debut album by American rock band Three Dog Night. The album was originally released by Dunhill Records on October 16,1968. The album is known for featuring the band's Top 5 hit single,their cover of Harry Nilsson's song "One".
Suitable for Framing is the second studio album by American rock band Three Dog Night. The album was released on the Dunhill record label on June 11,1969 and was the first of two albums released by the band that year.
Captured Live at the Forum is the third album by American rock band Three Dog Night,released in 1969.
Naturally is the fifth album by American rock band Three Dog Night,released in 1970. It produced two top ten hits:"Joy to the World" and "Liar" (#7). "One Man Band" reached the top 20 (#19). The only original by the band is the instrumental "Fire Eater".
Golden Bisquits is the sixth album by American rock band Three Dog Night,released in 1971.
Harmony is the seventh album by American rock band Three Dog Night,released in 1971. The album featured two Top 10 hits:"An Old Fashioned Love Song" and a cover version of Hoyt Axton's "Never Been to Spain".
Seven Separate Fools is the eighth studio album by American rock band Three Dog Night. Released in 1972,the album reached number six on the US Billboard 200,becoming the band's highest-charting album. The LP version of the album was released with seven large playing cards as an extra bonus.
Around the World with Three Dog Night is a double live album by American rock band Three Dog Night,released in 1973.
Cyan is the tenth studio album by American rock band Three Dog Night,released on October 9,1973,by Dunhill Records. The album's original title was Seven Ball,Center Pocket,which was changed for unknown reasons.
Joy to the World:Their Greatest Hits is the twelfth album by American rock band,Three Dog Night,released in 1974.
American Pastime is the fourteenth and final album by American rock band Three Dog Night,released in 1976.
The Best of 3 Dog Night is the fifteenth album by the American rock band,Three Dog Night and is a double album released in 1982. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 1,1996.
Celebrate:The Three Dog Night Story,1965–1975 is a two-CD anthology of Three Dog Night recordings released in 1993 which includes some pre-3DN material from co-lead singers Danny Hutton and Cory Wells,as well as an unreleased track "Time to Get Alone",penned and produced by Brian Wilson from the band's brief "Redwood" incarnation. It covers all of the band's singles,as well as some album tracks,in the band's career.
Michael Rand Allsup is an American guitarist,best known as a member of the rock and roll band Three Dog Night.
Daniel Anthony Hutton is an Irish-American singer,best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night. Hutton was a songwriter and singer for Hanna-Barbera Records from 1965 to 1966. Hutton had a modest national hit,"Roses and Rainbows",during his tenure as a recording artist for Hanna-Barbera Records. Hutton is the father of two sons,Dash Hutton,the former drummer in the American rock band Haim and Timothy V. Hutton,a bassist and producer. Both sons co-own a recording studio called The Canyon Hut.
Cory Wells was an American singer,best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night.
20th Century Masters –The Millennium Collection:The Best of Three Dog Night is a compilation album of hits released by Universal Music as part of their 20th Century Masters –The Millennium Collection series. Released on May 16,2000,with hits from the 1970s American rock and roll band Three Dog Night with no new material recorded for the compilation. As of August 2013,the album has sold 1,136,000 copies in the US.
"The Family of Man" is a song written by Paul Williams and Jack Conrad,produced by Richard Podolor. It was most famously performed by Three Dog Night and featured on their 1971 album,Harmony.
The Complete Hit Singles is a compilation album by Three Dog Night. It was released on May 25,2004 by Geffen Records.
