Like its companion It Ain't Easy, the second half of Long John Baldry's early-'70s comeback Everything Stops for Tea initially attracted the most attention via its producers, former Baldry sidemen Elton John and Rod Stewart. The two superstars each handled one side apiece and, though neither shines with the same generous idiosyncrasies that saw the earlier LP sparkle, still they power Baldry to some marvelous heights -- most notably the should-have-been-a-hit cover of "Iko Iko," and a glorious "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover."
With Baldry's musical tastes now drawing folkier textures into his blues (and eschewing the big ballad pop altogether), it's a varied and oft-times eclectic collection. But the strength of Baldry's performance smooths over any rough edges that might have tripped other singers and, though It Ain't Easy remains the superior of these two albums, this one really isn't that far behind it.
by Dave Thompson
1. Intro: Come Back Again (Ross Wilson) - 4:03
2. Seventh Son (Willie Dixon) - 3:05
3. Wild Mountain Thyme (Traditional; Arranged John Baldry, Davey Johnstone) - 3:50
4. Iko Iko (Sharon Jones, Jesse Thomas, Joe Jones, Mary Lynn Jones) - 3:08
5. Jubilee Cloud (John Kongos, Peter Leroy) - 4:15
6. Everything Stops For Tea (Al Goodhart, Al Hoffman, Maurice Sigler) - 3:05
7. You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover (Willie Dixon) - 4:18
8. Mother Ain't Dead (Traditional) - 2:50
9. Hambone (Sam Mitchell) - 3:56
10.Lord Remember Me (R. Phorne) - 4:02
11.Armit's Trousers (Ian Armit) - 1:48
12.Radio Spot #1 - 1:02
13.Bring My Baby Back To Me (Live) (John Baldry) - 6:25
14.Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Neil Young) - 3:12
15.I'm Just A Rake And Ramblin' Boy (Ron Davies) - 3:27
16.Radio Spot #2 - 0:57
Musicians
*John Baldry - Vocals, Guitar
*Elton John - Piano, Backing Vocals
*Rod Stewart - Banjo And Backing Vocals
*Madeline Bell - Vocals
*Jimmy Horowitz - Keyboards
*Davey Johnstone - Guitar
*Sam Mitchell - Steel Guitar
*Doris Troy - Vocals
*Ian Armit - Keyboards
*Ray Cooper - Percussion
*Stefan Delft - Viola
*John Dentith - Drums
*James Litherland - Guitar
*Nigel Olsson - Drums
*John Porter - Bass Guitar
*Klaus Voormann - Bass
*Barry St. John - Vocals
*Terry Stannard - Drums
*Liza Strike - Vocals
*Micky Waller - Percussion
*Bob Weston - Guitar
*Richard Brown - Bass Guitar
*Bill Smith - Bass Guitar
1971 John Baldry - It Ain't Easy (2005 bonus tracks remaster)
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