For today’s Tuesday Tunes I thought I’d give the easy theme a third workout, as I still have quite a few tunes I could play for it. Looking at today’s setlist I think I’m taking it very easy today: these are mostly songs with a relaxed vibe, so settle back and enjoy some downtime.

My first for today is a cover of a Byrds song, which I’m guessing will be new to most. But I’ll take any excuse to play the beautiful voice of Sandy Denny:

The Ballad of Easy Rider was originally the opening and title track on the eighth album by the Byrds, which was released in November 1969. It was also released as a single that October, but had first seen the light of day as part of the soundtrack for the movie Easy Rider, which came out in May that year. Fairport Convention recorded their version around the time of their sessions for their Unhalfbricking album, which was released in July 1969, but it didn’t appear until the first CD version of the album in 1987, on which it was a bonus track. They take it slightly more slowly than the original, but anything with Sandy’s voice is fine by me!

This next one is a longtime favourite of mine – both the singer and the song. It has only ever been an album track, and to find a version that isn’t heavily region-restricted I’m having to go with this slightly strange upload. It’s still a fun song, though, which gives a salutary warning about what might happen on a foreign trip:

Ralph McTell included Take It Easy as the opening track on his sixth album, Easy, which came out in March 1974. I saw him in concert at our uni folk club around that time and he played most of the tracks from the album, including this one. It doesn’t have any deep meaning, it is just a fun little song about what a young man might get up to in a different country: a day trip to France was very exotic for us back then! Whether this is a true story or not, he wasn’t letting on! It is a lovely album, though, full of typical Ralph songs.

This next one is a real rarity, as it is a collaborative effort which I don’t think has yet led to any others. A pretty song by two people I like a lot:

Ben Earle is, with Crissie Rhodes, one half of the English country duo The Shires, who have so far released five albums, all of which made #1 on the UK Country Albums charts and reached the top ten of the main albums listings (three at #3, one at #5 and the other at #10), and they have a new album due out on 3 July – their first for four years. Nina Nesbitt is a solo singer-songwriter with four great albums to her name, all of which are highly recommended by me: she makes beautiful music. Nina has previously written songs for The Shires, though Ben writes most of their repertoire, so they knew each other well before Make It Easy came about. Oddly, perhaps, neither wrote this one: it was written by Adam Argyle, Cleo Tighe, James Newman, and Martin Sjølie, who sent it to Ben several years before he got around to recording it. At the time this was released – May 2023 – Crissie was on maternity leave from the band, so it was clearly a natural thing for Ben to share the song with someone who was already a good friend. I think it’s lovely, with a nice little twist in the lyrics.

Back on more familiar ground with this next one:

Sheryl Crow released Easy as a single in March 2013, having previously announced it as the first track to be heard from her forthcoming ninth album, Feels Like Home, which came out in September 2013. As a single it wasn’t a huge success, making #72 in the US and #80 in the UK, but the album fared much better, peaking at #7 in the US and #16 in the UK. I’ve always liked Sheryl’s records: she has a relaxed, easy-going sound which is good to hear, especially after a long hard day. This track is typical of her output, which probably explains why I like it.

Having started with two obscure album tracks, and then following those with another that I doubt you’ll know, how should I close today? How about another obscure one? OK, here you go:

Rise Up (Easy Rider) is a track from an album I bought when it came out – I loved it and played it to bits. That album was Weeds, by Brewer and Shipley. Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley were a folk-rock duo who were originally around from 1967 to 1978, and then reformed in 1993 and kept going until the 2020 pandemic stopped them. If you know of them at all it is probably from their 1971 US hit single One Toke Over The Line, which made #10 over there. This one was slightly earlier – Weeds was released in 1969. It is a beautiful album, full of great harmonies and some fabulous acoustic guitar playing. Beg, steal or borrow a copy – you won’t regret it! Sadly, Mike Brewer died in December 2024 at the age of 80 and Tom Shipley in August 2025 at 85, but I think they enjoyed their long lives in music. And playing this one gave me the chance to use the meme which is today’s header!

That’s all for today. I may play some more easy songs next time, or I may not – I haven’t decided yet. But whatever I do I hope that you have enjoyed these and will come back for more. By the time next Tuesday rolls around the World Cup will have started, though it will still be a couple of days from then until England’s first opportunity to bore us all senseless.

I’ll see you again in a few days, so until then stay happy and healthy 😊

[As usual, my reminder of where you will be able to see this post after I share it. Firstly, at Esme’s Senior Salon Pit Stop, and then at Cathy’s Monday’s Music Moves Me (on Sundays). Both well worth a visit]