Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
If Dowdy Ferry Road was their bleak moment in song, Some Things Don't Come Easy is the calm before the storm, a port prior to the schizophrenia that was Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive. Wandering songs like "Who's Lonely Now" are indicative of this album, and it is only one of two titles the singers pen together. They look alike on the smiling, happy airbrushed front cover, but you can almost see sadness in their eyes on the photos on the back. It must have been an intense period as they came up with yet another Top Ten hit, their fifth of six. "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" was written by Jeffrie Comanor and is far and away the best song on the album. This duo knew how to interpret; they were fantastic at it. The hit single is defined, the production is compact, and the loose ends that make up all the other songs on Some Things Don't Come Easy pale in comparison. The song's hook and instrumentation are so radio-friendly that the 45 could be put on repeat and after the 30th spin not bore like many of the tracks here. Sure, there is more outside material. Dave Loggins' "Lovin' Somebody on a Rainy Night," as well as Bob Gundry and Jeff Comanor's "Beyond the Tears," are adequate, but they really needed material beyond their genre, and needed it desperately at this point in time. Adequate just doesn't cut it when you are in the middle of a string of hit singles. Gundry co-wrote "Hold Me" and "Calling for You Again" with John Ford Coley, but they are songs in a rut. A Beatles tune or "She's a Rainbow" by the Rolling Stones would have been left of center enough to work without disrupting the flow. The problem here is, there's too much flow, but England Dan and John Ford Coley seem to be treading water as everything rushes by them. "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight," written by four songwriters other than the singers, is passable, and Dan Seals' title track is second to the hit as an album highlight, but "You Can't Dance" goes nowhere and sounds labored. Perhaps it was time to have some additional producers augment Kyle Lehning's fine work on the hits, or maybe, as stated in another review on this group, it was time to team up with Seals & Crofts to go after Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Some things don't come easy, this album is proof of that.
© Joe Viglione /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Bobby Emmons, Organ - Lisa Silver, Background Vocals - Jack Williams, Bass - BERGEN WHITE, String Arranger - Joe Osborn, Bass - John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals - Dan Seals, Writer - DoyleGrisham, Guitar - Larrie Londin, Drums - BOBBY THOMPSON, Banjo, Guitar - STEVE GIBSON, Guitar, Mandolin - Billy Puett, Flute, Recorder, Saxophone - Diane Tidwell, Background Vocals - Ronnie Eades, Baritone Saxophone - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Johnny Christopher, Guitar - Farrell Morris, Percussion - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - Dan Seals (England Dan), Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals - Kyle Lehning for Twin Trumpets Productions, Producer - Sheri Kramer, Background Vocals - The Shelly Kurland String Section, Strings - Cyndi Reynolds, Harp - Harrison Calaway, Trumpet - Shane Kesiter, Keyboards - Dennis Good, Trombone - Gove Scrivenor, Guitar
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Garvin, Writer - Wilson, Writer - John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - Mevis, Writer
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
BERGEN WHITE, String Arranger - John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar - Ryan, Writer - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - Yeomans, Writer
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Bobby Emmons, Organ - Lisa Silver, Background Vocals - Jack Williams, Bass - BERGEN WHITE, String Arranger - Joe Osborn, Bass - John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Writer - Dan Seals, Writer - DoyleGrisham, Guitar - Larrie Londin, Drums - BOBBY THOMPSON, Banjo, Guitar - STEVE GIBSON, Guitar, Mandolin - Billy Puett, Flute, Recorder, Saxophone - Diane Tidwell, Background Vocals - Ronnie Eades, Baritone Saxophone - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Johnny Christopher, Guitar - Farrell Morris, Percussion - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - Dan Seals (England Dan), Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals - Kyle Lehning for Twin Trumpets Productions, Producer - Sheri Kramer, Background Vocals - The Shelly Kurland String Section, Strings - Cyndi Reynolds, Harp - Harrison Calaway, Trumpet - Shane Kesiter, Keyboards - Dennis Good, Trombone - Gove Scrivenor, Guitar
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Bobby Emmons, Organ - Lisa Silver, Background Vocals - Jack Williams, Bass - BERGEN WHITE, String Arranger - Joe Osborn, Bass - John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Writer - DoyleGrisham, Guitar - Larrie Londin, Drums - BOBBY THOMPSON, Banjo, Guitar - STEVE GIBSON, Guitar, Mandolin - Billy Puett, Flute, Recorder, Saxophone - Diane Tidwell, Background Vocals - Ronnie Eades, Baritone Saxophone - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Johnny Christopher, Guitar - Farrell Morris, Percussion - England Dan & John Ford Coley, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist - Dan Seals (England Dan), Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals - Kyle Lehning for Twin Trumpets Productions, Producer - Sheri Kramer, Background Vocals - The Shelly Kurland String Section, Strings - Cyndi Reynolds, Harp - Harrison Calaway, Trumpet - Shane Kesiter, Keyboards - Dennis Good, Trombone - Gove Scrivenor, Guitar - Waltzer, Writer - Gundry, Writer
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Bobby Emmons, Organ - Lisa Silver, Background Vocals - Jack Williams, Bass - BERGEN WHITE, String Arranger - Joe Osborn, Bass - John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals - DoyleGrisham, Guitar - Larrie Londin, Drums - BOBBY THOMPSON, Banjo, Guitar - STEVE GIBSON, Guitar, Mandolin - Billy Puett, Flute, Recorder, Saxophone - Diane Tidwell, Background Vocals - Ronnie Eades, Baritone Saxophone - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Johnny Christopher, Guitar - Farrell Morris, Percussion - Jeffrey Comanor, Writer - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - Dan Seals (England Dan), Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals - Kyle Lehning for Twin Trumpets Productions, Producer - Sheri Kramer, Background Vocals - The Shelly Kurland String Section, Strings - Cyndi Reynolds, Harp - Harrison Calaway, Trumpet - Shane Kesiter, Keyboards - Dennis Good, Trombone - Gove Scrivenor, Guitar
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
LOGGINS, Writer - John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - Gundry, Writer - Comanor, Writer
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - COLEY, Writer - Gundry, Writer
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - Seals, Writer
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
John Ford Coley, Acoustic Guitar - England Dan & John Ford Coley, MainArtist - Seals, Writer - COLEY, Writer
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Album review
If Dowdy Ferry Road was their bleak moment in song, Some Things Don't Come Easy is the calm before the storm, a port prior to the schizophrenia that was Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive. Wandering songs like "Who's Lonely Now" are indicative of this album, and it is only one of two titles the singers pen together. They look alike on the smiling, happy airbrushed front cover, but you can almost see sadness in their eyes on the photos on the back. It must have been an intense period as they came up with yet another Top Ten hit, their fifth of six. "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" was written by Jeffrie Comanor and is far and away the best song on the album. This duo knew how to interpret; they were fantastic at it. The hit single is defined, the production is compact, and the loose ends that make up all the other songs on Some Things Don't Come Easy pale in comparison. The song's hook and instrumentation are so radio-friendly that the 45 could be put on repeat and after the 30th spin not bore like many of the tracks here. Sure, there is more outside material. Dave Loggins' "Lovin' Somebody on a Rainy Night," as well as Bob Gundry and Jeff Comanor's "Beyond the Tears," are adequate, but they really needed material beyond their genre, and needed it desperately at this point in time. Adequate just doesn't cut it when you are in the middle of a string of hit singles. Gundry co-wrote "Hold Me" and "Calling for You Again" with John Ford Coley, but they are songs in a rut. A Beatles tune or "She's a Rainbow" by the Rolling Stones would have been left of center enough to work without disrupting the flow. The problem here is, there's too much flow, but England Dan and John Ford Coley seem to be treading water as everything rushes by them. "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight," written by four songwriters other than the singers, is passable, and Dan Seals' title track is second to the hit as an album highlight, but "You Can't Dance" goes nowhere and sounds labored. Perhaps it was time to have some additional producers augment Kyle Lehning's fine work on the hits, or maybe, as stated in another review on this group, it was time to team up with Seals & Crofts to go after Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Some things don't come easy, this album is proof of that.
© Joe Viglione /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:36:10
- Main artists: England Dan & John Ford Coley
- Composer: England Dan & John Ford Coley
- Label: Rhino Atlantic
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company ℗ 1978 Big Tree, a label of Atlantic Recording Corp., manufactured and marketed by Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.