Ten Years After – A Space in Time (1971)

A Space in Time is the sixth studio album by the British blues rock band Ten Years After. It was released in August 1971 by Chrysalis Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in America. A departure in style from their previous albums, A Space in Time is less ‘heavy’ than previous albums and includes more acoustic guitar, perhaps influenced by the success of Led Zeppelin who were mixing acoustic songs with heavier numbers. It reached number 17 in the Billboard 200.

The third track on the album, “I’d Love to Change the World”, is also their biggest hit. By combining a melodic acoustic chorus with challenging electric guitar riffs, they managed to produce a sound that hit number 10 in the charts in Canada[citation needed] and number 40 in the USA.[2] Although this was their biggest hit, they rarely played it live. “Baby Won’t You Let Me Rock ‘n’ Roll You” also charted in the USA, peaking at number 61.

Billy Walker gave the album a generally positive review in Sounds. He noted the atypically soft sound of songs such as “Over the Hill” and “Let the Sky Fall” and approved of this “unexpected but pleasing dimension to the overall feel of the album”, while simultaneously praising “the old TYA excitement” of tracks such as “I’d Love to Change the World” and “Baby Won’t You Let Me Rock ‘n’ Roll You”.

He particularly praised Alvin Lee’s guitar work. However, he complained that a number of the tracks suffered from “lack of strength or projection of Alvin’s voice” and concluded “Ten Years After are a far better live band than their albums suggest; they get over much more of their charisma and excitement that has a job surfacing on their recorded work.”

Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said the album is one “in which the rock heavy comes of age with his toughest, fullest, and most coherent album. I like it in a way, but it does lack a certain winning abandon, and I’m not crazy about the heavy’s economic theories—fellow seems to believe that if you ‘tax the rich to feed the poor’ you soon run out of rich, with dire consequences.” (by wikipedia)

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (keyboards)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals, harmonica)
Ric Lee (drums, percussion)
Leo Lyons (bass)

US back cover:

Tracklist:
01. One of These Days 5.57
02. Here They Come 4.34
03. I’d Love To Change The World 3.44
04. Over The Hill 2.29
05. Baby Won’t You Let Me Rock ‘n’ Roll You 2.15
06. Once There Was A Time 3.22
07. Let The Sky Fall 4.20
08. Hard Monkeys 3.11
09. I’ve Been There Too 5.45
10. Uncle Jam 1.57

All songs by Alvin Lee except “Uncle Jam”, which was composed by C. Churchill, A. Lee, R. Lee and L. Lyons.

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Everywhere is freaks and hairies
Dykes and fairies, tell me where is sanity?
Tax the rich, feed the poor
‘Til there are no rich no more

I’d love to change the world
But I don’t know what to do
So I’ll leave it up to you

Population keeps on breeding
Nation bleeding, still more feeding economy
Life is funny, skies are sunny
Bees make honey, who needs money? monopoly

I’d love to change the world
But I don’t know what to do
So I’ll leave it up to you

World pollution, there’s no solution
Institution, electrocution
Just black or white, rich or poor
Them and us, stop the war

I’d love to change the world
But I don’t know what to do
So I’ll leave it up to you

More from Ten Years After:

Ten Years After – Cap Ferrat Sessions 1972 (2017)

To coincide with the Ten Years After’s eponymous debut release in 1967 Chrysalis Records presents a 50th Anniversary 10 CD Box Set. in 2007. This limited edition set includes a CD of previously unreleased material.

This set, limited to 1,500 copies worldwide, contains LPs which have been remastered from the original 1/4″ production master tapes along with the bonus disc entitled “The CapFerrat Sessions”, which consists of never heard before recordings from 1972, newly mixed by acclaimed record producer Chris Kimsey.

Continues Ric, “The box includes nine studio albums and a bonus CD that features the previously unreleased live album ‘The Cap Ferrat Sessions’.

Originally recorded in 1972 in the South of France using The Rolling Stones Mobile recording truck, the session tracks were gathering dust until now. I remember we recorded the live tracks in a villa in Cap Ferrat, South of France. Each of the instruments were recorded in a different room – drums in the ballroom. Between Chris Kimsey, our recording engineer and I, we managed to get one of the best drum sounds on any Ten Years After recording. Natural ambience from the villa’s acoustics helped tremendously. The session tracks were originally planned for the ‘Rock N Roll Music To The World’ album, but due to vinyl restrictions of the time, the tracks were not included in the final album release. More details are on the sleeve notes written for us by Chris Kimsey, who kindly agreed to mix the tracks for this boxed set release 45 years after they were recorded. This is a must-have collection for any avid Ten Years After fan, and any new fans that want to soak up the band’s recorded history.”

 

Ten Years After stormed the stages of rock, they created a sensation that stunned audiences and quickly won them a coveted place among the pantheon of great British groups. Alvin Lee – one of the most charismatic and admired guitar players to emerge from the British blues boom of the era and deservedly ranked alongside his contemporaries Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix – headed a powerful team of talented musicians, Leo Lyons, Chick Churchill and Ric Lee.

During an intense seven-year period, they embarked on marathon tours, conquering America, enjoying success round the world, whilst also unleashing a succession of ground breaking albums. Their 1967 debut “Ten Years After”was swiftly followed by pioneering live album “Undead” (1968) through the critically acclaimed “A Space In Time”(1971),featuring one of their finest songs ‘‘I’d Love To Change The World”, which is very apt in today’s world, ending with 1974’s ‘Positive Vibrations’.

“The Cap Ferrat Sessions” came as a result of a discovery by Alvin Lee’s wife, who found a box of recordings deep in the vaults of the studio in their house they shared in Spain. They originate from the “Rock N Roll Music To The World” album sessions, which were recorded at a seaside villa in Cap Ferrat, South of France and Olympic Studios in London. Chrysalis Records turned to world renowned producer Chris Kimsey (whose credits include the Rolling Stones, Bad Company, and Peter Frampton), who recorded and engineered the original sessions, to mix these tracks for the first time.

Revisiting the tapes, some 45 years later Kimsey added, “Alvin and the band were incredibly creative and abundant during this period. These re-discovered recordings were not rough demos, not rehearsals, but completed masters that did not make the album due to the time limitations of vinyl at the time. So these gems were left off. Mixing this in 2017 I began to study the parts, the playing, the response of each musician. It was amazing! It is what all great recordings are made of.“

For avid collectors and fans of the band, the legendary Cap Ferrat sessions will have a special appeal and will be an essential addition to their collection. This is a big deal for classic rock lovers and aficionados all over the world. (by bluesmagazine.nl)

Great album! Sounds really really good and clear. The songs are classic TYA bluesrock and it is beyond me how they didn’t make it onto the R&MttW album to be honest. (by Jeffrey81)

100% agree. It’s great to have some fresh early period TYA. Glad this wasn’t just lost to history. The green vinyl and cover art are cool too. Recommended to any TYA or Alvin fans.  (by Stuckcake)

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (keyboards)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals)
Ric Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)

Tracklist:
01. Look At Yourself (A.Lee) 4.21
02. Running Around (A.Lee) 5.33
03. Holy Shit (A.Lee) 2.59
04. There’s A Feeling (A.Lee) 3.30
05. I Hear You Calling My Name (A.Lee) 11.12
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06. I’m Writing You A Letter (A, Lee) 6.58
07. There’s A Feeling (A. Lee) 4.44
08. Rock & Roll Music To The World (A. Lee) 4.12
09. Slow Blues In C (Live in Frankfurt,January 1973) (A.Lee) 8.14
10. Spoonful (live) (Dixon) 7.41
11. I’m Going Home (live) 9.48

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Ten Years After – Ssssh (1969)

Ssssh is the third studio album by blues rock band Ten Years After, released in 1969. The album charted #20 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the UK charts. (by wikipedia)

Ssssh was Ten Years After’s new release at the time of their incendiary performance at the Woodstock Festival in August, 1969. As a result, it was their first hit album in the U.S., peaking at number 20 in September of that year. This recording is a primer of British blues-rock of the era, showcasing Alvin Lee’s guitar pyrotechnics and the band’s propulsive rhythm section. As with most of TYA’s work, the lyrics were throwaways, but the music was hot. Featured is a lengthy cover of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl,” with reworked lyrics leaving little doubt as to what the singer had in mind for the title character. Also included was a 12-bar blues song with the ultimate generic blues title “I Woke Up This Morning.” Ssssh marked the beginning of the band’s two-year run of popularity on the U.S. album charts and in the underground FM-radio scene. (by Jim Newsom)

Ssssh (1969), the first of the trilogy of TYA’s LPs of their most fruitful period 1969-70 (i.e. Ssssh, Cricklewood Green, and Watt). Although quite short in total timing (33:35 min), it is laden with an incredible amount of blues-rock energy, distilled to the bones. High voltage, 100 carat gem. This very record was the basis for the future genuine, unmistakable sound of TYA. On the bluesy web, the power of 5 instruments is presented – Alvin Lee’s vocal (although with a limited scale, vigorous enough with lots of rock and blues feeling, and time-to-time, in the more balladic things, even somewhat soft and hollow, in contrast to its unbelievable strength in the shouting and screaming parts), Alvin’s virtuoso rock guitar playing legato in an extreme speed, releasing tons of energy all over, Leo Lyons’s jerky style of bass-guitar playing (probably he was the one closest to jazz among the foursome, his style being quite different to all other bass-guitar players in the big R`n’R bands). Then comes the superb keyboard playing of Chick Churchill, although inconspicuous, yet perfectly fitting to the sound. His classical rock & blues way of handling piano or Hammond organ is full of feeling. And last but not least, the vigorous, robust, but also highly technical drumming of Alvin’s brother, Ric, belongs to the same super class as e.g. that of Led Zep’s John Bonham or The Who’s Keith Moon.

It was 1969, the year of gross, prolonged, nearly jazzy improvisations and bulky soloing in rock, and also, of experimenting with the new sounds available in the studios of the time. All of this is notable on Ssssh. But (say, in contrast to the long improvisations of e.g. Cream or Grateful Dead of those years), on Ssssh, everything is highly controlled and subsides to the balanced sound and structure of the compositions. This is especially prominent on tracks 4 and 8 – the pieces that have been since quite regularly climaxes of TYA’s live shows (even after Alvin’s parting the group) – of course, with more abundant improvisations than on the studio-recorded Ssssh. These 2 compositions may serve as typical examples of TYA’s songs, with an opening guitar or bass-guitar riff (maybe we would describe it as hard rock if performed by Black Sabbath), with the main theme gradually dissolving into various improvisations with up going tempo and exaltation. Also typical for TYA, a country blues-like style song appears (track 2), as well as the boogie (track 7).

As the next typical feature of this and future records, some low- (or rather moderate-) tempo things are included (tracks 5 and 6), making the record pleasantly variable in style. Although track 5 starts like a balladic love song, it ends up in high tempo with full rock and blues power. Also, some new experimental sounds appear on Ssssh, but again, they are functionally built in the songs, without disturbing (this is in contrast with TYA’s previous album, Stonedhenge). Well, it is hard to describe. Better go into this – definitely if you like rock & blues of the turn of 60’s/70’s. No way you might be disappointed – Ssssh is a real gem. (by Jiri Schwarz)

In other words: One of the finest Ten Years After albums !

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (organ)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals)
Ric Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)

Tracklist: 
01. Bad Scene (A.Lee) – 3:30
02. Two Time Mama (A.Lee) – 2:02
03. Stoned Woman (A.Lee) – 3:30
04. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Williamson) – 7:01
05. If You Should Love Me (A.Lee) – 5:27
06. I Don’t Know That You Don’t Know My Name (A.Lee) – 2:02
07. The Stomp (A.Lee) – 4:35
08. I Woke Up This Morning (A.Lee) – 5:30

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Ten Years After – Undead (1968)

Undead is a live album by Ten Years After, recorded at the small jazz club, Klooks Kleek, in London, May 1968, and released in August of that year. The show combined blues, boogie and jazz playing that merged more traditional rock and roll with 1950s-style jump blues. The album “amply illustrates” Alvin Lee’s “eclectic” use of the pentatonic scale mixed with other modalities

Recorded live in a small London club, Undead contains the original “I’m Going Home,” the song that brought Ten Years After its first blush of popularity following the Woodstock festival and film in which it was featured. However, the real strength of this album is side one, which contains two extended jazz jams, “I May Be Wrong, But I Won’t Be Wrong Always” and Woody Herman’s “Woodchopper’s Ball,” both of which spotlight guitarist Alvin Lee’s amazing speed and technique. Side two is less interesting, with an extended slow blues typical of the time, a drum solo feature, and the rock & roll rave-up of “I’m Going Home.” (by Jim Newsom)

Put whatever it is your listening to down for a moment and check this out.
Ten Years After very wisely releases a live album for their second release, giving you all the band have to offer and an Alvin Lee.

Never was the biggest fan of Alvin Lee’s nasally vocal delivery, but absolutely zero of that matters either way, because the band cooks.
Alvin Lee is the star of the show, as with every Ten Years After show, completely commanding the atmosphere and mowing people down with his guitar skills.
One dimensional, yet lighting fast jazz/blues runs fronting a very capable ensemble (the organ for some reason though always got in the way for me) tearing through standards and originals.

Check out the original “Woodchopper’s Ball”, and then listen to what’s going on here…very interesting.
The feeling is intimate which always make for the best live albums, and you can feel the sweat through your speakers.
I’m guessing prior to their appearance at Woodstock, it was this album boasting “I’m Going Home” which made them.

This is very good golden age era rock to blast, and every fan of this era should be giving this a listen, if not owning it already. (by breakwind)

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (organ)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals)
Ric Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)

Tracklist:
01. I May Be Wrong, But I Won’t Be Wrong Always (A,Lee) 10.35
02. Woodchopper’s Ball (Herman/Bishop) 7.48
03. Spider In My Web (A.Lee) 7.38
04. Summertime (Gershwin) / Shantung Cabbage (R,Lee) 5.59
05. I’m Going Home (A.Lee) 6.38
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06. Rock Your Mama (A.Lee) 3.26
07. Spoonful (Dixon) 6.39
08. Standing At The Crossroads )Johnson) 4.10
09. I Can’t Keep from Crying, Sometimes / Extension on One Chord (Kooper/A.Lee) 17.05

 

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Ten Years After – Recorded Live (1973)

Recorded Live is the third live album by British blues rock musicians Ten Years After, which was released as a double LP in 1973.

This album, containing no overdubs or additives, was recorded over four nights in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Frankfurt and Paris with the Rolling Stones’ mobile recording truck and later mixed from sixteen tracks to stereo at Olympic Studios in London. The album was rereleased as a CD in 2014, with seven previously unreleased tracks. (by wikipedia)

It may not be the best live album in the world, but it’s certainly in the race for one, together with a couple dozen other notorious records – although as of now, it’s been somewhat overshadowed by the even superior Fillmore East. However, if you can’t locate that archive release or are upset with the price of the double CD, I’d strongly recommend any TYA novice to start here (that is, if you’re able to tolerate speedy, but lengthy guitar jams; otherwise, you’d be much better off with either Ssssh or Space In Time, although I actually doubt that otherwise you’d be interested in TYA at all), especially because not only does this record stand as a ‘great live’ record, it also stands for a ‘greatest hits live’ record. Just look at the track listing!

It’s interesting, too, to compare this record with Undead. You’ll see how ‘huge’ they have grown – almost in every sense. From a secluded club scene to large arenas in major European capitals; from a homemade lousy equipment to the Rolling Stones mobile; from half-hour gigs to extended concerts; from half-obscure jazz covers to international hits; finally, from the raw, unpolished, even though mighty energetic tones to a well-polished, professional, intoxicating ‘wall-of-sound’. Just compare the two versions of ‘I’m Going Home’ on both records and you’ll see the difference. Some may regret the loss of that original ‘raw’ sound, but I say I don’t mind. I like both albums, but Recorded Live is longer, has more songs and doesn’t have any embarrassments like the lengthy slow uninteresting blues of ‘Spider In My Web’ and the stupid drum solo on ‘Summertime’. Sure, it was recorded at a rather late period in the band’s career, when they were already almost spent creatively and on the brink of dissolution, but it is a well-known fact that live playing and “general creative state” are two absolutely different things.

Live playing and its quality depend on quite a few factors, including, simply speaking, the particular mood of the band’s members on the day of the gig, which, in turn, may depend on the weather or the expression on that guy in the front row’s face. Luckily, most of the performances on this album were drawn from moments when the band seemed to be in relatively high spirits.

For the record, the album does feature a lengthy run-through of their most driving and famous numbers. Practically none of them are superior to the studio recordings, but none are inferior, either. On the other side, the live performance does give them a ‘spontaneous’ edge which might make them more suitable for some listeners. They kick off with ‘One Of These Days’ (wow! but somebody cut down that ending jam, please!), only to continue with the unforgettable riff of ‘You Give Me Loving’: what a wise choice from their worst record so far, and I don’t even mind that Alvin messes up the lyrics because they were so convoluted in the first place. Later on, the band, as usual, breaks in some of the oldies, like ‘Help Me’ and ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’.

On the way, Alvin displays some cute little tricks, like showing his prowess at classical guitar (‘Classical Thing’), resurrecting the ‘Skoobly-oobly-dooboob’ ditty (‘Scat Thing’) and just playing the fool (‘Silly Thing’). The two highlights of the show are, of course, a terrific fifteen-minute version of ‘I Can’t Keep From Crying’, which is again transformed into tons of different things on the way, including even a few lines from ‘Cat’s Squirrel’ and even ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ – sic!, and ‘I’m Going Home’. The former also was the central point for showing Alvin as a ‘guitar experimentator’ – in particular, he liked to tune his guitar and play it at the same time, which sometimes resulted in a truly awful, ear-destructive sound which I kinda like nevertheless. And the latter (‘I’m Goin’ Home’, that is) is predictably close to the Woodstock version, except that the various sections are interspersed in a different way and the drums are much more prominent. And damn the stupid audience that mars the opening chords with its silly applause! Otherwise, though, it’s simply a superb version: with all the ‘boo-boo-babys’ in place, and the old rockabilly classics medley in the middle. It does seem a bit worn off as compared to the Woodstock version, but you can excuse the guys: after all, the piece was like a stone around their neck, and it’s a wonder they were still able to do it with enough authenticity and patience.

For me, the only letdown on the album is the seven-minute ‘Slow Blues In C’. They should have left things like that to the Allman Brothers. But then again, it’s just a minor flaw in an almost flawless seventy-minute record! Be forgiving! This doesn’t sound like the Allmans at all! And I don’t have anything against the Allmans, I just don’t have a lot in favour of them doing similar things. They put me off to sleep. Berk. Ever heard ‘Mountain Jam’? How many times do you have to sit through these thirty minutes to dig it? Ah, if only everything these guys played were akin to their version of ‘You Don’t Love Me’… This record, on the other hand, is instantly amiable and friendly – and it features lots of guitar jams, too. But these kids are so frantic, so full of energy and they love the stuff they’re playing so much you’ll be sure to be caught in the fun. This is no Yessongs, either – just your basic love for dat electro guitar sound. And no ‘supergroup’ hype, either – they just play and they don’t give a damn. I like it when a record doesn’t have balls. (by George Starostin)

I can´t agree with this negative opinion to “Slow Blues In C” or to “MountainJam” by the great Allman Brothrs Band …

This album is one of the finest Ten Years After live albums ever recorded !

And enjoy all these bonus tracks … listen to “Standing At The Station” (featuring a long and wild organ solo by Chick Churchill or “Jam” (including a great bass solo by Leo Lyons !) or “I Woke Up This Morning” …  and you´ll know what I mean … that was the freedom of music in the Seventies …

The cover of Ten Years After’s 1973 album Recorded Live depicts a giant reel-to-reel recorder, which certainly captures the era when this double-LP set was recorded. Approaching the end of their run — only one more album would come, 1974’s Positive Vibrations — Ten Years After were deep into the thick of ’70s arena rock, so everything they played on-stage wound up stretching well beyond the five-minute mark, sometimes reaching upward of 11 minutes. Everything on this double-LP places improvisation over groove — a sentiment that is accentuated on the 2013 expansion, which winds up running 21 tracks over two discs, adding bonus outtakes to the original double-LP set. The best parts here are the improvisations, particularly Alvin Lee’s long, languid guitar solos, but this album — either in its original incarnation or in its expansion — is a distinctly ’70s creation: it’s unhurried and indulgent, reveling in its slow, steady march to a virtuosic, never-ending guitar solo. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (keyboards)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals, harmonica)
Ric Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)

Tracklist:
01. One of These Days (A. Lee) 6.20 (Frankfurt)
02. You Give Me Loving (A. Lee) 6.10 (Frankfurt)
03. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Willamson) 7.27 (Frankfurt)
04. Hobbit (R. Lee) 8.36 (Frankfurt)
05. Help Me (Willamson/Bass) 10.49 (Amsterdam)
06. Time Is Flying (A. Lee) 5.36 (Frankfurt) (bonus track)
07. Standing At The Station (A. Lee) 11.51 (Frankfurt) (bonus track)
08. Jam (A. Lee/R. Lee/Churchill/Lyons) 18.09 (Amsterdam) (bonus track)
09. Help Me” (Williamson/Dixon/Bass) 12.06 (Paris) (bonus track)
10. I Woke Up This Morning” (A. Lee) 4.26 (Rotterdam) (bonus track)
11. Sweet Little Sixteen (Berry) 4.24 (Frankfurt) (bonus track)
12. Jam (A. Lee/R. Lee/Churchill/Lyons) 16.33 (Frankfurt) (bonus track)

13. Classical Thing (A. Lee) 0.53 (Paris)
14. Scat Thing (A. Lee) 0.57 (Paris)
15. I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes (Part 1) (Kooper) 1.57 (Paris)
16. Extension On One Chord (A. Lee/R. Lee/Churchill/Lyons) 10.45 (Paris)
17. I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes (Part 2) (Kooper) 3.12 (Paris)
18. Silly Thing (A. Lee) 1.09 (Frankfurt)
19. Slow Blues in ‘C’ (A. Lee) 8.14 (Frankfurt)
20. I’m Going Home (A. Lee) 10.54 (Frankfurt)
21. Choo Choo Mama (A. Lee) 3.21 (Frankfurt)

 

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Ten Years After – Same (1967)

Ten Years After are an English blues rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, Ten Years After scored eight Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition they had twelve albums enter the US Billboard 200, and are best known for tracks such as “I’m Going Home”, “Hear Me Calling”, “I’d Love to Change the World” and “Love Like a Man”. Their musical style consisted of blues rock,and hard rock (???)

 

The band’s core formed in late 1960 as Ivan Jay and the Jaycats. After several years of local success in the Nottingham/Mansfield area, known since 1962 as the Jaybirds and later as Ivan Jay and the Jaymen, Alvin Lee and Leo Lyons founded Ten Years After. Ivan Jay (born Ivan Joseph Harrison, 1939, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, died in April 2009, USA) sang lead vocals from late 1960 to 1962 and was joined by Ric Lee in August 1965, replacing drummer Dave Quickmire (born David Quickmire, 1940, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire), who had replaced Pete Evans (born Peter Evans, 1940, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire) in 1962. Ray Cooper (born 11 November 1943, Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire) played rhythm guitar, vocals from 1960 to 1962.

In 1966, The Jaybirds moved to London to back The Ivy League. In the same year, Chick Churchill joined the group as keyboard player. That November, the quartet signed a manager, Chris Wright, and changed their name to Blues Trip. Using the name Blues Yard they played one show at the Marquee Club supporting the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. They again changed their name, to Ten Years After – in honour of Elvis Presley, an idol of Lee’s.[10] (This was ten years after Presley’s successful year, 1956). Some sources[which?] claim that the name was pulled by Leo Lyons from a magazine, advertising a book, Ten Years After The Suez (referring to the Suez Crisis).

The group was the first act booked by the soon-to-be Chrysalis Agency. It secured a residency at the Marquee, and was invited to play at the Windsor Jazz Festival in 1967. That performance led to a contract with Deram, a subsidiary of Decca — the first band Deram signed without a hit single. In October 1967 they released the self-titled debut album, Ten Years After.

Ten Years After is the debut album by the English blues rock band Ten Years After. It was one of the first blues rock albums released by British musicians. The album is also low on original material in comparison to the band’s later works which were, in most cases, entirely composed of Alvin Lee’s songs.

It features “Spoonful”, a Howlin’ Wolf song (written for him by Willie Dixon) that the British blues rock group Cream covered as well (on their albums Fresh Cream and Wheels of Fire). (by wikipedia)

Rare pic of Alvin Lee with a fender guitar !

Melody Maker, October 21, 1967

Amazing. Where it all started. Almost completely devoid of all the blues/rock clichés of their later albums. Stylistically impressive. And dig that crazy cover. (by Emilio Gironda)

This was the start of one of the findest blues-rock groups from the late Sixties … listen to “I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes” and “Help me” and you will definitly know what I mean … !

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (organ)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals)
Ric Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)

Tracklist:
01. I Want to Know (Sheila McLeod as pseudonym Paul Jones) 2.15
02. I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes (Kooper) 5.25
03. Adventures Of A Young Organ (A.Lee/Churchill) 2.37
04. Spoonful (Dixon) 6.07
05. Losing The Dogs (A.Lee/Dudgeon) 3.07
06. Feel It For Me (Alvin Lee) 2.42
07. Love Until I Die (A.Lee) 2.08
08. Don’t Want You Woman (A.Lee) 2.39
09. Help Me (Bass/Dixon/Williamson) 9.51

 

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Ten Years After – About Time (1989)

About Time is a 1989 album released by blues rock band Ten Years After, the final studio album released featuring Alvin Lee, their singer and most prominent songwriter since the band’s creation. It was also their first studio release in fifteen years (since Positive Vibrations in 1974).

About Time peaked at #120 on the US Billboard 200. (by wikipedia)

The 1989 reunion album About Time was released in a year rife with reunions, comebacks and 20th-anniversary-of-Woodstock hoopla. But while other bands seemed intent on cashing in on their fans’ nostalgia, Ten Years After made a good, straightforward album, exactly the one you would expect them to make in 1989 after changing with the times. The music of Ten Years After translated well to the digital age, certainly updated but not diluted. Terry Manning’s clean-and-loud production made them sound a bit like ZZ Top, but nothing was really compromised. Lee was still not the greatest lyricist — the most memorable lyrics here are about “Working In A Parking Lot”, a song that Lee had no hand in writing — but his distinctive voice and guitar playing are unmistakable.

Only the keyboard-dominated “Bad Blood” sounds uncharacteristic, but not in a negative way. If all reunion albums were as good as About Time, such albums would not have a bad name. (by rarebird)

This is a fantastic album. I bought it following a live show at the old Hammy Odeon in London after TYA got back together in 1988. It really captures the flexibility of the band moving smoothly from rock and roll to blues through the genius of Alvin Lee’s exciting, fluid guitar work. I do not like all of TYA’s 60’s compositions many of which now sound dated, but this album is instantly recognisable as TYA but is also very modern. (Heartzin Waleson)

And “Victim Of Circumstance” is one of the finest tracks Ten Years After ever recorded !

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (keyboards)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals)
Ric Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)
+
Nick Carls (background vocals)
Jimi Jamison (background vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Highway Of Love (Gould/A.Lee) 5.13
02. Let’s Shake It Up (Gould/A.Lee) – 5:14
03. I Get All Shook Up (A.Lee) 4.38
04. Victim Of Circumstance (A.Lee) 4.29
05. Goin’ To Chicago (Hinkley/A.Lee) 4.22
06. Wild Is The River (Gould/A.Lee) 3.53
07. Saturday Night (Gould/A.Lee) 4.06
08. Bad Blood (Crooks/Lyons) 7.09
09. Working In A Parking Lot (Crooks/Lyons/Nye) 4.52
10. Outside My Window (Gould/A.Lee) 5.47
11. Waiting For The Judgement Day (Gould/A.Lee) 4.30

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“Victim Of Circumstance”:

This world is driving me crazy.
Things goin’ on make me mad.
Waiting in the dole queue for money to come down.
No wonder this boy turned bad.
I’m gonna write my M. P.
Say what the fuck’s goin on,
All my life I’m runnin’ on empty,
Watchin’ everybody else have fun.

I’m a victim of circumstance, a victim of circumstance.
This boy never ever stood a chance, I’m a victim of circumstance,
whoa – yea!

See the big fat rich man in his Rolls – Royce;
Squeaky clean kids by his side.
I get the shit, they get the chances.
I get to walk, they get to ride.
You know I’m your problem boy,
I never even stood a chance.
Pent up frustrations runnin’ inside me now,
I’m a victim of circumstance.

I’m a victim of circumstance, a victim of circumstance.
This boy never ever stood a chance, I’m a victim of circumstance, ow!

What you doin’ for the workers?
What you doin’ for the unemployed?
Keep dishin’ out money for all those jerkers,
Can’y say I’m over-joyed.
So don’t mess with my life,
I’ve had to scrape and fight.
Just give me some hope it’s gonna get better,
Maybe I can sleep at night.

I’m a victim of circumstance, a victim of circumstance.
This boy never ever stood a chance, I’m a victim of circumstance,
Ow! Victim of circumstance, victim of circumstance,
This boy never ever stood a chance. Ah!

Ten Years After – Live At The Sports Stadium, Orlando, Florida (1973)

On a hot summer night Alvin Lee, Leo Lyons, Chick Churchill and Ric Lee took the stage to a capacity crowd at Orlando Sports Stadium in Orlando Florida. Here is the audio of this set.
It was also broadcast on a local F.M. radio station.

Their appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival catapulted Ten Years After into the realm of superstardom. The subsequent release of “I’m Going Home” in the Woodstock movie and on the soundtrack album inspired countless guitar players and became a staple of FM radio throughout the next decade. Although front man Alvin Lee has publicly lamented that he missed the intimacy of smaller venues, there is no denying the impact that their Woodstock appearance made in bringing his music to a worldwide audience. The band continued releasing acclaimed albums in the early 1970s, including the 1971 release A Space In Time, and Rock And Roll Music To The World the following year, but by this point, Lee was looking to expand his musical horizons and began working outside the band, releasing the more introspective On The Road To Freedom in collaboration with Mylon Le Fevre.

When Ten Years After hit the road again in 1973, the band retained the high-energy sound they were well known for. In January, they recorded a double-live album in Frankfurt, Germany that captured the group in full flight. When the tour hit the United States, arrangements were made to record the band again for a King Biscuit Flower Hour broadcast. Here for the first time is an expanded edition of that performance featuring all the songs featured in that original August 1973 KBFH broadcast, in addition to two songs that, due to time limitations, were not included.

The recording kicks off with the classic title track to the Rock And Roll Music To The World album. A straightforward rock ‘n’ roll number, this retains the infectiousness of the studio recording, while raising the excitement level up a notch. “Slow Blues In C,” the first of the two songs not included in the original broadcast, follows this. Here, Alvin Lee gets a chance to display his blues roots while the band gets an opportunity to improvise a bit. “Spoonful,” a song more associated with Cream than Ten Years After, gets a relatively concise treatment here, with the band demonstrating their expertise at building tension, beginning slowly and modestly before Alvin Lee’s furious soloing brings it to a frenetic close.

A rare live performance of “Turned Off T.V. Blues” follows, featuring passionate vocals from Lee and extraordinary interplay between Lee and keyboard player Chick Churchill. Throughout this set, Churchill often veers away from his trademark organ to play electric piano. This adds a distinct change to the band’s sound, but is never less than impressive. The rhythm section of Leo Lyons and Ric Lee are also featured prominently in the mix and it is a delight to hear the bottom end so crystal clear and punchy. The performances aside, this recording has an outstanding mix that captures the interaction of the four band members and better represents where the group was at musically in 1973 than the live album recorded earlier that same year.

The other song that was never broadcast is up next. “I Woke Up This Morning” features imaginative soloing from Alvin Lee, with Churchill’s organ and the rhythm section vamping along in the bebop style that defined the band’s sound in the early years. Leo Lyon’s jazzy bass style and Alvin Lee’s lightning-fast fretwork are in abundance here.

The set ends with a frenetic romp through Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” before closing with the blazing crowd-pleaser “I’m Going Home.” As can be expected, Alvin Lee’s remarkably fluid and technically proficient solos leave one gasping for breath, bringing this set to a blistering close. (by concertvault.com)

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (keyboards)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals)
Ric Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)

Tracklist:
01. Rock & Roll Music To The World (A.Lee) 4.02
02. Slow Blues In ‘C’ (A.Lee) 7.33
03 Spoonful (Dixon) 6.33
04. Turned Off TV Blues 05:34
05. I Woke Up This Morning (A.Lee) 4.33
06. Sweet Little Sixteen (Berry) 3.45
07. I’m Going Home (A.Lee) 11.43

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Ten Years After – The Friday Rock Show Sessions (1990)

6 March 2013 was a sad day for British rock, when it was announced that Alvin Lee had died suddenly.  He was 68 but had seemed to be invincible.  However, with Ten Years After and subsequently solo, he never really re-captured the great success of Woodstock in 1969, the festival that catapulted him to world attention and a highlight of the subsequent film.

So, inevitably, this 1983 Reading set includes those Woodstock set-pieces ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’ and ‘Going Home’ (along with ‘Hobbit’ and ‘I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes’).  Recorded for Tommy Vance and his venerated “Friday Rock Show” we are swiftly transported back 30 years and are in the midst of the action.  This album was originally issued on the Raw Fruit label in 1990.

Ten Years After had already split up once – in 1975 – and in 1983 reformed for a gig at the Marquee Club in London and the Reading Festival.  Lee demonstrates his legendary guitar hero fluidity against the very tight rhythm section of Leo Lyons and Ric Lee and punctuated by Chick Churchill’s wonderful Hammond.

Of course, there are other TYA live albums including ‘Recorded Live’ in 1973 and ‘Live At Fillmore East’ (2001) and sadly there is inevitable duplication especially as in 1983 the band weren’t promoting new product.  However the inclusion of their classic ‘Love Like A Man’ and ‘I May Be Wrong But I Won’t Be Wrong Always’ (originally on their 1968 live album Undead) makes this a useful and compact late-career summary. (by David Randall)

On this album you can hear a very, very rare performance of “Susi Q” by Dale Hawkins !

Ten Years After were definitely a class of their own !

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (keyboards)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals, harmonica)
Ric Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)

Tracklist:
01. Love Like A Man (A.Lee) 5.10
02. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (A.Lee) 6.29
03. Slow Blues In ‘C’ (A.Lee) 5.50
04. Suzie Q (Hawkins) 7.03
05. Hobbit (R.Lee) 4.12
06. I May Be Wrong But I Won’t Be Wrong Always (A.Lee) 6.02
07. I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes Extension On One Chord (Kooper) 9.30
08. Going Home (A.Lee) 9.45

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Ten Years After – Eagles Auditorium Seattle (1969)

Even though Woodstock showcased Ten Years After to the world, the blues-rock band could not really break out to the masses the way Cream did on their own. Here is an old press report about Alvin Lee when he was in The Jaybirds before the group turned into Ten Years After (in 1966):

Alvin broke new ground when he was forced to play a lashing, stinging five-minute solo intro to “Money” as chairs and fists flew dangerously close to the stage. But in those days Alvin had quite a reputation as an innovator. Many have still never recovered from the traumatic effects of the time he tottered into the hall on the first pair of Cuban heel boots ever seen in Sutton… But Alvin had a certain polish even then. The group’s “Poison Ivy” was thought by many to be an improvement on The Stones’ EP version, and nobody could change from rhythm to lead guitar with quite the same smooth panache as Alvin.

Those who feel that the blues ended with Eric Clapton would be surprised at how good Alvin Lee was. Lee was simply blistering at this 1969 Seattle show.

Alternate front+backcover

This is what Ten Years After fan DaBoss posted on the net:

Great show! The ferocity of Alvin Lee’s guitar is incredible – he just pounds and shreds his way through these cuts like a meatgrinder making sausage. This is when they were young and hungry and it shows. Loud, fast and fun. The mix is pretty good, the guitar is the most forward, vocals are mid, drums and cymbals slightly behind vocals and bass somewhat in the back and not all that muddy – considering. The sound quality is at least as good, if not better than the commercially released “Undead” of about the same period – but the performance is much more intense here.

Thanks to 38f for sharing the tracks on the net back in 2005 and to Novella1949 for the artwork.

Recorded live at the Eagles Auditorium, Seattle, WA; March 22, 1969
Very good FM broadcast.

Personnel:
Chick Churchill (organ)
Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals)
Rick Lee (drums)
Leo Lyons (bass)

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Spoonful (Dixon) 7.15
02. Love Until I Die (A.Lee) 6.24
03. Spyder In My Web (A.Lee) 9.12
04. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (A.Lee) 10.05
05. Hobbit / Drums Solo (A.Lee/R.Lee) 5.51

CD 2:
06. I Can’t Keep From Crying, Sometimes (Kooper) 15.59
07. Help Me (Williamson/Bass) 13.40
08. I’m Going Home (including: Baby Please Don’t Go / Blue Suede Shoes / Roll Over Beethoven / Shake Baby Shake / I’m Going Home (A.Lee) 14.47

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