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  | TEN YEARS AFTER ~ 1967-1974
CHRYSALIS 5060516096084 (Barcode: 5060516096084) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock
Recorded: 1967 - 1974 Released: 2021
This Box Set collects reissues of nine (out of ten) albums recorded during the classic first period of the seminal British Blues-Rock / Rock group Ten Years AfterFind albums by this artist, led by the phenomenal guitarist / composer Alvin LeeFind albums by this artist and including also keyboardist Chick ChurchillFind albums by this artist, bassist Leo LyonsFind albums by this artist and drummer Ric LeeFind albums by this artist. It also includes a bonus CD with a previously unreleased material recorded during the 1972 sessions for the “Rock & Roll Music To The WorldFind albums with this title” album, called “The Cap Ferrat SessionsFind albums with this title”. The first eponymous album appears in its original Mono version and the rest are all Stereo versions. The nine original albums offer no bonus tracks. The first six albums were originally released on the DeramFind albums on this label label and the last three on ChrysalisFind albums on this label (in UK) and ColumbiaFind albums on this label (in US). The Box Set also includes a booklet with a plethora of photographs and memorabilia, as well as extensive liner notes by Chris WelchFind albums by this artist, which I find rater lackluster.
It is worth to mention that the first three albums (“Ten Years AfterFind albums with this title”, “UndeadFind albums with this title” and “StonedhengeFind albums with this title”) were reissued twice before on Deram, in 2002 and 2015 respectively, remastered and with bonus tracks and then as 2CD sets with even more bonus tracks. The rest of the albums also received remastered / bonus tracks reissues, which puts a serious question mark as what was the purpose of this Box Set really is? Even more puzzling is the fact that the ninth album, the 2LP “Recorded LiveFind albums with this title” from 1973 was completely omitted from this Box Set. What the heck is wrong with the people who are in charge of these projects?
But if we put aside the above reissue reflections, this is still some of the best music the British Blues-Rock and later Rock ever produced. Lee’s guitar virtuosity was never doubted and his feel for the Blues, inspired by the British Blues revivalists, found one of its greatest hosts in his soul. In time he also emerged as a great songwriter, and although his singing was never his strongest virtue, he was an inspiration and a power horse of the scene.
Many biographers speculate that the Ten Years After spectacular appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival was more than Lee’s fragile personality could handle, but considering the fact that he carried on doing his thing for so many years until his untimely death in 2013 proves that nothing of the sort took place.
For younger music lovers, who never heard a Ten Years After album before (I pity you!), this cheapish Box Set is a superb opportunity to get a grip on what real music is all about.
| | Updated: 22/10/2021Posted: 21/10/2021 | CD 10 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | TEN YEARS AFTER ~ A STING IN THE TALE (DELUXE EDITION)
DEKO 1052 (Barcode: 691026178271) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock
Recorded: 2016 Released: 2021
This is a reissue of the 2017 album by the iconic British Blues-Rock group Ten Years AfterFind albums by this artist. Following the death of the original guitarist / leader Alvin LeeFind albums by this artist in 2013 and the departure of the founding member / bassist Leo LyonsFind albums by this artist the current lineup of the group includes founding members: keyboardist Chick ChurchillFind albums by this artist and drummer Ric LeeFind albums by this artist with veteran bassist Colin HodgkinsonFind albums by this artist and vocalist / guitarist Marcus BonfantiFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve songs, all co-credited to all four members of the group and this new reissue offers three live versions of the songs on this album and a live version of a song from the “A Space In TimeFind albums with this title” album.
Although reunions of iconic bands more often than not result in grotesque efforts to take the time back, on some rare occasions they are able to preserve the quality of the original bands to a large extent, this being one of them. Both the material and the performances are genuine Blues-Rock, gutsy, energetic end definitely worthy of attention. Of course nobody can revive the virtuosic guitar playing of Alvin Lee, but to be honest nobody has to. This music is full of great energy and the current instrumentalists can deliver what is needed, and the vocals are surely way better than those of the founder.
Overall and against all odds, this album is an excellent effort, which should please all true Classic Rock, Blues-Rock enthusiasts and is definitely worth investigating, proving that the saying “they don’t make music like that anymore” is not an absolute truth. Personally I immensely enjoyed this album from start to finish. Highly recommended!
| | Updated: 14/11/2021Posted: 14/11/2021 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | TEN YEARS AFTER ~ NATURALLY LIVE (DELUXE EDITION)
DEKO 1065 (Barcode: 691026178394) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock
Recorded: 2018 Released: 2021
This is a reissue of the live album by the iconic British Blues-Rock group Ten Years AfterFind albums by this artist recorded in 2018. Following the death of the original guitarist / leader Alvin LeeFind albums by this artist in 2013 and the departure of the founding member / bassist Leo LyonsFind albums by this artist the current lineup of the group includes founding members: keyboardist Chick ChurchillFind albums by this artist and drummer Ric LeeFind albums by this artist with veteran bassist Colin HodgkinsonFind albums by this artist and vocalist / guitarist Marcus BonfantiFind albums by this artist. The album presents fifteen songs, three co-credited to all four members of the group and originally released on the “A Sting In The TaleFind albums with this title” album, eleven were written by Alvin Lee and one is a blues standard. This reissue offers two bonus tracks added to the track list of the first release from 2019.
Although reunions of iconic bands more often than not result in grotesque efforts to take the time back, on some rare occasions they are able to preserve the quality of the original bands to a large extent, this being one of them. The choice of the material is an obvious tribute to the classic Ten Years After recordings and both the material and the performances are genuine Blues-Rock, gutsy, energetic end definitely worthy of attention. Of course nobody can revive the virtuosic guitar playing of Alvin Lee, but to be honest nobody has to. This music is full of great energy and the current instrumentalists can deliver what is needed, and the vocals are surely way better than those of the founder.
Overall and against all odds, this album is an excellent effort, which should please all true Classic Rock, Blues-Rock enthusiasts and is definitely worth investigating, proving that the saying “they don’t make music like that anymore” is not an absolute truth. Personally I immensely enjoyed this album from start to finish. Highly recommended!
| | Updated: 20/11/2021Posted: 20/11/2021 | CD 1 Digipak Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | TEN YEARS AFTER ~ WOODSTOCK 1969
CHRYSALIS 5060516096329 (Barcode: 5060516096329) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock
Recorded: 1969 Released: 2024
This is an archival live album by the great British Blues-Rock group Ten Years AfterFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / vocalist Alvin LeeFind albums by this artist, and including keyboardist Chick ChurchillFind albums by this artist, bassist Leo LyonsFind albums by this artist and drummer Ric LeeFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded on August 17, 1969, the third and last day of the iconic Woodstock festival. The album presents seven tracks (one false start), six of which remained unissued for 50 years, except for the “I’m Coming Home” track, which appeared in the Woodstock movie and original compilation, and which brought the group instant international fame. The remaining six tracks were previously released only as part of the humongous 38CD Box Set, called “Woodstock - Back to The Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary ArchiveFind albums with this title”, released in 2019. The remastered and restored sound quality is excellent.
Ten Years After were one of the many British Blues-Rock groups, which sprung out of the British Blues Revival in the 1960s, and thanks to the incredible talent of their leader, who still stands out as one of the greatest guitar players of all time, achieved a wide following worldwide. By the time they played the Woodstock concert, they recorded three albums: the eponymous debut, the live “Undead” and the brilliant “Ssssh”. The set includes songs from all these albums and one song, which was previously unrecorded. Their material included some original compositions, but also classic American Blues standards, which was the accepted modus operandi of all Blues-Rock bands.
Alvin Lee was one of the earlies great Rock Improvisers, and his guitar soli are a textbook example of the idiom. He was able to expand and build up on a simple melody, taking the music into stratospheric heights and creating hyperbolic structures, similar to the work of Jimi HendrixFind albums by this artist, Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist during the CreamFind albums by this artist days and other brilliant musicians at the time. Attentive listeners will easily discover the likeness of his guitar phrasing to that used by Jazz guitarists at the time. His tragically premature death in 2013 at the age of sixty-eight robbed the world of one of the greatest guitar heroes.
On a personal note, the Woodstock memories by the surviving band members, which are quoted in the album’s booklet, are quite identical to mine as a witness of the event, especially the helicopter rides to and from the festival site and the primeval conditions, which at the time did not bother me at all, considering the significance of the momentous experience.
Overall, this is a brilliant piece of music, which lost nothing of its magnificence over time, and is an absolute music to all Blues-Rock lovers, and TYA devotees, who are still out there, unless of course you have already spent the BIG BUCKS (now worth between 2 and 5 K) buying the a.m. Woodstock Box Set.
| | Updated: 24/09/2024Posted: 24/09/2024 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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