TEN YEARS AFTER ~ "UNDEAD"

Original released on LP Deram DML 1023 (UK 1968, August 16)

TEN YEARS AFTER: "Watt"

Original released on LP Deram SML 1078

(UK, December 1970)

"Watt" had many of the same ingredients as its predecessor, "Cricklewood Green", but wasn't nearly as well thought out. The band had obviously spent much time on the road, leaving little time for developing new material. Consequently, a cover of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen," recorded live at the Isle of Wight Festival, is included here, as is a short instrumental with the uninspired title "The Band with No Name." Other song titles like "I Say Yeah" and "My Baby Left Me" betray the lack of spark in Alvin Lee's songwriting. Nonetheless, his guitar work is fast and clean (though the licks are beginning to sound repetitive from album to album), and the band continues to cook in the manner exemplified best on "Cricklewood Green". (Jim Newsom in AllMusic)

TYASsssh

Original released on LP Deram SML 1052

(UK, August 1969)

"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. (Jim Newsom in AllMusic)

TYA "Cricklewood Green"

Original released on LP Deram SML 1065

(UK 1970, April 17)

"Cricklewood Green" provides the best example of Ten Years After's recorded sound. On this album, the band and engineer Andy Johns mix studio tricks and sound effects, blues-based song structures, a driving rhythm section, and Alvin Lee's signature lightning-fast guitar licks into a unified album that flows nicely from start to finish. "Cricklewood Green" opens with a pair of bluesy rockers, with "Working on the Road" propelled by a guitar and organ riff that holds the listener's attention through the use of tape manipulation as the song develops. "50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain" and "Love Like a Man" are classics of TYA's jam genre, with lyrically meaningless verses setting up extended guitar workouts that build in intensity, rhythmically and sonically. The latter was an FM-radio staple in the early '70s. "Year 3000 Blues" is a country romp sprinkled with Lee's silly sci-fi lyrics, while "Me and My Baby" concisely showcases the band's jazz licks better than any other TYA studio track, and features a tasty piano solo by Chick Churchill. It has a feel similar to the extended pieces on side one of the live album "Undead". "Circles" is a hippie-ish acoustic guitar piece, while "As the Sun Still Burns Away" closes the album by building on another classic guitar-organ riff and more sci-fi sound effects. (Jim Newsom in AllMusic)

TEN YEARS AFTER DEBUT ALBUM

Original released on LP Deram SML 1015

(UK 1967, October 27)

Primarily remembered for their stage splintering version of “Going Home” preformed at Woodstock, and often lumped in with the likes of the Yardbirds, Ten Years After lived in world all their own, with this, their self titled album “Ten Years After” hitting the shelves in 1967, being their least known, though probably their best and most consistent adventure into the British blues/rock genre. With an album cover that embraced the psychedelic illusions of the day, their music was anything but. Ten Years After was tight and smoothly frenetic, they’d taken the best values of American blues and reinvented them with a solid sonic pallet of rock n’ roll that often encompassed a swinging jazz feel; and actually seeming like they were having fun. 

Their songs sounded like they were relaying a truth, as if they were preaching from on high, with no need to convert the smiling upturned faces. This wasn’t the thematic music the band became known for this album had substance, body and soul ... building and ebbing like a tidal tide at the beach. Often the songs were slow, as if existing for a purpose, and when you hear “Spoonful,” you’ll know exactly what I mean. One of my all-time favorite band's 1st long play. For sure bluesy as hell with some psych moves and a little hard rock. Outstanding musicians at every position and as a unit they gel. The lead guitar player is exceptional and the dude on bass ain't no slouch. (in RateYourMusic)

TEN YEARS AFTER: "STONEDHENGE"

Original released on LP Deram SML 1029

(UK, 1969, February 22)

«Everywhere they go they receive standing ovations and wide public acclaim. The musical press of the world are hot on their heels. Likewise the audiences, the numbers of which are incresing in almost overwhelming proportions at every new appearance. Ten Years After have most decidedly made an indelible mark on all who have heard or seen them. "Stonedhenge" was not a hustle and bustle 'factory-made' product. The sessions ranged over a period of some three weeks during which time much ground was covered - some not even evident here. And as Alvin, Chick, Leo and Ric will agree, we've taken a few sizeable steps these last months. But the climax is still some distance away. When Ten Years After finally arrive, watch out baby! The whole world will know and hear of it!» Mike Vernon, Producer (London, 1969)

"I'm Going Home" from Ten Years After's previous release put them on the charts, at least in the U.K. (the band's U.S. breakthrough was at Woodstock a year after its release), but the four-piece was already experimenting with ways to expand their basic boogie rock template. "Stonedhenge" was the result, as producer Mike Vernon helped steer the band into a more jazz- and blues-oriented direction. That's especially evident in the swinging "Woman Trouble," but this set is generally more prone to broadening the sound without losing TYA's basic concept. It doesn't always gel - the four short pieces that feature each musician alone on their instrument is an interesting idea that ends up as a distraction - yet the album boasts some terrific performances by a group that was hitting its peak. Canned Heat, who TYA supported in America and who were also trying to push their own boogie envelope, were a big influence, born out by the very Heat-sounding "Hear Me Calling." 

Alvin Lee keeps his fleet fingers in check, preferring to work his style into a more organic fusion. Tracks such as the creeping "A Sad Song" successfully build tension without the need for speedy guitar solos. The eight-minute "No Title" takes the basic TYA blueprint but slowly creates a moody atmosphere for three minutes until Lee cranks out a terse, loud extension on its main riff that sets the stage for Chick Churchill's eerie organ solo. The quartet and their producer also experimented with primitive panning and tape manipulation to impressive results. The closing "Speed Kills" returns TYA to its basics, perhaps as a way to let its existing fans know they can still churn out the rocking when needed. The album was remastered and expanded in 2002 by adding informative liner notes from drummer Ric Lee, four extra tracks including the tiresome, 15-minute "Boogie On," and an edited single version of "I'm Going Home," UK artwork (the initial U.S. edition was an embarrassing botch job) and pristine sound from the original tapes. (Hal Horowitz in AllMusic)

TYA "A Space In Time"

Original released on LP Chrysalis CHR 1001

(UK, August 1971)

"A Space in Time" was Ten Years After's best-selling album. This was due primarily to the strength of "I'd Love to Change the World", the band's only hit single, and one of the most ubiquitous AM and FM radio cuts of the summer of 1971. TYA's first album for Columbia, "A Space in Time" has more of a pop-oriented feel than any of their previous releases had. The individual cuts are shorter, and Alvin Lee displays a broader instrumental palette than before. In fact, six of the disc's ten songs are built around acoustic guitar riffs. However, there are still a couple of barn-burning jams. The leadoff track, "One of These Days", is a particularly scorching workout, featuring extended harmonica and guitar solos. After the opener, however, the album settles back into a more relaxed mood than one would have expected from Ten Years After. Many of the cuts make effective use of dynamic shifts, and the guitar solos are generally more understated than on previous outings. The production on "A Space in Time" is crisp and clean, a sound quite different from the denseness of its predecessors. Though not as consistent as "Cricklewood Green", "A Space in Time" has its share of sparkling moments.