Ten Years After

6-8-10

Ten Years After

I’ve written about Ten Years After twice before – but recently, I found a 45 by them I’d never been able to find for 40 years!

I read somewhere in approx. 1970 that there was a 45 of “Love Like A Man” (from their “Cricklewood Green” album) that had a lengthy live B-side – so lengthy, it was a 33 1/3 rpm single! The live B-side was recorded at the Fillmore East, and was never on a TYA LP – many years later, it came on a double CD “Live at the Fillmore East 1970” (released 2001). Maybe my mind clouded up – but I could’ve sworn it was said that the 45 of “Love Like A Man” was (also?) released as a 10”!

Well, I regularly visited England from 1979 to 1990 – and I never saw a copy of Deram DM 299. Until the last Buena Park swap meet…I liberated it from a nice older dealer for a measly $8. It’s real, 7”, and one side is 45rpm, the other 33 1/3rpm.

I am sure I heard of TYA before their “Woodstock” performance, probably from my older brother. What album did I get first? “Ssssh” or “Cricklewood Green”, most likely. Time doesn’t permit me to remember. Alvin Lee certainly made a big impression on me, from the “Woodstock” film – with his red guitar with the ‘peace’ symbol on it.

Both “Cricklewood Green” and “Watt” LP’s came with posters. I wonder who still has both of those? I do! Anybody out there ever seen a cover for “Cricklewood Green” with the statue flipping us off? I haven’t.

I realize I also have a Ten Years After laser disc – “Live Legends” (61m, Central Music – probably live in 1990). I also seem to recall a beta from Japan that was live about 1983 or so. Must have a look around and see if it’s different from the laser disc I have in my hands.

I have managed to get some nicer CD versions of several albums – in 2007, I got little paper album cover CD’s for their debut album and 2^nd album “Stonedhenge”. More recently, I got British re-mastered CD’s for “Cricklewood Green” and “Watt”. I think “Watt” is probably my favorite all-round TYA album; I really dug it when I got it as a new album in 1970 – and it has stuck with me.

Were you ever a fan of Ten Years After? They were certainly one of the better UK White-boy blues bands. And not many will argue about Alvin Lee’s guitar abilities – he’s fast, no doubt about it. And, in his own style, he’s a good vocalist, too. And I do like quite a lot of the songs he wrote. I always thought it a bit silly that he (much later on) called a new version of the band Ten Years Later.

Does Alvin Lee still play live in England / Europe? (Yes) Is he still calling his band Ten Years After? http://alvinlee.com/