Ten Years After was a British Blues-Rock band formed about 1967.

It consisted of:
Alvin Lee: Guitar and Vocals
Chick Churchill: Keyboards
Leo Lyons: Bass
Ric Lee: Drums

Along the lines of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, The Yardbirds, these blues-rockers have never really, for some unknown reason, gained the credibility of the latter mentioned. They are, to me, a great forgotten rock band. Alvin Lee had just as much relish as Clapton, Hendrix, or Pete Townshend, and like the latter, was a pioneer for synthesizers (yeah, I know...) in music. Although, besides the guitar skills and the aforementioned synthesizer intromission, they don't really claim to anything else as far as that goes.

The originality of the first few albums wanes, but once at 1970's Cricklewood Green, you've reached, in my opinion, Ten Years After at their best. Also like Pete Townshend and The Who, Ten Years After also had the raw sheer energy onstage and off. Although sloppy at times, Lee's guitar still pounds out good riffs. They didn't have much originality to offer, but what they did came out great.

But, unlike Clapton, The Who, or Hendrix, TYA never had real commercial success. Only with a few songs like "I'd Love To Change The World", "Love Like A Man", and, most prominently-"I'm Goin' Home" - the song that brought them to Woodstock in 1969-did they reach popularity. With the failure of their 1974 album Positive Vibrations to suceed, they broke up. They reuinted in 1988 for concerts in Europe, producing things like Live at Reading '83. TYA then went on to record About Time in 1989.

Also, their self-titled 1967 debut:

  1. I Want to Know
  2. I Can't Keep from Crying, Sometimes
  3. Adventures of a Young Organ
  4. Spoonful
  5. Losing the Dogs
  6. Feel it For Me
  7. Love Until I Die
  8. Don't Want You Woman
  9. Help Me

Discography

1967
Ten Years After
1968
Undead
Stonedhenge
1969
Ssssh
1970
Cricklewood Green
1971
Watt
A Space In Time
1972
Alvin Lee and Company
Rock and Roll Music to the World
1973
Recorded Live
1974
Positive Vibrations
1977
Greatest Hits
1979
London Collection
1980
Profile
1981
Hear Me Calling
1985
Goin' Home
1987
Universal
1989
About Time
1991
Essential
1993
Live at Reading '83
1994
Love Like A Man
Collection
1995
Live
2001
Live At The Fillmore East

thanks:
www.allmusicguide.com
www.alvinlee.com

Editors Note:

Lead guitarist Alvin Lee died on 6 March 2013 in Spain. According to his website, he died from "unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure." He was 68 years old.

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