I asked the man in the music shop if I could see their littlest oboe he said “maybe tomorrow.”
Today we’ll be listening to the 1973 release by UK blues rock act Ten Years After, fronted by guitar wizard Alvin Lee. 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.
Don’t let the album cover fool you, despite it looking very dull the music on here is anything but. An excellent selection of original TYA songs mixed with some classic blues covers makes Recorded Live a great listen for when you’re in the mood for scorching blues rock. Unfortunately, this was an issue I had with the album; it felt to me that you have to be in the mood to fully appreciate what’s on offer. Great playing, guitar solos out the wazoo and the crowd really appears to be into it but it wasn’t until the third listen that it clicked for me and I could enjoy the songs on offer here.
So is it excessive? Only 2 of the 14 tracks are over 10 minutes, there’s a couple of annoying, fiddly little things (called Classical/Scat/Silly) that seem like a waste of vinyl, but nothing too egregious. Would I listen to it again? Probably, but I really need to be in the mood for it. Like I say, it’s not a bad album, in fact there’s some really good stuff on here, Extension on One Chord stands out as a very fine blues/prog/jazz jam, as does I’m Going Home. Would I recommend it? If blues rock is your thing, then this is gonna be a fun listen to. Is there a drum solo? There is, it’s called The Hobbit and I’d rather listen to Gollum cough up several hairballs than this again.
So for Ten Year’s After, I’m giving this 6.5/10. My initial score was a 5 but it changed after subsequent listens and me being in the right mood for some blues. Maybe tomorrow I’ll find what I call home, but until tomorrow, you know I’m free to roam. TTFN
La Barba Azul 