"A Space in Time" 35 Years After - Great Rock or just Hippie B.S. ???

artistdirect.com ^ | A while ago | Jim Newsom, All Music Guide

[Chi-townChief]

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. ~ Jim Newsom, All Music Guide

[Chi-townChief]

I'm not sure why I was thinking about this today but I marvel at how TYA tossed away the political crap with their follow-up, "Rock and Roll Music to the World." I still find "I'd Love to Change the World" one of the most annoying pieces of schiess ever composed but "Baby Let Me Rock and Roll You" and "Uncle Jam" really kick it!!

[guitfiddlist]

One of my favorite albums of all time. Forgetting the trite socialism mouthed in "Change The World", the sentiments are genuine and the instrumentalism is outstanding.

A very strange song off that album is "Here They Come", which is about UFO's. Very nice acoustic work in that one.

[Chi-townChief]

I liked how "Rock and Roll Music to the World" was a renunciation of that same socialism; unfortunately, it was also pretty much a career-ender for TYA.

[guitfiddlist]

Yeah, they sure did drop out of the picture fast. I always thought their name "TYA" was ironically prophetic, in that they really did pioneer a lot of the guitar sounds that went mainstream several years after - even if they were no longer around for the ride.

[sully777]

Ten Years After

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Ten Years After is a British blues-rock quartet consisting of Alvin Lee (born December 19, 1944), guitar and vocals; Chick Churchill (born January 2, 1949), keyboards; Leo Lyons (born November 30, 1944) bass; and Ric Lee (born October 20, 1945), drums. The group was formed in 1967 and signed to Decca in England. Their first album was not a success, but their second, the live Undead (1968) containing "I'm Going Home," a six-minute blues workout by the fleet-fingered Alvin, hit the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Stonedhenge (1969) hit the U.K. Top Ten in early 1969. Ten Years After's U.S. breakthrough came as a result of their appearance at Woodstock, at which they played a nine-minute version of "I'm Going Home." Their next album, Ssssh, reached the U.S. Top 20, and Cricklewood Green, containing the hit single "Love Like a Man," reached number four. Watt completed the group's Decca contract, after which they signed with Columbia and moved in a more mainstream pop direction, typified by the gold-selling 1971 album A Space in Time and its Top 40 single "I'd Love to Change the World." Subsequent efforts in that direction were less successful, however, and Ten Years After split up after the release of Positive Vibrations in 1974. They reunited in 1988 for concerts in Europe and recorded their first new album in 15 years, About Time, in 1989 before disbanding once again. In 2001, Ric Lee was preparing the back catalog for rerelease when he discoverd the Live at the Fillmore East 1970 tapes. He approached Alvin about getting back together to promote the lost album, but Alvin Lee declined. The rest of the band was up for it, though, and together with guitarist Joe Gooch, Ten Years After started touring again. In addition to touring the world, this new incarnation recorded their first new material in about a decade and a half and released Now in 2004 and added the live CD and DVD Roadworks in 2005. (By William Ruhlmann / BarnesandNoble.com)

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A Fayetteville, Arkansas radio station played Undead two years ago and it was awesome! There are many similarities between Yard Birds/ Early Led Zeppelin and Alvin Lee's blues riffs with TYA.

[Chi-townChief]

That original of I'm Goin' Home sure beats the hell out of the Woodstock version. And their take on Woody Herman's Woodchoppers' Ball was killer as well. I once heard Lee mention that he wanted his guitar to sound like Herman's clarinet riffing.

[Brad C.]

TYA, the first concert I ever attended. So long ago and so far away in Denver. If I remember correctly, Uriah Heep was the second band.

Alvin Lee was absolutely incredible, I didn't know any one could move their fingers that fast. It has been too long since I played any of his music. Better go dust off the collection.

[sully777]

Uriah Heep? God, now you're really hitting a nerve. Remember this little gem? My sister had it in her collection and I played Hocus Pocus until the record began to melt in the turntable. I'd classify it under funny metal/ear candy meant to make you insane

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[vetvetdoug]

I have the TYA album, A space In Time, in quadrophonic. That album is a Jewel...minus the PC crap. I think that Shhhhhhh is a great album also with respect to R&R. Alvin Lee plays with C&W artists often these days, he spent much time with the pickers in Nashville. I met him at a Chet Atkins Appreciation Society meeting somewhere prior to 1998....Alvin Lee is more picker that Rocker nowadays.

[Enterprise]

"Everywhere is freaks and hairies.
Dykes and fairies.
tell me where is sanity"

I still think this was one of the most enjoyable opening lines of a rock song I ever heard. And, being a proud owner of the CD, "One of These Days" kicks megabutt!

[Chi-townChief]

That's cool but

“Tax the rich. Feed the poor. ’Til there are no, rich no more...”

is just plain idiocy; I've always wondered if Lee counted himself among the rich. To his credit, a year later he redeems himself quite nicely:

Aint No Relation To The United Nations
Keep Rock And Rolling To The World
Give Peace A Chance Get Up And Dance
When I Sing Rock And Roll Music To The World
...
I Tell The Truth I Aint No Star
I Only Shout And Leave The Rest To My Guitar

[Enterprise]

I know - if only they would have skipped that "Tax the rich" stuff though.

[Blind Eye Jones]

Really liked Goin' Home at Woodstock and the guitar lick opening is one of the all time hardest to play... but the album AST is kinda sloppy and repetitive. Check out the bad drumming, but there are some good songs on the album.