Customer Reviews

Let It Rock

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let's make no doubt about this review from the start: Alvin Lee solo is not the same thing as Ten Years After and such comparisons miss the mark entirely. I loved Ten Years After mainly because of Alvin Lee, but no guitar player can afford to give up a bass/drums rhythm section like Leo Lyons and Ric Lee and expect to sound the same--he had been blessed with those two and the keyboards of Chick Churchill and together they made Ten Years After the legend they were and are today. But Alvin Lee solo or with other session players has much to offer that will make most of his Ten Years After fans nod in appreciation but those who will enjoy Let it Rock will include any one interested in or wanting to hear the best blend of British blues and American rock ever made.

The man who wrote "50,000 miles Beneath My Brain" opens the CD with "Chemicals, Chemistry, Mystery and More," a cautious first step, before letting loose on "Love the Way You Rock Me"--if you're not hooked by the second track then perhaps you were expecting Woodstock reprised and should go back to shuffling through your Joan Baez and Loving Spoonful records. For the rest of the CD Alvin Lee supplies solid, if not epic, guitar work for the remaining tracks. There is the oddity of "Time to Meditate" that appears out of place and synch with the rest of Let it Rock, but it is nevertheless quality work. Less muscular and brash than Pump Iron (1975) which preceded it and hardly as polished and supple as his more recent work, Let it Rock is still an excellent listen from beginning to end. Standout tracks include "Love the Way You Rock Me", "Let it Rock" and "Little Boy": **** 1/2 stars.

I don't understand the negative review from that other person. This is a great release by Alvin Lee!! Alvin's guitar work and vocals are right there, and the production is top shelf. It is in the same form as Positive Vibrations, another great release! Don't sell yourself short. Get this cd while you still can. You will not be sorry. Alvin Lee is a very versatile artist. He rocks, boogies and blues with the best of them.

For alvin lee fans this won't be a popular release. Alvin tried to escape his guitar hero
status way too often in his career and this one and the gospel one he did was probably the two farthest away from that image. Another problem is that he named this one 'let it rock' which in his case would have meant screaming hard rock or blues rock or even blues metal, instead you get lots of laid back songs in a mellow rock cd. This is alvin making detour into softer rock. However The song 'let it rock' is a fantastic roots rocker straight out of the 50's that a blast though. It's the one outstanding track on here. a few others though are very good, and a few are average mellow songs. The bonus jam tracks are cooler than the rest of the cd generally. This is one for lee completists I would say. Howver the 'let it rock' song is so cool and made me apprieciate how cool the 50's were really that I am glad I have this one.

"Let it rock" is the only good song on the whole CD. Nuf said. R. Lee Rochester, NY