Customer Reviews

Recorded Live

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Save up a few extra coins and get the Import version or the re-mastered version of this release. The omission of "Hobbit" for the first USA release was a big mistake. Not only are you missing Ric Lee's bombastic drum solo, but also Alvin's smokin' tone to kick off the drum solo from "Big Red", his 1958 Gibson ES-335 wired through enough Marshall stacks to blow the house down. The omission is like Led Zepplin II without "Moby Dick" on it!

For those interested in such trivia, Big Red was acquired by Alvin in the early 60's for around 45 pounds, case included! Being an amateur boffin(guitar tech), Alvin removed the pickup covers and installed a single coil pickup in-between the bridge and neck humbuckers "to give it more top end". Suffice it to say that the tones and controlled feedback that emanate from this heavy duty axe border on magical.

The many decals that decorate Big Red were passed along to Alvin at Woodstock and other venues and "just got slapped on". The guitar was re-laquered after being repaired(the neck got broken), and the decals became permanent fixtures, "which is fine" as Alvin put it.

A good view of one of Alvin's ES-335's(not Big Red though...it has a Bigsby!)is on the back cover of the A SPACE IN TIME album, laying atop a pinball machine with the strings in disarray.

For those lucky enough to witness TYA live, we have the memories of a so-tight band in full swing. Leo Lyons has to be the most energetic bass player on the planet. He bobs, he weaves, he seemed to be in perpetual motion for the whole show! Chick Churchill's excellent keyboard work layed down the rhythmic foundation along with Leo and Ric for Alvin's jacked solo's and smooth riffing.

This "official TYA bootleg" was culled from performances during nights in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, and the sound quality of the live recording is just fantastic(I noticed that some other reviewers had actually critiqued the varying sound quality of the different released versions, so you may want to read up a bit before making your decision).

The song selection ran from cuts off of the very first TYA album, up through ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC TO THE WORLD. Sadly, no cuts were offered from the most excellent CRICKLEWOOD GREEN album. I agree with another reviewer that the version of "I'm Going Home", although fantastic, pales in comparison to the benchmark, which was of course from Woodstock.

For the sake of proper running order, it is "Extension on One Chord" that is sandwiched between the intro and outro of "I Can't Keep From Cryin' Sometimes". The blistering guitar pyrotechnics during this extended jam are just awesome. Alvin slides, scrapes, chicken picks and plays with reckless abandon on this jam. Note Alvin's tuning down of the low E string during one part to play some tasty bass, including a rocking send up of the "Peter Gunn" theme. At one point, a brief cover of the main riff from Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love" gets a big applause from the audience. The intro to this medly, where Alvin does fast scat vocals along with his guitar picking is a joy, and the way he slides into "Cryin'" from this is a master stroke.

All in all, a jolly good show, and IMHO one of the best live albums of the era, along with the Who's "Live at Leeds", Allman Bros. "Live at the Fillmore East", Humble Pie's "Rockin' the Fillmore" and The Stones "Get Your Ya Ya's Out".

I recently bought "Ten Years After Recorded Live" on CD. I definitely missed it, primarily because my only other copy was on vinyl, bought when vinyl records were 'in'. This is *THE* definitive Ten Years After album, and a perfect display of Alvin Lee's raw excellence. People have a tendency to think that live albums aren't usually very good. In some cases that may be true, but not in this one. This live recording is of superb sound and quality, and it has captured the raw performance essence of one of the world's greatest heavy blues-rock bands. Alvin Lee's Gibson guitar tone comes out solid, warm and flowingly brown through his Marshall stacks. Recorded in Europe where the rock fans are known more for listening than making noise, the band displays a tight repertoire of rocked up British blues, fronted by Lee's guitar extravaganzas. "Help Me" is easily one of the greatest live blues-rock recordings ever done, right up there with Cream's "Crossroads". Listening to this album has been a rejuvenated pleasure.

I saw Ten Years After early in their careers at the Fillmore in New York. Then I saw them at Woodstock and then at The Arc in Boston. They are one of the greatest rock acts ever, live or in the studio. The unfortunate thing about this album (and this is only my selfish opinion) is that the engineering (overall sound) quality lacks here. For the most part Alvin Lee fulfills his role as one of rock's greatest guitarists. "Choo-choo Mama", "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and "I Can't Keep From Crying" knock me out. "Help Me" was the first TYA production I ever heard. It's up to par here. I have to say that their signature song, "I'm Going Home" is not the best on this album. The Woodstock version remains the best rendition I've ever heard. That's not becuse I was there but it is just so complete in terms of defining the group's rock and roll abilities. As I said, if you like TYA, buy this disc.

This is my first Ten Years After album. I bought it after hearing and falling in love with their performance of "I'm Going Home" in the Woodstock concert film. This is really great stuff. Alvin Lee is truly a phenomenal guitarist. It's a shame that he does not get his due credit. For anyone who likes guitar-heavy rock and/or blues, this CD is a must-have. I am definitely going to buy more TYA albums. Check out Canned Heat also if you like this.

This is classic strut and sweat rock-n-roll, the Gibson guitar and Marshall amp at 11.... "I'm Going Home " is a classic , "Choo Choo Mama" is THE definitve boogie song this side of Chuck Berry... the cover of of Al Kooper's "I Can't Keep From Crying " shows the the grossly under-rated musicianship of the band.. tight and bluesy... this is a collection must! Hey, Rock and Roll Hall of fame... are you listening?

This is what I've come to love in TYA,Alvin and the boys are as tight on this CD as I've ever heard.This is one of my favorite live CD's in my collection.What stands out is Alvin is definately tearing it up with tunes like "Help Me" and the classic "I'm going home".If you are a Ten Years After fan this is definately a must,believe me I don't lie.You will not be disappointed.

TYA is supurb. I bought this CD however, to replace my precious vinyl LP. Without Hobbit, it's just Not The Same. Cover art is deceiving, if you want a copy try the Live (Import), all the cuts are there.

This is a must buy for any TYA fan or anyone who likes rock/blues. I'd buy it just to get 'Slow Blues in C', which I consider the BEST blues song ever recorded! (A Huge Assertion I Realize!) This album puts out high energy in songs like 'Good Morning Little School', 'Help Me', and the classic 'I'm Going Home' and really displays the tremendous versatility and talent of one of the best Rock N Roll bands ever. As we're all saying, 'Bottom line, Buy this cd'!

A Ten Years After concert is so energetic and intense, that it is hard to believe that were doing the same basic show for a decade. The core songs were always the same: I'm Going Home, I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes, Help Me, Good Morning Little School Girl and the Hobbit. It was what they did in 1970 and what I saw them do in 1976. That took up over an hour of the show. That left time for about three other songs, which would come from the latest studio album.

This album was originally released as 2 LP's and was over 80 minutes long. When it was released as a CD, they removed one track, the Hobbit. I don't know if you can get a complete double CD of this album. I haven't seen one. The Hobbit is basically a drum solo with a nice guitar intro. As drum solos go, it isn't bad. But, I am not a huge fan of drum solos.

This is a great album, but I would get Live At The Filmore East instead. It has all the core songs (including the Hobbit), plus great versions of Love Like A Man and 50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain.

Recorded Live is a little more polished than Live At the Filmore East, because they have been playing the songs longer. But, there isn't that much different between the performances. Recorded Live does have three different songs: One Of These Days, You Give Me Loving and Choo Choo Mama. One Of These Days is great, You Give Me Loving is fairly good, and Choo Choo Mama is fairly worthless.

If you already have Live At The Filmore East, should you buy this one also? It all depends on how rabid of a Ten Years After fan you are. One Of These Days almost makes this worth getting on its own. Then you get to hear slightly different versions of all the core songs, which in some cases are better here.

I'm Going Home is also available on the Woodstock soundtrack. I think that is the best version. I Can't Keep From Crying is on the Isle Of Wight soundtrack and that is my favorite version of the song. Al Kooper, who wrote I Can't Keep From Crying remarked that the residuals allowed him to buy a car (a VW).

I have read a few reviews and was "touched" by the complaints that some CD-issues have ommitted Ric Lee's drumsolo "Hobbit" and/or shorten the 15 minute track "I Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes" part 1 and part 2 with in between "Extension On One Chord" to 3 minutes. This is a shame and foul play by the recording company. I don't know which one has the rights to issue this album. Fortunately there is at least a complete issue by EMI Plus from 2000 and this have exactly the same tapes, setlist and runningorder and -times from the original double vinylalbum. Elsewhere I read about a new issue with 2 hidden tracks, I dón't know what songs they contain. But beware, you are not getting anything extra for nothing, the risk is there that with 2 songs plus you get less songs from the original contains. Enough said about that, this is classical rock in topnotch. One of the best livealbums ever made. Ten Years After were at the heigth of their career, not much afterwards they sadly declined. Taken from the first album, the above mentioned freewheeling extended song, coupled with "Help Me" (recorded in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam at nighttime, I was there!), the slowbuilding but climaxing with speedguitar and overdrive, Williams written bluessongs. Further from "Ssssh" the downtrodden "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" but in the hands of TYA sounding fresh and sparkling (watch the bassplayer!), the heavy opener "One of these Days" from the excellent "A Space in Time" to the startling "You Give Me Loving" from "Rock and Roll Music to the World", also the homebase of "Choo Choo Mama" - which is much fatter here - this album comes as an anthology. You can debate which version of "Going Home", the ultimate livestomper, is better but on "Recorded Live" it is astonishing. Further there is some short chit/chat banter by Alvin Lee on guitar, which is amusing to say the least, he can do anything with a guitar and make it sound what he wants. amazing. A true performer and lightningfast guitarplayer, besides excellent singer/songwriter. That doesn't say the other musicians were lesser gods, they not only fullfilled their task in the shadow of Lee but made together the sound.
Ric Lee (no family) shows what a drummer he was in "Hobbit" and Leo Lyons bass was booming all the time. On this live album Chuck Churchill playes somewhat a lesser role, maybe the keyboards are simply to low in the mix. On other albums his musicianship on organ, piano, electric piano and synthesizer can be heard without doubt. I love this album very much, it is timeless. Check also out the earlier recorded "Live at the Fillmore", which was issued a quarter of a century later for the first time. All in all Ten Years After were a liveact but also able to make about 10 studioalbums, with everything from pure blues, jazz, hardrock, to pop and folkrock. To remember them only from Woodstock doesn't do them justice.