Space in Time

Ten Years After | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000003JA5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,290 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

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 --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Spacey for this Time(30 years After), September 25, 2002

By 

Douglas J. Hultsman "doogie_rigel4" (Corinth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Space in Time (Audio CD)

What sets this release apart from earlier TYA albums is the liberal use of tasty acoustic guitar and plenty of sound effects and studio tricks that complement the overall texture. From tuning a radio dial to open a 12-bar boogie blaster(Baby, Won't You Let Me Rock and Roll You)to backward tape solos(Let The Sky Fall)to 50's Sci-Fi(Here They Come), Alvin Lee and Company were in top form on this 1971 "Time Capsule". Lee also shows that he was no slouch on harmonica as he belts out the blues harp(One Of These Days)along with the nice licks from his trusty hot-rodded Gibson ES-335's. Lee's lyrics ran the full gamut on this collection, from country honk(Once There Was A Time)to otherworldly beings "who fly out of the sun", and "know everything we must learn"(Here They Come). He sings painfully about the pitfalls of drug addiction, but optimistically about recovery(Hard Monkeys, I've Been There Too)and tells us that he notices the World's ills but doesn't know what to do, so he "leaves it up to you"(I'd Love to Change the World).
Leo Lyons(Bass), Chick Churchill(Keyboards)and Ric Lee(Drums)are excellent as usual. This is the one that occupied a particular "Space in Time" for its era, and gets my vote as the best overall TYA album due to the diversity of the material and subject matter. There's just about something for everyone.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once There Was A Time...a space in time, November 9, 2006

By 

jfab4mo (Orland park, Illnois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Space in Time (Audio CD)

A friend and I were recently reminiscing of a space in time before there were music downloads, mp3's, i tunes,and i pods. A time when vinyl was the musical medium . Albums contained liner notes and lyric sheets that were printed large enough to read. Cover Art was captivating and meant to be enjoyed. Songs were heard as being just a smaller segment of a larger collection of work. You dropped the needle,sat down and took it in from start to finish. Like a great movie, you wouldn't dare leave before the end. Every song set up the next one. The music was the event of that moment in time, not a wallpaper back drop. 'A Space In Time' is of that time, yet after 35 years it has stood the test. Timeless.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 30 years after - it still rocks, April 12, 2005

By 

Ginger O. (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Space in Time (Audio CD)

Have not listened to this one since 1972. Listened again in 2005. It holds up. It still rocks. In particular: Once There was a Time. Let the Sky Fall. Wow. Even the the great druggy anthem, I'd Love to Change the World, still sounds good (compare to: Stairway to Heaven -- love Led Zep but that overplayed cut is inferior to this underplayed jewel). Over the Hill is amusing, with its Sgt. Pepper strings. Here They Come - so much better than other circa 1970 folky-bluesy cuts (think Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, et al.)... OK I concede to the occasionally corny lyrics. But this CD sounds good.