Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Classic Rock & Roll LPs of All Time-Got Better!, November 27, 2002
Ten Years After has always been associated with Woodstock ie: I'm Going Home. Yet, it was this LP that connected with the Woodstock Atmosphere. The Anthem "I'd Love to change the World" put everything in focus. This LP reminds me of Led Zepplin III in it's experimental nature with it's emphasis on accoustic driven numbers. The version here that is offered by BGO records far surpasses the previous offering. It 's re-mastering is excellent -as the material deserves. There is a booklet included that enlightens the collector about the band as well. Bottom line on this is it's well worth the upgrade-and if you haven't got this CD yet this is the version to get.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
coup de grace, May 3, 2006
Most fans of Ten Years After regard 'A Space In Time' as the quintessential work of Alvin Lee, Chick Churchill, Leo Lyons and Ric Lee, but it's not my favorite TYA album. I would reserve that honor for 'Rock and Roll Music To the World' or 'Cricklewood Green', yet it's hard to deny the quality of the compositions and the diversity in the tracks offered in this package. In fact, the quality and diversity is so prominant that there really isn't much room for the hallmark of many TYA albums, Alvin Lee's churning lead guitar. It is a juggernaut, however, in that there isn't a single bad track, but an abundance of choice melodies, interesting, well-turned lyrics, and even occasional philosophic insights. One of my fascinations with Alvin Lee's composing, in fact, is the occasional verse that deserves more than just a moments contemplation.
'One of These Days', a loping six minute blues number with sharp guitar licks from Alvin and a raved-up mouth harp finale, opens the disc. 'Here They Come' follows with a haunting melody, and lyrics that challenge us with an assurance that "far, far have they come", "they" being E.T.'s. The third track is the familiar 'I'd Love To Change the World', which like 'Stairway To Heaven', and 'Won't Get Fooled Again' are distinguished by being in that handful of songs actually overplayed on AOR radio. It's still a great track, ushering in the end of the hippie era right on cue in 1971. 'Over the Hill' begins a sequence of songs that infuse 'A Space In Time' with remarkable diverstiy, in this case utilizing string arrangements to support acoustic guitars. This anti-drug number runs only two and a half minutes, even with the opening and closing sound FX. In contrast to 'Over the Hill', we have the Chuck Berry-like sounds of 'Baby Won't You Let Me Rock 'N' Roll You' boppin' out next, and it runs only 2:15, even with its opening sound FX. 'Once There Was a Time' is a country rocker featuring a nice tempo change about two minutes into its 3:22, touting Alvin's love for music with lines like "selling my guitar would be a sin". Just when you think the band might be running out of first rate material, TYA hauls out the luscious loping rocker, 'Let the Sky Fall', succinctly comparing the chance of a particular love ending with such unlikely occurances as the grass turning blue or the sea sinking. 'Hard Monkees' is your standard 3:10 anti-drug rocker ("It's a hard world with the junkie blues"). The actual closer (since 'Uncle Jam' is an odd jazz istrumental filler... as though this album needed that) is the melodious, empathetic and uplifting 'I've Been There Too', adding another glorious six minute track with a scintillating coda to the mix.
Oddly enough, remastered versions of 'A Space In Time' are fairly hard to come by, while the original analog transfer of the recording is widely available. I suspect many people picked up the original CD version, and since the remastered version doesn't offer any bonus tracks, they haven't bothered to upgrade. But considering the quality of the recording, basically representing to TYA what 'Sgt. Peppers' is to The Beatles, finding the best sound quality for these excellent tracks would seem a wise investment. And if you're just starting a TYA collection, this disc is surely a fine start.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A COMMERCIAL DIRECTION, December 7, 2007
Departing a bit from their Blues leanings, Alvin, Leo, Chick and Ric
deliver the closest thing to a Pop album with "A Space In Time", which
contains their one and only foray into the Top 40, "I'd Love To Change
The World", a song which most definitely echoes the sentiments of 1971,but maintains its relevance in today's world of war and politics. A
second single, "Baby Won't You Let Me Rock 'N' Roll You", a good time
beat driven rocker, compliments the remaining, mellower tracks such as
the wonderful "Here They Come", a definite highlight on a CD full of
them. The tastfully twangy "Once There Was A Time", that builds in
Rock intensity as the song progresses, the playful "Over The Hill",
containing a fine Alvin Lee vocal, and the set's opener, "One Of These
Days", with its keyboard fade in, gradually taking us along from a chugging rhythmn to a guitar/harmonica interplay, as we realize despite
(or maybe because of) the shift towards the mainstream that this is
Ten Years After's finest effort.
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