Customer Reviews

Space in Time

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

ALVIN LEE AND TEN YEARS AFTER WERE ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL ROCK BANDS OF THE EARLY 70'S. EVERY ROCK FANS ALBUM COLLECTION CONTAINED THIS ALBUM ALONG WITH SGT PEPPERS, HUMBLE PIE, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD. ALVIN LEE WAS A HOUSEHOLD WORD WHENEVER THE CONVERSATION TURNED TO EXTREME GUITAR RIFFS AND HIS HAUNTING VOCALS ON CHANGE THE WORLD ARE ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE EVER. ANYONE WANTING TO RESTART YOUR ROCK AND ROLL COLLECTION THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST ONES TO PURCHASE. FINE FINE ALBUM!

This a great starter album for people looking to see what Ten Years After were all about. Alvin Lee's speed guitar on "I'd Love to Change the World" sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it and makes you consider if all that "Clapton is God" grafitti in London in the late 60's should have been changed to read "Alvin is God." Other noteworthy tracks on this album include the extended blues workout "One of These Days," with its distorted, warbling harmonica, and "Uncle Jam," a short swinging instrumental that displays Alvin Lee's jazz leanings. If you like this album, progress on to "Cricklewood Green," TYA's other early 70's masterpiece.

Some of the CDs coming out of AudioFidelity have been great and some have been marginal. A Space In Timne is Fantastic. It has great depth. It is a great album and the sound is on of the best around. If you love this album or just love classic rock, get this. Great guitar work and audiophile sound, what else do you want?

I was never a huge Ten Years After fan but I did listen to them somewhat regularly "back in the day," as my kids like to say. I had this album and Cricklewood Green in vinyl plus a few cuts on the Woodstock Album.
Now my son is learning to play the guitar so I thought I'd introduce him to some "good guitar" in the form of Alvin Lee. He's not impressed with most of what I listen to but he does like this a bit.
I must say that I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I do. The more I listen to it the more it grows on me. Almost every song on this album has staying power. If you like TYA at all this is a great album overall and worth the investment.

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.

In my opinion, this is the best Ten Years After album and also one of the best rock albums anyone ever did. This came out at the same time as Zeppelin 4 and take it from me, sounds approximately as good. Very different styles but Alvin Lee rates near the top. Crisp, clear, clean guitar playing no one else can match. "Once There Was a Time" is just one good example. This whole album is good. "One of These Days", coincidentally is also the name of one of Pink Floyd's songs from Meddle, an album Floyd came out with at the same time. Very different song though. "Here they Come" is a song I can imagine hearing in heaven if I ever get there. Just like "Once There was a Time" goes,"There'll be a guitar when I get there, or I will refuse to go". "Hard Monkeys" and "I've Been There Too" are two songs no self respecting classic album rock station should leave out of their repertoire. Suffice it to say,if you're into classic rock, you "need" this album in your collection. It sounds a bit dated, but a couple of listens and you'll get over that.