Ten Years After - Ssssh. & Cricklewood Green [MFSL UDCD 687] (1969, 1970)
EAC Image (APE+CUE+LOG) | 417 MB | Covers (300 dpi) included
Genre: Blues Rock
Ssssh. review by Bob Sienko,
Amazon.com:
This was one of the first albums I went out & purchased when I went off to college. Anyone who wants to know what British heavy blues/hard rock is all about NEEDS to own this. It belongs in any collection which has "Wheels of Fire" by Cream or any early Led Zeppelin album. In addition to some fine blues-rock jams, some pretty wild sound effects as well. The opening song "Bad Scene" comes out of the gate like a racehorse & the intensity never lets up for a minute. Check out "If You Should Love Me" which starts out as a slow, acoustic blues & builds in layers until it's an all-out rocker with multi-tracked guitars (including some tasty wah-wah)and Alvin screeching like Janis Joplin! My favorite TYA track of all time concludes the album, a great blues romp called "I Woke Up This Morning." The guitar solo put down on this song is simply among the best ever recorded, by anyone anywhere - no lie. You have to hear it to believe it. The end of the song will have your ears ringing like you had your head in front of Alvin's Marshall stack for the last three hours. Buy this album - you will not be disappointed.
review by J.C. Clark,
Amazon.com:
Cricklewood Green was one of the first LPs I purchased, and this transfer makes me remember why. Of the eight tracks from the LP, five are excellent. That is a high percentage.
TYA was riding high in 1970 when this LP was released. Shortly after Woodstock, where Alvin's too long performance of "I'm Going Home" made folks doubt his veracity, and after 3 solid but unspectacular releases, TYA found a huge success. Cricklewood Green was, according to the liner notes, on the Top 10 for months. Nearly everything worked on this. Alvin's tendency to overlong solos was reined in, his writing was crisper and tidier than before, keyboards were used brilliantly, the drumming was solid, and the vocals worked perfectly. This was British blues that rocked, or British rock that bled blue. Either way, this LP launched them to a height they never again were to reach. A Space In Time had their biggest radio song, but was far weaker, and I never heard any of their later stuff, nor did I seem to have reason to.
Nope, as far as I know, Cricklewood Green stands at the top of their not unlofty pile of work. Whittle it down to the best, and you have a scorching, well-written and well played set list that stands against anything of its time.
Tracklisting:1. Bad Scene (3:30)
2. Two Times Mama (2:03)
3. Stoned Woman (3:30)
4. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (7:01)
5. If You Should Love Me (5:23)
6. I Don't Know That You Don't Know My Name (1:59)
7. The Stomp (4:36)
8. I Woke Up This Morning (5:35)
9. Sugar The Road (4:07)
10. Working On The Road (4:18)
11. 50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain (7:37)
12. Year 3000 Blues (2:25)
13. Me And My Baby (4:10)
14. Love Like A Man (7:38)
15. Circles (3:59)
16. As The Sun Still Burns Away (4:45)
Total Time: 72:37
Line-Up:- Alvin Lee / guitar, vocals
- Leo Lyons / bass
- Ric Lee / drums
- Chick Churchill / organ
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