A Space in Time

Performer: Ten Years After
Distributor: Infinity Entertainment Gr

Notes: Ten Years After: Alvin Lee (vocals, guitar); Chick Churchill (keyboards); Leo Lyons (bass); Ric Lee (drums). Recorded at Olympic Studios, London, England. 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 A SPACE IN TIME was Ten Years After's biggest commercial success. The reasons are pretty obvious; Alvin Lee's songwriting had improved markedly and there was far more stylistic variety than on their previous albums. The big hit here was "I'd Love to Change the World," with its catchy acoustic guitar hook and the immortal opening line, "Everywhere is freaks and hairies." Other highpoints include: "Baby Won't You Let Me Rock 'n' Roll You," the band's first stab at Stones-style raunch (complete with a riff from Led Zeppelin); the country-ish romp "Once There Was a Time"; and the gently folky and surprisingly self-deprecating "Over the Hill," which features strings, a move that would have been unthinkable for this band a year or two earlier.

Rolling Stone (10/14/71, p.49) - "...The original material and arrangements are terribly lame....As the Romans used to say...let the buyer beware..."

Best known for their epic performance of "I'm Going Home" in the WOODSTOCK film, British blues-rock band Ten Years After was a vital part of the U.K./U.S. rock scene in the hippie era, but over time, their legacy hasn't lasted as well as that of their peers. Led by blazing guitarmeister Alvin Lee, the band debuted in 1967, their psych-tinged blues-rock taking a more accessible tone on 1971's A PLACE IN TIME, which contained their biggest hit, "I'd Like To Change The World." The band broke up in 1974, with Lee going solo, though there were a couple of brief reunions (one without Lee) in later decades.

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