TYA NOW - this website's official review
 
 
By a UK fan

 
 
From 1974's "Positive Vibrations", then to 1989's "About Time", and now to - well, 2004's "TYA NOW" - this fifteen-year moratorium between new TYA studio albums is becoming a hard habit to break. But finally, here it is - and you're going to want to know if it's been worth the wait. This writer has never understood the prevailing, oft-repeated, critical "wisdom" that TYA are a great live act who never quite do themselves justice in the studio. Pardon me? What was that classic consecutive quartet of studio albums running from "Ssssh" to "A Space In Time", if not one of the greatest such series in recorded rock history? Clearly then, there is form to maintain, a track record to match, expectations to be met. So here follows a track-by-track breakdown of just how well the Three Musketeers of rhythm, and the rapier thrusts of their new D'Artagnan, have faced up to the benchmarks and challenges that the illustrious history of their inheritance has inevitably set them.
 

"When It All Falls Down"

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 we kick off with a hard rocker. Joe and Chick combine forces in a wired, manic riff. Mesmerising solo by Joe. Ever heard a TYA studio album where the opening track didn't turn out to be one of the best two or three of the lot? No - me neither. And no exception here.
   
"Hundred Miles High"

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 immediate change of style. Blues-based British rock band meets quasi-psychedelic eastern mystic theme on a blind date, and decides to give it a go. Title and subject matter make it a third cousin, twice removed, to "50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain". Some truly coruscating guitar lines.
   
"Time To Kill"

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 and this is the one. Worth the price of your entry ticket on its own. Guaranteed instant promotion to any future "Best Of  TYA"-type compilation album. The best choice for a possible single release. So special it deserves a particularly close analysis. 

Begins with Joe slotting a sonic steely spine of feedback into the core of the track - rithing far from its surface for most of its duration. Leo and Ric join in, with a glorious, industrial strength, riff-based, bass-drum clatter. Furious and insistent guitar- bass-drum riffing ensues as Chick enters, stage-right, to cast a swirling cloak of chordal majesty around the proceedings. Joe sings lyrics which echo time-honoured TYA themes of frustration and despair - think "The Sounds", or "Nowhere To Run". 

A superb, hook-heavy, chorus. Produced to perfection: check out, for example, the ascendingly vertiginous slant which Joe so appositely imparts to the delivery of the word "hill". We arrive at the guitar solo, played in three distinct parts. Firstly, Joe chops out a cleverly constructed, chromatically-themed first stage. Then, with the selector switch on his Strat angled directly at the neck pick-up, he solos again, in jazzy blues mode. The third stage sees Joe dig in more trenchantly, as he threatens to be engulfed by the seething surge-tide of rhythm that swells around him, Chick having once again completed the triumvirate necessary for this purpose. Then, in a thrilling spiral of unencumbered virtuosity, Joe spins to dry land - and safety. The rhythmic floods temporarily subside. From his elevated vantage point, Joe breathily intones his vocals, while Leo paces out the time below - assisted by Ric - with a funky, feline, predatory bassline. Leo's bassline pounces ... and the pack is upon Joe again. He almost screams out selected lines of previously enunciated lyrics, as Chick moves to the forefront of the track, lashing out with a furious flurry of pentatonic riffs. Somehow Joe regains control and finalises proceedings with an emphatic, phat- chord flourish - and a last howl of the track's cleverly ambiguous title. 

Sounds thrilling? It is - and you need to hear it. Some TYA tracks are so famous that  they are known by their initials alone: to LLAM, GMLS and IGH you can now add TTK.
   
"I'll Make It Easy For You"

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 power ballad? Maybe not the best description - but defying classification isn't necessarily a bad thing. Starts off with lusciously languid blues guitar lines from Joe, before the entry of his sensitive vocals. Builds in intensity as the track progresses. Wah-wah solo.
   
"The Voice Inside Your Head" another one that's hard to categorise. Slow to medium pace rock - but very intense - heavy, even. Hendrix inflections in the guitar solo. And Chick solos too.
   
"King Of The Blues" 

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 one with a direct lineage to TYA's 1989, ZZ Top-influenced, "About Time" album. Rocking blues-a-boogie - with added grit and grunge. Some pinch harmonics from Joe, but with other guitar lines too fast and fluid ever to be found on a ZZT album. A few lyrical nods in the direction of "Sharp Dressed Man". Chick solos again. You just know this one is going to be played live.
   
"Long Time Running" 

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 slide guitar opening from Joe. Some excoriating later guitar work - to match the lyrics. A hint of a riff from 1971's "A Space In Time" album. (No, I'm not going to tell you from which track - you buy it, then tell me.)
   
"Reasons Why" dutifully detonated by Joe, with a furious fusillade of sharpened E ninth chords. More rocking boogie, destined for live performance. Joe and Chick trade solos
   
"Changes"

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 acoustic guitar opening. Almost - but not quite - a country feel to the opening lead guitar lines. Guitar work gets heavier as the track develops. Chick takes another bow.

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And that's about it. It is, in fact, a quite superb album, complete with the traditional and required quotients of intelligent lyrics, riffs, licks, solos - and more hooks than a fisherman's tackle box. When this review was written it was without knowledge of where compositional credits or production plaudits are due. But suffice to say, every member of TYA has clearly given their all to the brilliant individual playing and group achievement on offer here. The talents of Leo, Ric and Chick are well known to TYA fans of old. Joe's guitar playing - although his modesty will probably deny it - propels him into the ranks of one of the world's truly great blues-rock guitarists. The studio environment has also brought out the very best in his vocals, with some extremely strong performances on display here.
 
This is Ten Years After now, thrusting the blues-rock genre into the face of the 21st century and seeing which blinks first. Where are you going to put your money?

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TEN YEARS AFTER "NOW"    

CD Review by US fan

Greetings from the left side of the pond, sunny, but cool Binghamton, NY. I have read UK fan's review of TYA Now, and just wanted to give a detailed review of my own, so here goes.


Ten Years After "Now" is a high-quality piece of work that I sense was years in the making, and all elements of the new cd reflect the hard work and committment to excellence that shows up in the final product.

Reformed with original members Leo, Ric, Chick and the new axeman and vocalist extrordinaire Joe Gooch, the sound on "Now" is fresh, energetic, and full of hard edge. The songs, both music and lyrics, are cohesive and coherent, follow a nice theme and give the listener the full 40+ minutes of music that rarely if ever is achieved in rock music anymore.
The elephant in the living room, so to speak, the issue that cannot be ignored, is the Alvin Lee factor. Simply put, this is not your mother's Ten Years After, rather a genesis of years of experience and trials by the three remaining original members, who chose to carry on with the name Ten Years After. Comparing this Ten Years After to the Alvin Lee version is comparing apples to oranges. Joe Gooch is a great guitarist and singer and songwriter, as is Alvin Lee. Leo now has had the opportunity to work with three of the greatest axemen to ever pick up a guitar, Alvin, Michael Schenker of UFO, and now Joe Gooch, all my favorites now.

So that's that, on to the music.

 
"When It All Falls Down" opens the cd with a great riff and hard edge lyrics, and sets the tone for what's to come.
   
"A Hundred Miles High"

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 takes the listener almost by surprise with the acoustic opening, and truly has an  alternative rock sound. This song has hit written all over it. And hopefully it gets  its due.
   
"Time to Kill"

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 is a great car song, in the spirit of "Born to be wild", "Radar Love" and Tom Petty's  "Running Down the Dream," "Time to Kill" is all about our lives, or as Joni Mitchell once wrote in the "Circle Game", "soon you drag your feet just to slow the circle down," "Time to Kill" is that good, Crank open the sunroof and put the pedal to  the metal.
   
 "I'll Make It easy for you"

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 is one of the best breakup songs in years. At once anger and sadness, this stands as a great rock ballad, and blues tune all at once. Well Done!!!!!
   
 "The Voice Inside Your Head"

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 is a darker version of I"ll Make it easy for you, in the vein of John Lennon's Run for Your Life, an edgy song, that the Alvin Lee TYA would have never done. And Chick sneaks a top flight organ solo in at the end.
   
 "King of the Blues"

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 is just great, and the lyrics are at once snappy and defiant. A wonderful song in the spirit of ZZ Top's La Grange, and Boston's "Smokin." And Chick's piano at the end is just great.
   
 "Long Time Running". has a southern rock feel, a little Allman Bros, Dickey Betts slide, and some  nice work by Joe.
   
 "Reasons Why" love this, from Ric's original drumwork to Chick's piano, Joe's guitar, along with some great lyrics.
   
 "Changes" finishes the cd with a nice sort retro, it for a moment reminded me of the 1967 or so  TYA, jangle piano and acoustic work.
   

Anyway, that's my take, I hope the cd sells really well, because this music is too good to be ignored or trivialized into the "Reunion" category. That will be the responsibility of all TYA fans to spread the word and get new listeners. I realize at this point it is academic, but I fear the use of the name Ten Years After, which I'm sure has opened some doors for the band may also close some, This is not some lame reunion album, but an important step forward for a great sounding band.

Chuck

 
 

Ten Years After NOW 2005  -     by Dave & Brigitte

The British Rock Legends “Ten Years After” are on a comfortable  rampage back into the world of high energy Rock ‘n’ Roll. This latest return continues right where they left off and  shows once and for all, that their talent and artistic dedication hasn’t diminished one bit.
The band is back on track with a  new recording on CD - "NOW" -that picks up the music gauntlet  right where their ex-member Alvin Lee discarded it. It’s been reverently  picked up and restored to it’s original lustre by Joe Gooch who “NOW” is in possession of the high bred integrity that has always been the Ten Years After mantra right from the start.

"NOW"  is the band's first studio album of all new material, with every member contributing to the overall content and having equal input in the recording process. Also plainly evident on this album is the considerable and intricate guitar work and strong vocal talent that Joe provides. It's also refreshing to know that Joe lines up perfectly, right along side the founding member Leo Lyons (bass, vocals), Chick Churchill (keyboards), and  Ric Lee  (drums). Together they form an invincible  team of professional musicians that are making Ten Years After revitalised and exuberant right through to the final line.

From the blistering opener of  “When It All Falls Down”, to the incendiary closing track  called “Changes” this album is a positive return to free form emotional expression. Once again Chick Churchill’s keyboard work is prominent and refreshing. Ten Years After  "NOW”  is not the product of a bunch of Rock ‘n’ Roll elder statesmen riding along on their past accomplishments and glory days. But instead it’s a definite refinement and reaffirmation of their acknowledged place in the Blues / Jazz Based / Hard-Rocking /  Psychedelic induced landscape, that served them so well for four decades. They continue progressing forward but now without all the over indulgences associated with those crazy times so long ago. 

New tracks, such as “A Hundred Miles High” really give a taste of that psychedelic jam /band feeling and  experimentation,  that the band was well known for back in 1967, as they now re-energise it with some staggering contemporary / legendary rock quartet playing. 

Truly, this is a band on a powerful mission, and intent on proving to their die-hard fan base, that there is more to Ten Years After than just a single moment on celluloid / world fame that took place back in 1969, and a top forty hit in the early 1970’s. They’re now well beyond their classic years and moving forward as one solidified, hard-driving, precise musical  unit, that wasn’t possible in the past.

With the induction of Joe Gooch as full member and stepping right into the front man position, he has become the band's visible spark plug and rocket fuel. Joe instils just what was needed and brings to the table the passion, power and purpose, as the twenty seven year old rises to every challenge that’s placed before him. He executes them to brilliant perfection in every performance and leaves no room for doubt. 

A prime example is on the song called “Reason’s Why”, which radiates the kind of high energy Rock ‘n’ Roll intensity that subsequently led to their late 1960’s breakthrough. With this revitalised Ten Years After  storming headlong into a Blues-Soaked-Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical Expression that refuses to let up throughout the album.

As we speak, the band is setting off on a brand new tour that will begin on April 9, 2005 to once again bring their new music / album and their new charismatic and dynamic  frontman Joe Gooch to a rock  venue near you.

Contemporary / Progressive, along with the identifiable  classic Ten Years After Sound / Skill / Genius and Inventiveness  abounds, on this new recording and on stage. More than ever before their presence is exciting, and even more so in front of an appreciative  audience.          

The release of their new cd is on their own record label, to ensure artistic control and the superb quality therein. This is setting the pace for their continued success into the future  for Ten Years After.  

 

We invite you to come and be a part of the historical moment.

We guarantee you won’t be disappointed.   

 
 

Ten Years After new CD "NOW"    by Jean-Pierre

 

Je fais partie de ces « vieux » fans du groupe qui ont toujours cru que Ten Years After ne pouvait plus être Ten Years After sans Alvin Lee. Voir débarquer un nouveau chanteur guitariste au sein du groupe n’était donc pas une très bonne nouvelle. Et, comme beaucoup, je n’ai pas vraiment cherché à écouter ce dont le groupe était désormais capable. Cette situation n’est pas unique. Qui n’a pas été déçu lorsque David Coverdale a rejoint Deep Purple ? Quand Ron Wood a remplacé Mick Taylor au sein des Rolling Stones ? Mais, chez Ten Years After, cela semblait prendre des dimensions encore plus importantes. Alvin Lee était un leader incontesté. Il écrivait et composait lui-même 95 % du répertoire du groupe.

Mais, tout le monde se doit de reconnaître que Joe Gooch n’est pas le premier venu. Il a des qualités vocales indéniables et, surtout, c’est un guitariste brillant et inventif. La chose la plus importante est qu’il ne cherche nullement à imiter ou égaler Alvin Lee. Non, il est seulement lui-même. Et cette nouvelle personnalité semble avoir sérieusement boosté les trois autres compères !

Quant à la polémique concernant l’utilisation du nom « Ten Years After », elle n’est pas justifiée. Si tous les groupes qui ont connu un jour un changement de musiciens avaient du changer de nom, comment s’appelleraient aujourd’hui les Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, les Who, Yes, Pink Floyd ou encore AC/DC ? Pourquoi Ten Years After aurait-il droit à un traitement spécial ?

·        When it falls down : Le premier titre de l’album met tout de suite dans l’ambiance : il s’agit ici de Rock bien juteux. Rien à voir avec la soupe qu’on nous sert depuis quelques années. Joe Gooch y est particulièrement brillant. Et, oserai-je l’avouer ? J’ai trouvé son jeu de guitare bien plus intéressant que celui d’Alvin Lee sur son récent « In Tennessee » !

·        A hundred miles high : Le second titre est beaucoup plus lent mais pas moins intéressant. Il est curieux de constater à quel point la présence d’un nouveau musicien peut rajeunir nos trois vieux compères que sont Leo, Ric et Chick. Il est indéniable qu’ils prennent un grand plaisir à jouer avec Joe. Il est vrai aussi qu’ils ne sont pas ici de simples « faire valoir » mais des membres du groupe à part entière.

·        Time to kill : Ce troisième titre est sans aucun doute un des tous meilleurs de l’album. On peut parier sans risque qu’il fera partie des titres phares du groupes. C’est un Rock de facture très classique dont la mélodie est particulièrement obsédante. Indéniablement un titre à écouter de préférence en « live ».

·        I’ll make it easy for you : Là encore, ce quatrième titre ne dénote pas avec les morceaux précédents. Ce Blues (très éloigné des Blues habituels d’Alvin Lee) démontre que Joe Gooch n’est pas qu’un excellent guitariste de Rock. Il peut exceller dans d’autres styles. De plus, ses qualités vocales sont indéniables.

·        The voice inside your head : Incroyable ! Pas une seule baisse de rythme. Ce cinquième titre est aussi bon que ses quatre prédécesseurs. Joe Gooch parvient à nous hypnotiser avec son jeu de guitare. A noter également que rarement on avait aussi bien entendu Chick Churchill. Et on se surprend à penser que c’est bien dommage !

·        King of the Blues : Ce sixième titre est de loin mon préféré. Ce Boogie endiablé nous ramène directement dans les années 70. C’est vraiment trop bon ! On se dit que, vraiment, Ten Years After mériterait de jouer dans de plus grandes salles à la place de pas mal de petits groupes parfaitement insipides ! Mais, laissons faire le temps, un tel groupe ne peut que finir sur le devant de la scène.

·        Long time running : Encore un morceau de toute beauté ! On va finir par croire que ce « Now » est un « Best of » ! Si tous les albums suivants sont de la même veine, il y en a qui ont du mouron à se faire ! Joe Gooch en profite pour se lancer dans de longs (pas trop quand même !) solos de guitare aussi périlleux que brillants !

·        Reasons why : De nouveau, il s’agit d’un Rock d’excellente facture ! A ma grande honte, je dois avouer que je n’avais jamais remarqué à quel point Ric Lee était un excellent batteur ! Je le trouve beaucoup plus inventif et « percutant » qu’avec l’ancien Ten Years After. Lui et Leo assurent une rythmique impeccable. Quant à Chick, ses interventions sont toujours aussi brillantes. De plus, elles collent parfaitement au son de ce nouvel album.

·        Changes : Ce dernier titre clôture en beauté ce premier album studio. Même s’il reste très classique, on savoure avec délectation les interventions de Chick (toujours trop rares !).

Bref, le seul regret qu’on peut avoir après avoir écouter cet album, c’est qu’il soit trop court ! Quelques titres de plus ne nous auraient pas fait de mal !

En tous cas, juste après l’avoir écouter, on n’a qu’une envie : le réécouter une seconde fois ! Ne nous privons pas !

Voilà, Leo, Ric, Chick et Joe nous prouvent là qu’on peut réinventer le Rock encore et encore, il suffit juste d’avoir la foi !

Conduisons nous comme des adultes, comme des personnes intelligentes et ne cherchons pas à comparer ce Ten Years After avec celui d’Alvin Lee. Ce dernier nous a apporté de grands moments d’émotion comme « Ssssh » ou « Cricklewood green ». Mais, ne doutons pas que les vieux renards que sont Leo, Ric et Chick (aidés de Joe) sauront encore nous faire vibrer de bonheur ! Ce « Now » en est la preuve indéniable.

 

Customer Reviews    
 

 

5 out of 5 stars Five Stars Album - no question!, October 8, 2005
Reviewer:   Pitschitzka Astrogirl(Österreich) 
Joe Gooch is the new driving energy from Ten Years After.
And "NOW" the world have a young grandios guitarchampion in the footsteps of hendrix/vai and satriani. I never before listen to a such good guitarslinger. Super Ten Years After, this is a five stars album, no question! Big compliment to Leo Lyons, Ric Lee, Chick Churchill & Joe Gooch!


 

 5 out of 5 stars WOW!, August 27, 2005
Reviewer:   Zafira05 (Holland) 
WOW, I like it babe, I like it. That`s the real Kick Ass Rock!
This guys are still the best. Leo Lyons is a 62 years old frantic bassman on stage, and nobody can beat him . And Joe Gooch is together with this old first class Woodstock veterans
a day and night dream. Now is Wow!!! Hotest Live band I`ve ever seen!

 

5 out of 5 stars not stale , but incredible good!, August 23, 2005
Reviewer:   Luky "Light"(Austria) 
T.Y.A. Now is not stale, but absolutly suberb,. Joe Gooch is a young, and very fine guitarmaster, He brought T.Y.A. back a lot of the young generation, I see it on many live gigs in Austria and germany. Together with the well known experience from Leo/Ric and Chick, Joe Gooch shows in "NOW" his amazing guitarwork.
The man from Wales is one of the best guitarplayers in the world, and "Now" is a real joy to listen, with some splendid new studiomaterial - it sounds not stale, but incredible good! Thanks a lot, boys!! (After)"WHEN IT ALL FALLS DOWN" comes a new ära - with FIVE STARS REVIEWS!

 

5 out of 5 stars NOW is a GREAT new Ten Years After album!!, August 3, 2005
Reviewer:   Herb Staehr(Hingham, MA) 
Some of the reviewers who posted before, seem dead set on convincing readers that "Now" is a lousy Ten Years After album simply because it does not include original member Alvin Lee (they give Alvin credit for everything, except inventing the cotton gin!). That is one way to approach things, but it is a rather narrow one. Music should be judged on how it sounds - not by who makes it. If all music by bands that no longer consist of the original members should be considered lousy for that reason, it would surely make the majority of rock & roll music lousy.

There are more than a few classic rock bands with original members absent but they are still making great (often better) music. Ten Years After is one of those bands and their "Now" album proves that in spades. Songs like "Time To Kill", "King Of The Blues" and "Long Time Running" are among the best of any Ten Years After songs - past or present. These songs also rebuff the claim that the band cannot make great music without the former member.

I published a Visual History book about Alvin Lee & Ten Years After, I grew up listening to the original band and attended many of their concerts. So, I have a genuine fondness for the original lineup. However I am a realist and accept the fact that most rock bands eventually change. I am also open-minded enough to listen to new music and not get stuck in the past.

If you feel compelled to reject the Ten Years After "Now" album because it does not include Alvin Lee, that is your choice. But if you enjoy driving and spirited rock & roll, I encourage you to give this album a chance. Joe Gooch is a world class guitarist in his own right and the legendary Ten Years After rhythm section of Leo Lyons, Chick Churchill and Ric Lee have already passed the "performance test". They certainly do not disappoint on this - their latest album.

 
 

1). Ten Years After "Now" TYM
tenyearsafternow.com

Ten Years After

What's in a brand name? Well in the case of Ten Years After, like several other enduring American rock bands such as The Allman Brothers, and closer to home The Man band, it's a case of new wine in old bottles and a passport to getting their new music noticed and played.

"Now" is an excellent album and in young Joe Gooch, Ric Lee and his pals have found the perfect catalyst to relaunch the band into the contemporary rock market.

The first thing to say is that "Now" is as contemporary as it could have been. Joe's scintillating guitar lines from the

 Steve Vai style workouts on the eastern flavoured "A Hundred Miles High" - complete with its echoes of the Beatles - to the powerful riffs on the album's stand out track, "Time To Kill" are beautifully integrated into the bands overall schema. Chick Churchill adds some lovely keyboard parts and the ensemble rock out stylishly

This album takes the exploratory rocking blues history of the band and adds a powerful vocalist, guitarist, who has become an integral part of the song writing process. Such is the success of the new line-up that the whole set sounds fresh, new and contemporary.

"When It All Comes Down", the opening cut is an impressive mix of keyboard and guitar parts, while the self explanatory titled "King Of The Blues" is a stomping boogie, full of rolling piano and a band in full flow.

Leo Lyons and Ric Lee belt out a succession of tough but intuitive grooves that underpin some excellent songs, notably "Time To Kill", but the band as a whole impress with some fine material and even a possible single in the Nickleback sounding "I'll Make It Easy For You". "Long Time Running" is an almost Southern rock sounding piece complete with slide and wah wah guitar parts and Leo's insistent bass lines. Ric Lee's adds crashing cymbals, and the track will surely appeal to the American market. The closing hypnotic grooves of "Changes" confirm that this album is one of the bands best efforts, complete with a new guitar hero in the ranks.

Pete Feenstra's Website

 

 

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