Alvin Lee at Woodstock

I think you are correct on that assessment. I saw them many times from the late 1960's to the early 1970's. Towards the end, they were beginning to repeat themselves. Alvin toured as a solo artist and ventured into some different music styles. However, they are still one of my favorite bands of the era.

 

He did get his due, and I have to agree with you that TYA as a totality/entity lacked what it took to transcend their well-known signature style. But Alvin definitely moved on and expanded creatively, at least to the extent that he could - realistically. Now whether his audience and fans cared to hitch their wagons to those new explorations was a different matter. But if you review his entire catalog, it is quite impressive. He possessed the talent in spades, and *never* sold out in a clutch for dollars.

Feast your ears on this, as but one example (featuring Lee with George Harrison):
Alvin Lee - The Bluest Blues

 

True. They were my favorite band for a short time during the early '70s but I got tired of them, since Lee wasn't the greatest of songwriters.

But that expanded 'Undead' sounds interesting.......

 

That is an incredible live album. The Fillmore East live album may be even better.

 

Both are excellent!

 

Ten Years After The Anthology is a great comp and the only place on cd to get the Woodstock version of " I'm Going Home."

 

The should compile an Alvin Lee box set of his Ten Years After and solo material with rarities and unreleased tracks.

 

I really loved his Woodstock performance. Such passion and skill. Must check out some albums by these guys...

 

Alvin Lee stated that he wished that the track chosen for the Woodstock film would have been "I can't keep from crying" but the "Goin' Home" segment was chosen instead.
He did some nice work outside of Ten Years After. Both "Pump Iron" and "In Flight" were recorded as solo albums while he was in TYA and really showed he was capable of more than he was given credit for. The material on these two was different to the "On the Road to Freedom" album, his first solo album while in TYA.
He saw Jimi Hendrix play just before Jimi died and complemented him on his playing that night telling Jimi that it was the best he'd heard him play. Jimi agreed but said the audience was not very receptive that night as he had cut down on the showman side of things and concentrated on his playing. Jimi was getting typecast too and also felt he was capable of delivering something other than what people expected of him. When Alvin formed Ten Years Later he played Hey Joe as a tribute to Jimi.
Alvin always played his guitar straight on stage i.e. no effects pedals but he did like to experiment in the studio. He built his own which gave him the freedom to work on his solo albums. Later on he returned to the more rockier side of things with Detroit Diesel which is a really good rock album. If you have not heard it just get it. The title track alone is worth the price of the album. I bought it on vinyl many moons ago but I'm sure it is out on cd by now.
The stuff I'm waiting to surface is the jam between Alvin Lee, Jimi Page and Jeff Beck when they played on the same bill. If that doesn't get you salivating nothing will!
Bonham said that Page used to stand in the wings and watch Lee on stage. Bonham said that very few guitarists impressed Page but he was very impressed with Alvin. Before Alvin died he played in London and Page was there in the audience rocking away with his air guitar to Alvin on stage.
People may criticise Alvin for a lack of imagination with TYA but he was an accomplished musician who had bills to pay. He was writing rock songs, not trying to reinvent popular music. Me I liked Alvin, his playing and his songs. I have all the vinyls and still play them and yes some of his playing still sends shivers up and down my spine.

 

Saguitar is one of my favorites from his solo career along with Detroit Diesel, Nineteen Ninety-Four and Pump Iron.

 

I have a 3CD-set called "Think About The Times: The Chrysalis Years", containing a couple of albums. Some great music on it.

 

I have never been a fan of TYA. I should be because I love Peter Green's Mac, Johnny Winter and Rory's playing but TYA never hit home somehow. I never liked that "Going Home" at Woodstock, just too frenetic and cold, a demonstration. In a way, he was the precursor of flash wankers like Eddie Van Halen. Yeah, I know, he could play moody soulful blues also but his voice never grabbed me either so I never went to the till.

 

Interesting reading this thread. I always thought Alvin Lee was a better guitarist than his constant speed play indicated. I got tired of Ten Years After very quickly, because everything degenerated into a speedfest. Their material wasn't great either. But watching him play (as a non-guitarist myself), it was evident that he was more than a speed merchant.

 

I wish that the entire Woodstock would see the light of day. Am I wrong to assume that Goin Home is the only part of their set to have been released?

 

Man the sounds he coaxed from that ES-335.

 

I've thought the same thing for years. Wonder if they ever did "Stoned Woman" live?

 

They had no choice. Their evening set was hampered by a thunderstorm and the humidity that blew in with it, resulting in out-of-tune instruments, microphone failure, and bad sound quality. Because of this, the camera crews were only able to capture the group's last song I'm Going Home.

Actually In Flight and Pump Iron were recorded just after he left Ten Years After (he departed TYA in early 1974). The Alvin Lee & Company ensemble and In Flight tour were actually put together based on a dare he received. Their first show was at the Rainbow in London in March 1974. I'm pretty certain the In Flight album that was released was from that original show.

Try spin up A Space In Time again. That album had a great balance of electric and acoustic, speed and subtlety all at once. A revisit might change your mind.

Wish that whole set could be shown too but it won't, for reasons mentioned earlier. Here's the complete setlist FYI:

- Spoonful
- Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
- Hobbit
- I Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes
- Help Me
- I'm Going Home [Encore]

A couple of shots of Alvin at Woodstock with his famed “Big Red” (photos courtesy of Herb Staehr)

 

Absolutely!!

 

For my money the most interesting thing about Lee's songwriting was the element of psychedelia, which was still there after the psych era ended-- Listen to things like "She Lies in the Morning" on Watt and "Here They Come" on Space in Time.

Bless his heart though, the man was not a great lyricist.

 

It is also on the Woodstock sountrack.

 

Though edited by about two minutes-- I believe the TYA Anthology has the full eleven-minute=plus version. Not sure what's in the film.

 

The film version is slightly longer than the soundtrack version.

 

Probably worth noting that for all the acclaim that came from their rendition of I'm Going Home at Woodstock, Lee himself considered that particular performance "ragged." He was appreciative it gave TYA an additional boost in regards to fame and fortune, but it also looped them in like nothing before.

 

I thought that was out of print.
The 40th anniversary edition does not have it.

 

A few more classic images of Alvin at Woodstock:







Photos from Alvin Lee German website