{"id":20304,"date":"2012-05-31T15:24:11","date_gmt":"2012-05-31T20:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=20304"},"modified":"2013-02-05T16:01:16","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T21:01:16","slug":"ten-years-after-hear-them-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/ten-years-after-hear-them-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Years After | Hear Them Calling<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai<\/span>
\nStaff Writer —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Few British guitarists have given themselves to the blues with the same tenacity and perseverance as Alvin Lee. What to many of his generation was still a received method, to Lee was an organically absorbed culture he completely assimilated in. And what others have later began moving away from \u2013 be it toward hard rock, pop, or jazz fusion – to him has always remained a constant source of self-fulfillment. <\/p>\n

The accent of this release is on the more introverted cuts from the early Ten Years After catalog, but Lee\u2019s raw-edged passion for the blues is still conveyed through the key tracks with vividness that would make any newcomer to the band sit up and listen.<\/p>\n

From the disquietingly ominous riff on opener \u201cHear Me Calling\u201d to the infectious urgency of closer \u201cI\u2019m Going Home\u201d, the album is an engrossing, and at privileged moments – hypnotizing – affair. Lee made tradition his own, deeply personal reality from the very start, so even among the earliest material from the band\u2019s 1967 debut there nothing generic about his reading of the blues. His biting, self-assured guitar attack, his full-bodied, yet edgy tone, and his unique phrasing make his sound signature instantly distinguishable, along with his expressive, non-liner improvision which in the early Seventies earned him the reputation of one of the most formidable blues improvisers on both sides of the Atlantic. <\/p>\n

But above all it\u2019s the emotional truth of his delivery that grips you the most \u2013 both on punchy powerhouse bangers and the poetic, haunting slow-burners. Lee\u2019s latitude makes sure he always keeps his audience on its toes, and not only through variety of emotion, but also stylistically. And the album highlights the band\u2019s range well – from the early borderline psychedelic exercises to their raucous blues-rock side, to showcases of Lee\u2019s improvisational brilliance as on standouts as \u201cI May be Wrong, but I Won\u2019t Always be Wrong\u201d. Recorded \u201cas live\u201d, this highlight superbly reveals not only Lee\u2019s tasteful jazz sensibility, but also his formidable gift for improvising expansively yet with astutely sharp focus.<\/p>\n

The lack of liner notes and personnel credits is regrettable, as well as absence of the initial release dates. But even as it is, this compilation gives a perspective not only on the band\u2019s own path, but also of the transformations within the genre and its relationship with the record industry. Not that Lee ever does much hat-tipping to trends and fashions. Whatever style he chooses to tap into, he is always authentic, always himself, and always immediately recognizable.<\/p>\n

Genre: Blues, Blues Rock, Classic Rock<\/p>\n

Track listing:
\nDisk 1
\n1. Hear Me Calling
\n2. Love Until I Die
\n3. Rock Your Mama
\n4. A Sad Song
\n5. Losing the Dogs
\n6. Going to Try
\n7. Boogie On
\n8. No Title<\/p>\n

Disk 2
\n1. The Sounds
\n2. I Can\u2019t Keep from Crying Sometimes
\n3. Spider in My Web
\n4. I Want to Know
\n5. Speed Kills
\n6. I May be Wrong, but I Won\u2019t Always be Wrong
\n7. Three Blind Mice
\n8. Portable People
\n9. I\u2019m Going Home <\/p>\n

Label: Talking Elephant Records<\/p>\n

Web: www.alvinlee.com<\/a>; www.tenyearsafternow.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai Staff Writer — Few British guitarists have given themselves to the blues with the same tenacity and perseverance as Alvin Lee. What to many of his generation was still a received method, […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[1104,5307],"class_list":{"0":"post-20304","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-classic-rock","8":"tag-ten-years-after"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20304\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}