A Look Back At 7 Songs From Ten Years After

Gems from their Catalog

In the late ’60s and early ’70s, British rock outfit Ten Years After scored a string of hits with twelve albums charting on the US Billboard 200. Their music is a mix of blues and hard rock. And with their appearance at Woodstock Festival, they finally got their big break. Their performance of “I’m Going Home” turned them into full-fledged rockstars.

And since they are one of the often-forgotten rock acts, here are seven tracks to remind us of their greatness.

7. “A Sad Song”

The rawness of the song always gets to us. Just a man singing about his pain – there’s something incredibly haunting about Alvin Lee’s delivery. The vocal performance is spot-on and everything else about it is flawless.

6. “Love Like A Man”

Their only hit on the UK Singles chart, it’s catchy and with that killer riff, it’s as good as it gets. It’s definitely one of those songs you can’t play just once.

5. “Hear Me Calling”

An often under-appreciated track, it’s a foot-stomping and groovy number. The whole song is stellar but the highlight is clearly that glorious guitar solo.

4. “One of These Days”

Another straightforward rocker, it’s a shame that this song is largely forgotten. It’s just as good as other, more popular ’70s tunes.

3. “I’m Going Home”

https://youtu.be/ZTMEDzTESjc

Their adrenaline-filled rendition at Woodstock was truly something else. In an interview with Alvin Lee in 2013, he said: “The solo in the movie sounds pretty rough to me these days, but it had the energy, and that was what Ten Years After were all about at the time. However, I often wonder what would have happened if they had used “I Can’t Keep From Crying, Sometimes” in the movie instead of “I’m Going Home.””

2. “I’m Coming On”

That intro alone is superb! It’s not just an essential Ten Years After song but unarguably one of the greatest hard rock tracks of the early 1970s. The guitar solo, the groove, the vocals, the drum fills – this one deserves more recognition.

1. “I’d Love To Change the World”

Written by Alvin Lee, he told Vintage Rock: “I’d love to change the world, but I don’t know what to do and I’ll leave it up to you. I’m just saying the world does need changing. I’d love to do it, but I haven’t got the talent. I don’t think I’m a world changer.”