Ten Years After - A Sting In The Tale album review

New material celebrating a half-century in the business

Cover art for Ten Years After - A Sting In The Tale album

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The original Ten Years After, featuring the late Alvin Lee, formed in 1967 and made their mark at Woodstock in 1969. They racked up staggering sales in the 70s while staying below the radar of iconography, before splitting in 1974. After a series of revivals, founder members Chick Churchill and Ric Lee were moved to re-form the band following Lee’s death in 2013, taking on board new members Chris Hodgkinson (bass) and Marcus Bonfanti (vocals, guitar).

This album is in no sense a departure from their old style – they owe us nothing new – and is a showcase for their long-matured blues, rock and jazz blend, with tracks like Iron Horse, Up In Smoke and the engagingly mournful Stoned Alone full of seasoned virtuosity.

David Stubbs

David Stubbs is a music, film, TV and football journalist. He has written for The Guardian, NME, The Wire and Uncut, and has written books on Jimi Hendrix, Eminem, Electronic Music and the footballer Charlie Nicholas.