Ten Years After Stonedhenge (LP, Mono)

(2017/Sundazed) 10 Tracks - The electrifying Ten Years After! A premium RTI Pressing, from the original U.K. MONO masters! Ten Years After’s eponymous debut hit the door with a loud thud. Undeadcracked it. And with 1969’s Stonedhenge, they knocked it down with authority, stormed the palace and showed the world that they were indeed a major act. Stonedhenge was where Ten Years After really came into their own with originals. “Hear Me Calling” is brilliant modern blues on par with the best of early Fleetwood Mac, rising from a restrained beginning to all-out rocking before repeating the cycle one last time. “Going to Try” explores similar territory, even venturing into a Middle-Eastern inspired section underscored by randomized percussion overdubs and Chick Churchill’s psychedelic organ. “Woman Trouble” is stirring jazzy blues, and on “No Title,” the band really cuts loose — kicking off with a standard blues lament before unleashing a series of solos that are almost songs unto themselves: Alvin Lee’s power-chord solo making way for Churchill’s spooky organ making way for a badass jam between drummer Ric Lee and bassist Leo Lyons. The band was running like a freight train — and in fact, train noises grace the beginning of album finale “Speed Kills,” a bluesy boogie that pushes the meter straight into the red before the thrill-ride literally comes to a screeching halt. But not before the album fully displays the band’s world-class musicianship and songwriting, which made Stonedhenge a hit in the UK and gave Ten Years After their first-ever Billboard Top 100 entry, at a respectable #61 in April 1969. In turn, it paved the way for the band’s acclaimed performance at Woodstock, which ensured regular placement on the album charts for years to come. For now, dig the first vinyl reissue of the ultra-rare mono mix of Stonedhenge, housed in its original gatefold cover artwork and meticulously mastered for the most discerning listener. Now Sundazed proudly presents the searing guitar of Alvin Lee & Chick Churchill’s haunting organ textures as they were meant to be heard, from the original U.K. MONO masters and pressed on premium RTI vinyl!