Vinyl: TEN YEARS AFTER Recorded Live 2-LPs 1st UK PRESS 1973 MINT UNPLAYED

I can't keep from crying sometimes, I can't keep from crying sometimes, Oh momma, she's dead and gone, And I know I'm all alone, I can't keep from crying sometimes. Early in the morning, About the break of day, I fall down on my knees, I fall down and I pray, I think about my woman, My woman who's long gone. I can't keep from crying sometimes, I can't keep from crying sometimes, Oh momma she's dead and gone, And I know I'm all alone, I can't keep from crying sometimes. Later in the evening, I watch the sun go down, I think about my woman, But my woman, lord, she ain't around, My heart is filled with sadness, And my eyes are filled with tears. I can't keep from crying sometimes, I can't keep from crying sometimes, Oh momma she's dead and gone, And I know I'm all alone, I can't keep from crying sometimes.

TEN YEARS AFTER: "Recorded Live" LP. VERY FIRST UK PRESSING, 21st JULY, 1973. AND TEXTURED GREEN CHRYSALIS LABEL: CTY 1049. MAITRIX FOR BOTH RECORDS: RECORD 1: CHRD 109 1 A - 2 U / CHR 109 1 B - 2 U. RECORD 2: CHRD 109 2 A - 2 U / CHR 109 2 B - 2 U. In mid-1973 EMI were still using '2 U' endings for very first pressings, often double albums have a mixture with increased digits but this pair of records have that on all four sides. CONTRACTUALLY PRESSED BY EMI, THE STAMPING CODES; RECORD 1: M 1 / P 1 RECORD 2: T 1 / A 1 THE RUN-OUT GROOVES ALSO HAVE SCRIBED, 'Norml SI' ON RECORD 1 & 'Pete' ON RECORD 2 The above indexing shows this is the very first pressing made, amazingly all four sides were pressed from first mothers, which is indicated by the '1' digits. Not only that, all four sides have single letters and that places this double album right at the beginning of the manufacturing. ORIGINAL 1973 EMI / CHRYSALIS INNER SLEEVES, UNSPLIT WITH ONLY RECORD IMPRESSIONS AND A FEW RELATED LIGHT CREASES, HARDLY EVEN ANY AGEING, IN NEAR MINT CONDITION. FIRST ISSUE 'Robor' PRINTED GATEFOLD COVER, BEING MATT AND UNLAMINATED WITH TWO HEAVYWEIGHT RECORDS INSIDE, THEY WORE POORLY AND FOR THIS TO BE IN NEAR MINT CONDITION, IS DOWN TO SUCH PERFECT STORAGE OVER THE LAST 41 YEARS, BUT EVEN MORE SO BECAUSE IT WAS UNUSED. IN OUTSTANDING CONDITION, THERE IS NO WEAR AND THE ONLY THING TO MENTION IS NATURALLY FORMED IMPRESSION'S FROM THE HEAVY RECORDS AND THE MERST STANDING PRESSURE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNERS. THE 'NEAR' OF THE 'NEAR MINT' GRADING EASILY COVERS THAT. THE RECORD HAS IMMACULATE LABELS, BEING TEXTURED THEY SHOW THE SLIGHTEST SPINDLE CONTACT AND THERE ARE NONE. TYPICAL OF EMI'S PRESSING PLANT, THE REMOVAL OF THE CENTRE HOLES LEFT RADIATING LINES ON THE PAPER, EXACTLY AS I WRITE FOR 60's LABEL CENTRES. THE GLEAMING VINYL IS LIKE AS BRAND NEW AND HAS NEVER BEEN ON A TURNTABLE, BOTH RECORDS ARE IN TOTALLY UNMARKED, UNPLAYED, MINT CONDITION.

SIDE 1 "One Of These Days" "You Give Me Loving" "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" (Sonny Boy Williamson) SIDE 2 "Hobbit" (Ric Lee) "Help Me" (Williamson Bass) SIDE 3 "Classical Thing" "Scat Thing" "I Can't Keep From Cryin', Sometimes" (Part 1) (Al Kooper) "Extension On One Chord" (Ten years After) "I Can't Keep From Cryin', Sometimes" (part 2) (Al Kooper) SIDE 4 "Silly Thing" "Slow Blues In 'C' "I'm Going Home" "Choo Choo Mama" Alvin Lee - guitar & vocals Leo Lyons - bass Chick Churchill - organ & piano Ric Lee- drums All Tracks Written By Alvin Lee Except Where Credited. Recorded Live In 1973, With The Rolling Stones Mobile, In Frankfurt, Rotterdam, Amsterdam & Paris. Recorded By Sound Engineer, Chris Kimsey. Produced By Ten Years After.

DIRECTLY FROM THE BACK COVER: "This album is a truthful recording of Ten Years After with no overdubs or additives. What you hear is what happened on the night. Recorded over four nights in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Frankfurt and Paris with the Rolling Stones' mobile recording truck and later mixed from sixteen track to stereo at Olympic Studios in London." "In answer to the inferior live recordings sold illegally: this is the official Ten Years After bootleg."

There you have the massive influence of live bootlegs in the early 1970's, 'inferior sound' maybe, but those illegal records had such an effect on the music industry, fans were finally able to buy official live concerts. Live versions of studio tracks were often extended and when you had the dazzling musicianship of a band like Ten Years After, the live performances generally blew away the studio versions. This official TYA 'bootleg' LP was compiled from their European tour, the band carefully selected the most potent performances from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, the stunning sound quality of live recordings rank among the finest ever released, absolutely incredible versions were available in....stunning stereo sound! If not for bootlegs we would not have other key live albums from this very special early 1970's period, we will all have our favourites, here are a few live albums I feel this amazing double LP, "Recorded Live" belongs with, in no particular order of merit or recording dates; Jimi Hendrix - "Hendrix In The West" & "Rainbow Bridge" Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels - "Live 1973" Free - "Free Live" The Who - "Live At Leeds" Deep Purple - "Made In Japan" Rolling Stones - "Get Your Ya-Ya's Out" Humble Pie - "Performance - Rockin' The Fillmore" Family - "Anyway" (Side 1) Uriah Heep - "Uriah Heep Live" John Lennon - "Live In New York City" Paul Simon - "Paul Simon In Concert ~ Live Rhymin" Traffic - "Welcome To The Canteen" Led Zeppelin - "The Song Remains The Same" Derek & The Dominos - "In Concert" Eric Clapton - "Rainbow Concert" & "EC Was Here" Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Four Way Street" Neil Young - "Time Fades Away" There are plenty more, with TYA's "Recorded Live," those titles alone would form the cornerstone of any collection of essential rock records, I have deliberately steered clear of festival related live albums, because they featured huge bills with top artists. There are also stunning live folk albums and of course I concentrated only on the first few years of the 1970's decade. Maybe an unusual approach to an ebay listing, but my descriptions are not formulated or copy and pasted from websites. Why not have a general look at live LP's, after just hearing the sensational music on "Recorded Live," it does wet the appetite! Plus I have been waiting four years to produce another true Mint "Recorded Live," the only original Ten Years After album I have only listed once on ebay, in spite of listing several copies of their late 60's LP's and every one made until they broke up. The reason is, I only sell TYA LP's in Near Mint / Mint, only a few still are now, but low sales affected availability of "Recorded Live," when issued it struggled to reach No.36 in July,1973, spending a mere fourteen days in the UK charts. The saddest part of this was the poor sales were about to bring about the end of this truly magnificent band, by the next year TYA had gone their separate ways. I have regularly given full details about their final studio album, while describing Mint first pressings of "Positive Vibrations," how that superb LP failed to sell enough copies to even make a chart entry in 1974. Rather than that negative ending, I thought it better to have some fun here with live album discussions, as I would rather relate how Ten Years After were at the peak of their powers on stage, when this 1973 tour was thankfully recorded for posterity. Their 1968 "Undead" second album was live but in a tiny blues club, those mouthwatering titles I just typed were performed in Europe's finest venues and this was not a band trying to establish themselves in 1968, but just about the finest ever rock/blues band playing out of their skins! Yes, we had Woodstock's performance in 1969 but 4 more years of continuous touring had honed TYA to a razor sharp edge, a double album containing that was almost too much to ask for while they were together, but Chrysalis did release this definitive live set with many of the songs contemporary to their recent studio albums, the previous one was the sublime "Rock & Roll Music To The World." CD's often take albums like this and add wonderful bonus tracks unheard in decades, but they also rip live albums like this to shreds! The classic example was how the original vinyl double album, "The Free Story" originally offered a previously unheard, stunning live version of "Heartbreaker", utter disregard for fans saw the CD leaving that exclusive track off to fit onto the CD, surely they could have chopped a readily available studio track ,if 'chopping' anything was going to happen anyway. One of the most fantastic tracks on this "Recorded Live" is an absolutely awesome, 16:24 minute live and unique version of a track from TYA's 1967, debut Deram LP, "I Can't Keep From Cryin', Sometimes." Presented live on stage in two parts, with a non studio track performed between the two sections of Al Kooper's composition, "Extension On One Chord" was credited to Alvin, Ric, Chick and Leo. Most CD versions of this album performance, cut or edited out chunks of this sensational version, then just to rub salt in the wound of those who knew and loved the original double vinyl, they completely left "Hobbit"off the CD! I am not into the latest CD versions so perhaps that has been put right by now....but I doubt it! In fact, another reason I waited so long for a Mint first pressing of "Recorded Live", no CD ever issued could touch the staggering analogue sound quality mastered and pressed by EMI in 1973. I must admit I should really have left this unplayed but on the flimsiest excuse, I played all four sides with the greatest possible care. The sound on every second was very powerful and crystal clear, so it should, the records might as well be Test Pressings or a Demo because EMI's stamping codes of ''M 1 / P 1 / T 1 / A 1" are so low, they were pressed from the same first mothers as the Test Pressings! I sat transfixed and numbed by the sound, hearing the sensational performances again, I made comparisons to other early 1970's rock albums just now, but the solid truth is, the nearest equivalent to "Recorded Live" is Cream's live album on the 1968 double set, "Wheels Of Fire." I hold that live Cream album in awe and have done since 1968 but with tracks like "Hobbit," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", "I'm Going Home", "Help Me," and of course, "I Can't Keep From Cryin', Sometimes", the Cream comparison is no exaggeration, during "I Can't Keep From Cryin'," Alvin slips into riffs from two Cream classics, "Cat's Squirrel" and even "Sunshine Of Your Love." The stunning force of Leo's bass, Ric's drums and Chick's keyboard's are a major experience and with Alvin's guitar, Cream are indeed the only possible comparison. Just check "Help Me" for how TYA take that basic blues riff from Booker T & The MG's "Green Onions" and develop the greatest ever r&b riff into music from the heavens! I am a great fan of Steve Cropper and Donald Dunn's bass on those amazing Otis Redding records, but when this quartet lock horns on that riff and Alvin's guitar soars, Ten Years After stand comparison with the greatest ever r&b and blues/rock musicians our tiny country ever produced, more than that, the world has ever produced. I am writing this after hearing four sides from a Mint first pressing but I am hardly a new convert. I have loved and revered "Recorded Live" for these last 41 years and this is not just about TYA performing blues classics like "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" off the great "Ssssh," because Side 1 starts with an unbelievable performance of "One Of These Days." I dearly love the studio version on "A Space in Time," but this live versions takes the track into a different dimension of furious energy and simply electrifying musicianship, this was the band at the very peak and what a version of "You Give Me Loving" ! If you know the "Rock And Roll Music To The World"album well, "You Give Me Loving" takes on a while new lease of life, that had superb sound quality when I listened to the set before. I knew I could not describe all four sides track by track, even now I am writing volumes after the impact of hearing the music and sound... during it? No chance! All four sides are gleaming like brand new Mint records alone can, without any handling or playing traces at all, incidentally, for anyone new to vinyl, or anyone fully experienced who has developed unhealthy habits, you should always hold records on the labels and never on the actual playing surfaces. The factory workers were supposed to wear thin gloves but unless a supervisor was around, human nature meant hands were not covered, most records were bought brand new with handling tracers and even fingernail scratches. This pair of records have nothing of that nature and I had no reason to add my usual piece about factory handling, but I thought I would expand on that while trying to convey the staggering tracks and sound quality. The same advice digital media alike. I was leading up to saying about these unplayed records, a single play of all four sides earlier is totally undetectable. At least I could confirm how perfectly pressed they were and how stunning the sound quality is, but a perk of my job is finding and hearing ultimate looking and sounding records. Take that away from me and the incentive to locate such perfect first pressings drains away without occaisionally hearing records as sensational as this pair certainly are! I will not replay them and I must also comment, for the first play through I expected to find some minor surface sound, but there was virtually none, any low level static is exactly as the vinyl came with in 1973, next to nothing! However loud the music gets and it does hit tremendous power on so many trackes, the sound remained ultra clear and distorted, even when the pumping bass joined in the few minutes of "Peter Gunn" during an improvisation on the spellbinding epic , "I Can't Keep From Cryin'", that track takes you through blues, rock, progressive, psychedelic and even jazz music, finishing with a creeping slow blues piece, that leaves you drained when it suddenly accelerates and explodes with some of heaviest music TYA ever performed! Even then you have only just finished Side 3 and waiting to completely blow you away all over again, first the acoustic blues of "Silly Thing" acts to instill a feeling of calm, the loose yelps from Alvin soon take the proceedings into late night blues of the seven & a half minutes of the incredible "Slow Blues In 'C'. The soothing sounds are similar to Peter green's Fleetwod Mac and Alvin's guitar and vocals really do smoulder, catch fire and burn! Almost Clapton like by the middle, but when it ends you now need to prepare yourself for the most staggering listening experience on the entire album. Yes, it has to be "I'm Going Home" and this nine and a half minutes version is without any question, Ten years After at their most inspired, the 4 th side was not edited and you hear the night in Frankfurt exactly as it unfolded, just like the sleeve notes promised you would! Acoustic blues, then late night electric blues and from the second Alvin announces, "I'm Going Home", the audience's gasp of expectation is met with red hot seering rock music and the band are simply amazing! All the nods towards Van Morrison's "Baby Please Dom't Go" are delivered with an intensity of a band who should have stayed together, to me it was a tragedy when they broke up in the following year, after that near ten minutes of glorious music, there is still the freight train train rhythm of "Choo Choo Mama" waiting to rock the audience and the listener to the record, into a state of ecstasy! If anyone reading this has never heard a Ten Years After studio album before, I heartily recommend becoming acquainted with the band by hearing all four sides of "Recorded Live", you will be hooked for life! {Roy}

R & M RECORDS. My lifetime's love of music and records began at a very young age, the arrival of the Beatles and the 1960's decade in general had a very profound effect. It was only natural to bring all my first hand experience of collecting vinyl into becoming a professional record seller. Over twenty years ago now we entered into the wonderful atmosphere of record fairs with the highest possible standards set. When the Internet became the world's new market place for vinyl, in 2001 it was time to join ebay. Those standards were rigidly adhered to as they will always continue to be, the basics of honesty and integrity were very much part of the era the music I love originated in, so here is our friendly and very efficient service we are proud to provide; EVERY RECORD IS FULLY PLAYED AND COMES WITH A 'NO ARGUMENT' MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. I USE GOOD OLD COMMON SENSE AS WELL AS A GLOBALLY ACCEPTED GRADING TERMINOLOGY FROM THE U.K. "RECORD COLLECTOR PRICE GUIDE" BOOK. THERE IT CLEARLY STATES "Sound Quality" AFFECTS EVERY GRADING LEVEL AND THAT IS THE ONE AND ONLY POSSIBLE WAY TO ACCURATELY GRADE RECORDS. i.e. COMBINING A STRICT VISUAL INSPECTION WITH VERY CLOSELY LISTENING TO EVERY SECOND, UNLESS PERHAPS IN THE CASE OF GENUINELY UNPLAYED VINYL. EVEN THEN WE STILL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR A RECORD WHEN A CUSTOMER RECEIVES EITHER A SEALED OR AN UNPLAYED RECORD. MY DESCRIPTIONS WILL ALWAYS BE 100% HONEST AND TOTALLY ACCURATE ON ALL GRADINGS FROM 'V.G.' ( VERY GOOD), TO THE ULTIMATE 'MINT' CONDITION. ANY QUESTIONS ON OUR ITEMS ARE WELCOMED AND WILL BE PROMPTLY REPLIED TO. WE ARE FULLY EXPERIENCED AT SHIPPING WORLDWIDE AND NO EFFORT IS SPARED TO PROTECT RECORDS AND COVERS ETC. WE WELCOME BIDDERS FROM ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. ALL RECORDS ARE REMOVED FROM THEIR SLEEVES AND PLACED INTO NEW PROTECTIVE CARD SLEEVES AND THEN PLACED INTO NEW, HEAVYWEIGHT PLASTIC OUTER SLEEVES. THE GREATEST ATTENTION IS PAID TO MAKING THE PACKAGING EXTREMELY STRONG & SECURE. EVERY POSSIBLE EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE A SAFE DELIVERY AND WE ONLY USE THE VERY BEST QUALITY PACKAGING MATERIALS, THE COST OF THE ITEM IS IMMATERIAL, EVERY RECORD IS TREATED EXACTLY THE SAME. WE DO NOT TREAT POSTAGE AS A MONEY MAKING PROJECT, POSTAGE IS LESS THAN COST, USING ONLY PROFESSIONALLY PACKED BOXES WITH SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTIVE PACKAGING THAT DOES WEIGH A LITTLE EXTRA. UNDER PAYPAL & EBAY'S GUIDELINES, ALL RECORDS WILL BE SENT VIA A FULLY INSURED TRACKABLE SERVICE. We have kept all our charges at the same level for years now, but due to the Post Office's new price increases, regretfully we will have to increase the cost of LP's, however, singles will remain unchanged. Ebay were aware of that happening and have increased their minimum postal cost for LP's to £7.00, that figure has been enforced by the UK Post Office and it will become our UK First Class, Recorded Delivery cost for albums up to the value of £46. For LP's valued above £46, the cost will be £9, we are unhappy about either increase but our high standard of packaging has meant in 12 years of ebay trading, there has not been one record damaged, we are determined to maintain that in the present and future. IN THE UK RECORDS UP TO THE VALUE OF £46 WILL BE SENT RECORDED DELIVERY, OVER £46 WILL BE SENT SPECIAL DELIVERY. FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD ALL RECORDS WILL BE SENT VIA 'INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR.'

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