Alvin Lee
Guitarist Lee is perhaps best and most fondly remembered for his kinetic performance of Goin' Home at Woodstock when his band was called Ten Years After. Back then, his speed and fluidity were nothing short of supernatural. The group's range was limited, though, and it foundered in the mid-'70s. Lee has since tried several solo albums with various combos. This one recaptures the dizzying incandescence found only on the very finest albums of pure rock. Part of the reason is that in Tom Compton (drums) and Mickey Feat (bass) Lee has a thunderous and still crisply disciplined rhythm section, which confines his breakneck assaults but also intensifies them. Second guitarist Steve Gould, Feat and Lee have written some terrific material. The album opens with Gould's explosive Hang On and that's exactly what's required. The power chords and lightning runs seem to uncoil from Lee's smoking ax. British-born Lee's vocals are raunchy and rough on Tina Turner's Nutbush City Limits. Every song is a unique, unadorned rock statement. Lee, 37, is home again 12 years after Woodstock.
Your Reaction
