Absolutely an awesome musician and frontman straight from central casting. Forever one of my very favorite rock personalities ever, with a great voice and musicianship. One of the greatest guitar supermen ever...
Alvin Lee is a treasure. This video shows a great insight of his personality. I love his attitude. He loves to play guitar and he doesn't seem to be caught up with the rock star attitude. One of the greatest rock guitarists of all time - very few guitarists played at his level - especially at live performances.
I saw Alvin LEE in Toronto in the eightees at theELmocambo he was on fire.After the show he walked past our table,i said something like you're the greatest he looked at me but kept walking,then he stopped came back and shoock my hand.To a lot of people it might not seem like a big thing ,but for me it was like i just shook hands with a legend.
A proper handshake means a lot. And Alvin Lee taking the time to walk back to you and shake hands was mighty special indeed. 👌 Btw, Leo Lyons, the bass player with Ten Years After gives a very affable interview in 2020 you can find here on TH-cam. Awesome dude just like the late great Alvin Lee!
What a down-to-Earth guy. Fantastic musician. I’ve been listening to Alvin’s "The Bluest Blues" since discovering it again for a couple of months. Such a great blues song. The very special slide guitar playing by George Harrison just before Alvin’s truly magnificent lead guitar break… So special. It just builds and builds! Incredible, really. Search it out on YT and give it a good listen.
Alvin is still "NUMBER 1" man. He is one of a top 5 in the world. He also is a hard rock pioneer with a unique sound. The songs he put together are phenomenal unmatched by no one! I am a long time fan. Ten Years After SSsh the way it begins IS the animal of TYA.There is no harder rock than Alvin Lee & Ten Years After..I've been a drummer all my life. Learnin lead now..AC
Alvin did the best live performance in the history of rock and roll at Woodstock. "Goin' Home" was a masterpiece of control of the vibes at the festival. He took everyone for a ride (and many people didn't even pay) and made the festival memorable to say the least. I think the second greatest performance was Santana. They were nobodies when they got there but soon everyone knew who they were. "Soul Sacrifice" is pure gold live at Woodstock.
Stonedhenge, Shssss and Cricklewood Green are MONSTERS! I too listened to these while smoking, drinking and tripping. Rock, Blues and some Jazz in a psychedelic package. RIP Alvin Lee.
Thanks for this interview! It's so inspiring to see Alvin is such a genuine guy and devoid of any of the self-absorbed rockstar bullshit attitudes you see so often. Along with Gallagher, Trower, Green and many others this guy is just great at what he does and his attitude alone should serve as an inspiration to all guitarists, regardless of genres.
Thraak Photography lol, you named all my favorite guitarists. I place Rory at #1, I loved Alvin Lee & saw both him, Rory and Robin. Rory was always a 3 hour treat. Both gone too soon, especially Rory. Heaven must be awesome. Peter Green was no slouch either.
The greatest guitarist that no one ever talks about of the entire, what came to be known later as the classic rock era. Alvin Lee could do special things with a guitar, and he did them without the use of foot pedals, wah-wah bars, fuzz boxes, or any of the other gimmicks of the day. His finger speed on a fret board was incredible, at times boarding on unbelievable. His speed was why Alvin carried the same three nicknames with him his entire career, I.E., Captain Speedfingers, Fastest Guitar In The West, and my personal favorite, The Man Who Played Faster Than His Shadow. Those names payed homage to how finger fast Alvin actually was. Legend has it that Alvin once fingered a groupie so fast backstage that she exploded! Maybe that's where Captain Speedfingers comes in? LOL.
Thanks for the inspiration Alvin. I'll never be as good of a guitar player as you were but I will always be grateful. Rest in peace bro. I'll see you later.
I saw Ten Years in 1974 (I think it was my 2nd concert ever) and 1975, Ten Years Later in 1977 and Alvin solo a couple of times in the 80's. Fantastic shows every time. He and Johnny Winter were my first big inspirations when I started playing guitar, I started not long after that 1974 show.
I had the pleasure of being Alvin's guitar tech for the RX5 US tour. I had so many fun times with Alvin,Tom Compton, Fuzzy Samuel, Mick Taylor, Steve Gould and the long time roadie's- Andy and John. What a picker Alvin Lee will always be in my memories. The Florida Plow-hand!!!
I got the pleasure of getting to know Alvin.....after a show with him and Compton and Fuzzy...….that was a magical combination....getting Fuzzy rockin' and it just flowed. Alvin had me laughing that night....and in this video he uses the phrase "go for it"....and that was a phrase we were using that night when I met him......so when I heard that from his lips in this video....I was laughing He invited me to go over to London to play the Marquee Club.....I should have took him up on that.....I was truly honored. Truly a really nice guy.....its a shame he passed away early.
Had a chance to see TYA in March of 1970 when I returned from overseas in Portchester, N.Y. Alvin Lee one of the greatest Guitar players of all time although he really never got the acclaim he deserved. R.I.P. ALVIN LEE andthanks for the great music
There is a reason he didn't get the acclaim. He somehow lacked soul. Compare him to a contemporary like Peter Green, who was all soul and feeling and you will understand what I mean. He was more of rock guitar player and lacked that transcendental quality you want to experience.
@@peterhendriks4736 You don't know anything about Alvin Lee if accuse him of lack of soul and compare him with Peter Green (which is btw one of my favorite musician).Alvin Lee was an innovator. In the studio or in concerts he was constantly experimenting with sound of his guitar. Among musician Alvin Lee is appreciated for his outstanding influence on development of the rock guitar sound as well as revival of blues. Alvin Lee's guitar playing was incredibly fluid equally in rock,blues,blues rock and jazz-blues . He could play guitar with a drum stick in "Help me baby" with breath taking virtuosity.. He also wrote great songs and was a great singer as well. In Ten Years After song "Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes" Alvin Lee is absolutely brilliant and shows his outstanding skills. He mimics famous guitar licks, running throughout the whole neck with jazz chords, experimental feedback and finger tapping techniques .At some point of the song Alvin Lee could detune so low while playing a dramatic scale and then come back in tune with the band at ease. Alvin Lee's "Bluest Blues" is one of the best blues ever composed and his soloing is just phenomenal. Jimmy page rated him as one of the best guitarist ever. Slash called him "the original bad ass". Alvin Lee who is guitar virtuoso never made to "Rolling Stone" list of 100 greatest guitarists and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
@@peterhendriks4736 What Alvin "lacked" in soul, as you say, he made up for in pure talent. And how many guitarists can come up with amazingly awesome licks just off the top of his head? He even said in this interview that he plays "purely by instinct", and "plays from the hip". Few can come up with the amazing licks that Alvin could do on that guitar without even trying. It just came out of him. That is more than just talent, that is a God given gift.
It’s simple a matter of taste. Period . But your dislike must be preventing you from knowing all his work.🧐. As far as I am concerned, his song "I can’t stop" from RX5 is full of soul....and the sólo ...i can’t find the words....I like all the great guitarist, i have been listening music for since I was 8 y o with passion...and this solo and the way the band goes with it is something...M A G I C💫🗯🤎
Remember seeing Alvin Lee and TYA at the Filmore East after Woodstock. Fantastic show and then they went into "I'm coming home" and the place went absolutely nuts....God I miss those times!!! RIP Alvin.
R.I.P. Alvin Lee, truly one of rock's guitar gods. Saw them at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ in 1974 as the opening act for Rod Stewart and Faces and they totally stole the show. What a sad day.
R.I.P Alvin Lee - Thanks for all your inspiration - Live at Klook's Kleek, Woodstock, Shhh, Cricklewood Green, Stonehendge, etc. You will be missed......
They fascinate me these captured moments in time, it's long gone but still here, the people in the street below, some probably long dead. It's kind of like time travel....
Thought very highly of Ten Years After, and some Lee solo stuff. He put down some great songs 1969-1972 ... great player, excellent singer - and they were all good showmen. R.I.P.
Saw him and T.Y.A. every time they came to ATL. back in the day. Never was disappointed always left with a smile and couldn't wait till the next time. Oh by the way at the end of I going home at Woodstock he tossed that 335 to the side to pick up that watermelon they rolled on stage. R.I.P ALVIN LEE you were the best.
Should have received much more respect, fame and $ during his lifetime. You could get great seats however, to his late 70's Ten Years Later gigs. No frills Bass, Drums, and Alvin, Kicked Ass!
I have listened to Ten Years After for 50 dang years, and only today, February 10 2022, did I find out he was British!! I always assumed he was American. I only listen to the music, I don't really get into their personal life.
ALVIN.....when he says...GO FOR IT.....THAT came from me at the LONDON VICTORY CLUB and a personal story hahahahaha in Tampa Florida when I first met Alvin and this is 1988 so NOT A FEW YEARS AFTER hahahaha and we talked when he brought DETROIT DIESEL to America. I was too sick to be in the band then if you can imagine being asked hahahaha and JASMIN'S ART he was so proud of....when he caught up to Pittsburgh....and the THAMES CREW hahahaha. It's a bit difficult to go sideways in a DETROIT DIESEL TOUR BUS....as opposed to a TURBO 944
GO FOR IT....applies to WITH THE RED DRESS ON.....and I can't keep from cryin' sometime.....from something so hysterical in the MOMENT when things....go SIDEWAYS in LIFE hahahaha....One of a KIND
THAT is what a rock and roll guitarist SHOULD BE 100%.......And why I absolutely LOVE dudes like Alvin Lee, Blackmore, Townshend and Hendrix. F#cking improvised and dangerous on stage EVERY night..
Yes, what he says about his style is spot on and why he was such a natural, soulful, creative player- and wrote some great, unforgettable numbers. Top dog and the man who's music has impressed me the most- above, Stanley Clarke, Bartok, Mizlos Rosza, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Colin Hodkinson, Alex Harvey, Stravinsky, and many more- even Chris Youlden from Savoy Brown fame...
When i was a kid at School i first heard Ten Years After on the radio in Concert in 70s and the first thing that stuck in my brain was the present telling the crowd, and here is Mr Alvin Lee and Ten Years After then the intro to Love like a Man. Great to hear his Nottingham accent. RIP Alvin.
His phrasing made it seem like he's going faster than he is. A guy who loved adrenalized playing, like a guy who likes fast cars. The greats like Hendricks and Lee almost seem relaxed while playing incredibly complex stuff. And God, Alvin Lee was cute....🎼💋
I never understood why with all of the skill and talent he possessed why he was never as well known as someone like Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton. I guess he just didn't care about being famous; he just wanted to play! RIP, Alvin.
Ten Years After was my favorite band while growing up. I first heard the machine gun fire that was Alvin Lee and his trusty Gibson when I was about 13 years old and Ten Years After , never let me down....I wore out two Cricklewood Green albums from sheer exhaustion of needle meeting vinyl. . Sure, I really liked and appreciated Jimmy Page, Richie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winters, Leslie West , Stevie Ray Vaugh , ect. ,etc. , all great bands and guitarist but something hit me like a tidel wave when Alvin Lee and Ten Years After started cranking.. I feel the same about Janis Joplin and Patti Smith....its simply a personal thing like music should be.
Yea he was damn fast but the guy knew his comping. He played a lot of chord work you didn't hear in other bands. I impressed that a lot on my son who is a great comping guitarist.
When a friend came back for Woodstock, we all gathered around expecting to hear about Hendrix. Sorry, no luck there, Alvin Lee had blown him away. But we couldn't get much out of him about Lee, either.. He'd just start stuttering, give up, then shake his head. That pretty-much said it all.
dam but he was good......I saw him play in the Filmore East a life-time ago,it was the late show & it was getting light out by the time we walked out the doors.Could it be 52 years ago ? I must be getting O-L-D
We miss Alvin and the lads,,,Alvia and the lads were a bit arrogant , but ,,they delivered ,,every show,,,,we always tried to catch Alvin and the lads when they came to L.A. ,,,simply because we saw them before and they were brilliant,,,my mates and I were guitar players so we were tough critics and had great expectations (Ive heard that before!!!!),,,If you went to a 10 Years show you witnessed a SHOW,,, and Performance ,,,,you got much more than you expected to receive,,, there was no dodging,,,no pussyfooting,,,no sidebar,,,,you saw a great show and performance,,,, we miss Alvin and the lads,,,in my mind you are unsurpassed to this day,,,DD in Los Angeles
Rest In peace ,Alvin - an all time great guitarist - could play Rock, Blues , Jazz -effortlessly and superbly
He was truly special . One of the greats . RIP
Absolutely an awesome musician and frontman straight from central casting. Forever one of my very favorite rock personalities ever, with a great voice and musicianship. One of the greatest guitar supermen ever...
Alvin Lee is a treasure. This video shows a great insight of his personality. I love his attitude. He loves to play guitar and he doesn't seem to be caught up with the rock star attitude. One of the greatest rock guitarists of all time - very few guitarists played at his level - especially at live performances.
One of very few absolutely possessed guitarists. When you can play like he does without even looking at the guitar you are in the club.
Amazing isn't it? One of my favorite bands that are no more...sad really...
I saw Alvin LEE in Toronto in the eightees at theELmocambo he was on fire.After the show he walked past our table,i said something like you're the greatest he looked at me but kept walking,then he stopped came back and shoock my hand.To a lot of people it might not seem like a big thing ,but for me it was like i just shook hands with a legend.
You did, S. Stay free. R 😎
I'm so jealous!💋
It was one your dreams,,,,, probably,,,,,
A proper handshake means a lot. And Alvin Lee taking the time to walk back to you and shake hands was mighty special indeed. 👌
Btw, Leo Lyons, the bass player with Ten Years After gives a very affable interview in 2020 you can find here on TH-cam. Awesome dude just like the late great Alvin Lee!
That is why Alvin Lee is my favorite guitar player! Just go for it!
What a down-to-Earth guy. Fantastic musician. I’ve been listening to Alvin’s "The Bluest Blues" since discovering it again for a couple of months. Such a great blues song. The very special slide guitar playing by George Harrison just before Alvin’s truly magnificent lead guitar break… So special. It just builds and builds! Incredible, really. Search it out on YT and give it a good listen.
Alvin is still "NUMBER 1" man. He is one of a top 5 in the world. He also is a hard rock pioneer with a unique sound. The songs he put together are phenomenal unmatched by no one! I am a long time fan. Ten Years After SSsh the way it begins IS the animal of TYA.There is no harder rock than Alvin Lee & Ten Years After..I've been a drummer all my life. Learnin lead now..AC
My sentiment, entirely!
Alvin did the best live performance in the history of rock and roll at Woodstock. "Goin' Home" was a masterpiece of control of the vibes at the festival. He took everyone for a ride (and many people didn't even pay) and made the festival memorable to say the least. I think the second greatest performance was Santana. They were nobodies when they got there but soon everyone knew who they were. "Soul Sacrifice" is pure gold live at Woodstock.
si je puis me permettre , on ne peut pas omettre la performance de joe cocker "with a little help for my friends "
Alvin is the One and only guitar Hero/God for me.no One can beat him.R.I.P.
One of the all time greats. Truly under rated guitarist.
Stonedhenge, Shssss and Cricklewood Green are MONSTERS! I too listened to these while smoking, drinking and tripping. Rock, Blues and some Jazz in a psychedelic package. RIP Alvin Lee.
Thanks for this interview! It's so inspiring to see Alvin is such a genuine guy and devoid of any of the self-absorbed rockstar bullshit attitudes you see so often. Along with Gallagher, Trower, Green and many others this guy is just great at what he does and his attitude alone should serve as an inspiration to all guitarists, regardless of genres.
Thraak Photography lol, you named all my favorite guitarists. I place Rory at #1, I loved Alvin Lee & saw both him, Rory and Robin. Rory was always a 3 hour treat. Both gone too soon, especially Rory. Heaven must be awesome. Peter Green was no slouch either.
Add another person, Roy Buchanan
Fantastic guitarist - what a rare interview - thanks for sharing !!
RIP Alvin. One of the great guitarist.
The greatest guitarist that no one ever talks about of the entire, what came to be known later as the classic rock era. Alvin Lee could do special things with a guitar, and he did them without the use of foot pedals, wah-wah bars, fuzz boxes, or any of the other gimmicks of the day. His finger speed on a fret board was incredible, at times boarding on unbelievable. His speed was why Alvin carried the same three nicknames with him his entire career, I.E., Captain Speedfingers, Fastest Guitar In The West, and my personal favorite, The Man Who Played Faster Than His Shadow. Those names payed homage to how finger fast Alvin actually was. Legend has it that Alvin once fingered a groupie so fast backstage that she exploded! Maybe that's where Captain Speedfingers comes in? LOL.
Poor Girl ... SHhhhhsss
R.I.P 😎
Oh yes he was fast. Incredible to see live. Love mr. Alvin Lee.
RIP Alvin you were the greatest ever on my list & Rory was second. Thanks for both of you for making my life loving blues rock!
Thanks for the inspiration Alvin. I'll never be as good of a guitar player as you were but I will always be grateful. Rest in peace bro. I'll see you later.
I saw Ten Years in 1974 (I think it was my 2nd concert ever) and 1975, Ten Years Later in 1977 and Alvin solo a couple of times in the 80's. Fantastic shows every time. He and Johnny Winter were my first big inspirations when I started playing guitar, I started not long after that 1974 show.
"Guitars are shaped like women, but they behave better" -Alvin Lee
Pulcinella Hornsby Chris Kristoferson said Guitar like woman in Movie ,Head of Alfredo
Quote of the century
And....They both have "G" strings.....
@@newspapertaxis1 Hilarious!
Didn't care for this sexist remark.
I had the pleasure of being Alvin's guitar tech for the RX5 US tour. I had so many fun times with Alvin,Tom Compton, Fuzzy Samuel, Mick Taylor, Steve Gould and the long time roadie's- Andy and John. What a picker Alvin Lee will always be in my memories. The Florida Plow-hand!!!
He seemed a really nice guy as well.
I got the pleasure of getting to know Alvin.....after a show with him and Compton and Fuzzy...….that was a magical combination....getting Fuzzy rockin' and it just flowed. Alvin had me laughing that night....and in this video he uses the phrase "go for it"....and that was a phrase we were using that night when I met him......so when I heard that from his lips in this video....I was laughing He invited me to go over to London to play the Marquee Club.....I should have took him up on that.....I was truly honored. Truly a really nice guy.....its a shame he passed away early.
RX5 is a memorable álbum. For me, the best he ever did, both in tya and alone.
Long before stevie ray and long after jimi alvin was rockin the world.
R.i.p.
Aint nuthin shakin but the leaves on the trees compared to you mate.
One of the true rockers! So skilled and talented.
Alvin rocks, I will miss him. I can't keep from cry in. RIP
I saw TYA 4 times in the 70s. Fantastic !
what a genius he was
RIP ALVIN You we're a BADASS.....THE BEST!!!!! Cyndy in Alabama.
A true legend. RIP.
Had a chance to see TYA in March of 1970 when I returned from overseas in Portchester, N.Y. Alvin Lee one of the greatest Guitar players of all time although he really never got the acclaim he deserved. R.I.P. ALVIN LEE andthanks for the great music
There is a reason he didn't get the acclaim. He somehow lacked soul. Compare him to a contemporary like Peter Green, who was all soul and feeling and you will understand what I mean. He was more of rock guitar player and lacked that transcendental quality you want to experience.
@@peterhendriks4736 You don't know anything about Alvin Lee if accuse him of lack of soul and compare him with Peter Green (which is btw one of my favorite musician).Alvin Lee was an innovator. In the studio or in concerts he was constantly experimenting with sound of his guitar. Among musician Alvin Lee is appreciated for his outstanding influence on development of the rock guitar sound as well as revival of blues. Alvin Lee's guitar playing was incredibly fluid equally in rock,blues,blues rock and jazz-blues . He could play guitar with a drum stick in "Help me baby" with breath taking virtuosity..
He also wrote great songs and was a great singer as well. In Ten Years After song "Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes" Alvin Lee is absolutely brilliant and shows his outstanding skills. He mimics famous guitar licks, running throughout the whole neck with jazz chords, experimental feedback and finger tapping techniques .At some point of the song Alvin Lee could detune so low while playing a dramatic scale and then come back in tune with the band at ease. Alvin Lee's "Bluest Blues" is one of the best blues ever composed and his soloing is just phenomenal.
Jimmy page rated him as one of the best guitarist ever.
Slash called him "the original bad ass".
Alvin Lee who is guitar virtuoso never made to "Rolling Stone" list of 100 greatest guitarists and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
@@peterhendriks4736 What Alvin "lacked" in soul, as you say, he made up for in pure talent. And how many guitarists can come up with amazingly awesome licks just off the top of his head? He even said in this interview that he plays "purely by instinct", and "plays from the hip". Few can come up with the amazing licks that Alvin could do on that guitar without even trying. It just came out of him. That is more than just talent, that is a God given gift.
It’s simple a matter of taste. Period . But your dislike must be preventing you from knowing all his work.🧐. As far as I am concerned, his song "I can’t stop" from RX5 is full of soul....and the sólo ...i can’t find the words....I like all the great guitarist, i have been listening music for since I was 8 y o with passion...and this solo and the way the band goes with it is something...M A G I C💫🗯🤎
Great!!! Thanks so much for posting this. Absolulely wonderful!!!
Remember seeing Alvin Lee and TYA at the Filmore East after
Woodstock. Fantastic show and then they went into "I'm
coming home" and the place went absolutely nuts....God I
miss those times!!! RIP Alvin.
Saw him twice in 1970 in Sunderland and Newcastle with Ten Years After.
He was amazing.
R.I.P. Alvin Lee, truly one of rock's guitar gods. Saw them at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ in 1974 as the opening act for Rod Stewart and Faces and they totally stole the show. What a sad day.
Glad I caught this...man is 100% right on every point!
Nice interview, never saw this stuff, great post...
My teacher visiting us brought me back ten years after record n man l was lost in it.RIPeace bro.allways be remembered.
Special player! "Going Home" - Woodstock is etched in my brain...forever.
Legend,loved 10 years after
.R.I.P. Alvin Lee
"I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes..." farewell, Alvin/Graham, your music endures forever.
R.I.P Alvin Lee - Thanks for all your inspiration - Live at Klook's Kleek, Woodstock, Shhh, Cricklewood Green, Stonehendge, etc. You will be missed......
You will never be as cool as Alvin Lee, no matter how hard you try... ;)
It was a dream come true when I met you in the mid 80's . Your music will resonate with me till the end of my day's. R.I.P. Brother !!
Great interview, thanks!
I'm a long time fan, but I didn't know about this one...
They fascinate me these captured moments in time, it's long gone but still here, the people in the street below, some probably long dead. It's kind of like time travel....
Thought very highly of Ten Years After, and some Lee solo stuff. He put down some great songs 1969-1972 ... great player, excellent singer - and they were all good showmen. R.I.P.
"Guitars are shaped like women but they behave better." Alvin Lee. Thanks for the decades of great music and times.
And coca cola bottle
Saw him and T.Y.A. every time they came to ATL. back in the day. Never was disappointed always left with a smile and couldn't wait till the next time. Oh by the way at the end of I going home at Woodstock he tossed that 335 to the side to pick up that watermelon they rolled on stage. R.I.P ALVIN LEE you were the best.
R.I.P. Alvin gives a whole new meaning to I'm Going Home.
I am going home to listen to Alvin Lee.
Should have received much more respect, fame and $ during his lifetime. You could get great seats however, to his late 70's Ten Years Later gigs. No frills Bass, Drums, and Alvin, Kicked Ass!
One of my favs he was brilliant RIP your talent will echo an eternity
I have listened to Ten Years After for 50 dang years, and only today, February 10 2022, did I find out he was British!! I always assumed he was American. I only listen to the music, I don't really get into their personal life.
ALVIN.....when he says...GO FOR IT.....THAT came from me at the LONDON VICTORY CLUB and a personal story hahahahaha in Tampa Florida when I first met Alvin and this is 1988 so NOT A FEW YEARS AFTER hahahaha and we talked when he brought DETROIT DIESEL to America. I was too sick to be in the band then if you can imagine being asked hahahaha and JASMIN'S ART he was so proud of....when he caught up to Pittsburgh....and the THAMES CREW hahahaha. It's a bit difficult to go sideways in a DETROIT DIESEL TOUR BUS....as opposed to a TURBO 944
GO FOR IT....applies to WITH THE RED DRESS ON.....and I can't keep from cryin' sometime.....from something so hysterical in the MOMENT when things....go SIDEWAYS in LIFE hahahaha....One of a KIND
I really wish I had caught an Alvin Lee Ten Years show with the Greatful Dead at the Filmore. Bill Graham really knew how to pick 'em.
THAT is what a rock and roll guitarist SHOULD BE 100%.......And why I absolutely LOVE dudes like Alvin Lee, Blackmore, Townshend and Hendrix. F#cking improvised and dangerous on stage EVERY night..
Interesting ,RIP alvin lee,still listening never gets old, good music,
I have the album of his last performance. Not the best he did but I am still glad I have that last recording. He meant a lot to me.
Yes, what he says about his style is spot on and why he was such a natural, soulful, creative player- and wrote some great, unforgettable numbers. Top dog and the man who's music has impressed me the most- above, Stanley Clarke, Bartok, Mizlos Rosza, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Colin Hodkinson, Alex Harvey, Stravinsky, and many more- even Chris Youlden from Savoy Brown fame...
A truly great guitarist....play on Alvin.
When i was a kid at School i first heard Ten Years After on the radio in Concert in 70s and the first thing that stuck in my brain was the present telling the crowd, and here is Mr Alvin Lee and Ten Years After then the intro to Love like a Man. Great to hear his Nottingham accent. RIP Alvin.
Nice piece of Rock History Thanks.
mr freedom,never made his guitar a slave,,nice touch alvin rip
Alvin was a gift from god. R.I.P. 🌹🍉
His phrasing made it seem like he's going faster than he is. A guy who loved adrenalized playing, like a guy who likes fast cars. The greats like Hendricks and Lee almost seem relaxed while playing incredibly complex stuff. And God, Alvin Lee was cute....🎼💋
I never understood why with all of the skill and talent he possessed why he was never as well known as someone like Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton. I guess he just didn't care about being famous; he just wanted to play! RIP, Alvin.
Thanks for your music your soul.
RIP, My dear dear China. x
Ha! This is great, thanks for posting!!
One of my best concert memories is TYA at the Marquee Club (90 Wardour Street) in August ‘68. They burnt the place down!
Ten Years After was my favorite band while growing up. I first heard the machine gun fire that was Alvin Lee and his trusty Gibson when I was about 13 years old and Ten Years After , never let me down....I wore out two Cricklewood Green albums from sheer exhaustion of needle meeting vinyl. . Sure, I really liked and appreciated Jimmy Page, Richie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winters, Leslie West , Stevie Ray Vaugh , ect. ,etc. , all great bands and guitarist but something hit me like a tidel wave when Alvin Lee and Ten Years After started cranking.. I feel the same about Janis Joplin and Patti Smith....its simply a personal thing like music should be.
Yea he was damn fast but the guy knew his comping. He played a lot of chord work you didn't hear in other bands. I impressed that a lot on my son who is a great comping guitarist.
There's a great guitar player name ALBERT LEE from England as well that came from the same era as ALVIN.
Give me Alvin Lee, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher...more of that ilk and I'm happy. RIP Mr. Lee.
I think he so was so much better than the so-called greats like Clapton-so fluid and melodic with a blues-jazz-rock mix unmatched.
Eric CRapton 👎
Alvin Lee 🎸🔊👍🤘
thank you. may you still go for it in the after-life !
When a friend came back for Woodstock, we all gathered around expecting to hear about Hendrix. Sorry, no luck there, Alvin Lee had blown him away. But we couldn't get much out of him about Lee, either.. He'd just start stuttering, give up, then shake his head. That pretty-much said it all.
That's amazing about the clarinet. I know Boy George started out playing the skin flute, and he still does.
The King Jammer IMHO!
I wish all of Cutting Edge was preserved.
"If you should love me" on Shh is my favorite.
dam but he was good......I saw him play in the Filmore East a life-time ago,it was the late show & it was getting light out by the time we walked out the doors.Could it be 52 years ago ? I must be getting O-L-D
Riff in peace Alvin
God bless him.
Great artist
Mr.Alvin you could play some guitar man !
He is a god rock music
Rest in peace Alvin!
He is so cool
02:57 ¨Guitars are shapd like women, but they behave better¨. Astute observation.
We miss Alvin and the lads,,,Alvia and the lads were a bit arrogant , but ,,they delivered ,,every show,,,,we always tried to catch Alvin and the lads when they came to L.A. ,,,simply because we saw them before and they were brilliant,,,my mates and I were guitar players so we were tough critics and had great expectations (Ive heard that before!!!!),,,If you went to a 10 Years show you witnessed a SHOW,,, and Performance ,,,,you got much more than you expected to receive,,, there was no dodging,,,no pussyfooting,,,no sidebar,,,,you saw a great show and performance,,,, we miss Alvin and the lads,,,in my mind you are unsurpassed to this day,,,DD in Los Angeles
Well said Bro 🎸🔊🤘🤘
❤❤❤❤❤
True as TRUE can be. Period.
Brilliant.
Take it easy, Alvin. I'll have a pint for you at the Trip to Jerusalem, next time I get to Nottingham.
I'm still having trouble with that dam f chord.
Right up there with Rory Gallagher in my book.
R.I.P.
Sooo underestimate
Wow, he sounds like Ringo. RIP