Think About the Times: the Chrysalis Years [Import]

I'd really give it 4 1/2 stars.

A great way and value to start a TYA collection or update your old non-remastered CDs. These 5 LPs represent the absolute peak of TYA. The sound quality is pretty good and I mostly bought it to get a remaster of "A Space In Time", which is one of my all-time favorite rock LPs from growing up and not available in the U.S. remastered.

I'd compare my original 1980s Space In Time CD release on Chrysalis or the recent remasters but my "good" CD player is in the shop right now but I can tell you that it sounds good, even played through my DVD player. My vinyl is done wore out and is good only for the worn LP cover. I'm figuring they are at least equivalent or superior to the European remasters released over the last decade.

Speaking of covers, this CD set does provide small thumbnails of the original LP front/back covers but you're mostly "SOL" on much in the way of liner notes. Full information including release dates of the LPs are provided in small print and a short liner-note retread from the "Ssssh" remaster CD by Alvin Lee is provided, along with a short teaser written by a "marketing person" is on the back cover of the booklet. You also get the photo of the Woodstock audience that originally appeared in the gatefold of the "R&R Music To The World" LP.

In some ways, kind of skimpy for the TYA fan or collector. Here are the shortcomings in my opinion:

Packaging - It's really basic but it'd at least been nice to have the artwork that appeared in the original LP gatefolds like from the "Watt" and "Cricklewood Green" LPs/CDs. Also, the only photo of the band is on the cover of the booklet (the same as on the back of "Ssssh" LP/CD), so unless you already know who the band members are, that's all you get. Plus, there's no real history of the band here, so why not include at least the informational essay from the BGO remaster of "R&R Music To The World" CD by Neil Slaven? It's concise yet absolutely informative.

Music - Great collection of songs but at the same time, you get slighted a bit for collectors, especially. The only bonus tracks are edited single versions (*sigh*) of 4 songs, and ONE b-side, an edited version of "Love Like A Man", which to these ears on comparison, is basically an edited version of the one that appears on the "Live At The Fillmore East" CD set. So don't throw out your remastered UK CD of the "Cricklewood Green" CD if you want the two bonus tracks on it. They arn't among my favorites of TYA, though. A real value might have been including the entirety of the Woodstock performance, or other live material since only a smattering of live material appears across the 5 LPs.

If you've already bought all of the remastered 21st century European remasters of these LPs/CDs, it's not very encouraging to purchase this CD set and is not recommended.

If you want to start a great economical collection of TYA, though, buy this set and the "Live At the Fillmore East" double-CD so you know how they could tear it up live. Then after that, perhaps the "Undead" UK EMI CD remaster, then lastly, the UK EMI CD remaster of "Cricklewood Green" to get the 2 bonus tracks, great photos, and a good informative essay by Ric Lee. After that, you're on your own.

This 3 cd set contains 5 album's with remastering done by Peter Mew (Beatles) and is sonically magnificient !!! Contained herein are the records's SSSSH, Cricklewood Green, Watt, A Space In Time, and Rock & Roll Music To The World. Also are several single edit's previously unavailable on cd. Ten Year's After have never sounded better than this and it is excellently sequenced so that disc one has the first two album's, disc 2 contains Watt and A Space In Time, with disc 3 being devoted to Rock & Roll Music To The World... Think About The Times is 6 star quality - don't miss it...

"Think About the Times: the Chrysalis Years 1969-1972" is a three CD set of Ten Years After's fourth through eighth albums. This set consists of 1969's "SSSSH.", "Cricklewood Green" and "Watt" from 1970, "A Space in Time" from '71, and "Rock & Roll Music to the World" from 1972. This was the highwater mark for Ten Years After, as the album "SSSSH." made its debut the same month the band took to the stage at Woodstock and put on a performance that would see the quartet of Alvin Lee, Leo Lyons, Chick Churchill, and Ric Lee catapulted to stardom.

All the tracks in this set are of incredible quality, the sound being clear which really helps let the music take center stage. Five single versions are also added to the tail end of the albums that they originated from. The singles include "If You Should Love Me", "Love Like A Man", "I'd Love To Change The World", "Choo Choo Mama", and a live version of "Love Like a Man". It's also great to hear the evolution in the band's sound as they progressed during this period.

As a group that perhaps gets overlooked way too often, this set allows someone to gather the band's best four albums in one shot and really engage the music from this legendary rock group. Alvin Lee is an incredibly talented guitarist, that when backed up by Ric, Leo, and Chick; is virtually like a steam roller of sound coming through your speakers.

I truly enjoy listening to all the music this set offers; and I believe that any fan of Ten Years After, or rock music from that period in general, would be very satisfied with this collection.

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