ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 24, 1989
By Steve Newton
After seeing Alvin Lee kicking royal (not to mention Steppenwolf’s) butt at the Expo Theatre three years back, I was really hoping he’d get back on the recording scene and unleash some of his hurricane guitar licks for home consumption. I didn’t expect him to reunite with the members of Ten Years After to do it, though. That’s a bonus!
With the lineup of Lee, bassist Leo Lyons, keyboardist Chick Churchill, and drummer Ric Lee back in pace, Ten Years After is as impressive a combo as it ever was. And with ace producer Terry Manning (ZZ Top, Joe Cocker) on board, About Time proves that the band is a force to be reckoned with heading into the ’90s.
From the big, “Gimme All Your Lovin'”-type sound of “Let’s Shake It Up” to the shuffling skittle of “I Get All Shook Up”, and from the freewheelin’ boogie of “Working in a Parking Lot” to the retrospective dreaminess of “Outside My Window”, this new Ten Years After disc is an absolute winner.