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On The Road To Freedom = LP = (LP)
This side project of Alvin Lee (departing from Ten Years After's no-holds-barred style) contains some of his best work. Those who are only familiar with such monster albums as 'Cricklewood Green' and 'A Space in Time' may find this work puzzling. Hooking up with American gospel singer Mylon Le Fevre, Lee served up helpings of more textured, sophisticated music than TYA. Even overt rockers like 'Riffin' and 'Fallen Angel' exhibit a more "roots-rock" sound than such songs as '50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain'. Using the talents of many big names (including George Harrison and several 'Traffic' members), the result is more varied and intricate than previous works. Even his blistering guitar work shows more finesse than usual with TYA's releases. The songs here range from the interesting-but-mediocre ('Lay Me Back' and 'Carry My Load') to the truly superlative (the title tune, 'The World is Changing' and the country-fried 'Funny'). In my opinion, one of Alvin Lee's best songs (maybe his very best) is the titular 'On the Road to Freedon'; with Mylon Le Fevre providing only backing vocals on this track, it effectively is Alvin Lee and Traffic (Steve Winwood on piano, Jim Capaldi on drums and Rebob on congas). Boy, is it one great song. Searing guitar, solid drumming, tasteful piano, a rousing melody and Lee's vocals never sounding better. It's nice to have this release available after so long.
One other point...I don't agree at all with the negative review published here. I cannot hear any "needle scratching" (and I have a very good quality system). What I do hear is great separation, full-ranging dynamics and clarity. Maybe the reviewer got a bad disc. This is on the Repertoire label, known for their superior quality products (check out their release of 'Broken Barricades' by Procol Harum for a sonic treat).
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