"Melancholy Mayhem"

Stonedhenge-- is a very hard Cd to rate. So I will attempt to offer my thoughts and opinions for any curious buyers.

The musicianship is Excellent !! {5 stars}

The production and sound quality is Superior !! {4 stars}

But, where this album fails is in the song writing and in the continuity of how each flows together. The songs are very scattered. Stonedhenge, gives us the trade mark blues rock Ten Years After we are familiar with. Then all of sudden the next song is classical piano piece, then comes a jazz piece, then comes a wierd version of the kiddie nursery ryhme "Three Blind Mice" which is played strictly on the drums. "Now" can you see what I mean. Stonedhenge is literally a musical experiment.

If you prefer a very different style of songwriting with a flair for the odd than this will surely capture your interest.

From a musicianship stand piont this is a work of art.

From a songwriting stand piont this is not the normal Ten Years After. Thus the 3 stars rating.

Song variations to consider are:

"Gonna Try"-- A blues rock song that contains a couple tempo changes and an odd use of some bongos towards the end. On the plus side is some spectacular Keyboard playing.

"I Cant Live Without Lydia"-- A very short 1:20 minute piano extravaganza that borders on classical.

"Woman Trouble"-- Solid jazz feel going on. Smooth vocals,Excellent Hammond organ playing and solo as well as an awesome guitar solo. Snare drum technique is impressive. Extra crisp ride cymbal sound.

"Hear Me Calling"-- A jazz shuffle with driving boogie woogie Bass guitar patterns.Nice two part vocal harmonys.

"A Sad Song"-- More Blues happening here. Reverb effect on the vocals adds a hint of the mystery to this one. Guitar solo included.

"Three Blind Mice"-- All drums playing the theme of Three Blind Mice. A short little diddy at that !!

"No Title"-- Basically a seven minute blues rock jam session. Creative drums. Guitar and keyboards work into a frenzy towards the ending.

"Faro"-- A 1:09 minute Bass Solo.

"Speed Kills"-- The last track is a fast shuffle. Boogie woogie bass and Ryhthmic guitar work. Unbelievable snare drum roll technique !! Clean sounding jazz style gutar solo !!



Final thought: Stick with A Space In Time or Cricklewood Green for a more familiar Ten Years After. However, if you prefer the different experimenting style of Ten Years After then by all means "Buy It". Songs are still somewhat out of context in my opinion.

Ten Years After Freaks take note !!

This is a great re-issue of a classic Ten Years After album. It has been released to look like a vinyl sleeve record cover, only smaller to house the cd. The CD is covered in a plastic cover, just like the vinyl version. Beware though - as this album comes with only 4 bonus tracks, not 6 as this webpage advertises. But hey, who cares, they sound great. Well worth the purchase. The tracks are very good and clear.