This guide is written for the obsessive collector, the streaming-era detective, and the fan who knows that A Space in Time is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Great Ten Years After Discography Fix: A Guide to 50 Years of Sonic Reassembly Why a “Fix” is Necessary For decades, Ten Years After’s catalog was a mess. Think:
Baffling CD edits (songs faded early for no reason). Wrong stereo mixes (fake stereo from mono sources). Missing tracks (B-sides, single edits, BBC sessions scattered like broken glass). The 2000s reissue chaos (different bonus tracks per country, often unmastered).
The “1967–2017 Fix” refers to the unofficial (and eventually official) fan-led crusade to correct the discography, culminating in the 2017 The Classic Albums Collection (Chrysalis) — the first time a major label truly listened to the collectors. ten years after official discography 19672017 fix
Phase 1: The Original Chaos (1967–1973) | Album | Original Issue | The Flaw | The Fix (Post-2017) | |-------|----------------|----------|----------------------| | Ten Years After (1967) | Mono & fake stereo | Early CD used compressed Euro master | 2017: True mono + stereo from original UK Deram tapes | | Stonedhenge (1969) | Side-long jam “Stonedhenge” split | CD split across tracks | Restored as continuous piece | | Cricklewood Green (1970) | Missing “Love Like a Man” (single mix) | Single mix had extra guitar overdub | Reinstated as bonus, not replacement | | A Space in Time (1971) | “I’d Love to Change the World” | 1990s CD had dropouts in left channel | 2017: New flat transfer from original master | Fun Horror: The 1994 EMI Watt CD accidentally used a needle-drop from a worn vinyl for “I’m Coming On.” The “fix” had to re-source from a German radio reel.
Phase 2: The Collector’s Toolkit – What Was Actually Broken The “Alvin Lee Remaster” Myth In the early 2000s, Alvin Lee personally approved some remasters — but his hearing was failing, and he boosted high end until it hissed. The “fix” involved using pre-master flat transfers from Chrysalis’s archive, not Alvin’s EQ’d versions. The Single Edits Graveyard
“I’m Going Home” (live Woodstock edit) – 1969 single version 3:45 vs. album 9:30 . “Love Like a Man” (single) – different vocal take, never on CD until 2017 box. “Choo Choo Mama” (1973) – B-side only, not on any album until The Anthology (2015). This guide is written for the obsessive collector,
The BBC Sessions Fiasco For years, fans traded poor audience recordings. The “fix” came when a 2016 legal review found that the BBC had not erased 14 sessions from 1968–1971. These appear on the 2017 BBC Sessions – properly pitch-corrected (unlike the 1998 bootleg).
Phase 3: The 2017 Pivot – How the Official “Fix” Happened Catalyst: In 2015, a fan named Martin H. (UK) published a 200-page PDF: Ten Years After: A Discographic Correction . Chrysalis legal saw it, reached out, and hired him as a consultant. The 2017 Box Set Principles:
Source: Only original master tapes (UK, US, or German where best). No noise reduction (previous 2002 set used heavy NR, killing cymbal decay). Single edits as separate tracks (never replacing album versions). Recovered tracks: The 1968 mono single “Portobello Road” (missing for 40 years – found in a Belgian radio vault). Wrong stereo mixes (fake stereo from mono sources)
Newly “Fixed” Items in 2017:
Undead (live 1968) – restored original running order, previous CD reversed two tracks. Recorded Live (1973) – reinstated the full 14-minute “Rock & Roll Music to the World” (edited down to 8 min on 1994 CD). Positive Vibrations (1974) – original UK mix restored; US mix had different horn overdubs.