Ten Years After - I'm Going Home [Live] (1968)

In late 1960, a band formed by the name of Ivan Jay and the Jaycats. As current members were exiting the band and being replaced over the course of several years, the band’s name was also changing. Before settling on the name seen above, they had been known as Ivan Jay and the Jaymen, the Jaybirds, and lastly Blues Trip, Blues Yard. Finally, in November 1966, the band settled on the name “Ten Years After,” referencing the breakout success of Elvis Presley ten years prior in 1956. The new band became the first group to get booked by an up-and-coming agency known as the Chrysalis Agency and became the house band for the Marquee Club in London. 1967 saw the band get invited to play at the Windsor Jazz Festival, in which their performance led to getting signed with Deram, a subsidiary of Decca. A few albums later and the band really broke out in 1969 after making their American debut at Woodstock on August 17th, 1969. All in all, the band released eight albums from 1967 through 1974 before creative differences split them apart. After the split in 1974, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, Alvin Lee, released a ton of solo albums. The band itself reunited numerous times over the years to perform at concerts and festivals, and also released three more albums; one in 1989, one in 2004, and most recently Evolution in 2008.

On March 6th, 2013, the band’s lead guitarist and lead singer, Alvin Lee, died from complications of a routine surgery. He was 68 years old.

This song, perhaps the band’s most notable song, was the song that propelled the group to stardom in America when they played it at Woodstock. It was actually the sixth song on their setlist, but the band had tuning problems with their guitars because of the high humidity in the air at the time. It was the only song preserved on film that the group performed. Written by Alvin Lee, the song is a dedication to the rock and roll music of the 1950s. The version of the song heard below, although live, was the single version released in 1968 and not the twelve minute Woodstock version recorded in 1969. This release was backed by the B-Side “Hear Me Calling.”



Ten Years After - I'm Going Home [Live] (1968)

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Lyrics:

Goin' home, my baby
Goin' home, my baby
Goin' home, to see my baby

My baby, how good
My baby, be good
I'm goin' home, my baby
Home to see my girl

Oh baby, baby, I'm comin’ home
Baby, baby I'm comin’ home
Tell me, mama, baby, I'm comin’ home

Gonna see my baby, see my baby fine
Gonna take my baby, wanna take my baby mine
Gonna take my woman treats me real kind

I'm goin' home, my baby
I'm goin' home to see my baby
Goin' home, my baby

I'm goin' home, to see my baby
I'm goin' home, to see my baby
Well take me back, take me where I belong

I'm goin' home, to see my baby
I'm goin' home, to see my baby
Come on, take me

I'm goin' home
I'm goin' home
I'm goin' home
Hey, home
Gonna take me back, back, back where I belong

I'm goin' home
I'm goin' home
I'm goin' home
I'm goin' home
Hey, home, where I belong