I reckon Toni has nailed something with her post. To be really on the top of your game, outstanding talent can also benefit from the added ingredient we call 'charisma.'

What the **** charisma actually IS no one really knows, but we sure know when somebody has got it. There's the air of arrogance and assertiveness, the steely gaze, accompanied by a relaxed self confidence....there are many facets to charisma. Heads turn when the possessee walks in to a room, or on to a stage. It doesn't have to be Alvin, but there are countless examples where one performer has outshone the others with the lethal combination of talent and charisma. You might think I'm talking crap, but the remaining members of TYA came across as ordinary blokes, compared to AL. The remaining members travelled, ate and slept with Alvin (not in the biblical sense, of course), thus maybe couldn't fathom what all the fuss and 'hero worship' was about.

I don't mean to be cruel, or disrespectful....only honest, but few gave the slightest stuff about what RL&C were doing musically, and I suspect that blagging the TYA name was a final throw of the musical dice to earn some decent dough before arthritis took it's toll. Had they called themselves something else, they could have suffered the same fate as their other projects. This is the reason why I fully understood, but have never condoned them calling themselves TYA.

Maybe suggesting that they fall into the same category as Uncle Tom Compton and all, is a wee bit OTT for some fans, I'm positive there will always be a place in many hearts for the FOUR original members of TYA, with pride of place going to you know who! That's just the way it is....like it or lump it, TYAN. I guess they always knew that was gonna be the case anyway.

Maybe they should call themselves Vermacht...after all, they seem to be bogged down in Central Europe!

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I'll tell ya Don, you're hilarious - one of the main reasons I read this board everyday, so thanks for your sense of humor. Chuckles may not think you're funny but I sure do.

Anyhoo, some of you may know that I've known the Tonester for many years and that's she's who first turned me on to Alvin. Note I said "Alvin" not TYA. First time she ever played me a TYA record she said, and I'm quoting even after these many years, "you have to hear this guitar player" - not, you have to hear the band, you have to hear the guitar player. And that's exactly who I heard. The band? Good. The git player - my oh my oh my.

Don is right, without Alvin Lee TYA will be forever TYANot.

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Alan
It's difficult to argue about Alvin being the star in TYA.He most certainly was. While I agree the other three members are using the name purely to make money, as they would struggle to attract audiencies under any other name,I still have fond memories of them in TYA.I missed them in Glasgow last year and wondered whether you went along.

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I THOUGHT THAT SCAM WAS CANCELLED,PATTY A WHILE BACK ? I ALSO WOULD NOT GO EVEN IF THEY WERE ON THE SAME SAME SIDE OF THE STREET I WAS ON YOU KNOW WHAT IN MY HONEST OPINION IN THERE EFFORT TO MILK ALVINS NAME FOR ALL IT,S WORTH ,TO DRAW PEOPLE TO THERE SHOWS , I REALLY THINK THAT HAD THEY JUST BEEN HONEST , AND CHANGED THE NAME OF THE BAND, AND SAID L.R. AND C. FORMERLY OF THE LEGENDARY BAND TEN YEARS AFTER , THEY WOULD HAVE DONE MUCH BETTER I MAY OF GONE TO SEE THEM HAD THEY BEEN HONEST WITH THE FANS,AND NOT SHI. ALL OVER ALVIN, BUT I SURE WOULDN,T GO NOW ... PEACE PAUL

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Ya know Patty it's taken those clowns two years or more to think up some kind of response and when they do, it's even lamer than the excuses they come up with for the Alvin Lee Tribute Band.

As for Chuckles the Clown, I'm not sre whether to upchuck, chuck it down, or just chuck it, but it needs to be chucked somewhere cause it sure ain't very clever. Talk about going to a battle of wits unarmed!

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I am with you Paul, the imposters are sleazy, ungrateful, unethical pigs who are hurting and shaming themselves, much more than they are doing anything to hurt Alvin. Lord knows that when they started their idiocy, they would base their credibility on putting down, Alvin, threatening TYA fans, and attempting to FOOL the public as much as they can by NOT letting people know that their band, Alvin Lee, was not playing with them.

Also, Leo is the most over-rated bass player probably in the history of popular music. He is a "one trick pony" with his sound which is why he, and the others have never been picked up by anyone in the past thirty years.

I cannot think of any other musicians of that era, who are usually so superior to today;s musicians who have not been busy as heck playing with other bands, doing loads of studio work, touring with others as they three fakes and the amateur front man.

There seems to be a tremendous problem of inflated sense of themselves and ego, especially with Leo the Liar and Ric (better than bore with another solo) Lee.

Not because of Alvin, because of the behavior and scheming of the other three, I would not care to listen to anything, see them, hear about them, or wish them anything but the worst of luck, by trying to insult their benefactor, yet still hang off of his shoulders to make a living.

It is because they are lowlife phoneys trying to fool and insult the fans of TYA why I think they should be ignored and treated like other people who attempt to make a buck by lying, cheating, coning, stabing friends in the back, misleading, etc, etc why I thing they are not worthy of any support.
People who have been around here through this know what I mean.

It would be a good idea to warn people in California before they are suckered into throwing out money for a mediocre cover group what they are getting. Then let them decide.

Anything that sounded good with TYA was ONLY because they would follow Alvin's lead, then resent him for it.

Yes.

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that good then!!!!!!

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Y-y-y-i-p!

I wouldn't discourage anyone going to one of their gigs Graeme, just let them make up their own minds. Although there was some minor heckling from Alvin fans, I didn't hear anyone trashing the performance.

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RIGHT ON THE POINT JON , I THINK YOU SAID IT AS WELL AS I,VE HEARD IT PUT MY MAN LEO DID A BIT OF PRODUCING WITH U.F.O. IF HE WAS SUCH A WORLD BEATER, LIKE YOU SAID , JON WHY WERE THEY NOT DOING SOMETHING AAH I THINK THE POINT OF THE CURRENT INTREST ALL OF A SUDDEN IN MAKING MUSIC JON, IS AS MUCH ABOUT FU.KING ALVIN, AND SCREWING HIS FANS, AS IT IS ABOUT THEM REALLY BEING INTRESTED ALL OF A SUDDEN IN MAKING MUSIC, AFTER #25 YEARS .......GREAT POINT JON, OLD BOY ....PEACE BUDDY PAUL

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