How do you review a career? It’s impossible really isn’t it? 14 albums since 1996 has seen Ten embrace Melodic Rock and run with it with a single-mindedness that makes them rather unique. Over the years they’ve added epic, symphonic and almost cinematic aspects to their sound. This collection captures all of those studio albums in a single box, and it’s well worth the price of admission.
TEN, essentially the vehicle of Gary Hughes was formed in 1995 and first added two ex-Dare members in Vinny Burns (guitars) and Greg Morgan (drums) the band then recruited bassist Martin ‘Shelley’ Shelton (also ex-Dare) on bass, keyboard player Ged Rylands (ex-KAGE) and guitarist John Halliwell (ex-KAGE) for their first tour. Initially the band played straight, yet classy, Melodic Rock on their first two albums ‘X’ and ‘Name of the Rose’ which really just hinted at the epic and almost ‘cinematic’ influences that came in and really gained prominence on third album ‘The Robe’.
Over the years the line-up was relatively fluid, with the one initial constant other than Hughes, Vinny Burns departing in 2002. Then there were breaks, first for Hughes’ two-part rock opera ‘Once and Future King‘ and then a further edge towards a symphonic sound in 2006 for ‘The Twilight Chronicles’ before another hiatus after lead guitarist Chris Francis left. The band returned almost four years later with ‘Stormwarning’ and there has been a flurry of departing members and new albums ever since.
Learning Latin as a kid only comes of use every so often, normally every few years, the term ‘Opera’ in Latin I know literally translates as ‘work’ or ‘effort’ though of course over the years as come to mean “a dramatic work (in which most of the words are sung).”Opera Omnia” therefore means “The complete works” and so “Opera Omnia: The Complete Works” literally translates as the tautology “The Complete Works: The Complete Works”… a bit like that first album: “Ten: X’…
Let’s dig in…
For those that love great melodies there’s nothing like starting at the beginning with ‘X’ the ‘almost eponymous’ debut which introduced Gary Hughes’ wonderful vocals to many – here he sounds like a wonderful mix of Lou Gramm and David Coverdale, especially on ‘The Torch’ where he captures the both perfectly. Add to that the wonderful melodies of ‘Stay With Me’ and you have a fine album indeed with not a single bad track, but when you add the epic ‘‘ you also have a glimpse of things to come too.
‘The Robe’ (1997) starts the trio of albums that I find Ten’s most compelling, along with ‘Spellbound’ (1999) and ‘Babylon’ (2000). It’s where the music really starts to take off for me. Here in the box set the three studio albums are split by the rather fine live album ‘Never Say Goodbye’ takes up discs 4 & 5 and showcases tracks from the first three studio releases. ‘The Robe’ is of course seen by many as the band’s masterpiece and again rests on Hughes wonderful voice and songwriting as well as Burns evocative guitar. It’s also a concept album based on the story of ‘The Robe’ in which Christian Knights escaping the Holy Land after the siege of Jerusalem, try to find a safe hiding place for the wrap that covered Christ’s body following The Crucifixion. It’s an epic and evocative story even without the religious context. The ‘work’ is a stunning piece of AOR and at the time their ‘heaviest’ album to date.
‘Spellbound’ (1999) and ‘Babylon’ (2000) followed and both shone, particularly the latter which gets so much better when you read around the concept – set in the year 2999. Like ‘The Robe’ the songs stand up even without the thread of story, but interwoven they offer so much more. The eighth disc in this 16 disc collection ‘Far Beyond the World’ the last album to feature guitarist Vinnie Burns to me is almost as good – a wonderful selection of songs that seem to sit between that lighter AOR of the first pair of albums and the harder more far-reaching rock of ‘The Robe’. Listen to the epics here – ‘Scarlet and the Grey’ is lush and melodic but just has so much more, and ‘Heart Like a Lion’ is amongst the band’s best. Then in amongst it you get a track like ‘Glimmer of Evil’ which just Rocks. As for the ballads – I don’t think Ten now how to write bad one.
A change in sound came again with 2004’s ‘‘ album number seven and the first without Burns on guitar. There’s a real drop off in that ‘epic’ sound and a quick return to the more standard AOR of the early band. It’s great album, well-written and very solid but feels like its made with an ear for radio, nice and accessible with love songs and decent ballads amongst the Rockers the best of which might just be ‘
Halfway in and not a blank in sight…
2006’s ‘The Twilight Chronicles’ heralded another change with a huge emphasis on symphonic orchestrations and that ‘cinematic’ feel I mentioned earlier. Though it’s less immediate than what came before there are some great aspects to the album, but it does feel like a band searching for a new direction. By 2007 the band was on hiatus.
What I look at as the ‘new age’ of Ten began in 2011 with Hughes and co released ‘Stormwarning’ after four years of silence. It’s a great return and seems to have resolved what it wants to sound like – all the old elements are resent and correct – great lyrics, inspiring vocals, wonderful melodies and huge hooks but there’s also that symphonic element that sits nicely whether its string arrangements in the ballads or in accenting the epic rockers. ‘Love Song’ is huge as are the title track and the stirring ‘Destiny’ but opener ‘Endless symphony’ (the video)perhaps best sums up ths new burst of life.
The albums that followed ‘Heresy and Creed’ (2012); ‘Albion’ (2014) and ‘Isla De Muerta’ (2015) are all cut from the same fine cloth, with ‘Albion perhaps my favourite with its three guitars and perfectly balanced mix of melodic AOR and harder material. Songs like ‘Albion Born’ and ‘A Smuggler’s Tale’ are just as inspiring and powerful as the bands very best.
‘Gothica’ (2017) and ‘Illuminati’ (2018) round out the box set. ‘Gothica’ drawing on lyrical influences as wide ranging as Dracula and The Time Machine to Game of Thrones and ‘Illuminati’ more esoteric and free in its compositions centered around that shady global organistaion. Both are seriously great albums you need to hear.
After giving the collection a chronological listen through the journey seemed like revisiting the old country and dropping in on old friends, a beautiful trip punctuated with moments to cherish. Ten is perhaps one of the most seriously underappreciated bands of the last three decades. As well as the albums the collection of course includes a number of bonus tracks and the additional tracks from ‘The Dragon and St George EP’ from 2015. Wonderful stuff.simply wonderful.
OPERA OMNIA: THE COMPLETE WORKS BOX-SET
Get Your Copy NOW HERE: http://radi.al/OperaOmnia
Tracklisting:
CD1: X
1 THE CRUSADES (medley)
2 IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE (medley)
3 AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE
4 YESTERDAY LIES IN THE FLAMES
5 THE TORCH
6 STAY WITH ME
7 CLOSE YOUR EYES AND DREAM
8 EYES OF A CHILD
9 CAN’T SLOW DOWN
10 LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER
11 SOLILOQUY (medley)
12 THE LONELIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD (medley)
13 WHEN ONLY LOVE CAN EASE THE PAIN
14 AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE (live) (bonus track)
15 CAN’T SLOW DOWN (live) (bonus track)
CD2: The Name Of The Rose
1 THE NAME OF THE ROSE
2 WILDEST DREAMS
3 DON’T CRY
4 TURN AROUND
5 THE PHARAOH’S PRELUDE (medley)
6 ASCENSION TO THE AFTERLIFE (medley)
7 WAIT FOR YOU
8 THE RAINBOW
9 THROUGH THE FIRE
10 GOODNIGHT SAIGON
11 WINGS OF THE STORM
12 STANDING IN YOUR LIGHT
13 THE QUEST (bonus track)
14 YOU’RE MY RELIGION (bonus track)
CD3: The Robe
1 THE ROBE
2 BRIGHT ON THE BLADE
3 STANDING ON THE EDGE OF TIME
4 VIRTUAL REALITY
5 ARCADIA
6 BATTLELINES
7 YOU’RE IN MY HEART
8 FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
9 TEN FATHOMS DEEP
10 SOMEDAY
11 WARPATH (bonus track)
12 TO DIE FOR (bonus track)
13 CLOSE YOUR EYES AND DREAM (LIVE)(bonus track)
14 TURN AROUND (LIVE)(bonus track)
CD4: Never Say Goodbye Disk 1
1 THE ROBE
2 BRIGHT ON THE BLADE
3 WILDEST DREAMS
4 THE TORCH
5 YESTERDAY LIES IN THE FLAMES
6 THE RAINBOW
7 THE CRUSADES
8 DON’T CRY
9 GOODNIGHT SAIGON
10 ARCADIA
11 YOU’RE IN MY HEART (ACOUSTIC)
12 THE LONELIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD
CD5: Never Say Goodbye Disk 2
1 TEN FATHOMS DEEP
2 AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE
3 STAY WITH ME
4 STANDING ON THE EDGE OF TIME
5 FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
6 DRUM SOLO
7 BATTLELINES
8 THE PHARAOH’S PRELUDE
9 WAIT FOR YOU
10 THE NAME OF THE ROSE
11 BLACK MOON RISING (bonus track)
12 VENUS AND MARS (bonus track)
13 IF ONLY FOR A DAY (bonus track)
14 GIVE ME A PIECE OF YOUR HEART (bonus track)
CD6: Spellbound
1 MARCH OF THE ARGONAUTS (instrumental)
2 FEAR THE FORCE
3 INSIDE THE PYRAMID OF LIGHT
4 SPELLBOUND
5 WE RULE THE NIGHT
6 REMEMBRANCE FOR THE BRAVE (instrumental)
7 RED
8 THE ALCHEMIST
9 WONDERLAND
10 ECLIPSE
11 THE PHANTOM
12 TILL THE END OF TIME
13 XANADU (bonus track)
14 RAINBOW IN THE DARK (bonus track)
15 WE RULE THE NIGHT (acoustic) (bonus track)
16 RED (acoustic) (bonus track)
17 TILL THE END OF TIME (acoustic) (bonus track)
CD7: Babylon
1 THE STRANGER
2 BARRICADE
3 GIVE IN THIS TIME
4 DAWN STAR (bonus track)
5 LOVE BECAME THE LAW
6 THE HEAT
7 SILENT RAIN
8 TIMELESS
9 BLACK HEARTED WOMAN
10 THUNDER IN HEAVEN
11 VALENTINE
CD8: Far Beyond The World
1 GLIMMER OF EVIL
2 STRANGE LAND
3 HIGH TIDE
4 WHAT ABOUT ME
5 LAST OF THE LOVERS
6 OUTLAWED AND NOTORIOUS
7 SCARLET AND THE GREY
8 HEART LIKE A LION
9 BLACK SHADOWS
10 WHO DO YOU WANT TO LOVE
11 FAR BEYOND THE WORLD
12 THE SOLDIER (bonus track)
CD9: Return To Evermore
1 APPARITION
2 DREAMTIDE
3 EVERMORE
4 SAIL AWAY
5 TEMPLE OF LOVE
6 EVEN THE GHOSTS CRY
7 STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
8 EVIL’S ON TOP IN THE WORLD
9 THE ONE
10 LOST SOUL
11 STAY A WHILE
12 TEARING MY HEART OUT
13 IT’S YOU I ADORE (bonus track)
CD10: The Twilight Chronicles
1 The Prologue (The Elysian Fields – Part I)(medley)
2 Rome (medley)
3 The Chronicles
4 The Elysian Fields
5 Hallowed Ground
6 This Heart Goes On
7 Oblivion
8 The Twilight Masquerade
9 Tourniquet
10 Born To The Grave
11 When This Night Is Done (medley)
12 The Epilogue (The Last Moments Before Down)(medley)
13 Fahrenheit (Bonus Track)
CD11: Stormwarning
1 ENDLESS SYMPHONY
2 CENTRE OF MY UNIVERSE
3 KINGDOM COME
4 BOOK OF SECRETS
5 STORMWARNING
6 INVISIBLE
7 LOVE SONG
8 THE HOURGLASS AND THE LANDSLIDE
9 DESTINY
10 THE WAVE
11 THE DARKNESS (bonus track)
CD12: Heresy and Creed
1 THE GATES OF JERUSALEM (Instrumental)
2 ARABIAN KNIGHTS
3 GUNRUNNING
4 THE LIGHTS GO DOWN
5 RAVEN’S EYE
6 RIGHT NOW
7 GAME OF HEARTS
8 THE LAST TIME
9 THE PRIESTESS
10 INSATIABLE
11 ANOTHER RAINY DAY
12 UNBELIEVABLE
13 THE RIDDLE
14 I FOUND LOVE (Bonus Track)
CD13: Albion Masters
1 ALONE IN THE DARK TONIGHT
2 BATTLEFIELD
3 IT’S ALIVE
4 ALBION BORN
5 SOMETIMES LOVE TAKES THE LONG WAY HOME
6 A SMUGGLERS TALE
7 DIE FOR ME
8 IT ENDS THIS DAY
9 GIOCO D’AMORE
10 WILD HORSES
11 GOOD GOD IN HEAVEN WHAT HELL IS THIS (bonus track)
CD14: Isla De Muerta and EP Masters
1 BUCCANEERS (medley)
2 DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES (medley)
3 REVOLUTION
4 AQUIESCE
5 THE DRAGON AND SAINT GEORGE
6 INTENSIFY
7 THIS LOVE
8 KARNAK (medley)
9 THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS (medley)
10 TELL ME WHAT TO DO
11 ANGEL OF DARKNESS
12 THE LAST PRETENDER
13 ASSAULT AND BATTERY (bonus)
14 WE CAN BE AS ONE (bonus)
15 MUSKATEERS SOLDIERS OF THE KING (ep exclusive)
16 IS THERE ANYONE WITH SENSE (ep exclusive)
17 THE PRODIGAL SAVIOUR (ep exclusive)
CD15: Gothica
1 THE GRAIL
2 JEKYLL AND HYDE
3 TRAVELLERS
4 A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
5 IN MY DREAMS
6 THE WILD KING OF WINTER
7 PARAGON
8 WELCOME TO THE FREAK SHOW
9 LA LUNA DRA-CU-LA
10 INTO DARKNESS
CD16: Illuminati
1 BE AS YOU ARE FOREVER
2 SHIELD WALL
3 THE ESOTERIC OCEAN
4 JERICHO
5 ROSETTA STONE
6 ILLUMINATI
7 HEAVEN AND THE HOLIER-THAN-THOU
8 EXILE
9 MEPHISTOPHELES
10 OF BATTLES LOST AND WON
Line-Up:
Gary Hughes – Vocals, Guitars
John Halliwell – Guitars
Neil Fraser – Guitars
Dan Mitchel – Guitars
Dann Rosingana – Guitars
Steve Grocott – Guitars
Chris Francis – Guitars
Vinny Burns – Guitars
Darrel Treece-Birch – Keyboards
Paul Hodson – Keyboards And Synthesizers
Ged Rylands – Keyboards
Don Airey – Keyboards
Mark Sumner – Bass
Steve Mckenna – Bass
Frank Basile – Drums
Greg Morgan – Drums
Mark Zonder – Drums
Max Yates – Drums
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