Third Ear Band
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Third Ear Band were a British musical group formed in London during the mid-1960s. Their line-up initially consisted of violin, cello, oboe and percussion. Most of their performances were instrumental and partly improvised. Their records for the Harvest label, Alchemy and Third Ear Band, achieved some popularity, after which they found some success creating soundtrack music for films.
History
Members came from The Giant Sun Trolley and The People Band to create an improvised music drawing on
Their first album, Alchemy, was released on the EMI Harvest label in 1969,[2] and featured John Peel, the BBC disc jockey who did much to publicise the group, playing Jew's harp on one track. This was followed by an eponymous second album containing four tracks, "Air", "Earth", "Fire" and "Water", which reached wider attention due to the inclusion of one track on the Harvest sampler album, Picnic – A Breath of Fresh Air.
They recorded two soundtracks, the first in 1970 for an animated film by Herbert Fuchs of Abelard and Heloise (which first saw release as part of Luca Ferrari's Necromancers of the Drifting West Sonic Book in 1997) and then in 1971 for Roman Polanski's film of Macbeth.[2] After various later incarnations and albums they finally disbanded in 1993,[2] owing to leader and percussionist Glen Sweeney's ongoing health problems.
They also opened the Blind Faith Free Concert at Hyde Park on 5 July 1969, and played at the Isle of Wight Festival the next month.
Collective band members
- Glen 'Zen' Sweeney: wind chimes, drums
- Paul Minns: oboe, recorder
- Brian Meredith: cello, electrically-modified cello
- Clive Kingsley: electric guitar
- Richard Coff: lead violin
- Benjamin Cartland: viola
- Mel Davis: cello, slide pipes
- Ursula Smith: cello, violin
- Paul Buckmaster: cello, bass guitar
- VCS3
- Denim Bridges: guitars
- Neville Nixon: guitar
- Dave Tomlin: bass guitar, violinon "Alchemy"
- Mike Marchant: guitar, vocals
- Allan Samuel: violin
- Neil Black: violin, midi violin
- Mick Carter: electric guitar
- Lyn Dobson: soprano saxophone, flute, vocals
- jaw harpon "Alchemy"
- Keith Chegwin: vocals on "Music from Macbeth"[3]
- VCS3for a short time 72/73
Discography
Studio albums
- Alchemy (1969)
- Third Ear Band (a.k.a. Elements) (1970)
- Abelard and Heloise (1970)
- Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth) (1972)
- The Magus (1972 - released in 2005 - first release was 1991 under the title "Prophecies")
- Live Ghosts (1988)
- Magic Music (1990)
- Brain Waves (1993)
- New Age Magical Music (1997)
- Necromancers of the Drifting West (1997) (Geesin session, BBC tracks & outtakes)
Mini-album
- Radio Sessions (1988)
Live
- New Forecasts from the Third Ear Almanach (1989)
- Live (1999)
- Exocisms (2016)
- Spirits (Live At Circolo Tuxedo, Italy, 1989) (2017)
Compilations
- The National-Balkan Ensemble (1968)
- Experiences (1976)
- Songs From The Hydrogen Jukebox (1998)
- Hymn to the Sphynx (2001)
- Elements 1970-1971 with many previously unreleased tracks (2018)
References
- ISBN 978-1-84887-554-8.
- ^ ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
- ^ "The Wire, Volumes 203-208". Wire Magazine. 2001. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
Third Ear Band, my favourite album was Macbeth and my favourite track on that album is that vocal track ["Fleance", with vocals by a young Keith Chegwin].
External links
- Third Ear Band: Alchemy & Improv – by Chris Blackford
- Third Ear Band— page with audio link & vintage images
- Third Ear Band at AllMusic
- GHETTO RAGA – The Third Ear Band's Official Archive by Luca Ferrari