Third Ear Band
Third Ear Band evolved within the London alternative and free-music scene of the mid-1960s.
History
Members came from The Giant Sun Trolley and The People Band to create an improvised music drawing on Eastern raga forms, European folk, experimental and medieval influences. They recorded their first session in 1968 for Ron Geesin which was released under the pseudonym of The National-Balkan Ensemble on one side of a Standard Music Library disc. Their first actual album, Alchemy, was released on the EMI Harvest label in 1969, (featuring John Peel playing jaw harp on one track), followed by Air, Earth, Fire, Water (aka Elements) in 1970. 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. After various later incarnations and albums they finally disbanded in 1993 owing to leader and percussionist Glen Sweeney's ongoing health problems.
They also opened The Rolling Stones Free Concert at Hyde Park on 5 July 1969.
Collective band members
- Glen 'Zen' Sweeney: hand drums, wind chimes, drums
- Paul Minns: oboe, recorder
- Brian Meredith: cello, electrically-modified cello
- Clive Kingsley: electric guitar
- Richard Coff: violin, viola
- Benjamin Cartland: viola
- Mel Davis: cello, slide pipes
- Ursula Smith: cello, violin
- Paul Buckmaster: cello, bass guitar
- Simon House: violin, VCS3
- Denim Bridges: guitars
- Dave Tomlin: bass guitar, violin on "Alchemy"
- Mike Marchant: guitar, vocals
- Allan Samuel: violin
- Neil Black: violin, midi violin
- Mick Carter: electric guitar
- Lyn Dobson: soprano saxophone, flute, vocals
- John Peel: jews harp on "Alchemy"
- Keith Chegwin: vocals on "Music from Macbeth"
- Morgan Fisher: keyboards, VCS3 for a short time 72/73
Discography
- The National-Balkan Ensemble (1968)
- Alchemy (1969)
- Third Ear Band (a.k.a. Elements) (1970)
- Abelard and Heloise (1970)
- Music from Macbeth (soundtrack to Macbeth, Roman Polanski's film adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth) (1972)
- Prophecies (1972 (or more likely 1978)[citation needed] - released in 1991)
- Experiences (compilation; 1976)
- Live Ghosts (1988)
- Radio Sessions (1988)
- New Forecasts from the Third Ear Almanach (1989)
- Magic Music (1990)
- Brain Waves (1993)
- Live (1996)
- Magic Music (1997)
- Songs From The Hydrogen Jukebox (1998)
- Hymn To The Sphynx (2001)
- The Magus (1972 - released in 2005)
External links
- Third Ear Band — from the Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock
- 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