Third Ear Band
Date of Release 1990 (BGO)
Their self-titled, second album is probably their definitive statement, consisting of four lengthy tracks devoted to the primary elements ("Air," "Earth, " "Fire, " "Water"). The feeling is one of improvised (though well-conceived) pieces that build up from initial drones to multi-layered ragas built around the same initial patterns. Their strong debts to both Indian music and contemporary experimental/minimalist compositions are evident. It's not accessible enough for the average rock (or even average progressive rock) listener. But it's certainly more geared toward the adventurous rock listener than the most challenging and/or difficult contemporary avant-garde music. - Richie Unterberger
1. Air (Coff/Minns/Smith/Sweeney) - 0:37
2. Earth (Coff/Minns/Smith/Sweeney) - 0:33
3. Fire (Coff/Minns/Smith/Sweeney) - 2:15
4. Water (Coff/Minns/Smith/Sweeney) - 7:04
Richard Coff - Violin, Viola
Andrew King - Producer
Paul Minns - Oboe
Ursula Smith - Cello
Colin Sweeney - Percussion
Martin Benge - Engineer
Glen Sweeney - Percussion
1990 CD BGO 89
1970 LP Harvest 773
2002 CD Beat Goes On 89
Third Ear Band [UK]
Discography
Alchemy (69)
Third Ear Band (70)
Music From Macbeth (72)
Experiences (76)
New Forcasts From the Third Ear Almanac (89)
Live Ghosts (89)
Brain Waves (90)
Music Magic (90)
Reviews
Neo-prog fans stop here. You thought Univers Zero was weird and dissonant? Try these guys, which were the earliest ensemble of chamber/rock/ragas around. Reformed recently, Third Eard Band were basically oboes, percussion, and other odd instruments that made unique and highly innovative music that definitely resembeled Indian ragas. Not for the timid, Alchemy, Third Ear Band and the soundtrack to Roman Polanski's "Macbeth" all come highly recommended to the explorative.
Unusual late sixties-early seventies band. I have Alchemy and it is sympathetic mixture of raga sounds, chamber music, progressive folk and 60's psych. It is not dark by any means, at least not to my ears. As said, chamber music is in the mix, most prominently with sound of oboe and strings, but it is not essential feature. Raga is much more important here and therefore results are rather spiritual in nature, but this outcoming spiritualism is indeed awe-inspiring. I have traced similar effect on the Gordian Knot's debut, although not that screaming. Interesting enough, folk and psych elements do not cause a dated sound on the recording, so it sounds quite fresh even nowadays. Certain parallels between TEB and early Univers Zero could be drawn, but as mentioned TEB have none of Bartok's portentousness, Stravinsky's playfulness or Schonberg's austerity. Other recordings such as Macbeth may be a bit darker, while their newer output may have proved to be more feathery and psyched out. Recommeindded!!! -- Nenad Kobal
Third Ear Band
Formed 1968
Disbanded 1972
Group Members Mel Davis Denim Bridges Paul Buckmaster Richard Coff Simon House Paul Minns Dave Tomlin Glen Sweeney
Although they were loosely affiliated with the British progressive rock scene of the late '60s and early '70s, Third Ear Band was in some ways more of an experimental ensemble performing contemporary compositional work. For one thing, they didn't use electric instruments, or even guitars, instead employing violin, viola, oboe, cello, and hand percussion. More important, they didn't play conventional rock "songs." They featured extended instrumental pieces that often built up from a drone, or hypnotic pattern, to a dense, raga-like crescendo, somewhat in the manner of some of Terry Riley's work. Their "progressive rock" tag probably arose because they recorded for Harvest Records, Britain's leading art rock label, which was home to Pink Floyd, Kevin Ayers, Pete Brown, Edgar Broughton, and many other progressive acts.
The group was founded by drummer Glen Sweeney, who had roots in Britain's free jazz scene, and had played with an avant-garde ensemble, the Sun Trolley. Sweeney described Third Ear's music as "electric acid raga," although the electricity was shut off shortly after they formed, when their electronic equipment was stolen. Sweeney simply molded Third Ear into an acoustic ensemble, with the addition of oboe, violin/viola, and cello. The personnel (with the exception of Sweeney) would rotate over the next few years; their early albums were produced by Andrew King, who had helped manage Pink Floyd in their early days.
Commercial success, or even widespread underground success, was never in the offing for Third Ear Band, and one gets the feeling that was not ever a consideration. Their albums were too somber and experimental for the rock audience, and in the U.S., they are still only known to a very few. Their biggest coup was getting commissioned to score and perform the soundtrack to Roman Polanski's film version of Macbeth (issued on record as Music From Macbeth). The original incarnation of Third Ear Band disbanded in the early '70s. Surprisingly, they re-formed in the late '80s, and released a few albums that boasted sounds and ambitions that were similar to those found in their early work. - Richie Unterberger
1969 Alchemy Harvest
1970 Abelard & Heloise Blueprint
1972 Macbeth BGO
1993 Live Ghosts Materiali
1993 Brain Waves MASO
1998 Magic Music Materiali
1976 Experiences Harvest
2001 Hymn to the Sphynx Mooncrest
1990 Third Ear Band BGO
Third Ear Band
Дискография
.mp3
Уже само название группы - "Оркестр Третьего Уха" говорит о многом. В оккультной среде, исповедывающей древние восточные Знания, понятие "Третий глаз" имеет глубокий смысл. Человек с открытым "третьим глазом" имеет способность предвидеть будущее, читать мысли и т.п. "Третье ухо" - намек на особые свойства предлагаемой музыки. А музыка ансамбля "Third Ear Band" действительно была особенной. Прежде всего, она была акустической и исполнялась на таких инструментах как скрипка, виолончель, гобой и перкашн (ручные народные ударные инструменты). По своему содержанию это была скорее ипровизационная камерная музыка, прототип стиля "New Age", с однозначной направленностью на эзотерический тип знания о жизни. Один из организаторов и вдохновителей ансамбля Glenn Sweeny (ударные инструменты) - типичный представитель фри-джаза, принимавший участие в Лондонских ансамблях "The Sun Trolly" и "Hydrogen Jukebox". В первом составе принимали участие гобоист Paul Minns и скрипач Richard Koss. Виолончелист Mel Davis присоединился позднее.
Эта экспериментальная группа, образовавшаяся в конце 60-х, получила немалую популярность в кругах Британского рок-андеграунда. То, что они были причислены к "арт-року" объясняется тем фактом, что их первый альбом был издан на фирме "Harvest Records>, имевшей направленность на этот вид рок-музыки, издававшей, например,
. Сам Гленн Суини называл музыку своей группы термином , хотя звучание было акустическим.
Американский кинорежиссер пригласил "Third Ear Band" написать музыку к его фильму "Макбет", после чего вышел альбом с соответствующим саундтреком. Необычная и крайне непростая для восприятия музыка группы "Third Ear Band" была популярна очень недолго, лишь в период увлечения хипповой аудиторией восточной культурой, медитативной и психоделической музыкой. Затем группу потигла участь многих коллективов "прогрессив-рока". "Third Ear Band" по-своему уникальное явление, которое со временем будет оценено по достоинству.
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Third Ear Band - "Third Ear Band" (1970)
Third Ear Band was probably the weirdest and most experimental band to release albums on the Harvest label. Their music sounded mostly completely unstructured, and was based in improvisations with a strong Eastern-influence. Their self-titled second album had a concept about the four elements, exactly the same idea that Jane would explore on their album "Fire, Water, Earth and Air" from 1976. However, musically Third Ear Band is almost impenetrable to me. The four tracks on the album sound all the same: never-ending and aimless noodling on instruments like violin, viola, cello and various percussions. The music was obviously meant to be hypnotic and mesmerizing, but it simply doesn't work for me at all. This is hippie-like nonsense and emptiness of worst sort, played by a bunch of drugged out folks who believed they made some kind of serious art. For heavy drug-addicts only.
