During the writing of my book on the TEB, about half 1995, I asked Paul Minns to collaborate to the band's chronology.
In a second time, on March 1996, quite surprising he was agreed with the project (despite the fact he had "quite a lot of sour relationship memories which I don't want revived via the phone or the letter...") and sent me his personal diary of that period, a really precious invaluable gift...
Later (December 1996), by my request, he wrote also a long and fairly caustic memory about his experience with the group (maybe I'll post here later) and, just when the book was in printing, some short comments about Blackhill Enterprises' manager Andrew King interview (see in this blog at http://ghettoraga.blogspot.com/2009/12/blackhill-enterprises-manager-and.html) and other interesting matters.
He sent me two fax (on December 22th and 27th, 1996) with his point of view about drugs, art, Blackhill management etc., but, because editing problems, unfourtunately I had to leave it out from the book...
1. About the Andrew King interview
The presence of Lyn Dobson in the original TEB line-up.
"Lyn Dobson was before my time [it is confirmed by Terry Day]. It might have been me King saw because I played at All Saints in the early days".
About business relations with EMI and Blackhill...
This sound a bit like sour grapes to me. We came ready-made so they couldn't manipulate us - so they just froze. They were out of their depth and I don't know why they took us on. If I remember correct it was Jenner who wanted us (not King - was this because King had one played the oboe!) and he managed us up to Hyde Park concerts. It was no accident that we started to slide when King took over".About business relations with EMI and Blackhill...
About "Blackhill was only interested in Art, Third Ear Band were only interested in money" thing...
"I don't understand where this word "art" came from. I was always given the impression that we were no good or could do better by those who 'knew'. I think we were measured against David 'Sibelius' Bedford, the respected classical composer who worked with Kevin Ayers Whole World. It must have jarred when we did so much better. With better direction we could have possibly made more records prior 1970. There was more than enough material crammed onto "Alchemy" to make two albums. As a consequence "Alchemy" was poorley pressed. But then Sweeney knew better and was often at the agency. Perhaps this is where the money comment comes from. I don't know what went on but I never had very much".
About TEB and sex & drugs...
"Sex we left to the relaxed roadies who would even dress up to impress. As for drugs we were no different from other bands or managers. A major misconception was/is that beacuse the music was trippy we must have been out of our skulls. Personally I never taken acid and I think it would have been impossible for others to perform gigs on it. The only two times this drug surfaced were both at Abbey Road - what is it about the place? On "Earth Air Fire Water", "Fire" was a product of this - all the others were acid-free. Needless to say I think this is a lousy album. I think this whole episode was engineered by our rodie who brought the stuff into the studio".
2. About other kind of things I asked him...
2. About other kind of things I asked him...
About black magic and philosophy.
"Glen was into the various "Books of the Dead" (Egyptian and Tibetan). There was no black magic - i.e. Aleister Crowley - and as far I can remember no philosophy. Only music".
About his solo works...
"Only on Kevin Ayers "Joy of the Toy" [the beautiful "Town Feeling"] and on a single titled "Caribbean Moon"".
Paul was a very sensible and clever person with a bitter vision of life. For myself, he had been the best oboist player in popular music, a pure 100% artist with no interest for money and business.
Even if one could guess he committed suicide just for personal reasons, I consider his long isolation from musical scenes as a cause of his deep disillusion and bitterness...
no©2010 Luca Ferrari
The Minns story is very sad...surely the wonderful world of 'british underground' (as read on various Richard Neville books such as Play Power or so on) was less "wonderful". Minns ending is another side of Barrett ending (or Nick Drake ending...). No doubt that also at his best Harvest was ever an EMI (meaning EMI) offshoot, not a Rough Trade, SST or Drag City. If wasn't for the high level of 60s/70s musicians, we never need to know about Blackill management or EMI people, this is one of the mystery of that kind of popular music.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we have now touched the bottom of this dream: "we know all", but the music is not more beautiful than the first time when we knew nothing about it...
regards
vic
i agree, Paul's oboe playing has held me entranced for some 35 years. I ended up buying an oboe and play along with him. I've also listened to a lot of improv music, in anticipation i'll hear more amazing oboe, not as yet, Paul's playing is uniquely dissonant.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this opinion and your memory, I think Paul has been more influential to people than one can imagine... During the first Italian tour in 1988, when Paul was in the band, we met some guys who had bought an oboe becouse of him and asked Paul things about his way to play his instrument...
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