(Scraping the bottom of the barrell 4:) One unrealised 1989 live track of the Third Ear Band!

There's hardly anything left in my personal archive, but  searching better I've recently discovered one unrealised live track from the band, recorded in London at the end of Eighties.

Glen sent me a sampler of it with the indication "Dog Club" on the tape (see below), but the concert was probably that played at the "Sir George Robey" pub  on December 15th, 1989 as reported on this archive at the page http://ghettoraga.blogspot.com/2009/12/tebs-tape-recordings-at-london-british.html.

The line up, the same of the Vinci concert:

Glen Sweeney – hand drums

Lyn Dobson – sax and flute

Mick Carter – electric guitar and effects

Allen Samuel – violin

From the set played that night you can listen "The Book of the Dead" (no recordings of the other track quoted on the tape, "Midnight Drums"...) with Glen announcing it as "Necromancer".

All you have to do now is download this rare unexpected gemns at:
http://rapidshare.com/files/443983595/Book_of_the_Dead.mp3
and realize as great and powerful has been that line-up...

no©2011 Luca Ferrari

An unexpected letter from Denim Bridges...

Just few days ago (January 19th) TEB's guitar player from the "Macbeth" era Denim Bridges wrote me back after a very long time... Maybe we'll have new perspectives at last to see that old tracks realised?!

"Hi Luca,
I have been very involved with new projects. That is why I have not contacted you for a very long time. I saw your new posting. I was surprised that it was as recently as October last.

You can hear samples of my new music:

Originals
Reverbnation.com/thebevans
Covers
Myspace.com/dxbden

Denim Bridges, Largo (Florida) 2010

I hope to have the time this spring to look at the TEB tracks again. People can certainly influence me by pre-ordering the CD (LP or EP remains to be seen) via my e-mail address:

dxbden@yahoo.com

For the past 20 years in between playing gigs I have mixed front of house for Annie Haslam of Renaissance. In 2009 I was tour manager and FOH mixer for the 40 year anniversary tour of Renaissance in USA. In 2010 I mixed for Renaissance opening for Procol Harum.

I still play the occasional show with Fiona Frensche although the name Grandetourismo is no longer used. She plays solo more now.

I hope you have a happy and successful 2011.
Best wishes,
Denny".

So, dear TEB addicts, we have the opportunity now to "influence" Mr. Denim Bridges to produce the old TEB's tracks recorded in Balham. Write, write & write him!

no©2011 Luca Ferrari

A new letter from Steve Pank, original TEB's promoter and driver.

Waiting for the interview with his wife Ursula, here's a recent letter Steve Pank, the original TEB's promoter and driver, has sent me. Among the others, you can read some interesting unknown things about Paul Buckmaster...

(L-R) Dave Tomlin and Steve Pank in London, July 2010 (photo: L. Ferrari)

"Hy Luca.
Thank you for the photos, I like the ones with Dave and you and Dave and me but the one you and me that Dave took doesn't work so well.
Ursula a been working on the answers to the questions, you sent her, but we had all the family here (three children and three grandchildren) over Christmas and it has been a busy time.

I have not been able to get in touch with Richard Coff yet, I have had a look at his Suzuki Academy website and it looks as thought he is quite busy. I have a spare copy of "Abelard an Eloise" which you gave me, because Jan Diakov gave me a copy of it shortly after Glen's funeral. I think the best thing for me to do is to is to write to Richard in Miami and send it to him.

You may be interested in Mel Davis and the People Band, Mel was playing with the People Band before he joined the Third Ear Band and again afterwards. It seems they still get together. If you put ''Mel Davis People Band" into Google you will find the link.

Paul Buckmaster was at the Royal Academy of Music at the same time a Ursula and they shared a stand in the orchestra. After he left, one of the first things he did was and instrumental cover of "Je t'aime" the hit by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. At the time the original was considered too riskee for the BBC to play.

While he was with the Third Ear Band, he wrote the string part for David Bowie's 'Ground control to Major Thom' ["Space Oddity", from the same album of 1972] the violin crescendo at the end was rumoured to be based on Richard Coff's parts in "Book of the Dead".

Later went to America, he met Miles Davis. He also wrote some string arrangements for an album the Grateful Dead again ther is a rumour that the Miles Davis album title "Live Evil" was inspired by Glens reversible title "Evil dog".

I was pleased recently to get a double CD of "Alchemy" and "Elements" from Amazon at a very reasonable price.
Happy new year.
Steve Pank".

(L-R) Steve Pank and Dave Tomlin during a conversation with the archive's editor in London (photo: L. Ferrari)

no©2011 Luca Ferrari

(Scraping the bottom of the barrell 3:) Some rare poems by Glen Sweeney.

Written around the second half of '80's (except "Tiger", date back to 1979), here's some rare poems by Glen Sweeney, probably intended for a planned book of writings, poems & something else. But the book was never published... 

Poems to Maggie and Ron*

Her master with his million sins

his sawn off mind his seven chins

inside his head a demon sings

of blood and death and slaughter.

This witch sits spiderwise 

inside her web of lies and cries

only he loves me who dies

and the room filled up with laughter.

Ha, ha, ha, ha...

©1987  Glen   Sweeney Estate
*Note: Maggie and Ron are Margareth Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

The future star wars

There is a war in the stars

Venus fights Mars

and Earth is ripe for the kill

the prophets of doom

prepare for the boom

and they teach their kids to kill

it is plain to see

that our destiny is to fight 

till the end of the time

and love will become a crime

for the future of man

is a cosmic plan

by the architects of fear

and the gods they await

will arrive to late

with a nod a wink

and the fear.
 ©1987  Glen  Sweeney Estate

Untitled poem

Have you heard the sound of one hand clapping

have you heard the sound of one man rapping

tired of sleeping in the street

want somewhere to rest your feet

Have you heard the sound of one hand clapping

have you heard the sound of one man rapping

tired of politicians lies

don't listen with your ears

listen with your eyes. 

©1987 Glen  Sweeney Estate

 

The poem titled "Tiger" handwritten by Glen Sweeney.

Tiger

(Poem. Thanks to Willy Blake)

Tiger tiger 
burning bright

soon you will be 
an unknown sight

no more forests 
of the night

something that you 
cannot fight
has replaced thy 
fearfull symmetry
felled the soaring 
jungle tree
left a symbol 
                  of our culture
a 
   Coca Cola 
                     tin
on which stands 
                   a vulture.

 ©1979  Glen  Sweeney Estate     
                                                                                  

no©2011 Luca Ferrari

(Scraping the bottom of the barrell 2:) "Abrakadabra": another lyrics from the Hydrogen Jukebox era.

Here's another lyrics from the Hydrogen Jukebox, A.D. 1978, the electric-pop band formed by Sweeney after the TEB experience. Written by the percussionist for the album, but lightly modificated for the vocals, it's a long apocalyptic vision about the times, valid even for this 'new' second decade of 2000's...

Abrakadabra

"I've heard the works of Eliphus Levi
Kafka and Verlaine
I've been astral travelling nightly
with commuters of the brain
but the sign posts of the occult
all seem to read the same
I'm heading for the palace
of pain... singing

ABRAKADABRA now!

I've seen the demons of the drug stores
cast their pearls before swine
I've seen the pedliars of madness
down on Hollywood and vine
but the second hand of oblivion
sweeps the corridors of time
and I'm frozen in a catatonic mime... singing

ABRAKADABRA now!

I've seen the captains of confusion
order millions of their doom
heard the horseman of the apocalypse
like thunder on the tomb
heard the children of innocense
screaming in the womb
and I'm hiding in a crater on the moon... singing

ABRAKADABRA now!

The original lyrics handwritten by Glen Sweeney.

I've heard the pious popes of pornography
preaching to the poor
heard the flood tide of humanity
crying out for more
I saw the scothsayers of war
that left me screaming in terror 
on the floor... singing

ABRAKADABRA now!

I've heard the bibles of bullshit
preached the sermons of hate
I've seen the sign that says no niggers
above the pearly gate
I've sung the hymns of hypocrisy
and before it gets too late
I'm joining the fairies of fate... singing
ABRAKADABRA now!"
                                               ©1978  Glen Sweeney Estate

Jim "Gypsy" Hayes recording Hydrogen Jukebox tracks.

About the Hydrogen Jukebox: maybe can be intersting to know that the album, formerly titled "Apocaliptic Anthems" and then called "Prophesies" when Materiali Sonori produced it in 1991, had two different track-lists (but with Sweeney it was a normal thing...):

“Prophecies” (CD – Materiali Sonori , 1991)
“Kingdom of the Brave”. “Life is an Art”. “Crysalis the Man”. “Voidoid City”. “Shoe Suede Blues”. “Ab-ra-ka-dab-ra”. “Prophecies”. “To be Continued”.

“Apocaliptic Anthems”/”Voidoid City” (pre-realise tape)
“Abracadabra”. “Folded Up the Afternoon”. “Join the Fairys of Fate”. “Kingdom of the Brave”. Signspots of the Occult”. “Don’t whistle while you piss”. “I saw Buddha smile”. “Voidoid City”.

At one point, during 1990, Sweeney decided to title it "Voidoid City" and designed the cover reproduced below: 

                                                                                              ©1990  Glen Sweeney Estate

Asking Mick Carter, produced the album's  tracks  at Dansette Studios (Kent) in 1978 and the definitive mix at London Alchemical Studios in 1991, he confirmed no out-takes or alternate tracks exist in the vaults...

The Hydrogen Jukebox (L-R): Brian Diprose, Jim Hayes, Mick Carter, an unknown engineer, Glen Sweeney.

no©2011 Luca Ferrari

(Scraping the bottom of the barrell 1:) An unrealised Glen Sweeney's lyrics from 1978...

Scraping the bottom of the barrell (I've hoped some old TEB collector/musician/friend could contribute in all these months with interesting stuffs, but few things have come...), you can read below an unrealised lyrics from the Hydrogen Jukebox written by Glen Sweeney in 1978 and maybe intended for the album.

Anyway, a way to say hello to the New Year thinking about our bitter destiny of Western men...

"Five portals hath the caverned man

the wise men know it's true

so they spend their lives  in academies

The five colours they do blind the eye

the seven sounds will numb the ear

and learning names and other games

will lead a man to fear

Telepathy is a portal the wise men all refute

for love is the key

they cannot see

as they argue and dispute

Another portal is the door we are taught to lock and bolt

but fear gets in

through the pores of the skin

and grips us by the throat

The animals all build their nests

and live their lives for free

and in a way the price they pay

is a lack of security

But animals don't cling to life

adventure is their game

and as they die they wink their eye

and say what's in a name

The Hydrogen Jukebox, A.D. 1978

A man  he has to buy his nest

and so he is not free

but spends his life a labouring

in the name of security

And as he settles in his nest

and prepares to enjoy his day

another  portal opens wide

and his soul it flies away

They lay his body in the grave

and they sell his little nest

and the moral of this story 

is that animals know best".
                                    ©1978  Glen Sweeney  Estate

no©2010 Luca Ferrari