"Alchemy" album cover at a V&A Museum exhibition in London.

It is titled "You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970" and it's a new exhibition at the London Victoria & Albert Museum  until February 27th, 2017 (https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/you-say-you-want-a-revolution-records-and-rebels-1966-70).

"This major exhibition will explore the era-defining significance and impact of the late 1960s, expressed through some of the greatest music and performances of the 20th century alongside fashion, film, design and political activism",  the organisers declare. 

Among lot of artifacts of the period displayed, also the cover of "Alchemy" and a copy of the rare magazine "Albion" created by Steve Pank in May 1968 (now valued around $350).

On the 3CDs realised for the exhibition (64 tracks selected by journalist and writer Jon Savage) no tracks by the Thirds, of course, even if there are some questionable choices (The Rascals, The Impressions, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Flies...).

no©2016 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)   

TEB new CDs update.

Dear TEB  compulsive listeners,

I have to inform you the announced TEB CDs ("Spirits" and "Brain Waves" reissue) will be available next year: "Spirits" release date is January 27th, 2017.
Gonzo Multimedia's Captain Rob Ayling wrote me it past week - the decision is due the amount of records scheduled by the label (expecially Rick Wakeman's old and new ones).

I'm sorry, but we have to wait for it...

Anyway I'm proud to tell  Carolyn Looker and me are editing the first collection of poems, writings, drawings by Glen Sweeney. It will be published next year, I hope until Summer.

Yours,

Luca Chino Ferrari

 no©2016 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)        

Glen, Carolyn and Leonard Cohen...

When I met Glen in the second half of '80's I discovered he and his missus Carolyn loved the music of Leonard Cohen. At the time, in his Sheperd's Bush flat he had all the Cohen albums' cassettes and sometimes  he loved to quote excerpts from Cohen's lyrics.

Because I loved too much Cohen  me too, during the Italian tours sometimes it could happen we chat about his music and his poetry... (also about Bob Dylan, Sun Ra and Indian music, other Glen's favourite topics).

Years later Carolyn sent me as a gift a copy of a Leonard Cohen biography written by Ira Nadel, a very good portrait with clever and sensitive insights on Cohen's art.

The day after his death, on November 10th, I wrote to Carolyn because I recalled she and Glen would love Leonard Cohen. She wrote me back this: "Yes, you recall well, I am a huge fan of Leonard Cohen and I listen to him all the time. The news did not surprise me as his new CD is very much a transition to the next life. His son did the arrangements and the music is beautiful. Being Buddhist I'm sure he was totally prepared..."

 no©2016 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

Some interesting short reviews on TEB's historical albums...

Mike McLatchey wrote some interesting reviews on TEB's first era albums. It's all published on "Exposé" an American  Web site devote to "exploring the boundaries of Rock".
The Third Ear Band's page is at http://www.expose.org/index.php/artists/display/third-ear-band-eng.html

with reviews of "Alchemy" and "Third Ear Band", and "Druid Grocking" 1970 video with a very funny title:"Any Band without a Silver-Jacketed Oboe Player Is Not Cool Enough".

Here below you can read the reviews...

ALCHEMY

"There really was no other quartet like the Third Ear Band, they were even singular in 1969, showing up on the Harvest label next to Pink Floyd. They're difficult to describe, perhaps something like a psychedelic medieval raga band might be close. The instrumentation was unusual with its mix of cellos, violins/violas, oboe/recorders, and table/hand drums, and the combined sound was a bewitching acoustic drone that could sound like Indian classical music, renaissance folk, and hippie drum circle all at once, although the musical strands came together in a very cohesive way. The pounding, insistent drumming sets up something very pagan and tribal, with the strings chopping away and the oboe weaving modal melodies on top, the results lifted by the mythical and mystical titles. I've always found this a completely mesmerizing listen, like opening up some imaginary fabled land and culture from aeons ago. Discogs files them as Neo-Classical and Avantgarde, neither of which seem to fully capture what their sound was like."
 

THIRD EAR BAND

"The Third Ear Band quartet got even more experimental for the follow up to their debut album, reducing a bit of the Renaissance feel of some of the compositions on their debut Alchemy. The results were quite a bit more dangerous and certainly more dissonant, with the strings adding some eeriness to the proceedings. I still remember playing this album for the first time in a local record store friendly to progressive music in the early 90s. A customer who had been shopping started shooting quick stinkeye looks at the manager who was at the counter and began to pace the aisles frantically until the dissonant violins and cellos madly moving the album forward must have made her break. She steamed up to the front, screamed "How can you listen to this music?!" and both the manager and I kind of stood with our mouths opens until she immediately exited the front of the place in a huff. We looked at each other and I go, "You should save this one for when you need to clear the place," and we both broke into laughter. So yeah, not for the squeamish, this one, but the album does vary more than what this customer heard, giving unique sonic paintings to all of the four "Elements."

                    TEB 1970-1972 with Paul Minns dressed with the cool silver jacket!

 no©2016 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)