A review on "Alchemy" on Facebook...

Esoteric according the G-man, on his Facebook page, reviewed here  "Alchemy"...

Sometimes, I wonder why I do this to myself.........after the “Elements” album being quite, shall we say, “challenging”, I was consumed with curiosity, bearing in mind I'd never heard any of their albums before now, to see what happened next........
…..to which the answer is........things got “less challenging”..... you can see this review is really gonna help, can't you.......
With a whole CD and a bit of previously unreleased tracks, let's start with the “Alchemy” album itself. The whole package is instrumental – get that out of the way first – and the main album is a whole lot more cohesive and structured than what came before, or it certainly sounds that way. For the first track, against a shuffling tabla rhythm, the violin, or viola, interweaves with the oboe and the effect is both mesmerising and hypnotic as the instruments kind of stride along with the textures counteracting and creating an almost melodic feel to the density. The 10+ minute “Ghetto Raga” that follows, is, however, the first time for this band, that my ears (lol) pricked up and something really grabbed me, coz this track is an absolute gem. Again, with tabla rhythms to the fore, the viola and oboe continue to weave, soar, drone, stride and fly over the ever gathering rhythmic clouds and something akin to Terry Riley meets Indian, unfolds in all its glory to remarkable degree and itr's this track that makes you think “thank the heavens I bought this album” as, despite what comes next, you somehow manage the resist the urge to loop this and make it last about 10 hours, never mind 10 minutes. There follows a couple of 3+ minute tracks that are more sedate, as the tabla rhythms calm, the strings plink and pluck and drone their way to infinity while the oboe continues to whirl and swirl, the whole thing achieving that Philip Glass/Terry Riley kind of cyclical nirvana, but injected with greater texture, less intensity and more melody.
“The 8+ minutes of “Egyptian Book Of The Dead” (kinda gives it away, really) starts more of a wail before the slow tabla beats begin, the dervish like dance of the oboe begins and it all gets rather rhythmic in a quite unexpected but delightful way, as the cello unfolds a mournful meandering underneath, and you can just picture the boat with the body on it, floating down the Nile, as the mood darkens, the strings shimmer eerily and the beats keep beating.
From there on in, things swing to and fro from slowly sailing to wickedly dervish swirling and most points in between, the whole album a huge step up from the first and, although I never thought I'd say this, something I'll be listening to again when the mood is right (you know, funerals, bad news, your girlfriend's dumped you – that sort of mood). As a bonus there are two 6 minute tracks froma 1969 “Top Gear”session which continue the mood of the album, only here in a “live” situation, the viola and cello sound incredibly Cale-esque (that's John, not JJ) while the oboe is just sensational sounding with the tablas as the heartbeat that keeps it all alive – superb stuff and a thoroughly excellent CD.
The extra bonus CD consists of all previously unreleased tracks from recordings made in 1968 (back to “challenging” although not quite as harsh) plus tracks recorded at Abbey Road studios in 1969 which are more varied yet consistent with the moods of the main album, but I won't go into detail as (a) you'll be bored, and (b) life's too short. Suffice to say, the main album is a stunner so give this a go and if you only ever own and love one Third Ear Band album, this is definitely going to be the one.

no©2019 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

The "unfolk" music of Alessandro Monti, Italian composer & musician.

Alessandro Monti is a quite intriguing musician. I listened to his music years ago when he published his first album titled "Unfolk" for his own little label Diplodisc and I really liked it. I usually give away lots of the Italian records I receive at home (for reasons you can easily understand...), but that Monti's album is still one of the few I hold in my discography with some great old Italian experimental music (Area, first Battiato's albums, Aktuala, Alan Sorrenti' first two records, Zeit, Dissoi Logoi, Tangamanu...).

At 57, Alessandro has been composing and recording music for almost two decades, a peculiar research deeply rooted in folk and world music, but that shows to know well electronic and popular music too. As in his last studio work titled "Intuitive Maps", full of ideas and suggestions that you could record three different albums!

Because he admits, among other bands, to be inspired by the Third Ear Band, and because I feel that something of TEB is displayed in his music, here I am with a long, articulated interview about music, compositions, record market, technologies... And even if he states popular music is living a big crisis now, he's the clear example we can have some hopes for the future... 

 

LCF: "Your first solo album, this wonderful "spiritDzoe" published in 2014, is a syncretic fusion of lot of folkloric and WM elements... and it seems to me to detect in it bits of Terry Riley, Richard Youngs, Cuffern (that wonderful album "Wyrdstone"), Michael Cashmore, 'our' Third Ear Band... all in a very personal, unique style that it's just yours, of course - this "Unfolk"music you're playing for at least one decade... How is born your "unfolk" and this marvellous solo record?"

AM: "Well, last year we celebrated 10 years of Unfolk with a collective album and "spiritDzoe" was my previous effort, my only "solo" album so far: I must confess I'm still very fond of its silent and humble perspective.

"Unfolk", first edition (2006).

It was a sort of musical therapy for me at the time in a difficult moment (separation from my wife, health problems, issues in my daily job), and something which took shape directly in the studio, with few pre-conceived ideas playing virtually everything at hand, deliberately leaving noises and imperfections on tape as a sort of human document, for me intensity was more important than perfection, expression more vital than showing off. So after listening back to all the pieces of the puzzle it seemed like a ritual, I was searching for the primitive rhythm, the purest essence of sound... passing through all the elements and instruments, finally reaching it in the all-percussive ending.
 

Frankly I never heard some names you quote, but of course I've grown up listening to Terry Riley and John Cale (who indeed followed the most unique and extraordinary path in music), the Incredible String Band, Art Bears, Stockhausen and "our" Third Ear Band: listening to "Macbeth" as a teenager was a life-changing experience.

"Unfolk" celebrative edition (2016).

I actually saw Richard Youngs in Venice years ago and I liked the records, but I think we have a different approach, he seems to enjoy singing a lot, while I mostly love the instrumental side... even if I'm working on an album of "songs" right now! Perhaps we both share this idea of Unfolk ("non folk" in Italian), traditional elements to be transformed by the times we're living, through new technologies and other cultures. My "Un-folk" is "Un-orthodox" folk music, "Un-known" tradition, an organic update of that timeless musical language... it's also a vital transformation, a never ending work-in-progress..."
Listening to the recording after all these years, on that final section I was influenced by the style of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago and the master Japanese percussionist Stomu Yamash'ta.

LCF: "And what about "spiritDzoe", your first solo effort?

 
AM: ""spiritDzoe" starts with a mandolin feedback (parte 1), I think the only one recorded so far... but I could be wrong [laughs]. After I used all the possibilities of that instrument (both acoustic & electric) on the previous cds ("Unfolk" & "The Venetian Book Of The Dead"), I felt the need to go beyond the strings, because nothing's sacred in my opinion; plus I love feedback and I tried to obtain the right notes while moving the neck in front of a small Orange amp at maximum volume... 

 "The Venetian Book of the Dead"

I practiced for approx 30' until I found the right notes; it was truly inspiring and it slowly became a "composed" piece, using a synthesizer drone like a tamboura... in early music is called "bordone", nothing's changed and both East and West share the same elements. Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" and Derek Bailey's guitar improvisations were other influences at the time, and of course Syd Barrett's use of controlled feedback on early Pink Floyd recordings. And yes: World Music has a special place in my heart: I started studying indian music in the early 80's, then Greek, Balkan and African styles; we're in the middle of a crisis in our Western world and arts reflect all this, so I'm learning from other cultures... there's always something new to enjoy out there!

"spiritDzoe" (2014)

Anyway in the making of "spiritDzoe" I was listening to the so-called post-rock scene... bands like Rachel's, Labradford, Tortoise and the most popular of them all: Talk Talk, their last recordings "Spirit Of Eden", "Laughing Stock" and the acoustic Mark Hollis' solo cd are crucial records to understand the evolution of alternative music, still important and influential... perhaps the last great records produced by a rock band.

I'm so happy you love "spiritDzoe" because it comes directly from my heart, it's sincere and true and definitely the difficult and esoteric side of my work. I'm not a full-time professional musician, I'm also a healthcare worker and parts of "spiritDzoe" were inspired by my job with disabled people; I realized I wasn't paying much attention to rhythm, but I was amazed at how important it can be... I mean spiritually, physically and psychologically.""

LCF: "So you are inspired by a lot of references and different music genres... what do you think about the present condition of Western popular music?"

AM: "What can we say? Something radically changed after the 90's and during the last few years it seems that all quality pop songs disappeared from airplay, leaving only the same old melodies, the same chord changes and the same electronic tricks with no ideas, but I think that it reflects society's decadence... I'm not sure if we're living through an era of transition but you can experience this in politics, arts, media and culture in general.

Talking about music: we don't have talented artists like we used to, they were creating art-songs with lots of ideas. Technology nowadays is often used with boring effects, take the Autotune for example: you can hear it everywhere, but few people can obtain original effects from it; it could be really interesting for vocal transformations (like Vocoder in the past), but I only heard John Cale & Todd Rundgren using it in a creative way so far... but the fact is they're both 70, this means a lot to me: different generations, different understanding of music and social awareness... this is truly a “generation gap” in a negative sense.

"After the 70's many people of my generation hated the 80's, but I remember I was listening to a lot of great songs back then, post-punk bands, new wave and synth-pop... recently I transcribed many 80's classics on my guitar for a live unplugged project and I decided to choose mostly electronic dance pieces because they were a sort of challenge: all results were great, I had fun with the chords and structures... really good stuff. Now it's over, I hear only bad copies of old styles.

"Intuitive Maps" (2017)

By the way I always loved pop songs and I really miss a good song coming from the radio; I used to buy pop records once in a while, but now I can only feel a deep void, we're quickly going into a black hole where everything is filtered through social networks and cell phones taking control of the lives of millions: it's very dangerous... I ran out of facebook years ago when they blocked my account for no reason: I was only promoting my music but they didn't like it! Young kids now listen to music in cell phones, with awful audio setups, playlists made of short fragments downloaded for free from the Internet.They just don't know how to hear music anymore, they can't imagine what a full album is, and they don't care about the work behind a record... they take their files for granted. I think it's our responsability: we created a lot of culture in the past but we destroyed it with apathy and laziness. It's a complicated matter and there are many levels of reading this, but the truth is: today showing a new tattoo is much more important than sharing a record, sad but true.

"So I could answer that the condition of Western popular culture is the result of a dramatic change in Western society. From time to time we still hear some great music... at 57 I'm still producing new records with the same enthusiasm though: you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one (thanks, John!)."
 

LCF: "Yes, I agree with you, we're living in very strange times: it's so easy to produce music now, but at the same time we have a huge amount of rubbish around... What kind of music you're listening to in these very difficult momentum for popular music?"
 

"Firstly I don't rely on the web too much... I only try to get infos about some rare material or specialist distributions, but I still support the local shops a lot: they're the most important source for culture and they must live! Inside the booklet of the new "Intuitive Maps" cd I wrote very "alternative" notes: I thanked all friends working in record shops, they helped Unfolk so much through the years. Plus I think that walking inside a shop and hearing something new is still a fascinating experience to me. I must admit I never listen to music on YouTube or Bandcamp, I don't really like the sound on tiny computer speakers and I enjoy cds very much: I think they're the best solution for sound today; I don't believe in vinyl reissues, except for original copies or old analogue pressings. All new editions on vinyl transferred from digital masters are pointless to me, the sound is flat and the dynamics almost non-existent... we have the best support, why don't we choose it? Having said that, the strangest thing is: I never saw so many new releases as in these difficult times... I mean reissues, remasters, unreleased stuff and live broadcasts: they're financially impossible to follow. So, sometimes I prefer buying something old than new, I only bought one or two new releases this year, but I got lots of amazing stuff from the past... perhaps I'm getting old [laughs]. 

I like Contemporary Classical, electronic and concrete music, many rare and deleted recordings are available now, so it's the right time to get them. I also love unusual Library music and jazz reissues (classic Sun Ra and Don Cherry recordings always seems to be inspiring), and I always love to hear the occasional african vibe. About rock music: it seems to me that the best of the last few years came from Eastern Europe, bands like Plastic People Of The Universe, Pulnoc, Reportaz, ZGA, Roz Vitalis... all very original and inventive. My favourite labels are ReR Megacorp and LTM (their 20th Century Avant-garde series is priceless), and I think Burning Shed has the best prog distribution... so I always discover stunning works I missed with unusual material and beautiful artworks. But I always ask my local shop first!"

LCF: "You're from Venice, or at least I think so, one of the most famous historical town in the World. Is this fate inspiring in some way your own creativity?"

AM: "Good question. I was born in Venice but I live in Mestre (only 10' by bus)... when I was a kid I spent every weekend in Venice because my grandmother lived there; I loved the City and the unique atmosphere, it was quiet and much different back then, less tourists and caos. Perhaps some traces can be found on my use of mandolin, it was a popular instrument in Venice during the past centuries (Vivaldi concerts are wonderful examples); funnily enough the instrument I used on the early Unfolk cds isn't Italian but Irish! 

Paul Delvaux (detail of "Thevenetian Book of the Dead" cover ).

Another hidden influence could be my interest in world music because Venice was an important crossing of different cultures in the past. So I surely love that City but Mestre had a deeper and darker influence on my work: "The Venetian Book Of The Dead" is an album inspired by the industrial disasters in Marghera where many workers died by cancer in the PVC/vinyl factories (I wrote long notes about this album on my blog: unfolkam.wordpress.com): environmental issues are still alarming here for many reasons."

LCF: "Do you think TEB's music can be still influential for a contemporary musician in terms of improvisational music?"

AM: "It's a difficult question... during the mid-70's when I was at high school, Third Ear Band was a rather famous group, nowadays it's hard to imagine so many students having copies of the second Lp or "Alchemy"; they were esoteric of course, but I clearly remember exchanging copies of the albums with many friends. TEB were unique, something that was truly original even in the record boom of those years, but people who listened to conventional rock music, Kosmische Couriers or The Soft Machine were enjoying their sound: it's no coincidence that TEB was a perfect opening act for bands as diverse as The Rolling Stones, King Crimson or Pink Floyd... they created a sonic flux literally uplifting the audience to another level. Those were incredible times for sure and many improvising musicians were touched or influenced by them; certainly when I was at high school I was growing up in a cultural environment and turmoil very different from the present one, but I feel that TEB could still be influential in post-folk, new jazz, world and progressive music. I think that the balance you hear on the classic recordings by TEB is nothing short than exemplary and instructive; it could be a source of inspiration for new generations. Thanks to your website, a true labour of love, you're unveiling the mystery surrounding Third Ear Band 's existence and recordings... it's the best thing you can do: using today's technology and tools to promote their music and make musicians aware of their improvising art." 

Paul Delvaux (detail of "Thevenetian Book of the Dead" cover ).

LCF: "Which specific elements of Third Ear Band's music you feel are in your "unfolk" approach to sounds?"

AM: "I think that perhaps all specific TEB elements found in my music surface on a sort of unconscious level, but I'm sure that the use of hand percussion, strings and eastern drones come directly from those records. I dedicated one requiem to Florian Fricke (of Popol Vuh) on the first Unfolk record, but I should do the same for Glen Sweeney as well! There's a spiritual and primitive side in TEB's music that I love, I really think that TEB captured the essence of a timeless sound. I played a version of "Eternity In D" linked to "Bitches Brew" like a medley; the bass riffs are quite similar but the notes evolve in different directions (Paul Buckmaster explains the musical aspect in detail in your interview); I love electric Miles and knowing that there's a link with TEB seems logical and beautiful. The incredible thing about the 60's, 70's & 80's was that everyday search for new solutions and cross-pollinations, in other words there was MUSIC, no boundaries or style limitations... "file under freedom".

I'm very proud that some of my cds have been linked to TEB by critics and listeners. I was a teenager when I first heard "Macbeth" in a Venice record shop... I can still remember the feeling I had in my headphones, standing petrified and listening to a whole side without interruption, it was an epiphany of new sounds: those dissonant string arrangements by Paul Buckmaster & Simon House, the non-classical use of oboe by Paul Minns, Denim Bridges' distorted guitar totally out of a rock context and Glen's basic 4/4 rhythm patterns were a total revelation to me. The music was so simple and rich at the same time, leaving a lot for imagination. I actually watched the film many years later but I already made my own personal images with the music. Sometimes I think that soundtracks shouldn't be made for a film! If music works you can close your eyes and live through a parallel dimension creating your own story... imagination is the key: that's why I prefer records to films, and radio to TV.

 

I'm working on a new project of songs right now with a deep subject: the musician's oblivion... I think that music exists before and after its actual creation, so the composer's ego is totally useless, he's only a decoder of cosmic waves, nothing more. Fame, success and stardom are the other (wrong) side of the coin. When I listen to TEB records I always forget who's playing and concentrate only on sound: the notes are living their own life both individually and collectively... that is a rare achievement in my opinion and all the best music should have this quality."

Promo poster for the last CD.

A Third Ear Band sketchbook

(8 random notes for Ghettoraga Archive by Alessandro Monti)

1. The pizzicato violins on “Stone Circle” and “Earth” are among my favourite sections of TEB's records;

2. the non-classical use of oboe on TEB's recordings reminds me of the sound of an ancient and rediscovered instrument, like something unearthed from the dust of time. The experiments by Yusef Lateef, Paul McCandless and Karl Jenkins were very much interesting but more structured and modern;

3. the hand drums on “Air” have an almost electronic quality, something rarely heard in folk/world music at the time... the rhythm is so good even today that it could be confused for a sampled track!

4. the trance-like “Fire” is a monolith performance that seems to me without a beginning and without an end. The result is very close to La Monte Young's experiments of the 60's with John Cale (on viola) and Tony Conrad (on violin). The collective playing on “Fire” is so intense that it could only be interrupted!

5. the only song recorded by TEB in the classic trilogy is “Fleance”, a functional piece in the film, but also an effective folk ballad: in my opinion it's a deliberate reminder of the essential purity and utter simplicity of their almost childish approach;

6. many artists tried to convey in music “The Egyptian Book Of The Dead”: Pierre Henry recorded the darkest composition on the opposite side: concrete & electronic music. Here's a subject that will resurface in different ages and styles, until people will rediscover the early acoustic pioneers! 

7. the balance between traditional instruments and electronics on “Macbeth” is unparalleled: still in a no-man's land;

8. few artworks can be so "iconic" than the trilogy...

ALESSANDRO MONTI's DISCOGRAPHY

"Unfolk" (CD - Diplodisc , ITA 2006)  350 copies limited edition
"The Venetian Book of the Dead" 
 (CD - Diplodisc dpl 002, ITA 2009)
"spiritDzoe" (CD - Diplodisc dpl 008, ITA 2014)
"Unfolk"/Live Book 
(CD - Diplodisc dpl 005/6, ITA 2016)
"Intuitive Maps"  
(CD - Musiche Particolari & Records MPRCD072, ITA 2017)

 OTHER PROJECTS/SAMPLERS/COMPILATIONS

Caveman Shoestore
"Master Cylinder" (Tim/Kerr Records, 1992) production

Various Artists

"Italia No! Contaminazioni No Wave Italiane (1980 - 1985)"

(LP/CD - Spittle Records, 2013) 
 Massimo Berizzi 
"Spirali"(CD - Diplodisc dpl 007, 2013)
Various Artists
"Diplocomp. A Diplodisc Sampler"
(CD - Diplodisc dpl 010, ITA 2014)
 Various Artists
 Burning Shed Free EP (Burning Shed) limited download only
Quanah Parker

"Suite degli Animali Fantastici" (MP& Records, 2015)

 Quadelectronic
"QE98" (Quadelectronic Documents, 2017) 12 × File – FLAC Digital album

Various Artists
 "The Wire Tapper 44"
(CD - The Wire magazine, UK 2017)

 CONTACTS  

Web site:  

http://unfolkam.wordpress.com
Soundcloud:  
http://soundcloud.com/unfolk 

no©2017 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)  

New book by Italian journalist Antonello Cresti with TEB quoted.

"Solchi Sperimentali. Una guida alle musiche altre" ("Experimental grooves. A guide to the other music") (Crac edizioni – 300 pages, € 22,00) is the new book written (in Italian) by Antonello Cresti. 

It's an essay/compilation of reviews about around 300 albums recorded by alternative/experimental bands as Area, Claudio Rocchi, Terry Riley, Magma, Comus, Aktuala, Red Crayola... based on twenty years of passionate listening with a wide spectrum from the Sixties to nowadays.

As a big fan of the Third Ear Band  (he has dedicated pages on his last books) he has written also pages on Glen Sweeney & C..

A peculiar idea of this book is that along with the reviews there's a QR code for listening the music on streaming while you're reading about it.

Cresti is an Italian composer, musician, writer and journalist. He works for newspapers/ magazines as "Il Manifesto", "Rockerilla", "Liberazioni", "Alias".

Edizioni Crac Web site:
http://edizionicrac.tumblr.com
Buy a copy of the book/Acquista una copia del libro:
http://edizionicrac.blogspot.it/2014/10/ordina-qui-il-nuovo-libro-di-antonello.html 
Cresti's promo video about the book (in Italian):  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc23S2qXoX0&x-yt-ts=1422579428&x-yt-cl=85114404
A live presentation of the book (in Italian):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A6mMtMdcwI
Other Cresti's books  on this Archive:
http://ghettoraga.blogspot.it/2011/03/third-ear-band-quoted-on-italian-book.html
http://ghettoraga.blogspot.it/2011/11/new-italian-book-about-english-folk.html

no©2015 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first) 

An interview with Glen Sweeney on an old Italian book.

Italian musician and journalist Pierluigi Castellano dedicated to the Third Ear Band an interview in a book edited in 2004 by publisher DeriveApprodi (http://www.deriveapprodi.org/estesa.php?id=157) titled "Le sorgenti del suono. Trenta incontri con musicisti straordinari" ("The sources of sound. 30 meetings with extraordinary musicians" - pages 192, € 13.00). 

Among the others, original interviews (just in Italian) with 'monsters' as Terry Riley, John Cage, Philip Glass, Uri Cane, Alice Coltrane, Brian Eno... to investigate the origins of their sound.

As the author states in the preface, the aim of this book is "to detect the freedom of choice inside and against the limits imposed by present conditions. Suggesting an idea of musical expression deprived of gerarchies, with processes of contamination taken even from scientific disciplines, and restating the power of collision between subversive power of art and his reduction to the logic of a controlled communication".

About the Third Ear Band, in December 1989 Castellano asked few  questions to Glen Sweeney related to the origins of the group, the first two albums recorded ("Even today I like much to listen to them: in particular the second one that probably is the best album we have done..."), the experience with Polanski's Macbeth.
About this Sweeney reveals: "(...) Personally, I had the idea that a soundtrack were something of too artificial, not so ideal to make good music: so I replied we were just available to improvise on the pictures he'd given to us. (...) I think music we recorded was very very good, but it happened something of very funny: the copy on which we had worked was b&w and just the evening before  we realized Polanski's Macbeth was a wonderful full color movie... Obviously it was really pleasant, while the black and white ones was so glum...".

no©2013 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)  

"The apprentice and the sorcerer" (part two). An old Italian article on the Third Ear Band.

Here's the second part  of the rare Italian stuff on the Thirds written by journalist Maurizio Baiata  and published on "Ciao 2001" magazine on December 24th, 1973.

Thanx researcher Daniele Briganti (read him at http://stampamusicale.altervista.org/) we can read what one of the best (at that time) underground Italian music magazine wrote about the band, with common places, gross infos, cheap philosophy and some brilliant insights...

"(...) Black misterious pages, a draw full of strange  and gelid signs, a music as a viaticum to the acoustic Hell: this is the Third Ear Band of "Alchemy", first record experience, first album thrown out in whirpools of the unknown in music, nothing of "dark" or the classic gastronomic flavour as like as Black Sabbath or Black Widow: strange stories of past and cruel times open in the grooves, collocation of historical order let you know how the group mainly persue a right rediscovery of the English and Scottish black folk music, with temporal movements limited to XI and XII century, with the rhythmic outstretched to rediscovery of cults dear to Ossian, then sung by William Blake and the other sepulcher poets. But there's a background mood that seem to miss: with the coldness of music contents something of indefinable is leaping in front of eyes, maybe that love for nature, that frantic order that rules human things.

"Alchemy" is a complex and difficult work, complete. (...) The basic sound has its rise in a monodic pulse most of the time created by the percussions, then it enriches with the strings and oboe, both  played on patterns of an haunting and perfect iteration of rhythms: the picture will seem more clear if compared to Terry Riley's compositions, where the sound carpet, build with one or more incessantly repeated notes, is coloured with continuous superimpositions of synth and organ...

After some very strong (and sharable) observations about the Italian music at that time, Baiata analyzes TEB's second album, described as "the high point of their melodic and modal issue... obsessive, vitalistic, the sublimation of static and monodic music thrown on the lines of highest multiformity, the more charming and medieval rhythmic arcaism ever listened to.
For the author, "Earth" is "the mythical canto of joy, of creation's beauty, of human beasts and not, of the horse that neigh, of the rhythm of flower's growth, so misterious, and we have, with the Third Ear Band, an interpretation,  an all European translation in harmonic terms - easy, linear, very sweet. 
Among group's writings, these are the best lines, an absolutely supernatural composition, where also Riley bows...".

 About "Macbeth", Baiata states that "it's not the work of ripeness, it's not the logical end of contacts with the  band's extrasensorial music, but another little step along the road gotten to exceed the pattern of normal tonality, to destroy criteria of symmetry and geometry in force in England since the age of the Beatles ".
He claims the record, born under the soundtrack ambiguity, "has many static moments, even if played by first order musicians".
On the band's split, "happened just after "Macbeth" (but we know Sweeney and Minns played until 1975...), Baiata says "Third Ear Band's music existed just time before to be created, it was on the air, into the dreams of who came before, into the nightmares of every clever man, on the artistic measure of Self and on his power of theatrical performance of life's things".

Note for the Italian readers:
if you're interested to read the original Italian article please contact me through my e-mail dopachino@tiscali.it to receive a copy in PDF format.

no©2011 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)