Another TEB's track in a forthcoming Grapefruit's compilation.

A secondary effect related to Cherry Red has acquised the TEB's Harvest full catalogue clearly has been the publication of their tracks in many compilations. This is the last one published by Grapefruit and it shows the old National Balkan Ensemble's "Cosmic Trip" (anyway already officially available on the "Alchemy" remastered edition).

I don't know if this tune can be classify as "psychedelic music", because the ambiguity of the term, but it's a great track and it can be useful for letting people know the Third Ear Band's music.

 

Here below you can read the press release of the forthcoming CDs box:

Think I’m Going Weird: Original Artefacts From The British Psychedelic Scene 1966-68, 5CD
Various Artists

£33.99

Released October 29, 2021.

• Grapefruit’s landmark 100th release

• A definitive overview of the British psychedelic scene, an epic five-CD/book set that includes more than 50 minutes of previously unreleased music from the halcyon period 1966-68.

• Grapefruit’s landmark 100th release

• A definitive overview of the British psychedelic scene, an epic five-CD/book set that includes more than 50 minutes of previously unreleased music from the halcyon period 1966-68.

• Including the major acts of the era (The Who, Traffic, Small Faces, The Move, Procol Harum, Incredible String Band, Family, Crazy World of Arthur Brown etc), ‘Think I’m Going Weird: Original Artefacts From The British Psychedelic Scene 1966-68’ features many bands who also played London’s underground dungeons during the Summer Of Love.

• Featuring studio demos from the likes of Tintern Abbey, The Soft Machine, Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, Genesis, Mandrake Paddle Steamer, Dantalian’s Chariot and others plus numerous cult 45s (July, Caleb, Vamp, Blossom Toes, Sweet Feeling, etc) and fascinating album cuts from such scene stalwarts as Tomorrow, Fairport Convention, Kaleidoscope, The Deviants and Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera.

Perhaps most enticingly of all, the collection includes a number of hitherto-unknown recordings by bands who are only now gaining their first public exposure including Eyes Of Blond, Tinsel Arcade, Crystal Ship (whose contribution features lyrics from Pete Brown) and the semi-mythical 117, such a legendary name from the era’s handbills and posters that they even had a UK psych fanzine named after them in the ‘90s.

A dazzling feat of licensing and research, ‘Think I’m Going Weird…’ comes in a 60-page A5 book format with 25,000-word track-by-track annotation with some extraordinary and rare photos and memorabilia.

For anyone even remotely interested in British psychedelia, it’s simply an essential purchase.

Track Listing:

DISC ONE:

1 THINK I’M GOING WEIRD – Art
2 MY CLOWN (single mix) – July
3 THE VIEW – Gary Walker & The Rain
4 UTTERLY SIMPLE – Traffic
5 A WOMAN OF DISTINCTION – Caleb
6 LIKE THE SUN, LIKE THE FIRE – Simon Dupree & The Big Sound
7 LAZY OLD SUN (alternative version, stereo) – The Kinks
8 PLASTIC DAFFODILS – Atlanta Roots
9 PSYCHEDELIA – Ron Geesin
10 DREAM STARTS – Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera
11 TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE IN ME – Strawbs
12 FUNNIEST GIG – Manfred Mann
13 SUNNY CELLOPHANE SKIES – The Status Quo
14 MRS GRUNDY – Plastic Penny
15 BUFFALO BILLYCAN – Apple
16 CHARLES BROWN – Sweet Feeling
17 ROSIE CAN’T FLY – Sleepy
18 I KNOW, SHE BELIEVES – The Picadilly Line
19 THE LOBSTER – Fairport Convention
20 YELLOW BRICK ROAD – The Mindbenders
21 THE STORY OF DAVID – Granny’s Intentions
22 THE DEVIL RIDES OUT – Icarus
23 IS ANYBODY HOME? – The Mirage
24 WHY – Eyes Of Blond*
*previously unreleased

DISC TWO:

1 WORLD WAR III – Dantalian’s Chariot
2 SEE THROUGH WINDOWS – Family
3 SALAD DAYS (ARE HERE AGAIN) – Procol Harum
4 THE TRUTH IS PLAIN TO SEE – Freedom
5 SUN SING – Force Four
6 MR SMALL THE WATCH REPAIRER MAN – Kaleidoscope
7 IMAGE BLOWN OUT – Genesis
8 LIFE IS JUST BEGINNING – The Creation
9 TAKING OUT TIME – The Spencer Davis Group
10 THAT MAN – Small Faces
11 YOU’RE HAUNTING ME – The Hi-Fis
12 MRS GILLESPIE’S REFRIGERATOR – Sands
13 PLEASE RETURN – Rust
14 LAST MINUTE – The Nashville Teens 15 ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER – The Alan Bown!
16 THE TOUCHABLES (ALL OF US) – Nirvana
17 HALLIFORD HOUSE – The Virgin Sleep
18 CATHERINE’S WHEEL – Denny Laine
19 GIRL IN THE MIRROR – Christopher Colt
20 ELEVATOR (single mix) – Grapefruit
21 WORLD IN MY HEAD – Mike Stuart Span
22 UFO – Neo Maya
23 THE LAUGHING MAN – John Carter & Russ Alquist
24 FLOATIN’ – Vamp
25 LIFE DOES NOT SEEM WHAT IT SEEMS – Tinsel Arcade*
26 SCENE OF THE LEMON QUEEN – One Step Beyond*
*previously unreleased

DISC THREE:

1 HAPPENINGS TEN YEARS TIME AGO – The Yardbirds
2 HAVE SOME MORE TEA – The Smoke
3 WALK UPON THE WATER – The Move
4 JABBERWOCK – Boeing Duveen And The Beautiful Soup
5 THE MAD HATTER’S SONG – The Incredible String Band
6 SHOPLIFTERS – Ivor Cutler Trio
7 LOOK OUT THERE’S A MONSTER COMING – The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
8 SARA, CRAZY CHILD (extended German 45 version) – John’s Children
9 BEYOND THE RISING SUN – Tyrannosaurus Rex
10 HEY GIRL – JP Sunshine
11 MR SUNSHINE (film version) – Barclay James Harvest
12 TICK TOCK – Shyster
13 CHEADLE HEATH DELUSIONS – Felius Andromeda
14 THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF TIMOTHY CHASE – Tomorrow
15 THE BIRTHDAY – The Idle Race
16 HOW CAN WE HANG ON TO A DREAM? – The Moody Blues
17 YES IS A PLEASANT COUNTRY – Circus
18 SUMMER SUN SHINES – The Fresh Windows
19 THE BLUE MAN RUNS AWAY – Crystal Ship*
20 WHAT’S HAPPENING? – The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
21 MOTHER’S MAGAZINE – Mother’s Pride*
22 FLYING MACHINE – Turquoise
23 IN THE PARK – The Cortinas
24 HUNG UP ON A DREAM – The Zombies
25 WE ARE THE MOLES PART 1 – The Moles
26 WE ARE THE MOLES PART 2 – The Moles
*previously unreleased

DISC FOUR:

1 ARMENIA CITY IN THE SKY – The Who
2 FREDEREEK HERNANDO – One In A Million
3 FLOWERMAN – The Syn
4 I CAN HEAR COLOURS – The Motives
5 GREEN – The Lion & The Fish
6 I’M SO LOW (aka JET- PROPELLED PHOTOGRAPH) – The Soft Machine
7 JEANETTA – Mabel Greer’s Toyshop
8 COME OVER STRANGER – Canto
9 CHILDREN OF THE SUN (demo version) – The Misunderstood
10 BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME – St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
11 (I’M SO) SAD – The Magic Mixture
12 YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE LOVE BABE – The Graham Bond Organisation
13 RUMBLE OF MERSEY SQUARE SOUTH – Wimple Winch
14 COSMIC TRIP – Third Ear Band
15 I BRING THE SUN – John Bryant
16 POLICE IS HERE – A New Generation
17 SPICKS AND SPECKS – The Bee Gees
18 DEATH OF THE SEASIDE – The Human Instinct
19 BOYS AND GIRLS TOGETHER – Friday’s Chyld*
20 CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE – Jason Crest
21 TOYMAKER’S SHOP – Louise
22 PLASTIC AEROPLANE – Medium Rare*
23 VENUSIAN MOONSHINE (live at Middle Earth) – 117*
*previously unreleased

DISC FIVE:

1 PATH THROUGH THE FOREST – The Factory
2 FREEDOM FOR YOU – The Attack
3 WALKING THROUGH MY DREAMS – Pretty Things
4 DON’T GO ‘WAY LITTLE GIRL – The Shame
5 MY PRAYER – Tintern Abbey*
6 PHANTOM I – Jade Hexagram
7 COVER GIRL – Perfumed Garden
8 ROSE COLOURED GLASSES – The Tickle
9 AMY PEATE – The Orange Bicycle
10 DREAM IN MY MIND – Rupert’s People
11 SPIDER – Downliners Sect
12 WHAT ON EARTH (single mix) – Blossom Toes
13 BUILDING UP A DREAM – The End
14 THE CAT – The Merseys
15 PANDEMONIUM SHADOW SHOW – Mandrake Paddle Steamer
16 WATERWAYS (demo version) – East Of Eden
17 WHICH WAY – The Sorrows
18 BUN – The Deviants
19 ANOTHER VINCENT VAN GOGH – The 23rd Turnoff
20 SMILE AT THE SAD SUN – Champagne*
21 TALES OF BRAVE ULYSSES – The Zany Woodruff Operation*
22 SITTING ON A BLUNESTONE – Tales Of Justine
23 BRAIN – The Action
*previously unreleased

 no©2021 LucaChinoFerrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first).

"Alchemy" remastered edition in March 2019!

The Esoteric Recordings' remastered and expanded edition of "Alchemy" will be a double CD with four unreleased tracks!
The CD is scheduled for March 2019.
Here's the tracklist:
 

CD One
 
“ALCHEMY" REMASTERED (Released in July 1969)

1. Mosaic 2. Ghetto Raga 3. Druid One 4. Stone Circle 5. Egyptian Book of the Dead 6. Area Three 7. Dragon Lines 8. Lark Rise

Bonus tracks

9.  Cosmic Trip*
10. Jason’s Trip*
11. Devil’s Weed*
(Recordings made in 1968)

Note:
* Recorded as National Balkan Ensemble
 

CD Two
 
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED STUDIO SESSIONS 1969

1. Unity
2. Raga No. 1 (mono)*
(Recorded at E.M.I. Studios on 24th January 1969)
Previously unreleased

3. The Sea  
4. Hyde Park Raga  
5. Druid 
(Recorded at E.M.I. Studios on 12th September 1969)
Previously unreleased

Note:
*= same version of "Raga in D", already published by Gonzo in "Necromancers of the Drifting West" (2015)


BBC RADIO SESSIONS
 
6. Hyde Park Raga
7. Druid One 
8. Ghetto Raga


(BBC Radio One “Top Gear” session – 27th July 1969)

no©2018 Luca Chino Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first)

Maybe the most rare TEB's record?

Probably the most rare TEB's item is this only one single known, the Japan edition of "Fleance Macbeth" (Odeon EOR10140, 1972), from the "Macbeth" original soundtrack (on the B side "Overture"). No value estimated.

Here you can see the front cover and the inner sleeve with photos, notes and the original lyrics of "Fleance".

 

About other rarities for TEB's KolleKtors, just in these last few days you can get copies of the rare National Balkan Ensemble's record at around 40-60€ at Discogs Web site (https://www.discogs.com/it/sell/list?artist_id=4108478&ev=ab).

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

Another great review on "Necromancers" CD!

Here's another very good review about "Necromancers" CD published on "Shindig" magazine issue 49 (http://wp.shindig-mag.com/). 

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

Some reviews on TEB's Necromancers CD.

After "Necromancers of the Drifting West" has been released, some reviews are surfacing from the Net...

 

"When I saw this and saw no information about it, as well as who was releasing it, I was very, very suspicious, but I am very happy to report that this is a great and very high quality release sonically for all very rare or unreleased recordings from 45 years ago. First there is 16' of the TEB's very first professional recordings, then there is a high quality outtake from the 1st album, a very interesting, electric outtake from their shelved third Harvest album, from before Macbeth, and three off-air, but quite decent sounding tracks from a BBC "In Concert" broadcast, hosted by John Peel. It additionally features informative and seemingly correct notes from uberfan and band archivist Luca Ferrari. In short - any fan of the band has to own this. Highly recommended."

(Wayside Music - http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Third-Ear-Band-Necromancers-Of-The-Drifting-West__25-USD-CD-HST311CD.aspx) 

"Third Ear Band were a British psychedelic folk band that evolved within the London alternative and free-music scene of the mid-1960s. Members came from The Giant Sun Trolley and The People Band to create an improvised music drawing on Eastern raga forms, European folk, experimental and medieval influences. They recorded their first session in 1968 for Ron Geesin which was released under the pseudonym of The National Balkan Ensemble on one side of a Standard Music Library disc. Their first actual album, Alchemy, was released on the EMI Harvest label in 1969, (featuring John Peel playing jaw harp on one track), followed by Air, Earth, Fire, Water (aka Elements) in 1970. They recorded two soundtracks, the first in 1970 for an animated film by Herbert Fuchs of Abelard and Heloise (which first saw release as part of Luca Ferrari's Necromancers of the Drifting West Sonic Book in 1997) Luca writes: On 1996, when I decided to write a book on the Third Ear Band, I collaborated with of all the members of the group, except Richard Coff (apparently no one knew where he was) and Ursula Smith. The first time the title was intended for the book, it was called "Tickling the Third Ear" and the idea was to make an historical, chronological reconstruction of the TEB's story to free the band from that aura of mystery surrounding his story. But just at the end of the writing, when I completed the essay for the introduction, I decided for "Necromancers of the Drifting West": for myself, in fact, the Band has advanced the so-called World Music and the multicultural/intercultural dimension of the relation between West and the rest of the world. At the same time, in my opinion, their music was a sort of sign, a monition of musical (and cultural) decline of the old Europe (for that reason the image of 'necromancers'). A group strongly political, I think, because "silence", acoustic (as natural) sounds (no words), minimalism aesthetic, are really 'political' today, in this age of excess of experiences."

(Downtown Music Gallery Newsletter, July 2015 - http://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/Main/news/Newsletter-2015-07-17.html)

"Le label Gonzo Multimedia s'apprête à sortir deux CD d'archives du mythique groupe acid-ethno-experimentalo-médiévalo-folko-psychedelico-etc. THIRD EAR BAND.
Le premier, Necromancers of the Drifting West (du titre de l'ouvrage de Luca Ferrari, grand porte-parole de la légende du groupe), contient huit morceaux enregistrés entre 1968 et 1971 et restés officiellement inédits jusqu'à aujourd'hui. On y trouvera ainsi des pièces du National Balkan Ensemble (pré-THIRD EAR BAND), un inédit issu des sessions du premier album, Alchemy, un inédit provenant d'une session pour un disque qui n'a jamais vu le jour et une session BBC de 1971.
Necromancers of the Drifting West sortira le 25 mai prochain, et devrait être suivi de la publication d'un concert du groupe (dans sa configuration des années 1980-90) qui n'était sorti qu'en K7. Restez à l'écoute..."

(Traverses magazine, May 2015 - www.rythmes-croises.org/traversesmag/modules/news/article.php?storyid=584) 

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

First of the two new Third Ear Band's CDs available for pre-order!

The first one of the two new TEB's CDs titled "Necromacers of the Drifting West" is now available for pre-order at the Gonzo Multimedia Web site at http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/product_details/15830/Third_Ear_Band-Necromancers_of_the_Drifting_West.html

It will be realised on May 25th, 2015.

Edited by Luca Ferrari, the CD includes the National Balkan Ensemble's (pre-Third Ear Band) tracks published by Standard Music Library in 1970 (at last here in a official edition!), the wonderful unrealised "Raga in D" (from the very first "Alchemy" studio session) and "Raga n. 1" (from the Februry 1971 session for the never realised "The Dragon Wakes"); and "Water", "Eternity in D" and "Druid (one)" from a BBC "Sounds of '70's" radio broadcast (February 17th, 1971)...
Well-known tracks to every serious TEB's fan, sure, but for the first time now in a great sound quality version!

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

New TEB albums update...

When in 2009, after two tours managed and a book written about the Band, I decided to set GhettoRaga Archive my first aim was to celebrate the art of one of my favourite bands ever and honour the life of two great musicians and friends - Glen Sweeney and Paul Minns, founder of the group, sadly passed way.

Then other deaths came - Ben Cartland, Mike Marchant, Mel Davis...loosing an important part of the memory.

One of the first project I had in my mind was to realise a CD with some unrealised tracks taken from personal archives, BBC radio recordings and other old stuff. The project, titled "The Dragon Wakes", was inspired by the third TEB's album announced in 1970, recorded in 1971 but never realised (electric guitarist Denim Bridges has still all the original (wondeful!) recordings at home but he has never made anything from it (why Denny?).

Now, thanks English label GonzoMultimedia on next Spring TEB's fans shall have some recordings from the past (all the National Balkan Ensemble's recordings, some other never realised tracks, the complete concert played by the band in Sarzana in 1989, now a rare collector's item...) on two different albums with liner notes edited by me.

Here's a cover proof designed by Martin Cook who has thought to the project as a set of two similar covers with different colours:

So stay awake and... keep in touch with GhettoRaga! 

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

The very rare National Balkan Ensemble record on Ebay!

The very rare Various Artists record with three tracks by the National Balkan Ensemble (Standard Music Library ESL 112, 1970) is on sale on Ebay at 95 pounds until October 9th. 

You can see the ad at http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STANDARD-MUSIC-LIBRARY-ESL-112-LP-NATIONAL-BALKAN-ENSEMBLE-THIRD-EAR-BAND-/231067102444?pt=UK_Records&hash=item35ccac2cec

[Note the composers' names printed on the back cover that testify the origins of the band!]

A reconstruction of the album's fascinating story is available on this Archive at http://ghettoraga.blogspot.it/2009/12/national-balkan-ensemble-aka-third-ear_11.html

As our post-folk wizard Sedayne states in a post under  here, "It's worth noting that the other side of this album is a sequence of 'Comedy Links & Bridges' - several of which feature in both series of Catweazle. I often think the NBE tracks would have suited Geoffrey Bayldon's time-travelling medieval wizard down to the ground. Jason's Trip, for example, is Catweazle's very essence!".

Infact, one has to admit really intriguing the connections between TEB/NBE music and Catweazle's contents (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catweazle, http://www.catweazlefanclub.co.uk/, http://www.paulpert.com/catweazlepage1.htm)... 

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

The core of it. Some personal autosuggestions of postfolk-shaman Sedayne about the Third Ear Band.

An artist is an artist - an artist, an artist, an artist - as George Sand would tell today about Sedayne (Sean Breadin), the English postfolk shaman devoted to strong fieldworks on traditional soundscapes.

These are some inspired suggestions by him to get us ready for the Autumn-Winter season...

"A visitor to my house recently looked through my CD shelf and was surprised to see more than the three old Third Ear Band albums they were aware of. They hadn't known of the Hydrogen Jukebox, nor yet the re-union era Italian albums, much less Abelard and Heloise and The Magus; they hadn't known of all the rarities that have emerged in recent years from The National Balkan Ensemble to the session material (ancient & modern) or the German DVD and the French TV footage.

Time was, I was well content with my three Third Ear Band albums - old habits die hard: on cold Autumn mornings I always play Macbeth. Alchemy is special beyond measure - I only play it when it snows! Elements I play on stormy elemental evenings remembering the friends I never saw again after I first played it to them - Gong they could cope with, but the Third Ear Band was going too far.

These days - God knows. I often find myself playing Brainwaves when I'm cooking. It's nothing special in the way the other albums are, but it is Glen - the heart and soul of the Tertius Auris; Shaman, Trickster and catalyst for some of the finest music I've ever heard. Hell, even The Magus has its moments of utter transcendence, and Druid Grocking on the German footage is one of the most astonishing things I've heard in my entire life. 

The core remains the pure Alchemy of the four elementals though, as revealed on the French film: Richard is Fire - he burns & blazes, relentless, hungrily consuming the silences whilst lighting the very dark & warming the bitter cold; Paul is Air - he blows as the rushing wind that moves the waves & sets the very trees a dancing; Glen is the Earth - the stone circle dragon-alignments that set pulse and pattern to both enrich and 

 reveal the very chaos of nature; and Ursula is Water - she flows, she sparkles and she thunders in the depths of the unfathomable abyss. At least that's how I see it anyway.

Oh, and I forgot to mention New Forecasts, featuring Ursula on Sybilic Violin by way of pure Revelation, as the best of it remains, eternally...".

Follow Sedayne at:

http://ploughmyth.blogspot.com/ 
http://soundcloud.com/rapunzel-and-sedayne
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rapunzel-and-Sedayne/217002238319466

                                                        Sedayne - "Mr. Fox's Equinox" (March 2012)
no©2012 Luca Ferrari (unless you intend to make a profit. In which case, ask first) 

The National Balkan Ensemble a.k.a. The Third Ear Band: another mystery cleared up.

1. Web miracles 

Around the Spring of 2005, on a pair of Web sites (www.wfmu.org/playlists/show/8498 and http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ultimatheule/encyclopedia/a-z.htm), emerged an obscure Sixties album of such The National Balkan Ensemble, "the Third Ear Band in incognito!" as someone wrote. Firstly, having worked for many years to the reconstruction of band's history and having ignored the existence of it, my first reaction was incredulity and skepticism: I thought it was a classical Web fake, and decided to let it go...

Even because during the long period I frequented Sweeney and the other guys none told me about this "parallel project", nor about that it could be a typical Rock 'trick' (a good example of it it's the Duke of Stratosphere, the psychedelic XTC...). So I decided to wait, thinking to ask Carolyn some details about the thing. 

2. A strange event 

Some time later (July 17th, 2005), really unexpectedly, it happens a strange event. Ben Cartland, through my old (and now dead) Web site (http://lucaferrari.net), contacted me about the project to dedicate an album to Paul Minns, that had committed suicide. He wrote: "It was fascinating finding/reading your article on the Net. Some info, expecially concerning the early years (well, years when I was considerably involved in the band) seems to strike my memory, which has also dimmed over the years concerning all details, as not quite accurate. Not that it matters anyway. It was tragic to hear about Paul's death - he and I made a lot of music together (before Richard Coff appeared on the scene). and I'll always remember him (his musical sensitivity) with respect and affection. It's very good the compilation's dedicated to his memory. Well, just thought I'd send this... don't expect a reply but feel free to do so if you wish. Best regards, Ben Cartland (ex Viola player, Third Ear Band)". At the time of my book on the band, none told me where Cartland were: I could ask him some questions about the origins of the group. For myself, as for Richard Coff, even Ben Cartland had been swallowed up by the Black Hole of time... 

3. Discovering the original NBE's album (thanks to Sean Sedayne) 

At that point, one of the few (but good) TEB's fans that sometime contacted me to talk about the group - Sean Sedayne - wrote me to present a copy of the National Balkan Ensemble record, convinced that group was the Third Ear Band at the very beginning of its career: "The record is dated 1970, but this features the viola of Benjamin Cartland who I understand was a member of the group prior to the recording of "Alchemy" - no dates, or locations are given but the music is charmingly 'primitive' compared to the focussed intensity of "Alchemy" and "AEFW" - in the first piece Sweeney plays finger cymbals throughout!". I've gotten the CD where Sean reversed the old vynil and - incredible! - three tracks sounded really as the "Alchemy"-era Third Ear Band! At the oboe attack, just after few seconds, I was totally sure: no doubts the player was the great Paul Minns! 

4. The original album track-list 

So, I verified the few data on the record cover: 

1. Cosmic Trip (5.45) 
Freely expressive, mainly dissonant, constant instrumental interplay, occasional rhythm changes, feat. violin, cello, oboe, percussion. 
2. Jason's Trip (6.17) 
As above. 
3. Devil Weed (3.41) 
As above. 

Composers: Sweeney/Coff/Minns/Cartland 

The tracks sequence (around 16 minutes) occupies just a side of the album, on the other side there are seven tracks played by another group - Comedy Links and Bridges.

The album was published by Standard Music Library (catalogue n° ESL112), a London record company born in 1965 that produced many pop bands (it's still in full activity with a tiny catalogue of 'muzak' CD).

The cover, probably a record company impersonal (and quite insignificant) cliché, shows the drawing of a bunch of instruments put there to suggest the image of a grotesque face. There's no indications about data and location wherethe music was recorded.

Sound, instruments and band line-up confirmed it was a collection of recordings made before "Alchemy", probably played in the second half of 1968 when, after idiosyncratic electric guitarist Clive Kingsley's split, followed by the well-known electric instruments and Sweeney's drum-kit theft, the band became an acoustic quartet.
The album, edited just on vynil, is now very very rare, valued on collector's market about 150-200 euros...

5. Some historical references

According the Paul Minns' diary the first documented gig played by the new line-up was on July 3th, when the musicians was at The Crypt (London) with Pete Brown  & The Battered Ornaments and Ron Geesin.
Just before "Alchemy" recording sessions (February or March 1969?), the quartet played surely also on October 20th at Country Club (London) for a "Time Out" benefit gig, and on November 28th at the All Saints Hall in Powis Garden (London), legendary place where Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett begun.
It was just in those days Peter Jenner met Sweeney proposing to him to become group's manager with his friend Andrew King (as Blackhill Enterprises): always at Powis Gardens DJ Pete Drummond presented John Peel to the band...
TEB most important gig with that line-up was anyway at "The Alchemical Wedding" at the Royal Albert Hall of London on December 18th. An happening managed by Jim Haynes with, among others, Yoko Ono and John Lennon: haddled in a sack in the middle of the stage, they had TEB's music as a soundtrack...

A short article published on "International Time" n. 43 (November 1th-14th 1968), with a rare photo of the band (see above), confirm the acoustic turning: "... the amps were stolen and the Third Ear Band founded itself finished. They thought about it and decided that they would carry on acousticly. The group now consisted of Paul oboe, Ben Cartland viola, Glen drums, and a new member Richard violin, they came to the Arts Lab and the music began to happen again. None of the musicians know what or how it happens, they just play. What is the music like? Well, one chick admitted confidentially to Jim Haynes that she experienced two complete orgasms while listening to the Third Ear band".

Just at the beginning of "Alchemy" recording sessions in Abbey Road studios, that lasted one week-end only (a six hours session with track recorded in one take!), Cartland suddenly left the band.
"Cartland announced after two tracks that he wanted to play keyboard instead the viola!", remembered Minns (1996). "As this was totally unexpected and unexceptable he quit. He tended to be volatile and was very hippy".
From that session with Cartland one track titled "Raga in D" has left, the copy on a reel Minns kept at his home for years with the marvellous 1970 soundtrack "Abelard and Heloise": it's quite impossible, knowing praxis used in that years in recording experience, that have survived other tracks in Abbey Road vaults...
"I nearly cried when I heard this. It was like the return of an old friend. This raga is called in D and was the nucleus for ragas such as "Area Three" and "Ghetto Raga", both in the "Alchemy" album. This track should have been on as well as it was recorded at the start of that session..." (Minns, 1996).

The same band, with Cartland (not Courtland as often reported) on viola, played just "Ghetto Raga", "Druid" and "Hyde Park raga" in the first "John Peel Session" on February 11th 1969 (producer: John Walters), session aired on next July 27th (see on the officla John Peel Web site at http:www.keepingitpeel).

Comparing the three tracks recorded as National Balkan Ensemble with this "Raga in D" Abbey Road Recording, it turns out to be inequivocably a perfect corrispondence of mood, setting up and musical performance of the pieces, confirming the historical importance of this 'retrieval'.

6. Crucial proofs

At that point it was essential to get some direct proofs about the National Balkan Ensemble project, contacting single possible protagonists of that period still around - Carolyn Looker, Sweeney's wife involved to the band from the beginning, and Ben Cartland, the only musician available from the original quartet (in that period Richard Coff disappeared...).

Carolyn: "I find The National Balkan Ensemble a totally mystery. All I can think is whoever got hold of these tracks put the name to them. Before recording "Alchemy", Glen, Paul, Richard and Ben did some recordings for Ron Geesin who was going to try to sell the music for background for TV! I don't think anything came from it but maybe these are the tracks anyway, it was done in a small studio on the cheap. I vaguely remember Christopher Logue the poet being there too. Ben's leaving the band was totally his idea, he was very young - about 17! - and didn't want to commit... I think he went off with his girlfriend travelling..." (from a letter, December 2th 2005).

About Cartland, he was disappeared again (someone wrote me recently he's probably passed away...).

Then I asked Ron Geesin (on January 2th 2006) through is Web site (http://www.headscope.co.uk). His laconic answer was: "Yes, I knew the Third Ear Band because we were doing gigs on the same bill at the time, but I don't remeber ever working with them directly. That's all I can say".
In this condition of doubt, an old Nigel Cross interview with Glen Sweeney ("Unhinged" n. 6, Spring 1990) helps us to make the things clear. He said: "... we'd got this demo tape which had Ben Cartland on it - the original line-up with two violins, oboe and drums - it featured those first numbers we did at the first gigs. I can't remember what they sound like now. Geesin sold the tape to Essex Music for this library of sound effects - they must've been used on radio or TV because we got some money for them!".

So, confirming the origins of the tracks, why the Third Ear boys decided to call himself "National Balkan Ensemble"?
A convincing hypothesis is that Sweeney, usually worried about copyrights, decided to call the band so because the imminent contract signed with EMI-Harvest...

[For listening the tracks, go back at the Archive homepage and scroll on right at the free download tracks section]

no©2009 Luca Ferrari