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Third Ear Band - 1969 - Alchemy
Third Ear Band 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 Jew's 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 Fuchs of Abelard and Heloise (which first saw release as part of Luca Ferrari's Necromancers of the Drifting West Sonic Book in 1997) and then in 1971 for Roman Polanski's film of Macbeth. After various later incarnations and albums they finally disbanded in 1993 owing to leader and percussionist Glen Sweeney's ongoing health problems. They also opened The Rolling Stones Free Concert at Hyde Park on 5 July 1969. Paul Minns – oboe, recorder, Mel Davis - cello, pipe, Glen Sweeney – chimes, drums, tabla, wind chimes, hand drums, Richard Coff – violin, viola, Dave Tomlin - violin and John Peel - harmonica, Jew's Harp.
01 - Mosaic 02 - Ghetto Raga 03 - Druid One 04 - Stone Circle 05 - Egyptian Book Of The Dead 06 - Area Three 07 - Dragon Lines 08 - Lark Rise
