Although they were loosely affiliated with the British progressive rock
scene of the late '60s and early '70s, Third Ear Band was in some ways
more of an experimental ensemble performing contemporary compositional
work. For one thing, they didn't use electric instruments, or even guitars,
instead employing violin, viola, oboe, cello, and hand percussion. More
important, they didn't play conventional rock"songs." They featured
extended instrumental pieces that often built up from a drone, or hypnotic
pattern, to a dense, raga-like crescendo, somewhat in the manner of some
of Terry Riley's work. Their self-titled, second album is probably their
definitive statement, consisting of four lengthy tracks devoted to the
primary elements ("Air,""Earth,""Fire,""Water").
The feeling is one of improvised (though well-conceived) pieces that build
up from initial drones to multi-layered ragas built around the same initial
patterns. Their strong debts to both Indian music and contemporary experimental/minimalist
compositions are evident. It's not accessible enough for the average rock
(or even average progressive rock) listener. But it's certainly more geared
toward the adventurous rock listener than the most challenging and/or
difficult contemporary avant-garde music.
(Richie Unterberger, All
Music Guide)
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No band of the 1960s and 1970s achieved the degree of ethnic fusion that
the Third Ear Band achieved on Alchemy (1969), one of the albums that
invented world-music". An acoustic chamber ensemble of (essentially)
tablas, oboe, viola and cello performed Indian, medieval, native American,
gypsy, middle-eastern, minimalist, jazz, classical and folk music, all
within the same song. The four suites on their second album, Third Ear
Band (1970), pushed the idea even further: the ethnic sources are not
recognizable anymore, and the music flows like a stream of consciousness,
a spiritual experience, a daydream. De-contextualized, the "third
ear" music is closer to Buddhism meditation than to western composition.
The band was equally successful on Macbeth (1972), that added electric
and electronic sounds to their ethnic stew.
(Scaruffi.com)
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