The Third Bardo: I'm Five Years Ahead Of My Time 1967 (2018)

 

The Third Bardo was an American psychedelic and garage rock band from New York City, New York.

Their name is a reference to the book The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The group existed for a brief time in the late 1960s. In 1967 they released their only single, "I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time", a song co-written by Rusty Evans (a.k.a. Marcus Uzilevsky), a former folk singer and leader of the psychedelic proto-punk band The Deep, and Vicky Pike, the wife of the record's arranger and producer Teddy Randazzo.
                          

The Third Bardo recorded just one single, "I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time," which appeared on

Roulette in 1967. That one single, however, is lauded by many collectors as one of the greatest 1960s garage/psychedelic tracks. With its mysterious lead guitar lines that recalled the theme to the Twilight Zone, Eastern-like minor melody, creepy organ, and one of the most definitive sub-Jagger garage snarl lead vocals ever, 
                       

 

It was worthy of more exposure than it got. However, although it got some airplay on the East Coast, it was pulled off the radio, lead singer Jeff Monn has recalled, because of perceived drug associations,

although in fact there are no overt drug references in the lyrics. 
The Third Bardo's material, oddly, was produced by Teddy Randazzo, who had been a singer in the 1950s, and then later producer for Little Anthony & the Imperials. His session with the Third Bardo was far weirder than could have possibly been expected given his resume, the group laying down ominous psychedelia with Eastern-influenced melodies and odd sound effects. 
                        

Six tracks were recorded at the Third Bardo's one and only session, much of the material co-written by

Rusty Evans, who had helped craft similarly strange stuff for the Deep. Aside from "I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time," however, just one song, its B-side "Rainbow Life," was released. The other four cuts (including an alternate version of "Rainbow Life") would surface much later on Sundazed's 2000 10", six-song EP The Third Bardo. 
                                  

After the Third Bardo broke up in 1967, Monn went solo and did an album for Vanguard in the late '60s,

changing his name to Chris Moon for another solo album that came out on CBS/Kinetic in 1970. Jeff Beck considered hiring Monn as his singer in 1971, but the pair didn't hit it off and nothing came of it.
                            

LINE - UP
                          

Jeff Monn - Lead Vocals
Damian kelly - Bass
Rivky Goldclang - Guitar
Richie Seslowe - Guitar
Bruce Gineberg - Drums

The Third Bardo – I'm Five Years Ahead Of My Time
Label: Sundazed Music – none
Country: Worldwide
Recorded 1967
Released: Jun 17, 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock

TRACKS

                        

01. I'm Five Years Ahead Of My Time    2:13
02. Rainbow Life    2:36
03. Dawn Of Tomorrow    2:10
04. Lose Your Mind    2:12
05. Rainbow Life (Alternate Version)    2:12
06. I Can Understand Your Problem    2:15

NOTES

Recorded 1967

Flac Size: 175 MB