The Third Bardo

The Third Bardo was an American psychedelic and garage rock band from New York City, New York that was led by singer Jeff Monn. Their name is a reference to the book The Tibetan Book of the Dead.^[1]

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",^[2] a song co-written by Rusty Evans (aka Marcus Uzilevsky), a former folk singer and leader of the psychedelic protopunk band The Deep, and Vicky Pike, the wife of the record's arranger and producer Teddy Randazzo.^[1] "Five Years" received some radio exposure until it was pulled for its perceived drug references, and only years later was recognized as a 1960s garage rock classic due to its inclusion in compilations such as the critically acclaimed Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968 box set.

Though short-lived, the band still performed in local Manhattan venues during their existence, including the Arthur's and Ondine. They also appeared on the Cleveland-based television show Upbeat.^[3]

The Third Bardo only had one recording session, which yielded six tracks in all, and released one other song as a B-side, "Rainbow Life." Their technique of Eastern melody and distorted guitar made the single distinctive to the rock scene.^[3]

The band broke up in 1967, soon after recording, and Monn began a solo career as Chris Moon. He released an album named The Chris Moon Group in 1970.^[4]

Discography

45s

• "I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time" b/w "My Rainbow Life" (Roulette 4742) 1967

Albums

• Lose Your Mind (Sundazed SEP 106) 1993
• The Third Bardo (Sundazed SEP 10-160) 2000

Song list

1. "I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time"
2. "My Rainbow Life"
3. "Lose Your Mind"
4. "I Can Understand Your Problem"
5. "Dawn of Tomorrow"

References

• Unterberger, Richie: The Third Bardo at AllMusic