Ozric Tentacles - Tell This Noob About Them

[Jerjo]

Another band I've seen mentioned on PE but never checked out. I think I may have even lumped them into the Avant category, which is not something I care to check out. But a friend told me he had gotten into them and I should give it a shot. I listened to Sliding Gliding Worlds and that instrumental space rock is definitely in my wheelhouse. That album was from 1988 and I had no idea that type of rock was being made in '88. I have no context for to listen to them in but I like it. So what should I explore and is there some albums to avoid?

[aith01]

Three favorites of mine are:

Erpland
Spirals in Hyperspace
Technicians of the Sacred

Honorable mention also to The Floor's Too Far Away.

I'm not sure if there are any I'd say to avoid outright, but there's still a few I haven't heard. Some that appeal less to me than others of course (The Yum-Yum Tree and Waterfall Cities didn't really grab me), but at this point I can't think of any that I'd steer you away from if you're just starting out.

Whichever albums you decide to check out, I hope you enjoy them!

[battema]

Technically, I think it's all the same album since the 90's...that being said, I rather like Jurassic Shift, Become the Other and Waterfall Cities.

[battema]

Waterfall Cities didn't really grab me

SHUT YOUR LIARS MOUTH

[aith01]

Technically, I think it's all the same album since the 90's...that being said, I rather like Jurassic Shift, Become the Other and Waterfall Cities.

I think it was Steve F. who said something like: "No one really needs all of Ozric Tentacles' albums, but everyone should have some of them."

I tend to agree. There's not a ton of diversity in their sound over the past 30 years -- but at the same time if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[aith01]

SHUT YOUR LIARS MOUTH

Admittedly it was almost 20 years ago that I heard it, and my ears were much more unrefined back then.

I'll give it another shot though, based on your recommendation.

[battema]

I think it was Steve F. who said something like: "No one really needs all of Ozric Tentacles' albums, but everyone should have some of them."

I tend to agree. There's not a ton of diversity in their sound over the past 30 years -- but at the same time if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The fact that Klaus Schulze technically recorded the same album for roughly 4 decades didn't stop me from purchasing damned near all of them

I like Ozrics, and I definitely have several. And probably not the crowd pick, but Waterfall Cities is actually my #1 from them.

[rcarlberg]

The Ozrics are the Grateful Dead... if the Dead could play their instruments. [ducking...]

[markwoll]

One of my favorite hippy space rock psych bands
There is a series of albums that, at least for me' encapsulate a high period in their output.
Their first 'studio albums' for the early 90's as opposed to the more self released cassette material from before.
Pungent Effulgent
Erpland
Strangeitude
Jurassic Shift
Arboresence

The last 3 were my favorites for quite a while
Then they changed a bit, different drummer ( Rad ) a more techno/rave sound maybe.
Curious Corn
Waterfall Cities I like this album a lot, it rocks
Hidden Step
Then a different line up with less drummer more Brandy
Spirals in Hyperspace

And then I sort of drifted away, the newer stuff I have no knowledge or opinion.
As far a compilations
Vitamin Enhanced is all the early stuff
Afterswish gets their early material 'best of'
Live Underslunky is a a good best of/live too.

I like them, seen them a couple of times and had fun.
I'm a sucker for the guitar solos over synth, the later stuff has perhaps less guitar more synth stuff.
The beat goes on.

[Piskie]

Saw them live on Saturday. 😊

[smcfee]

Another band I've seen mentioned on PE but never checked out. I think I may have even lumped them into the Avant category, which is not something I care to check out. But a friend told me he had gotten into them and I should give it a shot. I listened to Sliding Gliding Worlds and that instrumental space rock is definitely in my wheelhouse. That album was from 1988 and I had no idea that type of rock was being made in '88. I have no context for to listen to them in but I like it. So what should I explore and is there some albums to avoid?

They are a shameful clone of Hidria Spacefolk.

More seriously, if you like any Ozrics, you'll probably like any Ozrics. If you feel like making an investment in some of their most known albums, there is this: http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...E-spc-564.aspx

[dropforge]

The fact that Klaus Schulze technically recorded the same album for roughly 4 decades didn't stop me from purchasing damned near all of them

When the sounds declined, the music declined. When the sounds got better, so did the music.

[dropforge]

One of my favorite hippy space rock psych bands
There is a series of albums that, at least for me' encapsulate a high period in their output.
Their first 'studio albums' for the early 90's as opposed to the more self released cassette material from before.
Pungent Effulgent
Erpland
Strangeitude
Jurassic Shift
Arboresence

The last 3 were my favorites for quite a while
Then they changed a bit, different drummer ( Rad ) a more techno/rave sound maybe.
Curious Corn
Waterfall Cities I like this album a lot, it rocks
Hidden Step
Then a different line up with less drummer more Brandy
Spirals in Hyperspace

And then I sort of drifted away, the newer stuff I have no knowledge or opinion.
As far a compilations
Vitamin Enhanced is all the early stuff
Afterswish gets their early material 'best of'
Live Underslunky is a a good best of/live too.

I like them, seen them a couple of times and had fun.
I'm a sucker for the guitar solos over synth, the later stuff has perhaps less guitar more synth stuff.
The beat goes on.

Pretty much in agreement with this. From Pungent Effulgent through Arborescence, including Live Underslunky, is prime Ozric territory.

Another live one, Sunrise Festival, and their 2011 studio effort Paper Monkeys are both great.

I like Ed Wynne's solo album Shimmer into Nature a lot. He has a new one (with Gre van der Loo) called Tumbling Through the Floativerse, but I haven't heard it.

[Poisoned Youth]

The Ozric Tentacles are an English psychedelic rock band formed in the early 1980s. They are known for their complex and intricate instrumental compositions, incorporating elements of progressive rock, funk, and world music. They have a distinctive sound that is often compared to other psychedelic bands such as Pink Floyd and The Grateful Dead.

Some of the best Ozric Tentacles albums include "Jurassic Shift," "Erpland," and "Pungent Effulgent." These albums showcase the band's unique sound and musical abilities, with expansive and epic tracks that take the listener on a journey through their musical universe. Other recommended albums include "Spirals in Hyperspace" and "Waterfall Cities," which showcase the band's ability to blend different genres and create a unique and captivating sound.

[smcfee]

Cozy's being naughty...

[Scrotum Scissor]

I think I may have even lumped them into the Avant category, which is not something I care to check out.

Ozric were never "avant", although the latter class serves solely as general template of a wider spectrum of various approaches and concepts and certainly doesn't denote a specific style or sound - no matter what detractors claim. Everyone aspiring to progressive rock knowledge and listening should care to check out a category as huge and elusive as this.

Ozrics -did- take cues and clues from an assortment of artists whose overall appearance and reputation in time may have aligned them with the avant-garde in rock, though - like Gong (You espec), Ash Ra Tempel, Connors-era RtF and so on. They were additionally informed by numerous other types of music, notably reggae, dub, house, techno, pure fusion etc.

Strangeitude from 1991 was their ace, IMHO. It basically captures not only all of their defining facets but that little extra as well, such as singular flow and a sense of conjecture in wholeness. It holds together confidently as an elaborate work, escaping the slight tendency towards assembly-line narcosis somewhat tolling many other releases of theirs.

Arborescence was the first one I got myself, on three-sided double vinyl. By that point (1994) Ozrics were already a mainstay with just about everyone I knew with any interest whatsoever in neo-psych/counter-progressive/underground stuff, even to the point of being described as "legendary" in one of the earliest editions of Mojo Mag.

The band existed from as early as 1983, of course - having been formed that spring to rehearse a specially commissioned performance scheduled for the annual Stonehenge Free Festival, where they did reworkings of material by heroes of old as well as originals. The first batch of Ozric issues were tape recordings from gigs and their practice space, distributed on cassettes initially and later refurbished onto CDs.

If you enjoy this, you'll want more:

[SteveSly]

Ozric’s were a band that had to grow on me. Back in the mid-90’s when I first discovered that there were still people making prog rock, someone suggested Ozric’s to me. I purchased “Jurassic Shift” and to be honest I did not get it at all. My musical tastes had not expanded to the point where what the band did was anything that I could relate to. Fast forward to 2006 when I saw them live at NEARfest and I finally got it and became a fan. I purchased quite a few of their albums and even learned to love “Jurassic Shift”

The final year that I was overall coordinator for ProgDay in 2009 we booked them as one of our headliners and although there was some off-stage drama, their performance was great albeit with a somewhat different lineup.

I don’t have all their albums, but do have a good chunk of them. To be honest I think my favorite is “Live At The Sunrise Festival” from 2011. For studio albums, one that does not get mentioned all that much, but I really like is “Curious Corn”. I also have their DVD “Live At The Pongmasters Ball” which you can now find on YouTube that gives a good idea of what their live shows were like in the early 00’s.

There is a sameness to their output and a lot of their stuff kind of sounds the same, but if you like Psychedelic Space Rock, it does not get much better.

[SunRunner2]

It's interesting that no one has mentioned their most recent release from 2020, "Space For The Earth". I have heard quite a bit of it although I don't yet own the CD, however, from what I have heard it appears to be more adventurous in the Space/Rock vein than their classic releases mentioned above. Particularly, enjoy this cut entitled "Humboltd Currant" (listen to the spacey keyboards):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrVoTYIik7I

[Progtastic]

Saw them live on Saturday. ��

Saw them last week too, they did a co-headling tour with Gong recently. They were very good, first tour with a full band for a while.

[Mascodagama]

If you feel like making an investment in some of their most known albums, there is this: http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...E-spc-564.aspx

If you already know that you dig Ozrics, and you don’t have most or all of this material already, and you’re willing to put down this kind of money, the set is a no-brainer. The book is great, the packaging is nicely done, the remasters are excellent and the music is your classic formative Ozrics material. It’s a very nice thing to have.

[spacefreak]

It's interesting that no one has mentioned their most recent release from 2020, "Space For The Earth".

If you were following them from the 80s, it's a deja vu lasting over 30 years.

Artistically, they ended around the mid-90s. Then they fell into the "pleasant though not necessary" category, with occasional moments of brightness that never made a great album in its entirety. In my opinion, their most interesting works are the ones with bassist Roly Wynne, keyboardist Joie Hinton and percussionist Merv Pepler (the latter two being also the psychedelic trance band Eat Static). The era when they were a free festival band in their essence.

For me, their recommended works are:
Pungent Effulgent
Erpland
Strangeitude (their best)

and from their post 1995 releases:
Curious Corn
Spirals In Hyperspace (which is an Ed Wynne solo album in its core)

[markwoll]

And if you need some more of similar genre-esque material:
Quantum Fantay from Belgium
they mix up the instruments a little, but the core is similar.

[wiz_d_kidd]

I would initially avoid their early stuff (1985-1989) as the recordings sound like recordings on cassette tapes from their early festival days. I would also initially avoid their later stuff (2008-now) as they seem to sound "played out" and uninspired. The middle ground (1989-2006, starting with Pungent Effulgent and ending with The Floor's Too Far Away) is the sweet spot for a beginner. Once you've grown to like them from that sampling, you can try out their very early and very late stuff.

[JJ88]

There was a run of 2cd 'twofer' releases with two albums. Not sure if they are still in print but probably the most cost-effective way of getting into them. This is one but there were several.

https://www.discogs.com/master/43788...Jurassic-Shift

[SteveSly]

And if you need some more of similar genre-esque material:
Quantum Fantay from Belgium
they mix up the instruments a little, but the core is similar.

2nd on Quantum Fantay. Another ProgDay alum and a fantastic band of similar style.