Ozric Tentacles rerelease "Vitamin Enhanced" boxed set [In April]

[brian imig]

From Ed Wynne today:

"So... here we are and there you go," says Wynne. "Once again, these six albums go out into the world, with new ears! This latest fourth incarnation of what became known as the Vitamin Enhanced Box Set is the first time I’ve personally had a chance to really make the frequencies and spaces shine bright enough on these tunes to satisfy my ears. I hope you have as much fun listening as I did enhancing!! Be well and shine bright!"

Here is the link from K Scope:
https://burningshed.com/store/kscope...nhanced_boxset

[JKL2000]

Ha! I just saw this in an email from Burning Shed, then I went to Spotify and put on Erpland, then I went to PE and my eyes were laying on this thread when the page appeared! Destiny!

I've been putting off buying this collection since I first saw the original box set in a Tower Records about 30 years ago. Maybe now is finally the time. From the picture in the email, this one looks like the cutest format so far, so I may have done well to wait. I don't listen to Ozrics often, but when the itch arrives, it always feels good to satisfy it.

One thing I do regret is that I've only seen the band once, at ProgDay, so it was in daylight, and I've never gotten to see their lightshow.

[markwoll]

I spotted this in NYC at Other Music back in the 90's.
They wanted more than I was willing, they were the cd's not the cassettes. Much more than this release.
I had knew of Ozrics at the time, I think I had Strangeitude, Jurassic Shift and Arborescence.
Over the years I filled in most of the older stuff.
It would be nice from a completist POV, but lots of duplication

[luvyesmusic]

Had a guy in the store three days ago wearing one of their hoodies. Wife bought it for him, and she's a huge fan of theirs as well he told me.
I told him he's a lucky man, usually doesn't work that way with two spouses liking the same band.

I always enjoy seeing folks come in who wear band merch that over 99% of folks haven't a clue who they are. It's usually 100 % in a grocery store. ;-)

[GuitarGeek]

Maybe I'll pick it up this time. I've been aware of it's existence since it first came out. I think I have about three of the individual CD's, not the reissues where they changed the artwork, but the Dovetail releases that retained the cassette artwork. And I have, somehow, one of the cassettes, also.

[zeprogmeister]

I never had the box but have the individual CDs. Looks like this comes with an interesting booklet, may pick it up if it's not too much.

[Paulrus]

I picked up this set either the last reissue or the one before that. To be honest I don't reach for it often because IMO 2/3 or more of it is inferior to the later "professional" releases in terms of sound quality and material quality. I'd say it's more for completists or those curious to explore their early history. But I admit the packaging is some of the finest in all prog-dom.

[Sunlight Caller]

I do like a nice collection, curated and with additional written words, so am tempted to add this. I have most of these on CD though, so it is a rather inessential purchase, but that’s never stopped me before.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

I as well have the 2 for 1 CD packages, but glad this is being made available again.

[brian imig]

Ha! I just saw this in an email from Burning Shed, then I went to Spotify and put on Erpland, then I went to PE and my eyes were laying on this thread when the page appeared! Destiny!

I've been putting off buying this collection since I first saw the original box set in a Tower Records about 30 years ago. Maybe now is finally the time. From the picture in the email, this one looks like the cutest format so far, so I may have done well to wait. I don't listen to Ozrics often, but when the itch arrives, it always feels good to satisfy it.

One thing I do regret is that I've only seen the band once, at ProgDay, so it was in daylight, and I've never gotten to see their lightshow.

I love when things line up and kismet takes over.

[brian imig]

I spotted this in NYC at Other Music back in the 90's.
They wanted more than I was willing, they were the cd's not the cassettes. Much more than this release.
I had knew of Ozrics at the time, I think I had Strangeitude, Jurassic Shift and Arborescence.
Over the years I filled in most of the older stuff.
It would be nice from a completist POV, but lots of duplication

I've had "Jurrasic Shift" and "Strangeitude" since around 1995 and now have all the studio albums. You and I started in the same place with Ozrics. Love this music.

[brian imig]

Had a guy in the store three days ago wearing one of their hoodies. Wife bought it for him, and she's a huge fan of theirs as well he told me.
I told him he's a lucky man, usually doesn't work that way with two spouses liking the same band.

I always enjoy seeing folks come in who wear band merch that over 99% of folks haven't a clue who they are. It's usually 100 % in a grocery store. ;-)

Love that story. I'm very lucky that my partner and I share a deep connection to the musics we each love. She's a bit more from the Nick Cave/PJ Harvey side of things and I hang out places like here
However we overlap on many artists: she loves King Crimson, Nik Bartsch's Ronin, Sun Ra [not all of the skronk, but then neither do I], early Pink Floyd, Steve Tibbetts. She also really digs Grateful Dead and Dead & Co.. Not as into Ozrics as I am but loves Gong She's even been digging a lot of the 1940s -1960s jazz I've been digging as of late [Hawkins, Webster, Young, Powell, Evans, Tatum, Jamal].
Your shop sounds cool.

[brian imig]

Maybe I'll pick it up this time. I've been aware of it's existence since it first came out. I think I have about three of the individual CD's, not the reissues where they changed the artwork, but the Dovetail releases that retained the cassette artwork. And I have, somehow, one of the cassettes, also.

I think it's worth getting for sure.

[brian imig]

I never had the box but have the individual CDs. Looks like this comes with an interesting booklet, may pick it up if it's not too much.

The VAT and shipping to U.S. puts it at around $72.00. Not bad for 6 CDs & booklet.

[brian imig]

I picked up this set either the last reissue or the one before that. To be honest I don't reach for it often because IMO 2/3 or more of it is inferior to the later "professional" releases in terms of sound quality and material quality. I'd say it's more for completists or those curious to explore their early history. But I admit the packaging is some of the finest in all prog-dom.

I'm with you on the studio stuff. I think this as well. However I sampled some tracks on Amazon Music and I enjoy this early, rawer stuff more than I thought I would.
Their studio releases sure are magic.

[Top Cat]

Had a guy in the store three days ago wearing one of their hoodies. Wife bought it for him, and she's a huge fan of theirs as well he told me.
I told him he's a lucky man, usually doesn't work that way with two spouses liking the same band.

I am a very lucky man, my wife and I will be married 45 years in September, and she adapted to my love for prog very early on in our dating period, and subsequent marriage.
She is definitely a prog chick and we've had some wonderful years going to concerts. Our first one was Genesis Trick of the Tail tour.
She loves Ozric Tentacles, and we attended one of their shows in Detroit at St Andrews Hall. Also after the show Discipline was playing in the basement and we stayed for some of their show.
We had seen them before at one of their Ferndale shows.

She's gotten to shake hands with Rick Wakeman, and Peter Gabriel, and when Fish played in a small venue in Pontiac Michigan, she went to the ladies room before the show and when she was walking back to her seat, she saw Fish sitting at the bar and went up to him and said hi. She said it was like standing under a very tall oak tree and she froze and couldn't speak anymore. lol

As I look back over the decades of concerts we've gone to together, we have certainly had some wonderful times.

[Mister Triscuits]

She's gotten to shake hands with Rick Wakeman, and Peter Gabriel, and when Fish played in a small venue in Pontiac Michigan, she went to the ladies room before the show and when she was walking back to her seat, she saw Fish sitting at the bar and went up to him and said hi. She said it was like standing under a very tall oak tree and she froze and couldn't speak anymore. lol

Taking candy from a Fish: my wife nicked Fish's Sugar Daddy from backstage at the Fillmore. (Fish had picked it out from a cigarette girl's tray but left without it.)

[Aquatarkus]

I am a very lucky man, my wife and I will be married 45 years in September, and she adapted to my love for prog very early on in our dating period, and subsequent marriage.
She is definitely a prog chick and we've had some wonderful years going to concerts. Our first one was Genesis Trick of the Tail tour.
She loves Ozric Tentacles, and we attended one of their shows in Detroit at St Andrews Hall. Also after the show Discipline was playing in the basement and we stayed for some of their show.
We had seen them before at one of their Ferndale shows.

She's gotten to shake hands with Rick Wakeman, and Peter Gabriel, and when Fish played in a small venue in Pontiac Michigan, she went to the ladies room before the show and when she was walking back to her seat, she saw Fish sitting at the bar and went up to him and said hi. She said it was like standing under a very tall oak tree and she froze and couldn't speak anymore. lol

As I look back over the decades of concerts we've gone to together, we have certainly had some wonderful times.

I love reading stories like this! What a great first gig too, the Trick of the Tail tour. I wish I had been old enough to see this tour. I'm lucky to have a similar partner now in that we have been able to share many great music memories over the years, each influencing the other and finding some wonderful common ground. My first long time partner however, not so much when it comes to prog. We are still friends to this day and she still refers to Yes as Cheese to the Edge.

[moecurlythanu]

I was probably at the same Fish gig in Pontiac. He came to the stage through the crowd from the back, wearing the towel on his head that he used to soak up his sweat.
It was around the same time as the push for Scottish independence, which he expounded upon from the stage, resulting in the "Oh, give me a break!" incident which I've mentioned before.

[Top Cat]

Taking candy from a Fish: my wife nicked Fish's Sugar Daddy from backstage at the Fillmore. (Fish had picked it out from a cigarette girl's tray but left without it.)

I don't know where to go with this.

I love reading stories like this! What a great first gig too, the Trick of the Tail tour. I wish I had been old enough to see this tour. I'm lucky to have a similar partner now in that we have been able to share many great music memories over the years, each influencing the other and finding some wonderful common ground. My first long time partner however, not so much when it comes to prog. We are still friends to this day and she still refers to Yes as Cheese to the Edge.

Cheese to the Edge, that's funny! lol

I was probably at the same Fish gig in Pontiac. He came to the stage through the crowd from the back, wearing the towel on his head that he used to soak up his sweat.
It was around the same time as the push for Scottish independence, which he expounded upon from the stage, resulting in the "Oh, give me a break!" incident which I've mentioned before.

I remember it was on the 3rd floor, and perhaps called the Attic(I've saved my stubs over the years, I may still have it). Just think we might've sat next to each other and never knew we'd be commenting back and forth in the future.
There was a 3 piece opening act, instrumental, guitar prog. I can't remember their name(Mastermind?) but they were really good, and I almost bought a couple of their albums at one point.

We had tickets for this same venue to see a rare US appearance by The Blue Nile, but for some reason the show was canceled. Broke my heart.
We had a slew of canceled shows that I bought tickets for that were canceled due to lack of sales..Jeff Lynne's ELO for the ZOOM tour and Genesis Calling All Stations(both at the Palace in Pontiac).

[spacefreak]

They said upon release, in 2013, that the previous boxed edition on Madfish was the "definite" release. And having listened to all the previous versions (cassettes, original box, 2in1) I tend to agree, as the improvement in sound is considerable.

Now we have a new "definite" release???

[rickawakeman]

Our third date in '77 was ELP with full orchestra at the Garden. Here we are, 44 years and hundreds of concerts later.

[Valen]

Ed's been a busy boy this past year, probably due to lockdown. (He stays just over the water from me, so i'd imagine he's experiencing the same restrictions on movement, as well as the frustration of being unable to tour his new album.)

He's remastered the seven albums from Pungent to Curious Corn for vinyl, and if you don't do vinyl, there are high quality mp3 versions for sale on the Kscope page on Bandcamp. I didn't think he could do much to improve on the last round of cd editions, but boy was I surprised at how good these remasters sound! Loads more analogue warmth to them, more space in the sound, and more presence in the bass.

So i'm guessing he's applied similar pixie dust to the 6 cassette albums for this reissue in April. I have the Madfish edition which came out in 2013 and those cds still sound much better than the budget editions that came out previously. The Madfish set also comes as a box, with each cd packaged like an LP, complete with protective inner sleeve. The new set looks like more of a digibook version with pages to insert the cds.

I've pre-ordered on the basis of how good Ed's remasters have been so far.

[Paulrus]

Ed's been a busy boy this past year, probably due to lockdown. (He stays just over the water from me, so i'd imagine he's experiencing the same restrictions on movement, as well as the frustration of being unable to tour his new album.)

BTW, has he been asked why he relocated to Scotland? I know he went through some difficult sh*t while in the U.S., but I'm curious why Scotland and not back to Wales?

[JKL2000]

He put out a solo album recently, too (although I don't remember quite when that came out). I listened to some of it, and it sounded pretty much like an Ozric album. Still good, though. How did he manage to do a solo album when his wife and son are in the band?