Jump to content

Ozric Tentacles


tangy
 Share

Recommended Posts

Well, I have been recommending these guys whenever possible on this forum and felt it was high time that I finally started a thread.

 

I know Rushgoober is familiar with their earlier material and I believe that The Masked Drummer said he saw them live.

 

These guys have been around for over 20 years and have around 20 discs to their credit. Their music includes more different styles and elements than any other group I am aware of and 99.9% is instrumental.

 

Their music is far too strange and tripping for most people but I hope someone here will like it.

 

Check them out:

 

 

 

Vita Voom

 

Kick Muck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Eds the real deal and of course a great fan of Steve Vai.

 

Here a article from Guitar Player in 1994 with a quote from Ed describing when he was aked to jam with Satriani............

 

 

Make no mistake, the Ozrics are a guitar band (well, they're a flute band too, but that's another story). A master of everything from the Eastern and esoteric through lissom reggae to electrifying fusion-widdle, Ed can, um, play a bit. A fact which Joe Satriani, for one, is well aware of.

 

'I hadn't a clue that it was going to happen,' boggles Ed. 'They'd asked me if I'd like to see Joe Satriani and I said yeah, 'cos it'd be a guitarist burning up on stage which would be fun to watch. But when I got there, I was immediately ushered backstage and asked whether I had my guitar with me... They'd set up this jam in this dressing room, just me and him and a couple of guitars and all these cameras! And there we were having this weird little jam! It was really hot as well, so I was sweating away feeling very strange indeed. In fact it made me feel strange for about three days!

 

'Mind you I think Stevie Vai has the edge on him compositionally. It's almost like Joe's trying to play songs without the lyrics, retaining the song form. It's something I'm very keen to break away from myself. Also, I like Vai's sense of humour and his textual guitar sense. I think that he's really mad and I think he's opened the way for really "mad guitar" to be explored. Acrobatic guitar playing I call it.'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I have everything up through I think Arobrescence, including the Vitamin Enhanced CD box set (their first six albums released originally only on cassette).

 

I generally think they're really great, even if I don't listen to them too much these days. They were pretty consistent, with Erpland being the standout for me, though most all of that early stuff was quite good.

 

By the time of Strangeitude and Jurassiac Shift and Arborescence, while they were good, it was starting to sound kind of samey to me, and I feel like I kind of got the point. So with 12 or so albums I called it quits.

 

Every once in awhile I'll put one on when I'm in the mood. Still great stuff...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well... What posting would be complete without the two cents of a rotten pumpkin?

Ozric Tentacles are awesome. The singer's custom flute was ripped off right off the stage nearby at Majestic Theatre and the band was extremely pissed. '02?. Another black eye for detroit. I love that band. Who's the asshat that had to scam the flute? What an idiot...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ozrics are amazing! 1022.gif

I have 'The Hidden Step' and 'Spiral into Hyperspace' CDs.

Recently got their newest album 'The floor's too far away.' I highly recommend it.

I am having trouble finding some of their older stuff, like 'Jurassic Shift' 'Erpland' 'Waterfall Cities' and others from 80s/90s

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (progrush2112 @ Nov 3 2006, 03:37 AM)
Ozrics are amazing!  1022.gif
I have 'The Hidden Step' and 'Spiral into Hyperspace' CDs.
Recently got their newest album 'The floor's too far away.' I highly recommend it.
I am having trouble finding some of their older stuff, like 'Jurassic Shift' 'Erpland' 'Waterfall Cities' and others from 80s/90s

Try Amazon for some of their older material. They repackaged alot of the older discs into 2 for 1 deals with Erpland & Pungent Effulgent being sold together. Several other packages like that should be available too.

 

I also recommend picking up their DVD entitled "Live At The Pongmasters Ball" when you get a chance.

Edited by tangdog
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I own everything by them and have seen them live.

They are exactly what I would've wanted to be if I pursued music.

I love them, and in no way am I knocking them, but I sometimes wonder what it would be like if they could find a JON ANDERSON type of lyricist for their music.

Not so much songs, but poetry? "wordscapes"? not sure how to describe it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oh man i wish i knew of these guys when i was on drugs ! this would have enhanced a few mushrooms for sure. biggrin.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

now it makes perfect sence why i never know what the hell your avitars are. laugh.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your not kiding! I've never seen such a tripping light show in my life. Considering their very low budget its quite impressive.

 

Thanks for checking them out.

 

PS- I posted a killer, very early version of Spocks Beard playing The Light in the beard thread you started.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (tangdog @ Nov 3 2006, 11:32 PM)
Your not kiding! I've never seen such a tripping light show in my life. Considering their very low budget its quite impressive.

Thanks for checking them out.

PS- I posted a killer, very early version of Spocks Beard playing The Light in the beard thread you started.

i watched it , it was very cool ! wink.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (tangdog @ Nov 3 2006, 05:57 AM)
QUOTE (progrush2112 @ Nov 3 2006, 03:37 AM)
Ozrics are amazing!  1022.gif
I have 'The Hidden Step' and 'Spiral into Hyperspace' CDs.
Recently got their newest album 'The floor's too far away.' I highly recommend it.
I am having trouble finding some of their older stuff, like 'Jurassic Shift' 'Erpland' 'Waterfall Cities' and others from 80s/90s

Try Amazon for some of their older material. They repackaged alot of the older discs into 2 for 1 deals with Erpland & Pungent Effulgent being sold together. Several other packages like that should be available too.

 

I also recommend picking up their DVD entitled "Live At The Pongmasters Ball" when you get a chance.

trink39.gif

 

I've heard of these before, I should start investing in them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Larks @ Nov 19 2006, 04:14 PM)
Ive seen them live half a year ago..

damn that was amazing! i went to the show not knowing any songs and i was amazed by their huge talent(most of the crowd were 50-60 years old hippies lol)

Most excellent. I saw that they played in Israel. Is that where you saw them?

 

I was like you more or less. I was only kinda familiar with one disc when I saw them the first time. I did not recoginze a single song played but it blew my mind. I felt like I stepped back in time.........

Edited by tangdog
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, the Ozrics.

 

I had one of my first drug experiences listening to the then newly released Pungent Effulgent.

 

My friend John and I skinned up a fat one, and then put on this album. As the first track came on we imagined ourselves standing at the edge of a towering cliff overlooking the sea, as the music broke we were given the gift of wings and imagined ourselves flying thru the sky over the sea.....happy days.

 

About the same time I saw them live in a squalid London club, one of my main memoriesd was a very out of context All-American guilr there with her pearls, perky attitude and camera as all around her slumped slowly ever downwards.

 

Disco

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just listening to Coily now. Amazing. Hey Tangdog, what in your opinion is their best album? Also, what's their best album in terms of the style of playing on Coily or Chewier. Some real funky albums with nice chops will do it for me. trink38.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Rush! @ Nov 20 2006, 08:50 PM)
Just listening to Coily now. Amazing. Hey Tangdog, what in your opinion is their best album? Also, what's their best album in terms of the style of playing on Coily or Chewier. Some real funky albums with nice chops will do it for me. trink38.gif

Really glad you like it!

 

Well the Tentacles have been through at least 3 major line-up changes over the years. The only original memeber left now is Ed Wynne.

 

Its hard to describe anyone disc because all of theirs have to a certain extent some very mellow tunes, some funky upbeat material and some unbelievably heavy guitar riffs. In certain instances the music is quite ethnical in terms of a middle eastern, reggae or Indian music feel. Sorry to be so confusing but really each disc is a mixed bag.

 

Coily is from "Waterfall Cities" and Chewier is from "Spirals in Hyperspace" and are both newer discs. They are both recommended as is a another modern disc entitled "The Hidden Step". Their newest disc is called "The floor is too far away" is quite good but I would recommend the others first. These discs are from 1999 to present.

 

In the mid 90's Standouts IMO include "Become the Other" and "Arborescence" and "Curious Corn" Also from this era is "Jurrassic Shift" which I think is their most commercially sucessful disc. I like Jurassic Shift but not to the extent of the others.

 

In terms of their earliest music, I would start with "Erpland" or "Pungent Effulgent" . Alot of people think Erpland is their best overall disc and its included on a lot of lists of all time best progressive discs. Get Erpland if you can find it.

 

If you like the upbeat tech- heavy stuff, send me your email and I will gladly fire off a sampler to you of some of their material in that vein.

 

Its hard to believe but the Tentacles basically let the official webpage www.ozrics.com shrivel up and die. I can't figure out why. The best Tentacles page is a fan site maintained by a fan named Mike Werning and theres a link below to his page.

 

Hope this helps and checkout this webpage link for more info if interested.

 

 

http://www.geocities.com/ozrictentacles_web/

Edited by tangdog
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also pretty essential is Afterswish, a 2-cd set that's the best of their first 6 albums which were originally only available on cassette only, and then in a very limited edition cd box set. The cd's were then issued individually, and it's better to have all 6, but if you don't want to fork out the cash for them, Afterswish is a good compromise.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...