Ozric Tentacles ~ England

Become The Other (1995)

Seems every time I talk about Ozric Tentacles it feels like I've already had that discussion. :-) Become the Other was the first Ozric album I didn't buy real time since Erpland. I had tired of their sound by the mid 90s and the reviews indicated that Become The Other wasn't any more different. But a couple of years later I picked up the CD and enjoyed it immensely, perhaps the break in action being the key. In retrospect, Become The Other is one of their stronger releases, and features a few of their classics, especially the opener 'Cat DNA' along with 'Vibuthi' and 'Wob Glass'. If only looking to pick up a few Ozric albums, I would suggest this should be in that lot.

Ownership: 1995 Dovetail (CD). Acquired in 1997.

1997; 4/19/20 (review)

Curious Corn (1997)

Seems every time I talk about Ozric Tentacles it feels like I've already had that discussion. Honestly I have too many Ozric albums, and it's "too much of the same thing". Where does that really start though? Here? Well, I thought maybe so, but on reflection this one gets through the gate. 'Spyroid' seems more Eat Static than Ozric, but by the time of 'Oolite Grove', we're back in the comfortable world of Ed Wynne and Co. Ripping guitar solos, frequent changes, and excellent melodies. Hard to be critical of that. Curious Corn features some of their more known classics such as the title track, 'Papyrus', and especially 'Oddentity'.

Ownership: 1997 Madfish (CD). Acquired in 1997.

1997; 4/16/20 (review)

Strangeitude (1991)

Long ago (1989-1992), a buddy and I hosted a monthly six hour radio show on Dallas' local NPR station (one of those Saturday night fill-the-airwaves from midnight to 6 gigs - and I did it as a volunteer) showcasing underground progressive rock, jazz, and electronic music - pretty much the oeuvre I write about here minus hard rock and metal. It was in 1990 that we were first introduced to Ozric Tentacles via a mutual friend who had just purchased the 2xLP set Erpland. We were both mightily impressed, immediately picked up its predecessor Pungent Effulgent (the earlier cassettes weren't widely available back then), and proceeded to play choice cuts from each album. We did get many requests for them, as Ozric has a sound that is immediately likable.

A year later, we were super excited to learn of their new album Strangeitude. And it did not disappoint at all. 'White Rhino Tea' is as progressive a track as Ozric ever penned, with constantly shifting themes and meters. 'Bizarre Bazaar' is this album's 'Kick Muck' - tight and energetic. And they finish on a high note with the blistering 'Space Between Your Ears', where Ed Wynne really lets loose, and is one of their best tracks in their entire canon. For my tastes, I've never been a big fan of Ozrics' pure electronic work, and here there are two, including the title track and fan favorite 'Sploosh!'. The latter does have a foot stompin' beat, but would have been more effective at half the length I'd estimate. So not perfect, but still an excellent 3rd album, and showed the world that they still had plenty more to offer from a creative standpoint. This latter element would slow over the years.

Ownership: 

1991 Dovetail (LP). Acquired in 1991.

2010 Madfish (CD). Hardbound digipak cover with photos plus an extra disc of live material from this era. Acquired in 2018.

1991; 4/17/18 (review)

Spice Doubt Streaming (1998)

If you are seeking out the high octane variation of Ozric Tentacles, then look no further than Spice Doubt Streaming. This album completely eschews their reggae and new age electronic characteristics, and focuses strictly on their ability to set your stereo in flames. Which is my favorite aspect of the band. The first good clue is that the album opens with two of their most incendiary tracks - both the opening salvo on their respective albums (Become the Other, Erpland). 'Eternal Wheel' remains my personal favorite track by Ozric, and it's probably the only song on here that isn't quite up to the task of the studio version. The others I feel surpass their studio equivalents. And these aren't the only openers they chose. Perhaps best of all is 'Dissolution' (from Pungent Effulgent), which is absolutely lethal here. Elsewhere they have two of their most intense electronic pieces in 'Sploosh!' (Strangeitude) and 'Oddentity' (Curious Corn). If that isn't enough they throw in two mid album barnburners with 'Papyrus' and 'Myriapod'. Only to be bested by two new compositions 'Citadel Jam' and 'Spice Doubt', the latter renamed and re-recorded as 'Space Out' on Swirly Termination. All that's missing is 'Kick Muck'! But that track had already been well represented on prior live outings. All of these were their live debut on CD at the time.

What a smoker. This is probably my favorite Ozric Tentacles album, only in that it filters what I like best by them. And I have to say, I enjoy all of their albums! So there you have it.

For some reason, I did not buy this when it first came out. I can recall having an opportunity to buy it at Tower Records in the SF Bay Area not long after release. I think I was suffering from Ozricitis at the time and passed. Apparently the unique oil based packaging of the private release is now a mess so it's a good thing I did pass. A few years later I bought the Snapper reissue in a traditional tri-fold digipak (as shown).

Ownership: 2003 Snapper (CD). Tri-Fold digipak. Acquired in 2005.

2005; 2/24/17 (review)

Paper Monkeys (2011)

Ozric's best studio album in about a decade. Paper Monkeys seems more motivated than the last few efforts. Definitely more energy, and features some fine guitar rave-ups from Ed Wynne, similar in that way to The Floor's Too Far Away (another newer Ozric album that I'm quite fond of). Electronica continues to influence their sound - perhaps even more so than prior. There's no mistaking this is an Ozric Tentacles album, and it doesn't appear they're ever going to change the formula. But for what they do, this is one of the better ones.

Ownership: 2011 Madfish (CD). Acquired in 2011.

11/28/11 (review)

 

Jurassic Shift (1993)

While listening to any album, I tend to read other reviews of what I'm listening to. I get the feeling that most reviews of Jurassic Shift were penned considerably later than the actual listen, or they weren't paying attention. For me, the most telling is the short shrift that 'Feng Shui' receives. To me it's one of their most innovative tracks, and the type of composition I'd like to see Ozric focus on more. In general I read things like "their requisite boring reggae song", "dull", and "spacey soft new age music". Did they actually listen to the whole song? Not only did they mix in traditional Chinese themes (new for them), but the last half of the track is the heaviest Ozric ever got on tape. Ed Wynne tears it up - it's almost metal, something that Ozric stays (fortunately) away from, but in this context is breathtaking. I didn't see one review that even noted it. Wow.

By 1993, Ozric had already made quite a splash worldwide. Enough so that they were signed to a relatively large US label called IRS, and this was the debut for the label. I decided to stick with the original UK import. The big deal, at least made at the time, was that the covers of the CD and LP were made from a blend of straw and hemp. The latter sort of being wink wink I suppose. I had the original insert that discusses the full process and that it didn't involve any trees. It was considered an ecological breakthrough! And then neither Ozric, nor anyone else, ever used the process again. You think it wasn't cost effective? You know it.

Ownership: 

1993 Dovetail (LP). Acquired in 2017.

2003 Snapper (CD). Tri-fold digipak. Booklet has essay as does the inner digipak. One bonus track. Acquired in 2026.

First copy: 1993 Dovetail (CD). Acquired in 1993.

1993; 2/4/10 (review) 

Erpland (1990)

In the mid 1980s there was a burgeoning new music scene coming out of the rural fields of England. They lived the "hippie ideal" of a lifestyle unencumbered by responsibility, and that which included many free music concerts. On the music front, many of the groups were influenced by the relatively obscure UK group Here and Now, who steadfastly held to the notion that music should be free (not to mention the musical similarities between the two bands). To sustain themselves, the various bands in the scene took a page out of the heavy metal handbook, and began to make self-produced cassettes that were traded and sold at the many various concert events. As is often the case with movements such as these, many grew tired of the lifestyle and moved on. And the bands themselves began to consolidate, where the most serious and most talented would take it forward to a more professional level (Amon Duul II anyone?). And just as Metallica represented the Bay Area thrash movement, Ozric Tentacles became the icon for the UK Festival Psych scene.

Personally I had no idea any of this was going on in the 1980s. Even though I had plugged myself into the various mail order catalogs of the day, most notably England's Lotus Records, I must've looked past these items that were for sale. Or not, I'm not entirely sure. Erpland was my introduction to the band, and I bought the LP not long after it had been released. I quickly snapped up the prior Pungent Effulgent as well on LP (Demi Monde). To my ears, Ozric Tentacles is a very easy band to get into. In fact, to this day, when someone wants to hear a few notes from "something in your collection", I'll pull out Ozric. It never fails to satisfy the guest. Sure, I could also pull out Magma's Mekanik, and have everyone screaming from the room. And for the rare person who doesn't go screaming, I begin to worry about the safety of my family. Anyway.... Ozric Tentacles has an instantly likable sound, that also happens to rock hard. Of course it must be stated that Ozric didn't create the wheel. To say they were heavily influenced by Hillage era Gong would be an understatement. But what Ozric did do successfully is to distill certain elements of that sound, perhaps the most popular ones for many a Gong fan, and take it in different and exciting directions.

Some 20 years on from Erpland, nothing has changed, and Ozric has well over a dozen more studio and live releases. This has been the most common criticism of Ozric Tentacles. That there has been no progression, no experimentation with other sounds, instrumentation and ideas. The term "Ozricitis" was born and now applies to other bands who follow a similar path. But it's not entirely fair either, as each album, when heard on its own, does possess a unique quality. It's just a tight window frame that they operate in, that's all. The key with listening to Ozric Tentacles is to not listen to many of their albums at once. Take one in, absorb it over time, wait a few weeks or months, and then do the same with a different album. It does alter the way you hear the band. The irony in saying all of this is that Erpland is Ozric Tentacles' most diverse album. And is probably the ideal place to start.

If I were to recommend one track from this album, and perhaps recommend one track from their entire discography, it would the album's opener 'Eternal Wheel'. It has all the elements of a great Ozric composition - the psychedelic ambiance, the trippy progressions and the ferocious guitar lead climaxes.

Ownership: 

1990 Dovetail (2xLP). Gatefold. Acquired in 1991.

1990 Dovetail (CD). Acquired in 1995.

1991; 1/28/10 (review)

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Waterfall Cities. 1999 Phoenix Rising (CD). The band that defines "too much of the same thing". I've already let go of a few albums by them, and there will be more. On the other hand, they also have some albums I truly treasure - rated at the very top. So if you ask me if I like Ozric Tentacles, I would say they are one of the greatest bands to have come around these last 40 years. And they didn't release a single bad album. A remarkable run. 

Other albums I own: Pungent Effulgent; Arborescence; Swirly Termination; The Hidden Step; Spirals In Hyperspace; The Floor's Too Far Away; Technicians Of The Sacred.

Previously owned: Their first 6 cassette releases; Waterfall Cities; The YumYum Tree

1/28/10 (new entry)