The Ozric Tentacles, "the" progressive band of the 1990s (although it began releasing cassettes in the mid 1980s), took Gong's legacy (fusing jazz-rock, hard-rock and acid-rock into an energetic, slick, variegated sound) and copied Mike Oldfield's invention (collating melodic and stylistic events into elegant fantasies) to produce a synthesis that sounded both ambitious and natural. The Ozric Tentacles had mastered the melodic ingenuity of classical music, the fluidity of jazz-rock and the drive of hard-rock. The "band" was an open ensemble, anchored to the pillars of guitarist Ed Wynne, keyboardist Joie Hinton, drummer Merv Pepler, flautist John Egan, percussionist Paul Hankin.
Ozric Tentacles
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ozrics.com, MySpace, ozricgigguide.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk, ozrics.proboards.com/index.cgi, psychedelic-music.net/pmdb/db3/db_band.php4?id=51
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Reviews & Discussion
Among the most influential psychedelic bands of all time, rightfully mentioned in the same breath as Hawkwind, Gong, Hillage etc as well as newer styles like goa and psytrance, psybient psydub and beyond. Covering a wide range of spaced out music and even paving the way to new realms. Long live Ed Wynne.
Ozric Tentacles are really the essential band. They masterfully syncretise the very best of music modern, classical, and in some cases prehistoric, all with an unparalleled individual virtuosity and an effortless flair.
Probably the greatest instrumental "Space Rock" group of all time. The Ozrics have developed a unique sound that is pretty unparalled. Their longevity is unbelievable but is really a result of Ed Wynne's creative genius. He's maintained the Ozrics sound through a shifting roster bandmembers the entire time.
The Ozrics are clearly not a band for everyone. For the average listener, hearing them for the first time is like listening to a foreign language being spoken. The band is usually appreciated by people who enjoy progressive rock and/or electronic music, especially more ambient and trancy styles. Musicians hearing the group for the first time will appreciate the musicianship and complexity of the song writing.
I've been a fan since Jurassic Shift was released and I still hear new things when I listen to songs I've heard a hundred times before. The music is really beautiful stuff and I can't emphasize how much I thank the band and Ed for all of the work they've put out to date and have yet to release. I can honestly tell you that this is my favorite band.
The Ozrics are clearly not a band for everyone. For the average listener, hearing them for the first time is like listening to a foreign language being spoken. The band is usually appreciated by people who enjoy progressive rock and/or electronic music, especially more ambient and trancy styles. Musicians hearing the group for the first time will appreciate the musicianship and complexity of the song writing.
I've been a fan since Jurassic Shift was released and I still hear new things when I listen to songs I've heard a hundred times before. The music is really beautiful stuff and I can't emphasize how much I thank the band and Ed for all of the work they've put out to date and have yet to release. I can honestly tell you that this is my favorite band.
Ozric Tentacles is a band creating "Space Rock" for about twenty years now. They have an interesting blend of Ambient, Trance and Hard Rock bringing you the best of both worlds in a superb way. If u like Electronics and Guitars this music comes highly recommended. They are also seen best Live, which proves they don’t need any studio tricks to create the music as they do. Some of my favourite songs are Sploosh!, Kick muck, Symetricum, Eternal wheel, Sliding and gliding and Erpsongs (live from Live Underslunky), but they have lots more and so far i haven't heard one song that i disliked. If u like the books "Lord of the rings" and "The hobbit" try reading them with Ozric tentacles as background music, it helped me visualize what i was reading and i find this music some sort of 'Hobbit music'
I'm a "techno/electronica"-guy, but my curiousity recently led me to explore Ozric. Impression so far: Ozric is very nice when using their funky influences and talent for atmospherics exploration, one of the few truly pulsating rock bands (if you can call them a rock band).
However there's also a fair amount of 'guitar wanking' (Ozric is categorized under "guitar virtuoso" in some catalogues..), and this, of course, sucks as it always has; meaning random narcissist guitar hero, showing off and shuffling the music way into the background.
Shortly put: if you like later Eat Static, Sphongle etc, there are several excellent nuggets you should hear, but bear in mind Ozric does require active filtering. ;) Of tunes so far I recommend Xingu, Tight Spin, Pyramidion etc (only browsed 3 albums so far).
However there's also a fair amount of 'guitar wanking' (Ozric is categorized under "guitar virtuoso" in some catalogues..), and this, of course, sucks as it always has; meaning random narcissist guitar hero, showing off and shuffling the music way into the background.
Shortly put: if you like later Eat Static, Sphongle etc, there are several excellent nuggets you should hear, but bear in mind Ozric does require active filtering. ;) Of tunes so far I recommend Xingu, Tight Spin, Pyramidion etc (only browsed 3 albums so far).
