Ozric Tentacles: C/D, S/D

dope jam...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-h0lKKfhxk

i mean their first album was a private press tape release. where's numero group for the deluxe box?

Orange Milk should reissue this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNTGSaZhvg8

You reminded me I've never knowingly heard anything by this band.

The first time I ever got stoned was in 1992, I was 16 and a friend who would've been about 14 maybe 15 at the time took me round to this bloke's house he knew cos they would have dope. It would've been a typical student house only there wasn't a university in that city at the time, in a slightly dodgy part of town, although not the worst, it was where I'd go to buy underage booze if I wasn't going to the pub. Anyway much waffling and I'm in this living room with all these cool older people and they're passing around this hash pipe and I'm toking and nothing's really happening to me yet but this bloke shouts down the stairs "oi! do you want the Mission on or Ozric Tentacles?". they put on the Mission, and to this day I have never heard the Ozric Tentacles. this ends now

great POO anecdote!

The early live sets that appear from time to time are currently up at Dime as of the last couple of weeks. I think there are about 10 or so pre-1990.
I only really like the 80s stuff. Takes me back to hearing them live at various parties at the time.

I've just listened to Strangeitude, which I picked cos it came out in 1991 so was closest to the time of the above anecdote. I dunno if this is really the same kind of scene as your US jam bands like Phish but I definitely know this kind of music from sitting around at festivals at the 90s passing around crappy soapbar spliffs. It's kind of prog-dub I suppose. I'll try the earlier stuff but I'm not sure I missed anything 25 years ago. Apart from the Mission being shit. which I don't think I missed at the time tbh.

I just remembered the most hilarious thing about the dope-house above. The guy whose house it was was nicknamed "Jester" and he was a legend because he'd done cocaine once. Jesus.

If I weren't from the midlands I'd've sworn blind he was in the Levellers

I ending up checking out Technicians of the Sacred on a lark and digging it quite a bit as a bit of an alien curiosity--on one hand sounding nighmarishly cheesy, like an amalgam of Kerry Livgren & Deep Forest; yet on the other, almost approaching Janet Jackson "Empty" territory....

I think the sound got too glossy or something after they started putting out official/commercial albums and they moved on from the sound I was familiar with from tripping to them live. Did they add a synth player or something? or just increase the amount o fit being used.

That probably ties in with when Ed Wynne's brother Roly left the band in 1992.

Yesh it's extremely glossy

I think I finally smoked enough weed to unlock the Ozric Tentacles level…I’ve half-assedly tried with them occasionally throughout the years but always felt like it sounded like video game music after a short while…however, I recently saw a live video of theirs from the mid-80s where the Hawkwind-meets-dub-meets-new-age aspects were really front and center, and since then I’ve gotten hooked on Pungent Effulgent in a major way…really killer album that’s basically a combination of those sounds with a decent amount of Steve Hillage thrown in the mix.

I feel like I’m standing atop the mountain where on one side the path down leads to a respectable life and the other side leads to deep Ozric Tentacles worship and eventually Shpongle or something…just feels like a place to tread carefully.

there’s some early stuff I’ve heard that’s super spacey and cool, sort of like spacy early UFO mixed with Ashra or something?

I've found over the last few years that I have developed a weird appetite for UK festy bands and enjoy digging into those early releases especially, despite the sound quality. but I guess if anything it seems to suit the music in a way.

I'm also Ozric Curious.

been eyeing the live gigs with Gong, ....one day... I tell myself.

for others digging the 80s fest band scene, maybe this compilation fits here?

https://mentalgroove.bandcamp.com/album/dj-athome-presents-spaced-out

Count me in as Ozric Curious as well, half the descriptions make it sound like something I'd kind of like, the other half make it sound like something I'd run away from (Shpongle!). I did find a CD copy of Strangeitude in a dollar box at one point recently, though I haven't gotten around to playing it yet.

Shpongle rules, jon

Nope sorry, Shpongle is bad. Not Disco Biscuits bad, but bad.