NEW REMASTERED 1986 OZRIC TENTACLES LIVE ALBUM
A raggle-taggle, unpretentious assortment of punk-infused, dreadlocked hippies, since 1983 the Ozric Tentacles wove psychedelic audio-tapestries that captured the almost dangerous musical diversity of the free festival scene, blending acid rock with dub, reggae, ethnic world music & electronic, jazzy experimentation. This was the soundtrack to the herbfragranced, alternative lifestyle that wound its way around country lanes looking for a place to set up & party, away from the psychoses of corporate life.
Without any desire or need for a record label, it was the Ozric Tentacles' cassette releases that funded & supported their journey through the �80�s. These simple artefacts with photocopied inserts & rainbow spray-painted labels were sold in vast quantities at festivals, on the merchandise table at Club Dog & through a mail order outlet.
With the rapid word of mouth success of �Erpsongs� & �Tantric Obstacles� in 1985, the growing ranks of Ozrics fans were demanding more music. Ed Wynne was regularly handing out compilations of live recordings & studio outtakes to fans who wanted to send him a blank cassette in the mail. The solution to the overwhelming number of requests was a compilation of live recordings under the title �Live Ethereal Cereal� which first appeared in �86. It is immediately apparent that the band was a much heavier proposition in a live environment. The opening cut �Erpriff� displays just how strong they could be with a full drum kit. The recordings perfectly capture the atmosphere of those early anarchic tours.
�Erpriff� & �Tentacular Explosion� are powerhouses of crackling improvisational energy. �Obstacular Explosion� sounds like Santana in places, with Ed improvising solos over a backbeat of conga fuelled percussion whilst at other moments, the band pull back for some lazy dub sounds as heard on �Stupid Reggae�. A nod to Gong & Steve Hillage can be found in the form of �Aumriff� (�Om Riff�), which is about as close as The Ozrics would ever come again to a cover version. Unsurprisingly the �pot-head pixie� tune effortlessly dovetails with their own material.
Newly remastered by Ed Wynne & available again on CD, these recordings offer a wonderful insight into Ozrics at the height of their live powers.
