Ozric Tentacles - Live Ethereal Cereal [140gm]

Ozric Tentacles - Live Ethereal Cereal [140gm]Double vinyl LP pressing. 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. With the rapid word of mouth success of 'Erpsongs' & 'Tantric Obstacles' in 1985, the growing ranks of Ozrics

Double vinyl LP pressing. 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.

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 fueled 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, these recordings offer a wonderful insight into Ozrics at the height of their live powers.