SLIDING GLIDING WORLDS

This is the 5th of the cassette only releases from the Ozrics. It is the album that introduced Merv Peplar (drums) and Jon Egan (Flutes) to their lineup. Both major additions. Merv's excellent drum work no doubt played a key role in the cohesion of this band and which is also evident in subsequent recordings. Jon's flutes and woodwinds expands their sound and gave them much needed stage presence. This is also the first recording where their sound and varied influences started to cohere. More tunes sounding more like a band effort with less of the experimental noodling that plagued the earlier releases. The production also takes a step forward but still needs improvement. Sliding Gliding Worlds has many of their classic tunes that cover a wide variety of sounds. From mellow grooves (Soda Water, The Code for Chickendon, It's A Hup Ho World), spacey reggae (The Dusty Pouch), spaced out jazz fusion (Guzzard and Omnidirectional Bhadra), to the Thai tinged Mae Hong Song. Ozric Tentacles went on a tear after this and this is IMO where it started. A SOLID 4 stars.