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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
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Points: 15926
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Topic: The Best from Ozric Tentacles Posted: August 02 2016 at 07:16 |
To put in my two-bob's worth - I love the first 6 'Tape Albums' a lot, from Pungent through to Hidden Step are odd 4' and 5 ratings for me. After that it all becomes rather pear-shaped - all the albums are perfectly enjoyable, though lack a freshness and creativity level that I never thought would happen. TBH, On the recent years' studio recordings I don't hear Brandi playing an actual bass-guitar, and on Technicians, forget the bass, where's Balazs' drumming ?? He is a great drummer, yet the album tracks just sound all like programmed electronica.....? I ask - WTF happened to Ed and the Ozrics ?? In this case, good enough is NOT near enough........but I know he's not performing his art to please a demanding douche-bag like me......
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Roj
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Posted: August 02 2016 at 07:01 |
I go against the grain here, I tend to prefer the newer Ozrics albums. I know I'm very much in the minority here. What I will say however is that my favourite ever track of theirs is an older one, Eternal Wheel. That is an absolute classic piece of music. As for best album, I'm stuck between Waterfall Cities and Spirals in Hyperspace. After further deliberation I voted for the latter.
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MonsterMagnet
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Joined: July 31 2010
Location: Liège, Belgium
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Points: 561
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Posted: August 02 2016 at 03:02 |
charles_ryder wrote:
I vote for 'Become the Other', the heavy album where Ed's guitar sometimes sounds like Iron Maiden. However I like all they albums, excerpt "Curious Corn', I don't know why.
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Funny assimilation, I often feel the same especially in some parts of his guitar solos (Vibuthi for example). Curious Corn is very well written I find, but for me there's something cheesy/donkey kong country in its synths sounds. Afroclonk is a good example and can be funny but we can't say its specific to Curious Corn ^^ (Ch'ai on Waterfall Cities is really really funny too)
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charles_ryder
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Joined: April 15 2014
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Posted: July 31 2016 at 14:14 |
I vote for 'Become the Other', the heavy album where Ed's guitar sometimes sounds like Iron Maiden. However I like all they albums, excerpt "Curious Corn', I don't know why.
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om mani padme hum
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tszirmay
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Posted: July 31 2016 at 13:53 |
Technicians is nice but I miss Zia Geelani's booming bass (a la Mike Howlett).
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I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.
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BrufordFreak
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Posted: July 31 2016 at 12:02 |
Tom Ozric wrote:
Technicians is the perfect Ozric album for when I go to bed. I usually crash by track 2. It's an O.K. album, but they've lost the edge for me. The last truly memorable album was The Hidden Step. After that, only Paper Monkeys made any form of impression on me. Brandi is more than capable on bass guitar - live shows prove this - in the studio, she should pick up that four-stringed beast once in a while, it may just add the 'life' the music beckons. |
See, I find all of the albums from Arborescence to Paper Monkeys to be "more of the same." As much as I've tried, none of those albums--even the excellent Spirals in Hyperspace--was able to "bring me inside." It took Technicians to make me feel that the band's studio presence was more than a repetition of old ideas. Or maybe they've just perfected all of those old ideas a brought them into the studio with the same enthusiasm as they have for their live performances.
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Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/
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BrufordFreak
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Posted: July 31 2016 at 11:54 |
MonsterMagnet wrote:
I voted for Erpland because it's the one I feel the most close to. It has a lot of diversity and richness. But I have to say that the few last albums litterally blew my mind each time I listen to 'em. Especially "Technicians" of course which is at least as rich as Erpland. Naturally, we are somehow used now to their style so we are less easily surprised, however it appaers to me that their recent stuff are more sophisticated than what they did by the past. Songs as Zingbong or Epiphlioy have so much different musical ideas! I've the same feeling with Magma: it's not only as good as before, it's sometimes better! |
Exactly! As said further above, we have all kind of gotten used to the Ozric sound--which has remained fairly consistent over the years--but something about the sophistication and emotional allure of the songs on Technicians of the Sacred has brought me over. Only some of the songs from previous albums sucked me into that lush tropical world of imagination like "Tidal Convergence," "Eternal Wheel," "Sunhair," and "Jurassic Shift do, but nearly all of the songs on Technicians does that for me (only "The High Pass" and "Zingabong" fail). And remember: Technicians is a double album, so that's a lot of musical connection!
But I do agree, Tom, the bass player on technicians could be a little more adventurous--and forward in the mix! (like they used to)
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Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/
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Tom Ozric
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Joined: September 03 2005
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Posted: July 30 2016 at 16:14 |
Technicians is the perfect Ozric album for when I go to bed. I usually crash by track 2. It's an O.K. album, but they've lost the edge for me. The last truly memorable album was The Hidden Step. After that, only Paper Monkeys made any form of impression on me. Brandi is more than capable on bass guitar - live shows prove this - in the studio, she should pick up that four-stringed beast once in a while, it may just add the 'life' the music beckons.
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MonsterMagnet
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Joined: July 31 2010
Location: Liège, Belgium
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Points: 561
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Posted: July 30 2016 at 13:37 |
I voted for Erpland because it's the one I feel the most close to. It has a lot of diversity and richness. But I have to say that the few last albums litterally blew my mind each time I listen to 'em. Especially "Technicians" of course which is at least as rich as Erpland. Naturally, we are somehow used now to their style so we are less easily surprised, however it appaers to me that their recent stuff are more sophisticated than what they did by the past. Songs as Zingbong or Epiphlioy have so much different musical ideas! I've the same feeling with Magma: it's not only as good as before, it's sometimes better!
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
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Points: 15926
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Posted: March 17 2016 at 23:48 |
^
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BrufordFreak
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Posted: March 17 2016 at 21:18 |
Technicians of the Sacred has now supplanted Jurassic Shift as my favorite Ozrics.
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Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/
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tszirmay
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Posted: March 17 2016 at 13:20 |
Waterfall Cities is a masterpiece
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I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15926
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Posted: March 16 2016 at 09:10 |
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Tom Ozric
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Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15926
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Posted: March 16 2016 at 09:08 |
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HackettFan
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Location: Oklahoma
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Posted: March 16 2016 at 09:00 |
I have four or five of them. All really good. I'm a sucker for Gong stuff too. I'm not sure which I would really hold up as best. I voted Curious Corn because it's the most vivid in my memory for whatever reason, but I should give Erpland another listen.
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A curse upon the heads of those who seek their fortunes in a lie. The truth is always waiting when there's nothing left to try. - Colin Henson, Jade Warrior (Now)
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Guldbamsen
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Posted: March 16 2016 at 08:44 |
Tom Beggs Tentacles also has a certain ring to it  Sounds like some sort of circus strongman.
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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- Douglas Adams
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Meltdowner
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Posted: March 16 2016 at 08:32 |
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15926
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Posted: March 16 2016 at 08:21 |
^ Nah, just keep it Flight123 -
Edited by Tom Ozric - March 16 2016 at 08:22
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Flight123
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Joined: September 01 2010
Location: Sohar, Oman
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Points: 1399
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Posted: March 16 2016 at 07:30 |
Does that mean I should call myself 'Rick Emerson, Lake and Palmer?'
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15926
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Posted: March 16 2016 at 07:00 |
Tom Ozric wrote:
This is really tough. I haven't heard the new Technicians..... (on it's way though) - but, for me, I would have to say Erpland. That, with a gun at my head. |
Still ERPLAND, and in some ways, I wish I hadn't heard Technicians..........to me shows the Ozrics playing in a generic electronica styling, and losing most of their soul. Give me the 40 minutes of Strangeitude over the 90 minutes of Technicians ANYDAY. So I've moved on to Meshuggah, but 'Tom Meshuggah' sounds plain idiotic, so 'Tom Ozric' it remains.......
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