Ozric Tentacles is a brand of psychedelic prog-rock flavour breakfast cereal that every creative person should try at least once. Why? Because the mesh of riffs and melodies that is their sound, will make its way through the ear canals and slowly seep out of your eyeballs in an exquisite kaleidoscopic colour fantasy.
If you have Ozrics in the background and pen, pencil, chalk, Photoshop, typewriter, pasta collage - anything to create with - in front of you and nothing happens, then there's something wrong.
Let me re-phrase: if nothing good happens.
Ozrics are mind-food. Medicine against blank-page-panic.
The cereal reference isn't just an attempt to be awfully clever, by the way. Well, not by me anyway - it was the group's original idea to name their ensemble as if it was a new and bizarre brand of breakfast cereal. One of the album covers was an illustration not unlike one you'd see on a packet of Kellogs'.
Prog rock is such an irritating label. Perhaps even more so than "pop" or "rock". Deep Purple and Pink Floyd have their place, but it feels wrong that they should be cheek-to-cheek with the Ozrics. Nothing is in the same category.
I perceive the world around me through mild synaesthesia (although so do most people without realising it; I guess what I'm saying is: my synaesthesia is stronger than average). Ozric Tentacles hit the Syn nerve on the spot. (I just made up the Syn nerve, but go with it).
In fact, I'd venture as far as to say that the perfect treatment option for someone who's a little stiff and rigid in the creative department would be to gently introduce a course of Ozrics, starting, perhaps, with Jurassic Shift, one of my favourites. The dormant Syn nerve would twang into action equally well with Strangeitude or Pungent Effulgent.
The group has released 20-odd recordings since its formation in the mid eighties, yet is classified as "underground". This is no Tony Tiger; I'll admit that Ozrics won't appeal to the masses. It's not an easy sell. It won't fit into a bite-size chart show. It's not revolutionary. It doesn't deviate too much from its central theme. You can listen to some samples on the official website and decide for yourself. I recommend longer than a few seconds though - so if you are of the Napster persuasion, go, download!
All of the above form part of the appeal for me. I enjoy sharing this under the table secret with the select few. So, I'll admit - every time I find myself enjoying a chart-topping act, I wince just a little. This is, of course, terribly contrived and silly of me because if I'd truly achieved the state of being free of mass influence, I would go with whatever takes my fancy, regardless of whether a few squillion others fancied the same thing too.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Crazy and funny post. I couldn't care less about the band - but early morning (OK, not early. Er, OK, not morning either as it turns out) weirdness was welcome.
- Tømplø
2 - Nukapai
Hi Tømplø! Thank you for the comment! Very glad to have been able to entertain in some small way. I hope one day you'll get to experience the "crazy" flavour of Ozrics. ;)
3 - alienboy
I don't like the Ozrics much but I do like your writing a lot, keep up the good work.
4 - Nukapai
Alienboy - thank you for the encouragement! I am very excited to be a part of this site and hope to contribute to the best of my ability. I also like the community aspect of this place, so it's double-encouraging to receive comments my my first post here. :)
5 - Al Barger
Welcome Nukapai. Glad to have you aboard here at Blogcritics. Gooble, gobble. Gooble, gobble. One of us!
Fine first column. Makes me real interested in hearing this Ozric Tentacles stuff, though I fear that it will not turn out to be as good as your writing about it.
6 - Nukapai
Thank you, Al - perhaps that proves my point about Ozrics being creative fuel? ;)
7 - Mary K. Williams
I read this post earlier today - but ran out of time to comment - never heard of this band. I went to the site to hear some, but everything loaded so sl--o---w----l-----y. (and I have broadband too!) So, I got impatient and gave up. LOL. I bet I'd probably like them, but I'll have to find another time to find out.
But it was a good post, and welcome to BC Nukapai
8 - Nukapai
Mary, thank you for the comment - and yes, the Ozrics need a new web designer. Someone should pimp themselves to them. :D
9 - Mark Sahm
"my synaesthesia is stronger than average"
I once heard 'Moby Dick' by John Bonham, and swore I could taste the bass kick. That was the day I stopped licking stamps too close to my subwoofer. ;)
Nice review though.
10 - Nukapai
Mark, that sounds more like blended senses through association, rather than syn (unless the bass kick tasted of something other than stamp adhesive!). In any case - enviable experience! :D
11 - Mark Sahm
I was just waxing, you're probably right. However, if a person's creative imagination (or psychosis, however you'd like to see it) is expansive enough, then such phenomena is merely a thought away. It's all in what you tell yourself.
However, this may not apply if I am told by a BC commenter that one of my posts stink. :)
12 - Mark Sahm
P.S. I'm sure Bonham's bass drum was not a tasty item. He probably spilled beer on it a lot, I'd imagine.
13 - Nukapai
Psychosis? There's no psychosis here. No, those aren't voices in my head, nuh-uh!
:p
Well, I don't know - synaesthesia isn't crazy per se, but it could certainly spice up a juicy psychosis. Maybe crazy tastes like bass?
Oh dear. I'm taking this to outer space. :D