LIVE UNDERSLUNKY

Many years ago, during the period of this live-album, I visited an Ozric Tentacles concert in The Hague, my hometown. I was amazed by the crowd, so many white Rastafari's, I had never seen these people at a progrock concert! They must have come for the very relaxed atmosphere in the music, often based upon reggae. In my opinion Ozric Tentacles invented a kind of progrock that is as innovative as mid-Rush. You can trace elements from spacerock, reggae, fusion, ambient, symphonic and ethnic, what a stunning variety! The compositions on this live-album are their best material featuring distinctive guitarplay from Mr. Ed (he often uses guitar-effects like wah-wah, very spectacular), sensational keyboardwork, a splendid rhythm-section and delicate fluteplay. The frequent changing of climates is very thrilling, from hypnotizing with flute and a swinging rhythm-section to harder-edged featuring fiery guitarsoli and flashy synthesizers. My absolute highlight is the track "Kick Muck", especially the exciting, heavingly distorted electric guitar and the propulsive rhythm. IF YOU ARE UP TO ADVENTUROUS PROGROCK, THIS ONE IS YOURS!!

This is my first review on this great website and I want to start with my favourite album. Ozric Tentacles are a brilliant live band and their 4 live albums (Ethereal Cereal, Underslunky, Pyramidion and The Pongmaster's Ball) show this off very well. The Ozrics also did a live gig on the Internet (Spice Doubt, a gig in the Ether) which is very good but doesn't have quite the same feel as the really live albums. Live Underslunky is in my opinion their best live album and indeed their best album overall. Being released in 1992, they hadn't released many studio albums by this stage but they had enough material to make a fantastic psychedelic show. Simply by listening to this album is a natural and healthy way to get stoned! Just put this album on, lie back and ... become the other.

Essential... understatement .. this is a GP prescription 3 times daily for the prog afflicted

As a bit of a Rush fan (30 years behind the veil and counting) I was taken by the opening riff in Dots Thots: Xanadu or me mum's me aunt (oh wait I'm irish that goes with the territory).

OK so this is a great double album. As a confession I'm a bass player so listening to Zia play is always a pleasure. As I've always said ... Oh-Ha-Be has to nod to Thin Lizzy's Call the Police for the bass line (although this one goes back to Roly Wynne's days).

If you dont know Ozrics hen this is a great album to give you a decent picture of what they were like in 92. Songs from various previous albums and ALL of them sound better live (except one). Hey, they must be good musicians. Go figure. Quite a bit from Strangeitude and all of it (to repeat myself) is better (well more imediate and slighlty more up tempo) than the studio album.

Erpsongs .... please someone tell me that this a cadged off someone else because otherwise it's just too good ... in a very simplistic and haunting way.

OK now for "the one" which I don't think sounds better live: Kick Muck. Listen to Pungent Effulgent or Sliding Gliding Worlds .. Kick Mucl is awesome. it has got to be one of the best ozrics number. Why or why do they always play it at a million miles an hour live???

... an underslunky by the way is a woollen scratchy sort of wasitcoat that you wear underneath a shirt and it's really horrible and uncomfrotable so there you go ....

If one track was to sum up Ozrics for me and convert the unbelievers it would be Are you vedic or Ayurvedic or whatever then call it.

It's got to be a be Five Live. Up there with Yessongs

One of their more decent record so far was their first live album Ethereal Cereal. IMO, this band sounds better live than in the studio (but I mentioned this already).

It is not to say that their music is more diverse, but at least one has a collection of songs from different albums, which should avoid too much boredom. I won't be as enthusiastic as many prog reviewers, because this live album just doesn't captivate myself to rate it above three stars.

It is a good album with several hard-rocking parts which are by far the ones I preferred. The guitar during those is fine and it is sufficient to make the tracks a bit more interesting.

The band has always mixed the same elements to produce their works: spacey music, hard-rocking rhythms, some Oriental beats and reggae. The latter not being my fave to say the truth. This mix has always been indigested to my ears. I like reggae as such but not when mixed with such space-rock.

The albums starts on a fine mood with Dots (even if there is a short reggae break). I confess though that I didn't feel a lot of thrill while I listened to this album for the first time, but some few spins later, I can see a little light out there with Erpland and Bizarre Bazaar with its Oriental inspiration (which can also be heard in O-I).

Kick Muck is one of my fave from the band. The guitar work is excellent and the beat is serious. The addition of some fluting also adds variety to the track. It is a highlight.

The long closing number is actually a summary of their music. Each elements they have integrated in their work is there. You could easily define your addiction to the band while listening to this piece of music. If you hate it, you will mostly hate all of their work. I happen to like it moderately.

An early live album from the OZRICS which came after the "Strangeitude" album. So most of the tunes are lifted from that album as well as "Pungent Effulgent" and "Erpland". We're told in this concert that an underslunky is a wollen, scratchy undergarment. I must say the songs here are as good as the studio versions. These guys can play.

"Dots Thots" opens with atmosphere then we get some guitar after 2 minutes as drums and bass join in. The guitar is pretty aggressive before 4 1/2 minutes followed by flute. "Og-Ha-Be" like the first track is a very early song from the band. This one kicks some serious butt 3 minutes in before settling back with flute again. The tempo continues to shift. "Erpland" opens with drums as bass and guitar arrive quickly in this uptempo tune. Some huge bass here. The guitar is ripping it up after 2 1/2 minutes. Flute 4 minutes in. Great tune and my favourite.

"White Rhino Tea" is a killer song live. "Bizarre Bazaar" features lots of flute and drums early. Guitar after 1 1/2 minutes takes a prominant role and later at 3 1/2 minutes. "Sunscape" has flute early on that I really enjoy. Also the bass 2 1/2 minutes in. "Erpsongs" is spacey to start and pretty laid back throughout.. "Snake Pit" has a fairly heavy rhythm to it before settling then kicking back in. "Kick Muck" is such a good tune. Lots of guitars on this one. "O-I" has some good flute early and nasty guitar late. "Ayurvedic" opens with one of the band members telling us what the title of this album means then saying to the crowd "We can do one more if you want". This one is like a long 15 minute jam with some reggae parts.

A good live document to have really of the classic OZRICS lineup.

If you've only heard the Ozrics' studio albums, you've only heard half the story. Having come up through the free festival scene, it was in live space rock jamming that they first refined their sound - those early cassette releases might have helped cement their reputation, but it was through gigging that they honed that material in the first place.

Live Underslunky captures them right at the height of their powers, capturing material taken from a couple of November dates on the tour for Strangeitude. With great sound, the set takes the listener on a space rock journey which is replete with the Ozrics' signature Gong-goes-reggae sound.