Ha ha! I know that feeling of obsession when it comes to this band. I was turned onto them in 2017 and since then have managed to get most of their back catalogue, including most of those harder to find bits and pieces. I agree that even their earliest, least overtly proggy stuff deserves appreciation. Demon Box, for example - even though some of the hardcore material is not to my taste, what an album! Seriously, what an incredibly eclectic mix of songs. The first four tracks alone are enough to set the head spinning. What really stands out, though, is the songwriting and the intention. These guys were (and still are) serious about their music - and their attitude towards it is clear: write, rehearse, play, record, tour, repeat, don't stand still. Their work ethic is beyond question, and their desire to challenge themselves and to keep moving forward are more than commendable.

Unlike you I like the live material. This may be down to a very early incredible experience. The first time I saw them was late 2017 on the The Tower tour in my home town, London. It was a bit messy, the vocals a bit dodgy, very loud but at times exhilirating. A few weeks later I was travelling in mainland Europe and had bought a ticket to see them in Köln. They opened with a long improv which built upto and into their Un Chien d'Espace masterpiece. 42 minutes from the beginning of the improv through to the end of Un Chien d'Espace and I was properly sold. It was breathtaking - almost literally as I nearly fainted from the overwhelming experience of it - and this is a guy who's been attending gigs since 13 years old in 1975! Thankfully the experience was recorded by the band and placed on their Roadwork vol. 5 album. The rest of the gig, riding on that wave, was just amazing - and the band and audience knew it as they just kept on playing and the gig ended up 3 hr 10 min in total. Since then I've seen them as many times as I can manage - yes live they can be a little hit and miss, but when they hit, which is more often than not, they're in a league many other bands don't make simply because they don't take the same chances. Motorpsycho decide their setlists on the afternoon of the gig, drawing from a list of about 50-60 tracks they've worked up for the tour (they're known for never playing the same setlist twice), they always feature their latest material, they pull out a lot of deeper cuts through the tours, and they jump off into improv territory a lot. The live Roadworks albums are supposed to capture this rather than be perfect renditions of their songs, which is why they can be a bit harder for some fans to digest or get into. But I certainly wouldn't lynch anybody who said they're not keen on the live material ;)

All this said - I'm now itching for the next album. Hoping for something quite different to the last three, but whatever it is, it'll be worth the wait. Enjoy your obsession, Todd ;)