ERPSONGS

This is the very first release from the OZRICS. As a matter of fact, they weren't signed to any label. Let's examine what's going on: it's the mid 1980s, the kind of space rock bands like GONG and HAWKWIND were doing the decade before is now long out of fashion. Record labels once sympathetic to that kind of music (like Virgin, which GONG recorded for) turned their backs on that kind of music and started including punk and new wave acts on their roster. OZRIC TENTACLES knew at the time they wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell finding a record label to release their material, so they took matters in to their own hands and released cassettes that were produced and released all by themselves (until the time their reputation spreaded far enough, they would get a record deal, in 1989, that is, but that's later on).

"Epsongs" is that first cassette, and for a home made affair, this is quite a decent album. Certainly the production is a bit messed up in places, and it has its share of throwaway filler, but this album proves that they were already making great space rock, with the ever wild guitar work of Ed Wynne, and great spacy synths from Joie Hinton and Tom Brookes. Ed's not the only one handling guitar here, as Gavin Griffiths is the other guy handing guitar too. Also we get future Jamiroquai drummer Nick Van Gelder (aka. Tig). "Erpsongs" is a wonderful historical item, but things will only get better, that is, their following cassette releases, and their more polished official label releases. If you're a newcomer, don't start here, but if you're a fan, you shouldn't go without.