ERPSONGS

The Ozric Tentacles' debut cassette is a real treat for fans interested in the band's history, not least because it shows just how quickly they were able to solidify their classic and distinctive sound - given that the core band members only decided to form a group together at the previous year's Stonehenge Free Festival, the rapidity of their musical development is truly impressive. Combining the approach of the likes of Gong and Hawkwind with more modern electronic approaches and organic reggae vibes, and honing their talents on the free festival scene, the band create their own sonic world from the very first note of this tape.

In a way, all the Ozrics' songs are Erpsongs, for the blueprint of their entire career can be found here. That said, this is very much a demo tape and the variable sound quality involved often reflects that - which is a shame, since the Ozrics' particular brand of space rock is best sampled either in as high-quality recording conditions as possible or in their intoxicating live environment. Moreover, compositionally speaking there's plenty of ideas and musical directions which the band tried out but didn't pursue so much in future, a reminder that the Ozrics were still a young band finding their way at this point.

Ultimately, It was only through the long, arduous process of gigging on the free festival scene and further honing their studio craft through subsequent tapes that the Ozrics finally got to the point where they were ready for prime time and the creation of their debut LP. As with all the other Ozric Tentacles tape releases, this is more valuable as an artifact of the band's history, or a souvenir for those who were part of the free festival scene back when these tapes first emerged, than as top-flight albums in their own right. That said, the most recent round of remasters has seen Ed Wynne do what he can to spruce up the sound quality of this, and the rawness of the material has an appeal of its own.