Favorite Underrated Bands #10 - Ozric Tentacles
@teamfreak16 (43602)
Denver, Colorado
July 17, 2016 1:28am CST
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most everyone has at least one favorite band/artist that they consider underrated, a band that never made it quite as big as they should have, even if they have a hit or two under their belts. I'm no different. Hence, my Favorite Underrated Bands series. We'll start with #10, England's Ozric Tentacles.
Led by guitarist/keyboardist Ed Wynne (the group's only permanent member,) Ozric Tentacles is an instrumental psychedelic band formed in 1983. The group started out playing in the parking lots of Britain's festival circuit, eventually working their way onto the actual stages.
(Fun Fact that I read somewhere years ago: the band name came about one morning when the guys were making up imaginary breakfast cereals. Someone came up with Ozric Tentacles. )
According to Wikipedia, the group has sold over a million albums worldwide, but I speculate that most of those were purchased over the years by festival goers (and myself!) No matter how talented, they're never going to get the respect they deserve (you're never going to hear them on the radio,) simply because of their name, and the fact that psychedelic music is not exactly all the rage these days. Which is too bad, because Wynne is an outstanding guitarist that deserves to be heard. (I've met him. Really nice guy. Even offered me take a hit off of his spliff while he signed my concert poster.)
Ozric Tentacles is a great live band (I've seen them twice,) so I've attached a clip of them onstage at the 1993 Reading Festival in Reading, England (I was at Reading in 89. I missed this by four years, darnit!)
If spacey, psychedelic rock is part of your musical tastes, you might just dig these guys.
2 people like this
1 response
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
17 Jul 16
I am totally unfamiliar with the band. Sort of a new age thing going on. Ian Anderson is apparently not the only flute player in a rock band.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43602)
• Denver, Colorado
17 Jul 16
Yeah, they aren't exactly a household name, are they!


