Ozric Tentacles – Erpland

I had to buy a new edition as Dovetail CD Editon (Dove cd 1)from early 90's is gone. Disc Rot as well as punguent effulgent, same edition (Dove cd 2).. a real mess!

Erpland is considered the peak of the Ozrics career by the majority of their fans. In my opinion the honour is totally deserved.

Despite the fact that they have released many musically accomplished albums and their style hasn’t changed dramatically over time, there are many reasons why Erpland stands at the top. First and foremost, the tracks themselves. Some are wild and crazy, like the title track with its flute climax, others spacey and floaty like one of my all-time favourites Crackerblocks and others still laced with an ethnic spice, like A Gift Of Wings. There is even actual singing on Iscence. And there is also, of course, Eternal Wheel. It had first appeared on the There Is Nothing cassette in ambient drum’n’bass form, but this version is absolutely amazing, taking many different forms during its eight and a half minutes. An aura of focused intent permeates the proceedings like never before.The sheer variety of styles presented, including the experimentalism of the tapes is breathtaking and there is probably a bit more – and more varied – ethnic than the rest of their albums. The expansive nature of the album gives it a grandiosity the band haven’t managed to match since. Still to this day it usually gets the lion’s share on stage.

Then, the people; apart from the core of Ed-Joie-Merv-Roly-Jon-Paul-Marcus, there are a few old fiends: Tom Brooks, the synth player from the early-mid 80s, does ‘reggae bubbles’ (they are like normal bubbles but with dreadlocks). Steve Everett, who had worked both with the Ozrics and Merv in Wooden Baby and Eat Static, does the sampling on Mysticum Arabicola and Valley Of A Thousand Thoughts. And even ‘Generator’ John Schuchard, the drummer on The Bits’ Wreltch and the Ozrics off-shoot The Ullulators (with Joie and Gavin among others), serves some tea and bashes his tambourine. Most of the extended Ozrics family gathered here for one momentous occasion.

And there’s the pretty impressive cover too. It compliments the music perfectly and creates wonderful mental images. The original gatefold has got some cool pictures of the band live, in a couple of which they have painted faces! How free festival is that? And right in the middle the obligatory mandala.

As far as production values are concerned, this is how I see it: some of the sounds used are indeed dated, but a) this gives the album extra charm and b) the total effect of the music is, without a doubt, timeless.

The band were on a roll: starting from a free form space jam band, which would just travel and play anywhere anytime, they had managed to create both some magnificent music and a label to channel this music through. They had experience of the studio they were using, as they had recorded Pungent Effulgent there a few months before. Even the location of the studio itself was ideal – situated in the fields in Wales, where plenty of fungi grew. Everything was set for a masterpiece. And Ozric Tentacles delivered their magnum opus.

When you reach the top of your game of course, there’s usually one way to go. The next album, Strangeitude, was musically maybe even more accomplished, but containing only six tracks it was impossible to come anywhere near the diversity and wealth of Erpland. And this diversity combined with the exquisite quality of the music has made it the one perfect example of Ozricness.
10/10