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Post by yiannis on Jul 10, 2017 8:26:15 GMT -8
I can't remember if this has been properly discussed before, so here goes, time for a bit of moaning.
I've been watching bits of 90s shows that have been uploaded on YT in the past couple of years and it has become evident that the light show most of them feature... is no longer there. Even as "recently" as the Pongmasters Ball in 2002, the light show has been toned down in terms of intensity, and these days it's mostly - if not completely - based on a set of moving pictures behind the band. They are not even projected, just shown. The weird thing is, it's the same team handling it as back then if I'm not mistaken. I believe that this has caused the atmosphere to be a lot less psychedelic, which has definitely had an effect on me personally while watching gigs, and I wouldn't be surprised if it affects Ed too, in terms of his intensity in playing. What I mean is it's not as immersive today as it was when it was a proper light show. I am not judging the band here, I'm merely making an observation based on how I experience things. If anyone has a problem here it's me, not them.
Has anyone noticed anything similar? Hopefully I'd like to see at least one reply from someone who was there and has seen the band in both situations.
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Post by ozricnutter on Jul 10, 2017 22:27:17 GMT -8
...Let me asure you that there is no slowing down of light show and as far as I know Fruit Salad is still doing the show. I know this is some years ago but if you go to youtube and type in Ozric Tentacles SPLOOSH NEWCASTLE 2015....you will see me and yogbarroger at front of stage I am chap big conk with light in the dark Ozric shirt . It has been mentioned I'm not moving a great deal ' hey I am approaching 60 and at the time this was filmed I had only just had my cancer removed and was on leave from work to recover'...you will defo' see the light show is intence. Perhaps however if shows are outside U.K or even Europe these shows may not be done by Fruit Salad . This has been all shows of late to include Islington past 4 years or so
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Post by yiannis on Jul 11, 2017 1:09:46 GMT -8
Interesting. I guess it's up to each individual club to take care of the lights. If you have a look at the 2016 Sofia
and Athens gigs you can see that the light show is more atmospheric than intense and immersive.
I remember in the late 90s the light show was immense at the London shows. It could be what I want to remember though, as opposed to what actually happened, although I kind of doubt it.
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Post by watermill on Jul 11, 2017 7:42:58 GMT -8
Cheers for the vid mate, just sort of breezed over it at the time of writing this, its kind of how i remember there gigs though, last time i saw them was around 2012/13 touch. I've seen them a few times and never seen them do anything bigger than the back screen, i missed the heyday of the nineties, late Ozric bloomer. Back to the vid though, im on nightshift tonight, and i'm gonna watch it intensely, cheers Yiannis.
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Post by yiannis on Jul 11, 2017 8:32:37 GMT -8
Thank you watermill. Three examples of awesome light show: The Erpland reissue DVD from '91
This is from '94
And one from '99, I saw them that tour.
I think the difference is clear.
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Post by masterofnone53 on Jul 12, 2017 18:07:28 GMT -8
...Let me asure you that there is no slowing down of light show and as far as I know Fruit Salad is still doing the show. I know this is some years ago but if you go to youtube and type in Ozric Tentacles SPLOOSH NEWCASTLE 2015....you will see me and yogbarroger at front of stage I am chap big conk with light in the dark Ozric shirt . It has been mentioned I'm not moving a great deal ' hey I am approaching 60 and at the time this was filmed I had only just had my cancer removed and was on leave from work to recover'...you will defo' see the light show is intence. Perhaps however if shows are outside U.K or even Europe these shows may not be done by Fruit Salad . This has been all shows of late to include Islington past 4 years or so brilliant 'point of view' youtube clip shows the exxcellent live performance and lights show, i was grooving a bit further back
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Post by yiannis on Jul 13, 2017 5:18:25 GMT -8
Having another look it seems a very big difference these days is that the pictures behind the band are merely shown, rather than projected. That's a huge aspect imo.
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Post by masterofnone53 on Jul 13, 2017 21:06:06 GMT -8
hi Yiannis, I have only seen gigs in the last five years or so, at the Newcastle Academy gig i spotted Silas Neptune in the audience while Mantismash was performing and i grabbed a quick word with him, mentioned the backdrop screens which were nothing like as extensive as a youtube videos i had seen. he said that it depends on the space available on the stage, i suppose every gig is different . i know what you mean about the projections being immersive and projecting onto the band members rather than just being a backdrop, i can only presume it depends on the equipment available and also what's practical to take on tour. to be honest it's just a privilege to be 'up-close' to the performance and watch the musicianship, the sound has always been top-notch and the big highlight for me is feeling the blast from Ed Wynne's Marshall stack, an uplifting sound indeed !!
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Post by yiannis on Jul 14, 2017 1:30:22 GMT -8
Hey masterofnone, I can understand the lights aspect of it being dependent on the venue, but the projection vs backdrop thing is a decision on the part of Fruit Salad as I see it, possibly in an order to cut costs. I can't go as far blame them for anything though, as I don't know anything about their financial affairs.
Strangely enough, since the show isn't as eye-catching as before I prefer not to look much on stage. It just redirects my focus from the overall sound to trying to figure out what sound each of Ed and Silas' moves produces, which I find really distracting.
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Post by masterofnone53 on Jul 15, 2017 15:44:02 GMT -8
understand your meaning, the musical and visual presentation as a wholistic experience, a feeling, a total escape from whatever, pretty sure that Hawkwind were in search of Space, only achievable in small venues. i remember Thin Lizzy and Blue Oyster Cult using lasers and mirrors in late 70's at City Hall
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Post by Pp3dr0 Ag4o0 on Jul 19, 2017 1:36:40 GMT -8
venue dependent - like that ^^ - the better (bigger?) the venue, the more elements of the lightshow can be combined.,., venues that only have room for the screens lose the house-lighting arrays.,., there was a big change when they switched from analogue (with gobos and prisms and stuff) to digital (all precompiled on a computer) - but the venue-size has always been a factor too AFAIK.,.,
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Post by yiannis on Jul 19, 2017 2:31:07 GMT -8
venue dependent - like that ^^ - the better (bigger?) the venue, the more elements of the lightshow can be combined.,., venues that only have room for the screens lose the house-lighting arrays.,., there was a big change when they switched from analogue (with gobos and prisms and stuff) to digital (all precompiled on a computer) - but the venue-size has always been a factor too AFAIK.,., Since you guys are all mentioning venue amenities, I'll have to accept that. p3dr0agn0, That switch - analogue to digital - may have extended the scope of what can be seen behind the band, but it has lost a lot in atmosphere imo. In some ways, switching from digital to analogue has happened to what Ed does on stage to a lesser extent. There's a lot more programming than ever before and fewer solos and spur-of-the-moment noises.
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Post by OHR GANJALF on Jul 23, 2017 7:35:22 GMT -8
Hey Friends! I've been away for so long. :-( a Shroomy hug to you mates. it's my opinion that we aren't talking about the same band anymore. The venues size, equipment and artist budget do influence a lot, as well as the Digital / Analog thing, although Technology is supposed to be better than ever. but the thing is this lineup of the Ozrics is a different animal than what it was in the 90's with the Psychedelics on and off the stage. we should ask them about their views and what they want to achieve if anything at all. I can see the difference that YIANNIS wants to share with us, and I can sure Hear it too.
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Post by yiannis on Jul 23, 2017 9:50:32 GMT -8
and I can sure Hear it too.
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Post by watermill on Jul 23, 2017 16:22:14 GMT -8
I love the Ozric Tentacles and always will, i can imagine my grand kids saying, "mum, grandads making us listen to that weird band again".
Exiling myself away from them was the best thing i could've done, because the music is feeling emotional again, but i have to say, being completely honest, i think their best days are behind them.
Look i really liked Paper Monkeys, but really, is it comparable to Pungent, or Erpland, those are classic albums, and i know bands move on and dont want to repeat themselves, but the ozrics are the band that refused to move on and in a good way too, because after Jurassic Shift, it could've been so easy for them to try to appeal to more people with a watered down follow up Jurassic Shift 2 album, but they stuck to what they believed in and never saw those sort of sales again.
To me its like comparing Pink Floyds Final cut to Dark Side Of The Moon, floyd fans love em both and will defend em' both, but deep down they know they're listening to a band that probably knows themselves that they're creating music only to really tour again and play the old stuff that their fans really want to hear.
Take Mike Olfield for instance, last album, Return to Ommadawn, not a bad album, not as good as Ommadawn. He'll now tour that, but what most Mike Oldfield fans want to hear live is Tubular Bells. I'm not saying the Ozrics are now a bad band, not by a long shot, they're still got their uniqueness, but like all bands, theres that purple patch where it all comes together and theres that golden run of albums that makes their legacy and in my opinion their legacy was forged in the early to mid nineties and its because of that era, i still by their albums today.
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Post by etherealise on Jul 24, 2017 0:27:38 GMT -8
I think you nailed it! ;-)
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Post by yiannis on Jul 24, 2017 1:49:53 GMT -8
What you said is true for the vast majority of musicians and bands watermill. It's been discussed before, but I think what's very different these days is the lack of catchiness in quite a bit of the music. There's so much you can do within the limits of Ozric music, even with such a broad spectrum, and in order to avoid repeating yourself you may try to make things less obvious and therefore less catchy. Or you may move away from the traditional way of composing, into areas of sound synthesis using the latest technology.
To tell you the truth I am glad that a) the band never changed too drastically, although the emphasis tends to be placed on different aspects of the music and b) they continue to put out albums, even if something of the magnitude and impact of the classics is unlikely to be seen again. And let's not forget that long time fans cannot be surprised or immersed in a new album in the same way they did 5, 10, 20 or 30 years ago.
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