Customer Reviews

Ozric Tentacles - Live at the Pongmaster's Ball

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have been an Ozric fan for a long time, and a devotee of progressive rock from as far back as when King Crimson first released In The Court of the Crimson King. Ozric Tentacles is just an incredible group, both in musicianship and in stage performance. It is a treat to see them perform, either live in person or on this DVD. That said, they deserve so much better than what has been done with this DVD. Visually, the editing is neurotic at best, rarely staying on any particular image more than 3 or 4 seconds. If you like to focus on any member of the group while they are playing, forget it, you just can't do it. Add to that cheap, amateur camera effects like rapid zooming in and out, and you find yourself very frustrated trying to watch this. And the audio quality and mixing is also sub-par, which is doubly unfortunate, since this DVD is recorded in surround-sound. I have an exceptionaly good AV system, and when I first started watching this I thought there was something wrong with my audio.

But even with all these weaknesses, I would still recommend this DVD to anyone who has never seen Ozric Tentacles perform, because it still manages to relay a good feel of the performance, and the pre-show and setup segment is also very entertaining. I would give the group 10 stars if Amazon would let me, but this DVD only gets 4, and that's only because Ozric is so good! A lesser group might not have gotten any stars. Maybe the next DVD will be better!

If you have never had an encounter with Ozric Tentacles, you are truly missing out on life! I myself have been a fan from the first time That I heard them, 1991? Ed, Jon, Zia, Seaweed and Schoo will take you where few other bands can...into your own mind. This 14 song DVD takes you on a fantastic aural and visual odyssey, almost like actually being at one of their shows (without the smells). Mike Fendick & Mental Projections put on a visual stage show second to none. A 40 minute documentary of pre-show events backstage & at soundcheck lead you right to the time the Ozric's hit the stage. (I recommend watching the documentary first)

Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to think that Ozric Tentacles is a band that might appeal to musicians, especially keyboard players!

Well, obviously the videographer doesn't get that. Throughout the video he seems most interested in focusing on the clowning antics of the woodwind player, who spends a great deal of time dancing around and making faces, while the keyboard player and guitarist are making the majority of the music being heard.

The music is good. I had hoped to watch the musicians creating it.

There is a lot of footage of the drummer from under his snare drum. To be fair, there is plenty of guitar footage, but isn't this band dominated by keyboards? The videographer seems to go out of his way NOT TO SHOW any KEYBOARDS being played.

I found the video frustrating to watch for that reason.

No words just Music over Music and Rythm over Rythm. Very nice quality of sound and Picture. You can choose any song through out the DVD concert just as on a CD. Living here in the USA it's hard to have a chance to see them LIVE. This makes up for it.
If you like them, this Live at the Pongmasters is worth every penny. No regrets...... Let it flow.

If you are hearing impaired, this is the DVD for you. It must have been mixed by Helen Keller. Let's not fault the band one percent on this, they are simply incredible. And that's what I expected this DVD to reflect. I was going to spotlight this band at a music video conference, and the audio on this DVD is leaving me now with looking for a different band. It's too bad the band has no vocalist, because you might have at least gotten subtitles. Don't buy this thing. Please.
But DO buy ALL of their (Ozric Tentacles) albums. The band is simply INCREDIBLE, did you hear that?

After a number of efforts over several months to find a copy that would play on my DVD player (there were apparently problems with mislabeled discs for a while), I managed to get one through Newbury Comics. This is a great video with some tight performances. It is interesting that John's flutes are not picked up by the mics on many occasions and I suspect that this was no accident. Not being a big fan of his contribution to the group, I wasn't disappointed. It is not like there are holes in the mix. The rest of the band is in fine form and do some of their best material. The documentary is interesting too. This is a must-buy for any Ozrics fan.

Yeah, As others mentioned. This was produced in England and the format is wrong for the US..But , If you live in an Indian Neighborhood as I do, for a small fee they will copy a conversion to US standards or, you can buy a ilo DVR recorder..Anyways, Forget the camera work..For some reason this album is no longer available as a cd and I had to have this album because I do have the cd at my house in Vietnam but, absolutely need to hear this concert while I am in the US. Too bad the crowd gave flowers to them in the end. They rock in a very hypnotic way..The musicians are very tight in the rhythm and playing..It is such an awesome sounding compilation and they are very dedicated to a great sound..I love this album the most ..If you can ever get it back on cd- Crank it up to 11.

The product description is incorrect -- it says this is an NTSC DVD. I ordered this item and received a PAL DVD. Return/refund time. Buyer beware.

Kevin

Everything else is tolerable, from the mid-quality mixing, to the attention-deficit cameraman. However, the only place that you can actually hear the woodwind player is on the end track, 'The Throbbe'. Otherwise, well worth the money for the documentary, which shows backstage antics, a sound check, and introduces you to the band members, the road crew, and an assortment of friends.

This dvd capture the pure essence of this band. It means that you get their best songs and the visuals that goes with it when you see their performance live. This is a band that has a original sound mixing space music with reggae, incorporating some unusual sounds from the flute, keyboards and guitar. The visual side is impressive and goes very well with this kind of music. I am not the biggest fan of this band, but if you want a good show to watch from this band, go no further.