Ozric Tentacles - Live at the Pongmasters Ball

Rating:
Summary: A band like this deserves so much better
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: A band like this deserves so much better
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Ozrics at their best!
Review: 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)

Rating:
Summary: Only Music Spoken Here....
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: What was the cameraman thining?!!!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: how could ask for more!
Review: 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.