Sliding Gliding Worlds

Sliding Gliding Worlds (also known as "the blue one") is the fifth of Ozric Tentacles' first six independent releases on cassette, each one with a different background color. Released by the band in 1988, it was reissued on CD by Dovetail Records in 1994. This album is the most accessible of the first six, the most "easy listening." Crunchy riffs are few (only "Kick Muck" represents the Hawkwind side of the band) and the whole thing falls into a pleasant trippy mid-tempo pace. Ed Wynne's writing is more melodious and less jam-oriented. World music colors (Chinese, African, Amazonian) can be found in the four last tracks. Highlights include "Soda Water," "Sliding and Gliding," and "It's a Hup Ho World," plus the comical "Yaboop Yaboop" which includes aboriginal-esque vocals. The sound quality is better than on the other releases in this series, as is the overall quality of the songs and, even though it lacks the fast-paced energy found on some material on There Is Nothing and Live Ethereal Cereal, it remains overall the best album from the band's early days. Recall, a division of Snapper Music, has reissued the album as a two-CD set (including new artwork) with The Bits Between the Bits under the title The Bits Between the Bits/Sliding Gliding Worlds. ~ Francois Couture