Ptolemaic Terrascope
Encyclopedia
Ptolemaic Terrascope is a magazine covering old and new music, usually of a psychedelic
nature. It has been published irregularly since 1989. Although originally published by the Woronzow record label, it was never simply a vehicle for publicizing Nick Saloman's band the Bevis Frond
or other artists on his Woronzow label, but rather covers a wide variety of bands and artists from the 1960s to the present day. Issues typically come with a 7" vinyl record or latterly a CD, and sometimes also special inserts such as artwork
, scrap books, and discount coupon
s.
In March 2005, editor
Phil McMullen
announced that the magazine would be coming under new management and relocating from Britain to North America
. The terrascope.co.uk domain name has been retained by McMullen for the website Terrascope Online, featuring reviews, interviews, articles and artwork by the majority of the former Ptolemaic Terrascope staff.
The Terrascope Online website also acts as a focus for the semi-annual Terrastock
indie rock
festivals
which, since 1997, Phil McMullen has curated.
According to the magazine, the name Ptolemaic Terrascope has no real meaning. Their official web page explains, "Ptolemy
is a tortoise
who lives at Terrascope Towers. Terrascope is a word Phil made up because (a) it matched the artwork we'd designed for the first issue, and (b) we like the Captain Beefheart
song 'Tarotplane'."
Phil McMullen, Nick Saloman, R.M. "Cyke" Bancroft, Mick Dillingham, Fred Mills,
Bruce Bannockburn, Dave Barker, Chris Eckman, Mike Ware, Mick Donovan, Colin Hill,
"Mad" Louie Biondi, Barry Dransfield, Dave Stewart, Jan Saloman, Alan Kidd, Gary Crofts, Francis Ives, Rod Goodway, Deke Leonard, Chip Lamey, C.D. Webb, Steve Pescott, Bari Watts, Dave Telado, Adrian Taylor, Chris Burgess, Martin Wakeling, Neal Skok, Nigel Cross, Jud Cost, Stuart Pope, Jamie Sellers, Pat Thomas, Mark Murden, Bill Parry, John O'Regan, Paul Simmons, Steve Rowland, Trevor Hodgett, Sean Kelly, Anthony Clark, Dave Brown,, Kenny McDonald, Davina Ware, Dave Burnham, David Bennison, David Tibet, Michael Piper, Erik Lindgren, Edwin Pouncey, Carrie Hourihan, Brian Hinton, Carl Arnheiter, Jon Bernhardt, Tony Dale, Richard Allen,Michael Harrison, Jonathan Dale, Johnny Black, Dave Pearce, Sally Irvine, Kelly Stoltz, Jim Powers, Eric Miller, Richie Unterberger, Matt Maxwell, Damon Krukowski, Marc Minsker, John Berg, Neil Mortimer, Matthew Greenwald, Tim Forster, Colin Scott, Karl Ikola, Mark Brend, Steve Rowling, Dave Sheppard,, Ralf Bei Der Kellen, Byron Coley,
Mick Farren, Steve Hanson, Johnny Nostalgia, Lee Jackson, Mike McNamara, Jens Unosson, Craig Morrison, SM2B, Ron Sanchez, J. Bennett, Mason Jones, Alan Cummings, George Parsons, Jeff Penczak, Robby Lewry, Nick Warburton, Adrian Shaw, Dan Cairns, Mick Capewell, Gary Burns, Richard Gould, Uli Twelker, Timothy Renner, David Wilcox, John Cavenagh, Ben Vendetta, Faren Miller, Nick Bensen, Eric Arn, Jose Marmeleirala, Richard Morton Jack, Tract Sienkiewicz, Barry St. Vitus, Simon Lewis, Mats Gustafsson, Anthony Sanders, Mark Dagley and Dickie Straker.
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
nature. It has been published irregularly since 1989. Although originally published by the Woronzow record label, it was never simply a vehicle for publicizing Nick Saloman's band the Bevis Frond
The Bevis Frond
The Bevis Frond is a British musical group whose range covers hard edge to melancholy vintage indie rock to poetic, "classic-rock" songcraft with a thick Walthamstow accent. Nick Saloman is the band's frontman and songwriter...
or other artists on his Woronzow label, but rather covers a wide variety of bands and artists from the 1960s to the present day. Issues typically come with a 7" vinyl record or latterly a CD, and sometimes also special inserts such as artwork
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, scrap books, and discount coupon
Coupon
In marketing, a coupon is a ticket or document that can be exchanged for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product. Customarily, coupons are issued by manufacturers of consumer packaged goods or by retailers, to be used in retail stores as a part of sales promotions...
s.
In March 2005, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
Phil McMullen
Phil McMullen
Phil McMullen lives in the West of England and spends his time between rearing chickens and vegetables writing about psychedelic, improvised and experimental rock & folk music...
announced that the magazine would be coming under new management and relocating from Britain to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The terrascope.co.uk domain name has been retained by McMullen for the website Terrascope Online, featuring reviews, interviews, articles and artwork by the majority of the former Ptolemaic Terrascope staff.
The Terrascope Online website also acts as a focus for the semi-annual Terrastock
Terrastock
Terrastock is a music festival organised periodically by Phil McMullen, formerly editor of the Ptolemaic Terrascope and since 2005 the publisher of the Terrascope Online website. The event typically features independent bands playing psychedelic rock....
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
festivals
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
which, since 1997, Phil McMullen has curated.
According to the magazine, the name Ptolemaic Terrascope has no real meaning. Their official web page explains, "Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
is a tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
who lives at Terrascope Towers. Terrascope is a word Phil made up because (a) it matched the artwork we'd designed for the first issue, and (b) we like the Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
song 'Tarotplane'."
Contributors
(editions 1-35)Phil McMullen, Nick Saloman, R.M. "Cyke" Bancroft, Mick Dillingham, Fred Mills,
Bruce Bannockburn, Dave Barker, Chris Eckman, Mike Ware, Mick Donovan, Colin Hill,
"Mad" Louie Biondi, Barry Dransfield, Dave Stewart, Jan Saloman, Alan Kidd, Gary Crofts, Francis Ives, Rod Goodway, Deke Leonard, Chip Lamey, C.D. Webb, Steve Pescott, Bari Watts, Dave Telado, Adrian Taylor, Chris Burgess, Martin Wakeling, Neal Skok, Nigel Cross, Jud Cost, Stuart Pope, Jamie Sellers, Pat Thomas, Mark Murden, Bill Parry, John O'Regan, Paul Simmons, Steve Rowland, Trevor Hodgett, Sean Kelly, Anthony Clark, Dave Brown,, Kenny McDonald, Davina Ware, Dave Burnham, David Bennison, David Tibet, Michael Piper, Erik Lindgren, Edwin Pouncey, Carrie Hourihan, Brian Hinton, Carl Arnheiter, Jon Bernhardt, Tony Dale, Richard Allen,Michael Harrison, Jonathan Dale, Johnny Black, Dave Pearce, Sally Irvine, Kelly Stoltz, Jim Powers, Eric Miller, Richie Unterberger, Matt Maxwell, Damon Krukowski, Marc Minsker, John Berg, Neil Mortimer, Matthew Greenwald, Tim Forster, Colin Scott, Karl Ikola, Mark Brend, Steve Rowling, Dave Sheppard,, Ralf Bei Der Kellen, Byron Coley,
Mick Farren, Steve Hanson, Johnny Nostalgia, Lee Jackson, Mike McNamara, Jens Unosson, Craig Morrison, SM2B, Ron Sanchez, J. Bennett, Mason Jones, Alan Cummings, George Parsons, Jeff Penczak, Robby Lewry, Nick Warburton, Adrian Shaw, Dan Cairns, Mick Capewell, Gary Burns, Richard Gould, Uli Twelker, Timothy Renner, David Wilcox, John Cavenagh, Ben Vendetta, Faren Miller, Nick Bensen, Eric Arn, Jose Marmeleirala, Richard Morton Jack, Tract Sienkiewicz, Barry St. Vitus, Simon Lewis, Mats Gustafsson, Anthony Sanders, Mark Dagley and Dickie Straker.