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Eloy - Ocean CD (album) cover

OCEAN

Eloy

 

Psychedelic/Space Rock

4.21 | 1244 ratings

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Gatot
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars Achtung! - Do not miss this album!

This is one of the legendary prog albums that must be considered in the whole history of progressive music. One thing that strikes into my mind is the fact that considering the uniqueness of the music delivered by ELOY, I have not been able to find any band's followers in terms of the music style ELOY has played. Any legendary bands like Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP, Gentle Giant etc. has followers that play the music in the similar vein. But this is not the case with ELOY where I cannot find any band which has adopted its music. It might have been caused by two things: first, it's not the kind of music that many people enjoy or second, the music is so unique so that it can not be followed in some or another way. If these two reasons are valid, I totally disagree. Look, the music offered through this album is so beautiful and, in fact, peaceful. I find piece of mind enjoying this music. I just realized couple of days ago that when I looked this album on my CD shelf, I have not reviewed this album at this site. So, I picked it up and played again . Wow! It's peaceful man.. especially during the period of fasting month (this time is a Ramadhan month for Muslim). I always play this CD during the time when I eat and drink in the morning before dawn (sahur) and in fact throughout the day while I am working at my desk. It's a great companion, indeed, especially through the ambient spacey nuance plus great keyboard and guitar solos. And the second argument, I do not think that the music of ELOY is complicated and it can, I think, be adopted quite easily. What is probably unique is the lead vocal quality and its combination of music nuance. But that's okay, any band can create their own sound - not necessary copying the whole style. So, I do not know why there is basically no band that follows the path of ELOY. If you know, please let me know because I definitely like the music, really!

Poseidon's Creation (11':38") is a song that is so famous from ELOY and it's probably like "Firth of Fifth" of Genesis' or "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" in the case of Pink Floyd or "Siberian Khatru" in the case of Yes. The song starts beautifully with an ambient music featuring a bit of Gilmourian guitar, soft keyboard and ambient drumming with dynamic work on tom and snares. In fact, the combination of guitar and drum is really nice and has become one of attraction points for this track. The key strengths of this song includes the brilliant flow of the music as well as the melody that brings the music along the way with a feeling of peace of mind during the wonderful flow. I feel like I'm flying enjoying this track, really! It's a beautifully crafted song that the music is accessible to many ears. The inclusion of Frank Bornemann unique vocal quality has made the music much more interesting to enjoy. I tell you, with the song duration of 11 minutes I have never felt getting bored with the music this song delivers. It's so great and so entertaining .

Incarnation Of The Logos (8':25") continues the nuance and style of the opening track in ambient spacey nuance. Again, the guitar work flows beautifully, followed with great voice of Frank Bornemann. The main attraction of this track is probably the interlude in the middle of the song. It demonstrates the great combination of keyboard solo and rhythm section that comprises drums, bass guitar and guitar. Oh by the way, one thing that is very good also from the band's music is the bass guitar work that flows dynamically in tight bass lines along with the music flow.

Decay of The Logos (8':15") brings the music into more upbeat style with higher drive on vocal as well as rhythm section. The tempo is of course faster than any other two tracks that precede it. This is about the time to lift up the music in a more energetic way. This has made the album much more interesting to enjoy because at the first two tracks ELOY deliver the music in medium tempo and this time demonstrates much more energy to create another emotional atmosphere to the listeners.

Atlantis' Agony At June 5th - 8498, 13 PM (15':35") depicts a controversial title. It has a very long narration from start until minute 8 backed with a slow tempo keyboard work which reminds me to the long intro of Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". At approximately minute 8 the bass guitar enters beautifully into the music followed with drum work (dazzling tom drum) followed with excellent voice of Frank. Yes, you might be getting bored at the first 8 minutes of the song but . bear with me . if you enjoy the music from the start, close your eyes, relax and let the music flows into your mind . and boom! You'll experience great things in your mind as the music concludes, starting from approx minute 11 when the slow keyboard sounds enter through your ears. It's a great song .!! You might have experienced it like a meditation. Indeed, this is a great meditation that you might use it to accompany you in your yoga practices. Try it!

Conclusion

It's a masterpiece of progressive music that you should not miss at all. I can guarantee that the music is accessible to most ears. It has tight composition with excellent arrangements, great flow and wonderful musical nuance coupled with catchy melody for all songs featured in the album. The performance of the band is also excellent. This album must be owned in any prog lover collection. It's a must. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Gatot | 5/5 |

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