FLOATING

Following the critical and (limited) commercial success of their 1973 album "Inside", Eloy returned to the studio in 1974 to record "Floating". In the intervening period, bassist Wolfgang Stöcker moved on, his place being taken by Luitjen Janssen.

The opening title track is another attempt (following "Daybreak") to find a successful single, this pacey instrumental being driven along by organ and guitar. The ah-ah vocals are once again reminiscent of of Titanic's "Sultana", a hit single which paid homage to Santana. The track makes for a fine introduction to the album.

The feature track is "The light from deep darkness", a 14½ minute piece which gathers together what are now considered the clichés of heavy prog. The track includes fine organ and lead guitar solos the overall structure being more improvised than anything on the previous album. The style once again is an amalgam of bands such as Nektar, Argent and Uriah Heep. In the best traditions of prog, the track does not reveal itself fully on first listen, demanding to be fully appreciated over a period of time.

Side two once again has 3 tracks (per "Inside"). "Castle in the air" is a largely instrumental piece, with introductory vocals. Here, Eloy commit the cardinal sin common to the era of including a drum/percussion solo. As a whole, the track makes for a good, if unremarkable romp; not to be taken too seriously I think. At 9 minutes, "Plastic girl" is the feature track of side two. Overall, the piece is similar in style and sound to "The light from deep darkness", with strong organ work and heavy guitar riffs. The closing "Madhouse" also has some brief percussion indulgences, but is for the most part a frantic instrumental with improvised lead guitar.

In all, an album which finds Eloy treading water a bit. The tracks here are enjoyable, but as with many bands of the period, Eloy hit upon their formula with "Inside" and recorded something very similar for the follow up. Fortunately, the band would continue their progression later.

The remastered CD has three bonus tracks, all recorded live in Krefel, Germany in September 1973. "Future city" originally appeared on "Inside" while the other two tracks ("Castle in the air" and "Flying high") are songs from this album. The live versions of those two songs here can be seen as advanced demos, recorded before the studio versions were captured.

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