OCEAN

It took me thirty long years to discover this amazing band. They appear to not only, have been unknown to me, but to the Epinions readership in general, since I was the first to write a review on them. I have now purchased nine of their sizable catalogue in the preceding two months with three more enroute. This review, on their masterpiece - Ocean, is my third review of an Eloy album. I will continue to post additional reviews periodically.

ELOY

Eloy (name taken from H G Well‘s Time Machine) is a German Atmospheric, Progressive Art Rock band that was formed back in 1969. Through the years, personal wise, the band has totally turned over, in some positions, several times. Their originator Frank Bornemann (guitars/vocals) has persevered, presiding over a three decade band, that has turned out some of the best progressive rock music, I’ve had the fortune to hear.

OCEAN

Ocean, their sixth album, released in 1977, is a concept album, depicting the rise and fall of Atlantis. Though there are only four tracks, they average almost eleven minutes each. Many Eloy aficionados point to this album as their ‘tour de force’. It is excellent, but as far as I’m concerned , based on what I’ve heard so far, there is no album that stands heads above the others.

Overall, Ocean has an atmospheric ambience reminiscent of Hawkwind or a more unknown band that I once reviewed named Ship of Fools. It also reminds me Jeff Wayne’s, War of the Worlds.

Track listing

1. Poseidon's Creation (11:38) **** Has a long droning medium pace and a whinny guitar intro. At the 4:40 mark, Bornemann finally begins the vocal. There is quite a lot of guitar playing on this song, augmented occasionally by the synth.

“When the mighty sons of the spheres beyond distributed the elements of earth they laid down the foundation-stone of highest spiritual birth which ever existed since thousands of years but is lost now in the future and past lightyears away from our daily tears those unperceived moments which always last ”

2. Incarnation Of The Logos (8:25) **** Has an atmospheric vocal beginning. The song doesn’t seem to have much of a melody until the 3:40 mark when the synth/organ takes over with a pleasant one, assisted by some percussion and a bell now and then.

“No native soil, no ocean, no salty wave no sky above no living being no movement, no colours, no elements no eye to see anything- complete emptiness Before all was nothing?”

3. Decay Of The Logos (8:15) ***½ The shortest song at eight minutes seems a little jerky at first with more monologue than music. When it does get going after about three minutes it’s still jerky in a medium paced beat. Strong synth playing through the middle.

“Overbearing secular creature my worshipped king king of wisdom and pain!

You are the one, the mighty one ruling so wise you're the universal sin!

Guardian of justice offering help favorite victim of your self-made gods! ” 4. Atlantis' Agony At June 5th - 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime (15:35) ***** This is a monster song. It is like nothing I’ve ever heard. Except for a fifty some second monologue at the beginning, “Atlantis…” starts with a truly intriguing eight minute plus instrumental intro. Not just any intro, like you’re used to, with a full orchestra and violins. No this is an spacey atmospheric intro that would make the great Pink Floyd, envious, with the propitious use of ghostly sounds and special effects segueing into an amazing five minute organ bridge, with no beat just the Hammond a few side effects and you. No it doesn’t get boring. Instead it sets you up for the vocals, which issue forth at about the eight minute mark. Slowly the rhythm section establishes a slow beat, while the singer does a great imitation of Bob Dylan, with a remarkable spacey synth breaking in between the vocal. But we’re not done. With about two minutes left, the band picks up the tempo to a medium fast tempo (the first time I‘ve heard them play at this speed). Now the violins join in with the guitar and synth for the finale of this great finale.

“And so the gods decided: great is the fear for you, when your eye takes the field against those who tried to raise against you. Make your eye go down and strike the mutineers with disaster. The eye shouldn't rest in your forehead, now it has to go down as "Hat-Hor"... ... And the eye of "RE" mounts down from his divine brow - down there on Earth and strikes them with disaster... ”

CONCLUSION

One of the factors, I find appealing about this band, is that in the span of three decades, they managed to present a style of music which was compatible with each era, so listening to their albums from different periods gives us a window into the progressive music of various time periods. Eloy’s musical tempo almost never exceeds medium and on Ocean tends to be more in the medium slow range.

Listening to this and other Eloy albums I hear influences from numerous other bands. Like many prog bands I hear Pink Floyd but I also hear Uriah Heep, Moody Blues and Bob Dylan (really, on track four!).