ECLIPSE

I pride myself on usually being the first person to spring to the defense of a progressive artist trying to do something new with their music, as opposed to repeating the same tired ideas. I would rather see that artist try and fail, than play it safe and deliver more of the same. Usually amongst those experiments there'll likely be some interesting moments and ideas. But it's really depressing when an artist you greatly admire tries something completely new and different to them, and generally fails spectacularly. Case in point - electronic artist Adelbert von Deyen's `Eclipse'.

With his first three albums being great favourites of mine, especially his previous album `Atmosphere', I've become quite used to having to defend the man against endless accusations of being nothing more than a Klaus Schulze clone with no original ideas of his own. So it's extremely galling to see him release an album that's a complete, total derivative and tired rip-off of - surprisingly not Schulze - but rather Pink Floyd! This time, there's nothing I can do to defend his music on this release. The majority of this album is made up of elements and themes badly ripped straight from any number of Pink Floyd albums. I know endless prog artists have been influenced by that great band, but to blatantly release a lazy and unimaginative album mostly based around ideas and elements (and even sound effects - check out the room of ticking clocks on one track, and radio-station chatter ala `The Wall'!) from another artist is extremely desperate.

Adelbert at least tried to break from the formula of his previous albums by making a collection of shorter pieces, half of them incorporating vocal and acoustic guitar playing, and the rest totally instrumental.

Side A's `Eclipse phase 1' is a very tired knock-off of Floyd's `Shine On...'. Even von Deyen's reliable wall of synths are mixed so far to the back to be virtually non existent, with the exception of his soloing keyboard imitating Wright's. Even the electric guitar from Uwe Johannsen comes in at the exact same point, except it's not nearly as effective as Gilmour's original version. Pleasant enough, but literally a complete remake of the first part of the Floyd epic. Nothing even remotely original about it all. Vocal tracks `They and I' and `In The Fog' both have the EXACT acoustic guitar melody and chord structure as Floyd's `Pigs On The Wing'! They also sound like exactly the same song, with a bland vocal and uninteresting lyrics that almost sounds something like protest songs. `Eclipse phase 2' is a plodding 4 and a half minute electric guitar solo, seemingly gunning to take on Gilmour's epic solo on the finale of `Comfortably Numb', and although perfectly competent, it's also thoroughly lifeless. Von Deyen's keyboards are mixed way in the back, they may as well not be there at all. Von Deyen DID play keyboards on other albums, didn't he?

Side B's `Eclipse phase 3' is the one of the only things on the album that sounds even remotely like something the man would usually compose. Electronic glacial synths, with a mournful distant keyboard melody throughout, it's eventually joined by a plodding live drumbeat from Zabba Libner. Although I quite like this track, and it's far and away the best thing on the album, it's completely devoid of anything even slightly original. It's almost like von Deyen lifted an entire 5 minute section from any of his first three albums, added a tedious drum pattern and pasted it in here. Kind of dismal. The best of the acoustic/vocal tracks is `Atomic Age', where his voice is a little more charming, although the guitar melody is more or less stolen straight off Roger Waters' `If', from the `Atom Heart Mother' Floyd album. But it's probably the track with the best lyrics on the album, with a slightly catchy chorus `Eclipse phase 4' is a proper electronic piece that sounds a little more ambient and gentle, like the warmer and mysterious parts of `Atmosphere' that I love so much. Too little, too late I'm afraid. There's some slightly livelier drums to spark it up a little, but at barely 2 and a half minutes, it doesn't quite cut it. It's also highly repetitive. It's really worrying that a track so short completely outstays it's welcome. `Day by Day' sounds just like all the other small acoustic/vocal pieces, that they might as well have all been the one song. `Eclipse phase 5' is a soft and pretty acoustic guitar instrumental, with birds chirping and nature sound effects in the background. Lovely, but totally unmemorable. Kind of a nice way to finish the album, though.

It's commendable of von Deyen to attempt lead vocals on this album, though his singing voice is thoroughly average, coming across like a pleasantly bland imitation of Camel's Andy Latimar and David Gilmour. Great, yet ANOTHER Floyd similarity!

Perhaps by cutting down on the electronic synth sounds and attempting warmer acoustic guitar/vocal tracks was an attempt to humanize von Deyen. Such a shame that it's a mostly forgettable album with few redeeming qualities. I've spoken before about how his other albums had significant emotional responses from me, but I wasn't prepared for what I'd feel after listening to this album several times to prepare for this review ? anger and frustration. Kind of left me a little demoralized too, after being so taken with his previous three albums.

There's also the fact that I paid $50 for this record when I came across it at a local record fair. I'd been searching for it for years, so I jumped at the opportunity to own this `highly sought-after treasure' (well, it was for me!).

I suppose the album does sort of have a lovely cover - simple but effective?

So there you go, one or two OK tracks at best. I really can't imagine too many listeners who liked his previous albums going for this one in a big way. I don't even think `Eclipse' would have worked any better if all of the instrumental title pieces were on one side, with the acoustic/vocal bits on the other. The album is still dangerously thin on very slight material, so there wouldn't have been enough to fill out both sides of the vinyl.

I should mention, there's a useless `spoken word' piece `Evil Ways' on the album that features the artist moaning the line `Oh please, let me out of this place, I want to go home?.'. I can't help but feel this is an unfortunate metaphor for the entire album, with the real electronic von Deyen buried deep in the subconscious, trying to claw his way back out.

Barely two stars.

Dammit, where's the Tylenol...