Eloy-Colours (1980)

The German band Eloy's eighth album featured several changes compared to their previous album, "Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes", both in terms of the lineup and the stylistic shift. Drummer Jürgen Rosenthal and keyboardist Detlev Schmidtchen were no longer with the band, replaced by Jim McGillivray and Hannes Folberth respectively, while Frank Bornemann (guitar and vocals), Hannes Arkona (guitars), and Klaus-Peter Matziol (bass) remained at the helm. Regarding their sound, this release maintains a similar direction to its predecessor but with a more accessible and catchy feel, undoubtedly paving the way for future releases that will be more focused on progressive pop-rock without the complexity of the previous work. The simplest melodies, without the pretensions of yesteryear, appear in pieces like "Gallery", "Sunset" or "Impressions", while the progressive "Horizons" continues the tradition of their previous albums and the epic "Child Migration" becomes the high point of this "Colours".

Eloy-Time To Turn (1982)

"Time to Turn" is the tenth album of Eloy published in 1982 and would be the sequel to the album "Planets" within the concept that unites them, and is the last album that we can consider highly recommended by Eloy. In this work Fritz Randow returns to take care of the battery, after leaving the group in the first time. This album follows the line of "Planets" in some aspects, but it is a work more infected by sounds of the time. Something that can be seen in the most simplistic and more strictly pop-rock rhythms, taxes on a large part of the themes, or in a notable abandonment of the atmospheres, for the benefit of a more direct sound. The spatial setting, in this case, does not involve the themes entirely, but is shown here in more specific doses, while we can also appreciate some touches that can remind Alan Parsons Project, or a taste for techno-pop sounds, especially in "The Flash". The album highlights the songs "Through a Somber Galaxy" progressive rock adapted to the 80s, the semi-acoustic "Say is it Really True" and the longest track "End of an Odyssey", which includes an excellent and long instrumental start, dominated by keyboards. But I would even add that the best of "Time to Turn" are the synthesizer solos included in the cited "Through a Somber Galaxy" and "End of an Odyssey", and the one included in "The Flash". All these solos, which seem highly exciting to me, are quite similar to those made by the renewed Hawkwind in "Levitation".

Eloy-Metromania (1984)

In the eighties the German band Eloy, had adapted to the new times and the sounds of a new age, they had left behind their progressive rock with krautrock influenced, long developments and prog structures to focus on progressive pop of quality with well structured themes but without progressive complexity.
From this era are the albums "Planets" (1981), "Time to the Turn" (1982), "Perfomance" (1983) and "Metromania" (1984).
All of them followed a common denominator, a greater role for synthesizers, very powerful rock guitars, a more accessible sound and songs of contained duration.
"Metromania" that had another spectacular cover designed by Rodney Matthews, had a timid response from the critics, however it was better received than the previous "Perfomance" by its fans.
His songs included the progressive and hypnotic "All Life is One", the heavy rock "Nightriders" or the progressive bluesy "The Stranger".

Eloy-Inside (1973)

In the second Eloy album, titled Inside and published in 1973, you can already see elements of progressive rock that would characterize the band the following years.

Unlike the first album where hard rock predominated, here the sound is focused on more complex terrain where organs and mellotrons are mixed with hard guitar riffs with certain doses of psychedelia.

Also the concept of science fiction gives greater prominence to the progressive ideas of the group.

Eloy-The Power and the Passion (1975)

In 1975 Eloy would publish his fourth studio album The Power and the Passion, a work that was distanced in part from the sound of his first albums, it could even be said that it is the first album with the classic sound of the group, with a style that is more symphonic and more space, less psychedelic and and in part less rocker, this is the first conceptual work of the group, and it is a record considered worse than the others among the fans, although I consider that it is not fair, maybe it is not as good as Dawn , Ocean or Floating but it doesn't stay too far. Here the group becomes a quintet with the incorporation of Detlef Schwaar on guitars, and it should be noted that keyboard player Manfred Wieczorek uses all kinds of keyboards here, unlike the previous ones where he only used organ, which is one of the points that contribute to the change of sound. The highlight of the album are undoubtedly the masterful two long songs, Love Over Six Centuries and Mutiny, two very symphonic songs full of changes, melodies, solos of great keyboards and a lot of emotion. Also notable are the three songs that close the album, The Zany Magician, Back Into the Present, these two more along the lines of previous albums, and The Bells of Notre Dame. In short, a great album.

Eloy-Eloy (1971)

The German band Eloy's career has always been characterized by their grandiose, spacey progressive rock style, replete with allusions to science fiction and mysticism. However, their debut album bears little resemblance to that musical orientation; in this first release, they focus on the more energetic and heavy sounds of conventional hard rock. Of the lineup that recorded this first album, only three members would continue after its release: Frank Bonermann (guitar), Manfred Wieczorke (guitar and vocals), and Wolfgang Stöcker (bass), while the rest consisted of drummer Helmuth Draht and organist and singer Erich Schriever. Although initially categorized as krautrock, their style was actually closer to the British hard rock of bands like Uriah Heep, Atomic Rooster, or Warhorse than to the German movement full of improvisation, psychedelic sounds, and experimentation. Plausible pieces such as the powerful "Today", the psychedelic "Something Yellow", the dark and heavy "Song Of A Paranoid Soldier", the relaxing "Isle Of Sun" or the hard rock groove "Voice Of Revolution", were part of the worthy debut of one of the most emblematic and famous bands that emerged from Germany during the 1970s.

Eloy-Ocean (1977)

Eloy is perhaps the best band of German progressive rock, whose musical style includes symphonic rock and space rock, the latter with a higher prevalence in previous albums. Despite their nationality and period of activity, the band is not generally considered krautrock due to their sound, which has much more in common with English progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Yes. Moreover, the band that was always considered by the world music critics as the "German Floyd" because of its sound parallel to that of the British in many moments. It is true that sometimes sound similar, but the Germans have their unique sound, mixing rock with symphonic air space memorable.
"Ocean" is the sixth album released by the Germans. It was launched in 1977 and is considered by many their best album, a classic of the genre in Germany. 200,000 copies were sold, making it better than Genesis or Queen in the German charts at that time.

Eloy-Dawn (1976)

Once the tour following the album "The Power And The Passion" was over, the German band Eloy almost completely disbanded, leaving only their leader, guitarist Frank Bornemann, who soon set to work reorganizing a new lineup. To this end, he recruited keyboardist Detlev Schmidtchen, bassist Klaus-Peter Matziol, and drummer Jürgen Rosenthal, with whom he entered Tonstudio Nedeltschev in Cologne to record the group's next album. "Dawn" would be the title of this new album, the band's fifth chronologically, which creatively surpassed the excellent "The Power And The Passion", showcasing a new musical direction more focused on conventional progressive rock, abandoning the spacey hard rock of their previous releases. Here, the guitars and keyboards are more fused, the arrangements are carefully structured, and the long suites and improvisations of their earlier work almost completely disappear. However, all the album's compositions are quite complex, with preconceived ideas perfectly realized in impressive tracks. The poignant "The Sun Song", the majestic "The Dance in Doubt and Fear", and the progressive "The Midnight Fight/The Victory of Mental Force" are just a few examples of the masterful canvases of an admirable album, considered one of the masterpieces of European progressive rock of all time.

Eloy-Live (1978)

Fantastic double live album official German progressive rock group Eloy. Thetopics covered by disks are as follows: From Inside Inside is included. From The Power And The Passion Of Dawn Mutiny is included there is some mess with titles,including The Sun-Song is actually the theme-Flash Memory, The Dance In DoubtAnd Fear they really are the topics Appearance Of Return Of The Voice and The Voice, and finally Gliding Into Light And Knowledge. From the Ocean includePoseidon's Creation, Incarnation Of The Logos and and the long title theme, Atlantis Agony ... etc. etc.. The interpretation of the issues that is more symphonicrock, everything is covered with mysterious atmospheres, dark, symphonic, and I can imagine that day in the room transported to another galaxy like I was stuck in ascience fiction movie. Some of the interpretations are quite faithful to the originalsbut there are some topics like Atlantis Agony ... Dawn or issues where the instrumental parts are stretched very effectively. One of the basic double live the70's progressive.