FLOATING

For their third album, the band decided to go for a more "jam band" approach. I of course, don't mean the DAVE MATTHEWS BAND or PHISH (or for the era this album came out, the GRATEFUL DEAD) approach, but taking the guitar/Hammond organ approach that the band explored on "Inside" and more concentrate on lengthy jams. Examples obviously goes to songs like "The Light From Deep Darkness", "Castle in the Air", and "Plastic Girl".

The band had featured a minor lineup change with bassist Wolfgang Stöcker being replaced by Luitjen Janssen. That of course, didn't affect the band's sound any. Without a doubt the album's high point is "The Light From Deep Darkness". This is without a doubt the song where the jams work the best. I especially dig Manfred Wieczorke's spacy organ solos here. There are a few passages that bring to mind the Krautrock bands of the time, especially the strange guitar effects. "Plastic Girl" is the first ELOY song to feature some synthesizer, some Moog and that's it. Wieczorke wasn't even credited to playing synths on this album, as the Moog was a new purchase just as the recording of the album was being wrapped up, making "Plastic Girl" the final recording session (although of course, not the last song on the album). Of course Wieczorke would explore the synths much further on their following album, "Power and the Passion".

I also dig the surrealistic sci-fi artwork on the cover, done by Frenchman Jacques Wyrs (same guy responsible for Klaus SCHULZE's "Picture Music"). No doubt about it, both "Inside" and "Floating" are ELOY's best early albums.

Following in a very similar path than its predecessor "Inside", the repertoire contained in "Floating" has a plus point, and that is an increased sense of rocking energy: that is pretty obvious from the very first blow of sound that starts the opening, namesake track, and things keep on going hot and intense all throughout the forthcoming numbers. Definitely, the band enjoys jamming and that's what they mostly do in this album, pursuing to captivate the listener and make them part of the special fun of music: at times the guitar riffs and organ lines make my mind associate this sound to some of the stuff that early Nektar and early Uriah Heep did. Nevertheless, truth is that there are also two noticeable drawbacks here: one in the decrease of compositional creativity, and the other is the lack of variations and nuances which would have undoubtedly helped to make "Floating" less repetitive. Perhaps this emphasis on the energetic jamming comes out as a solution to the fact that there are not enough musical ideas to fill a whole album coherently. To be fair and state my opinions in a clearer way, let me add that this is not a filler collection nor a boring album. It's only that I find it slightly disappointing when compared to "Inside", and comparisons can't be avoided in this case, since the common family features are evident in both albums (although the lead guitar is more prominent here, indeed) - the promise of "Inside" got a bit worn out in this record, instead of matured and capitalized. Having stated what I feel about the pros and the cons of "Floating", I'll mention tracks 2 and 3 as the highlights of this album: the 14+ minute 'The Light from Deep Darkness' incarnates the major virtues of the album with full hard rocking splendour in a prog frame; 'Castle in the Air' exhibits a major dose of rocking enthusiasm with an Arabic-like twist in the dual guitar parts and a rhythm section that perfectly founds and completes the overall air of exotic joy. 'Plastic Girl' comprises the most interesting organ work by Wieczorke in the album: amazing chord progressions and soloing, as well as cleverly built layers with a Gothic-like twist. The closure 'Madhouse' pretty much recapitulates what has been done in the previous 4 tracks: a logical closure it is, but also incarnates the minus points I've mentioned earlier. While not excellent, "Floating" is still very recommended album from one of the biggest 70s prog acts from Germany.

In the second half of the Seventies a record store in The Hague started to sell Krautrock albums, within a few months I had doubled my progrock LP collection!

This album is still one of my favorite Eloy albums (it contains five melodic compositions) because of the powerful blend of bluesrock, symphonic and psychedelia . Frank Borneman plays a lot of inspired harder-edged guitar soli, often wah-wah drenched. Keyboard player Manfred Wieczorcke delivers compelling Hammond organ runs and his interplay with the guitar from Frank sounds very tasteful. The highlight on this album is the long track "The light from the deep darkness" (almost 15 minutes), this is early Eloy at their best with flowing shifting moods and very compelling soli on guitar and organ. The echoes from Pink Floyd are obvious but Eloy avoids to sound as a derivative.

RECOMMENDED AS A STARTER!

Far from Eloy's classic period with eloquent symphonic spacey suites ("Ocean" and "Silent Cry..."), this album can be disconcerted for its most heavy rock parts. Generally the musical tendance is more basic but well, very catchy and dynamic. The opening "Floating" is a heavy rock improvisation based upon an efficient melody. A lot of inventivity and changing moods in this composition (alterning relaxed, percussive atmospheres to a speed rock 'n roll with epic guitar solo and Hammond organs). No real vocals, just a simple line to sustain the main melody. "The light from Deep Darkness" is a conceptual musical theme about the time of creation. It starts with a mysterious, calm melodic introduction, and then the climax turns into a heavy "trip", always mixing a dialogue between Hammond organ and aggressive guitar rhythms. The track contains some nice improvised organ solos. A masterful composition which culminates the album. "Castle in the air" is an other efficient heavy rock track with cool "heroic" tone. "plastic girl" introduces us into an inter-galactic organ universe with repetitive dark guitar arpeggios. "Madhouse" is a freak 'n roll song. A "detached" interlude divides the track after an absolute mind blowing guitar break which starts the second part. An important album in the band's discography and a must for fans.

In the 18 months elapsed since recording their second album Inside, Eloy had exchanged bass players - Stöcker was replaced by Jansen - but the central core sound was still in evidence. For Floating, their third album recorded early in 1974, organ and guitar would continue to compete for attention, but now the band was more refined in all areas: better playing and singing, more developed Symphonic-style arrangements, recording techniques are more polished, and they play together as a tighter unit. Greater quality but inevitably less primeval oomph!

Perhaps it is significant that Floating was recorded at the same time as Bornemann produced an album for Heavy Rock band The Scorpions. It may be pure coincidence, but Eloy too would record much heavier material than on Inside. While a stylistic family resemblance with Inside is quite evident, and so remain the Pink Floyd and Hawkwind analogies, three of Floating's five tracks could best be described as Heavy-Rock Prog, likened to contemporary Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. Production values too, while transparent and detailed, favour a heavier feel and many of the riffs and guitar phrasings are structured more as heavy rock than the simpler form of space-jams.

As before, the band play principally as a straight guitar/organ/bass/drums four-piece, with some uncredited synth work on Plastic girl as the only digression. This time Bornemann's guitar has the edge as the lead instrument, both a cause and effect of the heavier direction, with some seriously good riff work. The solos are still there of course, but now a little more selective and structured than before, though I could have done without the pair of short drum solos. Special mention must also be made of Jansen's exemplary bass playing, both melodic and powerful as the need arises, and with a lovely rounded tone.

The key song on this album is The Light From Deep Darkness, a stunning 14½ minute masterpiece of Space Rock as good as the very best. It has everything: chiming guitars; big organ chords; a brilliant early groove with a wonderful fat rubberband guitar/bass riff; changes of mood including an ethereal section with bass taking the lead for a while; some heavy rock riffing; and its crowning glory - an ecstatic full-on Hawkwind-like trance-inducing space-jam complete with weird Syd Barrett guitar effects and driving pulsating riff. Five minutes of sheer bliss which demands to be heard very loud!

The other standout song is Plastic Girl which settles into a smooth delicate riff with muted toms and organ before abruptly crashing into a noisy full band arrangement with a strange 'speeded up' organ sound swamping Bornemann's vocals. It too slips into a superior hypnotic groove before finishing gently as it began. Madhouse is the best of the rest as its heavy riffing gives way to an instrumental workout featuring a chugging guitar rhythm using what sounds like an Echoplex, but no keyboards.

The keyword for this album clearly is "heavy", yet this doesn't mask its obvious Prog Rock qualities. Had Castle In The Air and Floating been up to the same high standard as the other tracks then it might have received an unconditional recommendation. The Y2K remastered edition continues the style of packaging from Inside and contains three bonus tracks recorded live in September 1973, but the quality is only so-so and is only really of value to committed fans.

Hard rock psychedelia

"Floating" is one of the most underrated or forgotten album of ELOY. The music here is simply a top-notch combination of early heavy metal psychedelia and space rock ! Few vocals, very catchy melodies and energetic guitar playing. It ressembles by moments to a fight between DEEP PURPLE (due to Manfred Wieczorke's organ solos) and PINK FLOYD, but, of course, with the German's band own style and spirit. . Furthermore, "Floating" is very consistent, the listener never loses his attention on the music.

The record opens with the title song, a true easy rider ballad to space. The tune is powerful, vocals are trippy. This is an excellent introduction which lets you expect more... and this arrives with the 15 minutes magic epic "The Light From Deep Darkness". The beginning is very mysterious, in the vein of "Land Of No Body", then the rhythm changes suddenly and gets angrier, but always in a mystical feel. Alternating peaceful and powerful passages with efficient guitar improvisations and special sound effects, the song is evolving, enchanting, stoning, and announces ELOY's future direction towards space rock.

The next track, "Castle In The Air", is much more rock-oriented, very melancholic to become surprisingly trippy and rocky, in the spirit of GONG's "You" (released the same year). Mindblowing! The calm comes back with the delicate melody of "Plastic Girl", before putting you in a galaxy far away with Bornemann's powerful solos. The disc finishes with "Madhouse", which at first glance ressembles to a classical 70s' heavy metal tune. But this is without counting on the talent of the German space rockers, who summon planet collisions and sonic deflagrations with their instruments. An excellent spacey conclusion which will let you in the sky.

Compared to other ELOY's albums, "Floating" is not often cited and its tracks were not often played at concerts. However it's one of their best records, although not representative of their style and a bit lacking personality. Less symphonic than their future albums, the songs are the rockiest composed by the band. The music is very refreshing, never outdated and will appeal energetic space rock as well as early 70's heavy metal/rock fans!

Eloy's third disc has a very misleading title because it makes you expect a whimsical, delicate album full of magical spells which lift you up among the stars. What they actually deliver is more akin to a rocket engine - yes, it still gets you into space, but that's where the similarities end.

Apologies if a previous reviewer has used the above metaphor but it was too juicy to ignore.

So pick up "Floating" if you're looking for a spaced-out hard psyche experience. It's a pity that "Mysterious Monolith" was used as a song title on "Planets" because it would be the perfect moniker for this giant slab of organic rock.

Very strangely, the opening track reminds me the early..."Santana" (no, I'm not drunk). Sound of the keyboards are as furious as those of Gregg Rollie and the percussions are not far from "Jingo". A good but surprising number I must say.

"Eloy" gets back to a more classical psychedelic style with the long "The Light From Deep Darkness". The band is trying to redo "Land Of Nobody" from their previous album but IMO, just fails short. Again, the influence of early "Floyd" is dominant. Just listen to "Let There Be More Light" (from "ASOS"). This cannot be a coincidence, can it? The spacey moments are my preferred ones and, as usual Manfred Wieczorke is great on the organ. It is the highlight of this album even if the second part is very close to a jamming session.

Unfortunately, the next two songs ("Castle In The Air" and "Plastic Girl") won't be on par. Too monotonuous, repetitive and flat. But thanks to "Madhouse" the good level of this album is secured. Superb and wild guitar in this powerful number. The second best. Totally disjointed.

There are three live bonus track of which one unedited (at least at album level). "Flying High" is a pure hard-rock tune : great rhythm and huge guitar work. The rhythmic section is incredible. The highlight of this live part is "Future City" from their second album "Inside". A psychedelic / hard-rock combo. Very pleasant. The version of "Castle in the Air" is also more interesting in this live rendition. Energetic to say the least.

All in all, it is a good album; not yet grandiose but "Eloy" will get there. Three stars because the live tracks add a certain flavour to the original work.

"Inside" was a brilliant introduction of the new Eloy sound, and "Floating" tried to replicate that formula. In some ways the jams are even more compelling than on the previous album, and wordless vocals seem fine when there really isn't much to say anyway. The problem lies with the compositions or lack thereof. This album really sounds like it was thrown together on a weekend binge. I say this because there will be those who actually prefer it to Inside on that basis alone. But in terms of refinement, arranging, and subtlety, it places a distant second.

If you are in the mood for loads of well played organ, riffs, totally stoned vocals, chunky bass and rhythm section, and Bornemann's lead guitar off the leash, then you will enjoy tracks like the title cut, "Light from Deep darkness", and "Castles in the Air". Personally, while I enjoy all of this in small doses, it really isn't what gets me going, so I have to rate it accordingly. 2.5 stars, rounded down.

After the great release Inside, Eloy stumbles and releases the sub-par Floating

Eloy is a very different band. At first, they were a hard rock group (and not a very good one), then Frank Bornemann changes abruptly his interests and decides to pursuit the psychedelic rock and, as time passes, the psychedelic rock evolves to krautrock and space rock. This means that Eloy has three different phases and each phase (except the hard rock phase) can be broken in different eras or parts, even the krautrock phase.

Some people only differ Kraut from space rock saying that Kraut is from Germany and space rock is from the rest of the world, but i usually differ them deeper, analyzing the music, because, you know, they sound different, despite having some features in common. For example, krautrock is usually, let's say, more repetitive and can be harder than space rock. The second and the third Eloy albums (Inside and Floating, respectively) were clearly krautrock driven, wile almost all albums after Power and Passion are space rock driven.

So Floating rests comfortably in the second part of Eloy's krautrock phase, because 1) its a krautrock album, thus fitting the phase and 2) it is much harder than the band's previous album and it has a different bass player, thus needing to be placed in a different part of that phase.

Unfortunately, the changes from Inside to Floating were not good enough to make this album better than the previous. The music sounds rather uninspired, specially in the second part of the album (the part of the album that was in the side 2 of the vinyl, in which are the songs Castle in the Air, Plastic Girl and Madhouse). Not even its rocking atmosphere were able to increase its general quality. Luckily, the first part of the album is much better than the second, what makes the album be, overall, quite good. The highlights go to Floating and The Light From Deep Darkness.

Grade and Final Thought

As it has happened to most bands, Eloy released a sub-par album after a great album. Floating is a fairly good release, but most of its side 2 is just bad. Because of that, i think that 3 stars sounds quite fair.

3.5 stars really!!

Third album from this German (Hannover, I think) quartet, often unfairly (especially for the other) compared to Pink Floyd, when Nektar (and to a much lesser extent Hawkwind) is much more fitting. Apparently the restlessness of the line-up and direction of the band are now solved with Bornemann emerging as a leader after the coup after firing the rhythm section and installuing fresh blood for Inside, their second album that was released on their new label Harvest. With a more psychedelic artwork, Floating appears to be a heavier follow-up of Inside but a logic continuation of it as well.

For some reasons Eloy always kept out of my radar, just hovering behind my outer bound of active curiosity, staying in the prospective areas to explore when time allowed, which it never really did. Had I once chosen a better Eloy album when I was 17, I'd probably fallen into the attraction space of the Eloy planet and their Hammond-driven (but guitar-steered) hard rock and spacey noodlings placing them between Heep, Purple and Nektar

Out of the mean throes of a Hammond organ, the short title track is a strong keyboard-driven track that allows scatting vocals and a nice guitar solo in its slower middle section. The 14+ minute 'The Light from Deep Darkness' is wild piece of consistently changing hard rock and its great middle space jam ala Barrett-era Floyd.

However the short Castle In The Air with its drum solo and semi-ethnic theme and it tends to overstay its welcome at past 7 minutes, as does the 9-mins+ Plastic Girl despite an interesting organ solo work with Gothic-like chord progressions, but ultimately boring. Don't get me wrong, none of these two tracks are bad per se, just a little weak to make this album a classic. Madhouse is an interesting rock track ala Nektar with plenty of guitar heroics from Bornemann.

The three bonus tracks on the remastered version are all three live, from an October 73 concert, two of them not on this precise studio album, none of which are of much interest (poor sound) unless a confirmed fan. But these tracks do confirm the Nektar influence that Eloy had, which appeared especially in a live setting. The remastered booklet has extended sleevenotes in German, some extra piccies and the lyrics printed; but the artwork was slightly altered to fit the Eloy logo of the late 70's rather than the original one. So once again, had I picked up this album as a teenager, I'd have been assuredly a fan, but fate didn't allow it back then, so now I can only recognize its flaws and strengths without juvenile fervour and memories.

Man I love this album. I really didn't think "Floating" could surpass "Inside" but I was wrong. Both are Hard Rock / Psychedelia at it's best. I should mention as well that Greg Walker who has done so much in promoting Progressive music over the years, not only lists ELOY as his favourite German band, but "Floating" as his favourite album from them. Now I know why.

An explosive intro greets us on "Floating" before it settles into an uptempo jam with a good beat as the guitar plays over top. Vocal melodies join the fray. A psychedelic calm 2 1/2 minutes in before it kicks back in around 3 minutes. The organ sounds come floating in to open "The Light From Deep Darkness". Sparse guitar and reserved vocals follow. It kicks in heavily before 2 minutes. Incredible sound ! It settles a minute later with organ ripping it up. Nice bass too.The heaviness returns after 5 minutes with vocals. It calms right down after 6 minutes as organ, bass and guitar lightly play. Soft vocals a minute later before it kicks back in before 8 minutes. Great sound ! Check out the organ runs and passionate vocals. It settles again a minute later. It's building 10 minutes in and the guitar comes ripping in at 10 1/2 minutes.The guitar continues to light it up. It becomes very psychedelic after 11 minutes. Check out the chunky bass before 12 minutes and the spacey synths a minute later.The tempo then picks up with the organ leading the way. This is an amazing 14 1/2 minute song !

"Castle In The Air" opens with some unique sounding guitar that then takes off as the drums pound and the tempo picks up. It settles with spoken words a minute in. The tempo picks up again with some great bass and drum work. The guitar then takes the lead. Great sound ! Huge bass 5 minutes in as the drums pound it out.Themes are repeated before 6 1/2 minute to the end. "Plastic Girl" has this powerful intro with drums and organ standing out. It settles before a minute as those incredible sounding organ melodies come in. Love that part. Vocals join in and they sound fantastic ! A fuller sound 2 1/2 minutes in. Tasteful guitar a minute later. Organ takes the lead after 5 minutes. Guitar before 6 minutes lights it up beautifully.That organ melody I love is back after 7 1/2 minutes to end it. Nice. "Madhouse" opens with aggressive guitars and drums, the tempo picks up as vocals come in. A calm with spacey vocals 1 1/2 minutes in. It kicks back in around 2 minutes. Check out the drumming after 3 1/2 minutes and the blistering guitar a minute later.

My kind of music.Tough to pick a favourite song here but it has to be between "Plastic Girl" and "The Light From Deep Darkness". Although all five songs are amazing.

Inevitably, I'll keep comparing FLOATING to Eloy's most known body of work, OCEAN, because the two albums are quite different in approach. If you've ever heard OCEAN, you're aware of the epic storyline and overboard slabs of mellotron and synth, all wrapped in a symphonic package. FLOATING is nothing like that.

FLOATING is more heavily reliant on Bornemann's guitar and Manfred Wieczorke's Hammond organ. Because of this, FLOATING on its surface caters more to the fans of pure hard rock and psychedelic rock. Prog aspects are here, chiefly in the nearly fifteen minute epic, ''The Light From Deep Darkness'' and ''Plastic Girl'', the only time synths appear (and used rather sparingly).

However, the heart of the album is the extended jamming. For all of those that might be worried about the jam sessions, you can count on Eloy pulling off some solo (mostly guitar and organ, although there are a couple of drum solos to cringe at) without overdoing it on the pyrotechnics, dynamic changes are likely to occur (excepting ''Castles in the Air''), and they usually feel shorter than they really are. The big epic here is a great example of this as at the end of the song, it builds, crashes, rebuilds and hits its epic climax without making you feel you've wasted a minute.

For those with little patience, the title track is a snazzy organ drvien fusion-rocker with wordless vocals. About the vocals, they happen only sporadically, so if you're annoyed with Frank Bornemann singing, you get a break. Actually the vocals aren't too bad until Frank tries to be metal halfway through ''...Deep Darkness''. The only musically weak spot is the Deep Purple rocker in ''Madhouse'' that at times sounds like Jethro Tull.

This is pure hard psychedelic prog rock that actually pleases me more than OCEAN does, believe it or not. However, both FLOATING and OCEAN have their quirks, and both are good entry points into the mystical world of Eloy.

Back inside

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.

Floating is a great heavy space-rock album, showing an Eloy that's firing on all cylinders. It's their last album that still betrays some of their kraut roots, from the next one onwards they would head off in a more symphonic and commercially viable direction.

The sound hasn't changed much since Inside but the difference in quality is obvious right from the start. Floating is a pumping opener with and a good variety of themes and nice choral wordless vocals. The Light is the mandatory epic track, it's a bit shorter then their previous attempt on Inside and the result is much better. It's not the new Thick As A Brick of course, but this could sure have potential amidst JT fans that are in for a more psychedelic take on the classic JT sound. Around minute 8, they felt the need to literally knick some bars from Deep Purple's Child of Time, a bit unfortunate as it only shows how much they remain below the level of their examples. Luckily, the ending section of the track is brilliant.

Generally the inspiration flows a lot more fluently then ever before and the band has a bite and eagerness that lacked on preceding albums. The songs are well thought-out, with lots of variations, nice psychedelic organs and even adequate vocals. With the focus on the instrumental psych-jams and heavy rock, this is by far my favorite Eloy album. Not outstanding enough to be called a masterpiece; it's sure an excellent album.

Eloy are a German band that played psychedelic rock in a somewhat British vein, steering largely away from the free form improvisational nature of their Krautrock contemporaries, instead drawing inspiration from bands like Deep Purple and Pink Floyd. "Floating" is their third LP, and the first on which they really refined their sound as a band.

Eloy's later career would be dominated by concept albums with a somewhat gentle space rock vibe. There is no concept here, nor is there any gentleness to speak of. This is hard psych to be sure. Hammond organs scream through walls of distortion and the guitars are turned up to eleven. The third difference between this and later Eloy releases is the marked absence of synthesizers, further emphasizing the heaviness of the record.

The album consists of five somewhat lengthy tracks, with the centerpiece being the fourteen minute "The Light From Deep Darkness," a splendid prog rock track that contains numerous tempo changes, catchy melodies, great solos and a wide variety of moods. On this song, as well as on the rest of the album, wah pedals and other watery guitar effects add to the trippy nature of the music, living up nicely to the title "Floating." The vocals are not terribly strong, but they are infrequent, mixed low and take a backseat to the music anyway.

The instrumentalists are all very proficient and at the top of their game. I particularly enjoy the way the guitar, bass and organ trade lines and play off one another, often in quite complex ways. Although most of the songs rely on one or two (mostly awesome) riffs that are repeated over several minutes, the band manages to keep it interesting by changing instrumentation, mixing up the rhythm section and overlaying countermelodies in the form of solos.

Anyone who has an interest in the heavier side of psychedelic rock should give this album a spin. With its combination of superior musicianship, trippy textures and a talent for coming up with memorable melodies it is a great find in a genre that is sometimes overwhelming and difficult to navigate.

It seems that I'm disagreeing with most of the reviewers of this album and of the previous release. In fact I have given a low rating to "Inside" as I think it's mainly a not very succesful attempt to sound like the Uriah Heep and that it lack of originality.

This doesn't happen with "Floating". It's the first album on which Eloy have a distinctive sound that will be their sound for some albums on, including the famous "Oceans". It has heavy parts with a psychedelic feel. The influence of Uriah Heep is still present, of course, but it's clear only to those who know the previous releases.

"The Light From Deep Darkness" is quite an epic, the opener has some of Camel, while "Castle in the Air" has a Canterbury flavour. "Plastic Girl" is a sort of symphonic prog with a guitar sounding Krautrock, and a vibrato organ. It later turns to rock with a sensation of "jamming". This is the most progressive track with several changes in signature and theme and solos. Omly the closer "Madhouse" is still hard-linked to Uriah Heep, but in the end it's just rock.

In brief, I really prefer this album to its predecessor, and it's what I think most of the reviewers are disagreeing with me.

For me Floating deserves 4 stars and is the first of a sequence of four excellent albums.

Eloy´s Floating is really their third album, not the second as so many people think. Ok, the first one was so different and faceless you can say Eloy was a entirely new band from Inside (1973) onwards. It is also one of their most forgotten and underrated albums. Even I took some time to fully appreciated it as I should have from the beginning.

In several ways it is quite similar to the prevous Inside, but now they definitly added a lot more bite to their already excellent space rock/psychedelic/krautrock. From the first notes of the self titled instrumental opener to the very end of Madhouse they attack the listener with the power of a Panzer division: furious electric guitars, screaming Hammonds, strong bass and thundering drums are all over the place while their songwriting maintained the fine melodies and tight perfomances. The central piece of the record is the long (almost 15 minutes) The Light From Deep Darkness , which reminds of their earlier Land Of Nobody, only that the new song is superior. As on Inside, some Santana influences can be heard on parts of the record (including some clever use of percussion) and the Pink Floyd psychedelic phase is another strong reference, even if the band - unlike many others at the time - was already avoiding the traps of derivativeness.

The remaining tracks are almost as good as the first two, with Castle In The Air showing some hints of the sound they would deliver in future releases. Plastic Girl is another interesting track, being the first time they used a (uncredit) synthesizer on a Eloy song. The closing tune, Madhouse, is surely one of their best vintage stuff, with great guitar and Hammond duels while the rhythmn section provides an excellent backbeat drive. Vocals are only average, but Frank Bornemann´s voice fits well isnide the musical framework. Production overall is quite good for the time.

With Floating Eloy proved they were an outstanding band and that the excellence delivered on Inside was not a fluke. They did have a strong songwriting team plus the technique and the raw power of the youth to make a convincing, stunning work since their early days. Floating is an obscure CD on their discography, but upon some serious scrutiny, it´ll be clear that it owes nothing to their best and more widely known albums.

Conclusion: one fine piece of prog music from the 70´s. I´m glad I have rediscovered this little german gem. Rating: 4 strong stars.

Floating follows the same space rock model as Eloy's previous album, Inside, but shows a great deal more confidence on the part of the band. This results in them tackling longer songs, such as The Light From Deep Darkness, which is miles better than anything on their previous two releases. Luitjen Janssen, the band's new bassist, might enjoy some of the credit for them tightening up their act, since the rhythm section this time around attains the compelling, hypnotic intensity that the likes of Hawkwind were enjoying at the time. It's still nothing revolutionary, but fans of space rock are likely to find it a decent example of the form.

Masterpiece album from the golden era of prog.

My obsession with Eloy began here and I believe it is the best album from the band. An instant masterpiece to my ears, I must have heard certain tracks from this over 20 times in the last month. This is psychedelia drenched space rock at its best. The first track I heard from this album is 'Castle in the Air' and it was enough to draw to me to the entire discography of the band. Admittedly, not everything that Eloy puts their hand to is gold, but on this album they had the Midas Touch and could do no wrong as far as I am concerned. It is difficult to review an album that I adore so much as this but this may be the most gushing praise ridden review I have written. I get chills everytime I hear it. It is little wonder that prog aficionado Greg Walker reveres this album as his absolute favourite.

It begins with the stellar funkadelic psych of 'Floating'. A massive crunching Hammond blazes away along a wandering bassline and punctuated percussive beat. Bornemann's guitar chimes in and we are on our way. The vocals are loud and bombastic in the opening section and then it switches time sig to a very fast tempo before breaking into a pounding drum beat. There is a psychedelic tranquillity that takes over, with cymbal splashes and shimmering organ, until it returns to the main theme. A great opening number to kick things off.

The epic of the album is the 14 and a half minute 'The Light From Deep Darkness' that opens with a serene guitar phrase and Frank Bornemann's inimitable vocals. Suddenly a loud staccato blast of organ and guitar with dollops of drums and bass begins to resound. A time sig locks in dominated by power organ and then a wonderful keyboard solo by Manfred Wieczorke. The bass of Luitjen Jansen is effective pulsating out a rhythm and those drum accents of Fritz Randow are compelling. It sounds like vintage Uriah Heep and Deep Purple in places, only very distinct as only Eloy can be. At about 6 minutes Bornemann flys off into a guitar riff and then it calms considerably with tranquil measured playing and very soft vocals. It builds at about the 10 minute mark until it unleashes into some incredibly psychedelic wah-wah reverb on guitar. If this is not enough, a massive organ sound follows that simply blazes away until this epic is concluded suddenly. This is certainly Eloy at their best and puts many of their material in the 90s to shame. A must for psych prog addicts and prog aficionados.

'Castle In The Air' is my favourite Eloy track and this is due to Bornemann;s incredible guitar riffs and the way it locks into some hypnotic rhythms and allows a myriad of keyboard and guitar solos to unleash a barrage of psychedelic space rock paradise. I remember I first heard this on a prog compilation from Prog magazine and I had to grab the cover to check out who were these fantastic musicians. I was delighted to discover it was Eloy as I had heard so much about them but had not been as impressed with "Ocean". I am delighted to discover their heavier psych side and this track encompasses everything that is great about them. Bornemann is brilliant on guitar and vocals here but I love how the track switches time sigs and feel effortlessly. Bornemann uses scat style mimicking the melodic guitar line and it works. The track includes spoken narration, a trademark of many Eloy albums, and some dynamic trade offs between organ and guitar. The bassline is astonishing on this and in fact all musicianship is virtuoso so I can never tire of this. The riff at 3:20 is wonderful and the percussion is a real drawcard, played masterfully throughout, especially the drum soloing at about 5 minutes in. There is so much passion injected into this composition it makes one rather perplexed as to the type of material that the band churned out in the 90s that was so inferior to this it is like it is from another planet. It is great how this song returns to the main theme at about 6:20, reminding us that we are still on the same song that has diverted considerably over its generous running time. An absolute masterpiece song on every level.

'Plastic Girl' is a long song at 9 minutes in length so I hoped it would deliver and I was not disappointed. The shimmering Hammond sound is present as is a building guitar phrase. Bornemann's vocals are thin and frail but I can take that as the music is so mesmirising. The organ is loud and proud drowning out everything. There is a lead break that takes over eventually and it soars beautifully creating an inferno of psychedelia. At 5 minutes the sig changes into a flowing rhythm and more dramatic organ washes. At 7 minutes we are back to the motif that began this masterful track, and it is a pleasant reminder of the satisfying melodies. I am in awe at how amazing the musicianship is on this album. It is simply a tirade of jaw dropping prog.

'Madhouse' is more of the heavier side of the band especially with the aggressive guitar phrases and high energy cadence. The guitar distortion is agreeable and Bornemann is at his best on vocals; "madhouse of desolation, the day seems bewitching, madhouse, night time nearing, madhouse, lights appearing, the day turning night into day, drifting slowly away with the music". The lead break is searing over a scratchy rhythmic passage. The heaviness is well above average for the band who are more into a symphonic ambience on most of their albums. Eloy know how to rock and they do it masterfully on this brilliant track. After some more guitar work there is a drop out of the main theme and the drums dominate with a fast paced percussion solo that is off the scale. The twin guitar solo that follows is wonderful and once again this is a treasure to my ears. So for me this album is prog perfection in the peak of the golden years of prog.

There are three excellent live tracks to supplement the original album on the remastered version. The songs include the 5 minute 'Future City', 8:11 'Castle in the Air' and 3:31 'Flying High'. All are terrific live examples of Eloy. There is a considerable amount of jamming and heavy guitar on 'Future City', the version of 'Castle in the Air' is dynamic and fuelled by fast guitar riffs similar to the studio version and definitely played brilliantly, and finally 'Flying High' includes grinding Hammond, psych guitars and sporadic free form drumming. I like the way it rocks with a fast tempo and although the live songs are raw it is great to hear more of Eloy at the peak of their powers.

Overall, this is one of the greatest albums of 1974 in a strong year for prog. Every track is compelling wonderful virtuoso musicianship and there is never a dull moment. A definitive masterpiece, "Floating" is one of the best albums I have discovered over recent years and my collection would be impoverished without it.

The sales of ''Inside'' were high enough to point the album as succesful and around the period according to Bornemann «Wherever we could plug in our equipment, we performed».In the meantime bassist Wolfgang Stoecker was replaced by Luitjen "Harvey" Janssen and Eloy entered the studio to record another album in a similar style, this time it was entitled ''Floating'', released in 1974 on Harvest.

Eloy's inspiration had risen to another level and the fiery rhythm and psychedelic vocals of the short eponymous opener sets the mood for the listener of what is going to come.The long ''The Light From Deep Darkness'' is an absolutely perfect example of Heavy/Psych/Kraut Prog with some inredible organ jams by Manfred Wieczorke, complemented by the strong guitar grooves of Bonerman and an overall very psychedelic approach of the band.''Castle in the Air'' belongs definitely among the Eloy classics.Fantastic guitar riff in the opening and closing sections to go along with a superb and powerful rhythm section in another dynamic Heavy Prog experience.''Plastic Girl'' is more of the same.The great opening symphonic synths/organs are followed by some nice trippy Heavy Prog performance with great guitar soloing and loose organ waves in a track full of good breaks.''Madhouse'' returns to the opening style, groovy Heavy Rock with some great guitar work and a fantastic middle section, where the whole band is on fire, frenetic drumming, fast bass lines and dynamic guitars combine in an awesome way.

''Floating'' set Eloy on the Prog map for good.The Harvest CD reissue contains also three live bonus tracks and is definitely recommended.Overall this is one of the purest examples of energetic German Heavy Prog and a great addition in your collection.

There are progressive rock bands that are host to some of rock's greatest musicians, bands such as Yes, Genesis, and Rush. Then there are bands who don't boast musicians of virtuosic calibre but whose musicians are capable of conceiving of and composing legendary music and songs. From this first purchase of mine of Eloy I have to conclude that the German band are not of the former ilk and were only just beginning to reach for the great heights of the latter. That they started out as a run-of-the-mill hard rock outfit is no surprise when listening to this album. However, it is clear that they had grander visions for the future of their music.

I had been considering buying an Eloy album for several months without having any idea of the band's history. After discovering an Eloy appreciation forum here on PA and learning more about them (I was surprised that they were from the 70's), I carefully checked out what I could on Amazon of their catalogue and after much deliberation, I chose to order "Floating". It was to my relief after reading some of the reviews that this album was often recommended as a good starting point to get into the band. Many thanks to the reviewers who affirmed my belief in this album.

The album has been played in my car and in my ear buds and I enjoy most of it. The hard rock element is still there which makes it an easy album for me to enjoy. Three of the five songs are over seven minutes long and "The Light from Deep Darkness" runs 14:40. There is room for experimentation and experiment they do, though nothing too unorthodox crops up here. This is a space rock album with extended instrumental sections that show little technical pizzazz and lends itself more to a variety of simple rock themes played on organ, guitar, and bass and innovatively stitched together to create longer songs. "Castles in the Air" also features a drum solo that sounds pretty cool but is not likely to blow anyone out of the water.

A word about the vocals: Frank Bornemann is a very standard rock singer with a German accent, most obvious when he sings "word" (sounds like "verd"). He sometimes makes his voice rough for effect and other times sings more softly. He is a competent vocalist, though no Robert Plant or Jon Anderson.

This being Eloy's third album, the rough edges are forgivable. I think they were on the right track. I have ordered "Dawn" and "Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes" and I will be looking into their 70's catalogue more later on. "Ocean" is said to be the must-have album but Amazon's song samples run only about 20-30 seconds and so it is difficult to gauge the 14-minute songs from such short sample times.

For anyone not yet into the band, I agree with many others that "Floating" is a fair starting point. I love the cover art and the music is quite good, though we are not talking about any Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, or Uriah Heep here. The closest band they remind me of is Golden Earring but with more determination to compose complex extended songs and some strong organ playing. A very solid 3 stars from me since 3.5 isn't possible. I look forward to hearing my upcoming purchases of "Dawn" and "Silent Cries"

"Floating" continues in a similar style to the preceding "Inside", and for this reason these two albums are often compared against each other. For my part, I think that this album, although perfectuating and polishing some rougher edges of the previous one, actually did not surpass it. True, this album's epic track "The Light From Deep Darkness" is a way better than "Land of No Body", but overall there is not much progress here. The mentioned epic is a wonderful space-rock jam with again lots of Jon Lord-esque organ noodling, while another highlight - "Castle in the Air" - brings some Oriental-sounding psychedelic flourishes along with powerful guitar based pumping riffs reminiscent of what later followers of space rock genre like Ozric Tentacles would explore in a more techno-oriented setting of the 1990s. Apart from that, the remaining three songs are nothing special. They tend to repeat the themes from the earlier albums while the closer "Madhouse" once again (as was the case with "Future City" off "Inside") proofs that Bornemann can sing in a vocal style similar to Ian Anderson of JETHRO TULL, but this time around the result is not so interesting. For me "Floating" is on par with "Inside" in terms of instrumental prowess, and even surpassing it a bit in this aspect, but in terms of offering new ideas is slightly less engaging. Still a very good album, but if tempted to pick only one of these two, I would opt for "Inside". Fair 3,5 stars.