OCEAN

The best Eloy album ever, in my opinion. This is Eloy at its peak, no doubt about it. It is only unfortunate that this masterpiece was release in 1977, a real bad year for prog music in general, and concept albums in particular. If it was produced a year or two earlier it would get much more exposure and the critics would be less harsh. Nevertheless, it was still Eloy´s bestseller up to that time and a proof that good music can stand on its own even at hard times. Even today, 30 years afeter, Ocean stands as their most satisfying album.

Based on the Atlantis legend, with only four long tracks overall, this album has a superb production and the band is on top form. Great drums, keys and guitars. The strong german accent that plagues the vocals suits well here, at least in parts. And, besides, it never really bothered me much. Frank Bornemann ended up making this handicap a kind of trademark that gave Eloy part of their charm. He was never meant to be the singer, as he claimed, but his voice works well for their music. The long instrumental passages are the highlight, though, since those guys were by that time a tight unit and the songwriting is superb. Some eletronics elements appears by the end of the record, another novelty for Eloy.

If you´re new to be the band, then Ocean is a good starting point. It shows that excellent prog music was not being produced only in England and the USA. Eloy was one of the first german groups to make great records on that style outside the english speaking countries and Ocean (with or without accent) is their magnum opus. 4,5 stars.