PLANETS

Interesting how my opinions about the Eloy albums tend to diverge from the prevailing viewpoints of their fans. Planets isn't a bad album but just like Ocean I can't see why it would deserve any rating higher then just plain good. No, I find Inside, Floating and Silent Cries to be Eloy's best albums and haven't been much impressed by anything else.

There's some splendid argumentation behind my logic though. Just like the preceding Colours, Planets is an album that focuses on songwriting and vocals, Eloy's particular weaknesses. For this particular album you can add the formulaic approach and the mainstream tendencies of the material to the growing list of things that bug me.

Let's start from the top, Introduction is easily one of the most forgettable introductions of any Eloy album. It's an instrumental bit with lush and bubbling synth that goes absolutely nowhere. I might enjoy this if they sustained the mood by expanding it to a whopping 20 minute drone. But like this no thanks. On The Verge is a lot better. The verses and rhythmic drive are great but the predictable old-school chorus is somewhat less engaging.

Also Point of No Return, which introduces some AOR sensibilities into Eloy's sound, can't convince. It's not a bad tune but Borneman's accented and tuneless whine is particularly annoying. Mysterius Monolith is possibly the best song but the poor vocals turn it into another tough experience. I could hear Fish breathing some life into this though, especially with the great Trewavas-alike bass riff that drives the song.

The operatic AOR pop of Queen of The Night is beyond help . I'm sure this song reminds me of something, possibly from Alan Parsons but I don't have the courage to sit through my APP albums to find it. After a bit of synth filler we get to Sphinx, which starts with an intro that is completely nicked from Genesis (Squonk). The song that follows only adds further proof how very much below Genesis this band is. Carried by Cosmic Winds flows better but again it has that familiar APP ring to it.

Given my deviating opinions on Eloy albums, it would be safest just to ignore whatever I say if you are a fan of the band. However, if you would feel disappointed after checking out their best rated albums, there's still a chance you might find something to enjoy amongst their less popular titles. Despite an acceptable start this album is only a 2.5 for me, maybe 3 if I'm in a friendlier mood next week.

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