FLOATING

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.