FLOATING

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.