PERFORMANCE

Using Time To Turn as a start point, Performance may best be seen as another step toward mainstream credibility and a date with MTV! Occasionally Prog-lite, but mostly Prog-less, it can appeal on a basic level, but initial enthusiasm tends to fade as you discover the attraction is only skin deep. The sound wavers between disposable 1980s pop-rock [eg Surrender] and bombastic AOR [eg Shadow And Light], but with a harder edge given by some excellent heavy-rock guitar work [eg Fools]. The band clearly have the licks but, with a couple of exceptions, most melodies are simply too poor to carry this sort of thing with any confidence. Drum patterns are artificially simplistic and metronomic [eg In Disguise] and basslines are often irritatingly busy and persistant [eg Shadow And Light], presumably an artistic decision as there had been no line-up changes.

The opening four tracks are very poor: with a better rhythm section, In Disguise might be a half-decent pop-rock song; Shadow And Light is uninspired bombast despite some powerful proggish guitar themes; Mirador is a pointless instrumental that would have been fine as a section within a longer track; Surrender outstays its welcome by at least 5½ minutes! The final three tracks are much better: Heartbeat is a jaunty song but its catchy vocoded vocal hook is repeated far too much; Fools is initially weak, but later develops into a powerful rock song featuring a fabulous guitar solo; and A Broken Frame ends the album on a high with a tuneful song [though again with too much repetition for my taste], and a structure progressing from an ambient opening via a memorable rhythm to an excellent wah-wah guitar solo that is definitely worth sticking around for!

On balance, there is not enough goodness to give a general recommendation to anyone other than a pre-existing Eloy fan.