METROMANIA

I bought this the year it came out - it was 1984 and I was a mere 23-year old. That cassette is long lost now but I still play the digital copy that I own. Metromania is not my favourite Eloy album but considering how good their albums are it still gets played when the mood takes me. Frank Bornemann has been the guiding light of Eloy since 1969 and he assumes the familiar roles of Guitarist, Lead Vocals, Lyricist and Producer. It is interesting to note that the drummer, Fritz Randow, would later be Saxon's drummer. The album cover is by Rodney Matthews and features a futuristic musician on a rooftop playing what looks like a guitar. Covers were sort of important to me back then and I really like this one. I always liked the Roger Dean and Rodney Matthews artwork and my wall was covered in their posters back then.

The albums opens with 'Escape to the Heights' and is one of the best songs on the album. A simple guitar melody intro and swirling synths are soon joined by a metronomic bass and drums. The song is driven along by the bass and I particularly enjoy the guitar/synth passages. I would suggest playing this song LOUD for maximum effect. Klaus Peter Matziol is the current bassist and has been with Eloy since 1976. He is not a flashy player but his contribution on this album is very influential. 'Seeds of Creation' features all the same elements that identify Eloy - swirling synth chords, strong bass and that familiar Bornemann vocal-sound. If you like his voice on this then you will like it on ALL of the Eloy albums. I like the germanic twang to his voice and I have often wondered if he ever wanted to sing these songs in his native language. I like his voice either way and would also add that the album features what I assume to be a vocoder, for the 'robotic' vocal passages found especially in the song 'All Life is One'. The longest track on the album is 'Follow the Light' which comes in at just short of ten minutes. It opens with twinkling synths and guitar chords accompanied with THAT bass - it starts to drive along two minutes in and features a female choir accompaniment throughout, including one Sabine Matziol, who I assume to be the bassist's wife. The closing track is 'Metromania' which has a Tangerine Dream-sounding synth opening. It soon goes into toe-tapping Eloy-mode. It is a strong track to close with and is probably my second favourite on the album. I am a big Eloy fan and this album does not disappoint.