Customer Reviews

Inside

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The good thing with all those hidden gems of the early 70's is that they retain all their wonderful mystique. Rarely played on radio, hardly known, therefore not immitated... The few lucky and happy who discover this music, discover a whole new world. I own the original Made-in-Germany version of this CD, roughly 38 min. short, which contains the first four songs of this version. Yet, not one minute is boring. The quartet's instrumental format is pretty standard: Guitars, Bass, Drums and Hammond Organ, but don't let that fool you. The compositions are unique and original, and Eloy's musicianship is masterful and consistent. The organ work is particularly innovative and vividly brings to mind Keith Jarrett's fantastic work 'Spheres'. The four original compositions carry a heavy, pessimistic and outworldly atmosphere throughout the whole project and the sound is excellent and very consistent. The dark epic 'Land of Nobody', over 17 minutes, is without doubt the highlight of the project. It's dreamy and punchy; at times it conveys mystery, rage or eerie silence and at the end it leaves you wanting! 'Up and Down', originally the closing song, unique in structure, offers an unsettling conclusion to this ominous project. 'Future City', is different, yet fitting; the light, African sounding percussion and acoustic guitar alternate with more standard heavier sounds; overall the lighter sound prevails, but not without a lengthy trademark electric guitar solo. The title track 'Inside' is gratefully not even close to being called 'a catchy tune', it is nevertheless and excellent tune and the closest this CD came to heavy rock. Super guitar work on this one. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the last two songs, because I haven't heard them yet, and I would appreciate an e-mail from any Eloy fan who can enlighten me. However, based on the first four songs I know, I can say with confidence that 'Inside' is original, raw, unpretentious and matches the better known Eloy classics 'Ocean', 'Silent Cries...' and 'Dawn' just like the dark side of the moon matches its bright side...

Ever since I heard the first notes and that bass line in Land Of Nobody, my tastes and appreciation of music has changed forever: I was completely captivated by the richness in the melody,transported into another world by the spacey atmosphere, and enthralled by the excellent musicianship from the guitars of Frank Bornemann to the powerful and complex drumming of Fritz Randow,(in my opinion,with Phil Ehart of Kansas the best drummer in prog rock).
From that moment on I knew there was still quality in music outside classical, and I became a huge Eloy fan.
Frank Bornemann the genuis behind Eloy took control of the band in 1973(after a rockier first, the influence of Erich Shriever) to produce their first proper release for the legendary Harvest label, with whom they remained up until 1984, a collaboration that resulted in classic albums.
Yet Eloy have never had the proper recognition they deserve, although they are one of the few progressive rock bands whose fan base are really spread wide around the globe. The unfairness stemming mainly from the disregard the music establishment has for progressive rock as a genre on one hand, and the grossly unfair evaluation of the band from certain critics on the other. The first mistake many usually make is in comparing Eloy to bands like Pink Floyd, Focus, Jethro Tull or Hawkwind, and to my experienced ears and with hundreds of prog CDs in my collection, I am in a position to confirm: Eloy's sound does not resemble any band!! (maybe the closet to Eloy sound I heard was by the German band Ramses in their first two releases, but they were influenced by Eloy and not vice versa).
The slight similarity of spacey/bluesy/symphonic sounds are purely due to the fact that all these bands play progressive rock!! and it is inevitable that some themes do recurr, but this does not take the originality of many of these bands, and Eloy are certainly very original and most importantly very consistent.
Inside is a wonderful masterpiece, from the epic Land of Nobody to the classics Inside, Up and Down and Future City (because this song has a bluesy feel and because Eloy use the flute in this album, they have been compared to Jethro Tull!!! I wonder whether Schubert has ever been compared to Beethoven because both have written piano sonatas!! this is how ridiculous Eloy's comparisons have been.
Nearly twenty four years later, and after discovering and enjoying dozens of progressive and rock bands, I still listen to Eloy and still to this day get the same enjoyment, the same feeling of musical satisfaction and fulfillment.
In the first line of Land of Nobody Frank Bornemann sings,
We just leave the earths ground
On the way to see the new star
We forget the past time
Released from our imperfection
I can not describe the feeling I get from Eloy better!

This is one mighty fine rock album from the early 70's. It contains that pleasant and muddy sound that makes the music sound so darn good. I love it!

I prefer the early period of Eloy over the more atmospheric stuff they'd center around more in the later years. One thing that really surprises me about Inside is how the lead singer closely resembles Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. Not that I'm calling him a rip-off or anything. Some people can't help the way they sing. Then again, if the guys from Eloy considered Jethro Tull one of their inspirations, that wouldn't be a bad thing either.

"Future City" is my favorite song on the album. The acoustic part that leads into a bouncy rhythm near the middle, along with some dangerously heavy and excellent guitar playing, is just too cool to put into words. The 17 minute track that opens the album has its share of atmospheric segments, along with some Deep Purple-like keyboard playing and some downright heavy guitar jamming. These guys sound so good, it's hard to believe they aren't more well known here in America.

As for what kind of images the music puts in my head, well, let's just say I'm dreaming about clouds, heaven, and all sorts of places when I hear this wonderful stuff. That's the benefit of making music adventurous.

Well, just remember, there's plenty of forgotten or unpopular rock bands out there, and many of the ones from the 70's are a LOT of fun to listen to. Eloy happens to be one of those bands.

In 1971, Eloy released their self-entitled offering. Although I hadn't heard that album, it's said to be straight-up hard rock. Most fans didn't take too well to that album, and even Frank Bornemann would rather forget that album. Original members Erich Schriever and Helmut Draht left the band, while Bornemann, Wolfgang Stöcker, and Manfred Wieczroke stayed on and recruited new drummer Fritz Randow. They then signed with Harvest Records (and also got a deal in the United States with Janus) and recorded Inside, which is regarded as Eloy's first truly progressive album. It's definately not the most original album you'll ever hear, but as long as the music is great, I'm not complaining. The album starts with "Land of No Body", which is a side-length epic. A lot of this reminds me of Pink Floyd, Camel, and Focus, plus there's a very spacy, experimental section in the middle played on Hammond organ that reminds me a lot of what many Krautrock bands were doing around the same time. Great stuff, to say the least. "Future City" apparently received some minor airplay on progressive free form FM stations here in America, likely because it bears such an uncanny resemblance to Jethro Tull, except without the flute. The vocals are a dead-ringer for Ian Anderson, plus there's a great percussion-oriented jam as well. The album closes with "Up and Down", which, for some odd reason or another, Manfred Wieczorke decides to sing. Great spacy organ, plus there's some spoken dialog that sounds like a Bob Dylan imitation. Inside is very much like you expect a prog album in the early 1970s: heavy on guitar and Hammond organ. It's a great album, and is my favorite from Eloy's early stage.

Following a series of personnel shake ups that saw original drummer Helmut Draht and singer/keyboard player Eric Schriever head out the door, Eloy's second album saw the revamped band (now featuring the talents of singer/guitarist Frank Bornemann, drummer Fritz Rabdow, bassist Wolfgang Stocker and keyboardist Manfred Wieczorke), introduced to the American market via a distribution deal with Janus Records. Self-produced their sophomore release saw the quartet all but abandoning the leftist political stance that dominated the 1971 debut (anyone expecting to hear something along the lines of 'Voice of Revolution' was going to be disappointed). With Bornemann stepping into the creative forefront, this time out the emphasis was on musicianship and while none of he four tracks was particularly original, each was worth hearing. As lead singer Bornemann wasn't any great shakes. His heavy German accent was clearly an acquired taste, but given a chance, you quickly grew use to it. Rather than the accent, the fact of the matter is he simply wasn't gifted with a very strong voice. That put the emphasis on the quartet's musicianship which was never less than professional, but seldom showed a great deal of originality. These guys had clearly been listening to lots of British progressive bands and it didn't take a lot of effort to discern influences like Genesis, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and even Uriah Heep. While that may not make this sound like a very promising album, the set was actually surprisingly entertaining. Yeah, the side long 'Land of No Body' would have benefited from some judicious editing, but it was still worth hearing and side two (with three shorter compositions) was quite enjoyable.

- Clocking in at over seventeen minutes, the side long 'Land of No Body' was hard to accurately describe. Opening up with a vaguely ominous air, Bornemann's heavily accented vocals were an acquired taste, but his voice quickly grew on you and since most of the song was an instrumental, in the end it didn't matter all that much. Judging by the mid-section of the song, Bornemann was a pretty good screamer. Fact of the matter was that large segments of the song spotlighted Wieczorke's keyboards - anyone who likes Hammond organs should treasure this set. And while the song had a heavily progressive orientation, Wieczorke displayed a surprisingly light touch on the organ. At times his work recalled early Focus (albeit without the whistling and flutes); in other places there were echoes of Uriah Heep at their most experimental, or perhaps a German-version of Jethro Tull; (particularly the last minute or so). Other than the opening vocal section Bornemann was pretty low keyed, though he ripped off a nice guitar solo about three quarters of the way through the song. Full of melodic and rhythmic twists, the song wasn't particularly commercial, but still managed to be engaging enough to make the 17 minutes pass by quickly. I'm sure others will disagree, but to my ears, the song's secret weapon was actually bassist Stocker who kept everyone on track, but was also responsible for some of the songs more melodious segments (check out the last minute of the song). rating: *** stars

- Starting out as one of the prettiest Krautrock songs I've ever heard, 'Inside' opened up with some nice Bornemann jangle guitar and then abruptly shifted gears into the album's most commercial rocker. The song was also worth hearing as the one selection on the album where Bornemann's double tracked guitar stepped into the spotlight. rating: *** stars

- Complete with plenty of percussion and acoustic guitars, 'Future City started out sporting what sounded like Ian Anderson and company exploring a raga rock. The song then shifted gears into a piece with a tropical feel that served as a great spotlight for Bornemann's overlooked guitar chops. Perhaps the album's weirdest, but most enjoyable performance and it clocked in at just over five minutes. rating: **** stars

- Opening up with some blues Hammond organ, 'Up and Down' found the band taking a stab at a mixture of smoldering blues-rock and psychedelia. This time around Wieczorke handled the vocals and to be honest his English was even more heavily accented than Bornemann's. The funny thing is I actually found his voice better than Bornemann's - well until he got to the spoken word narration part of the song. Powered by some stabbing Uriah Heep styled Hammond, it was quite a trippy way to end the album. rating: *** stars

A good place for the casual fan, or someone merely curious to start.

"Inside" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Land of No Body (Eloy) - 17:14

(side 2)

1.) Inside (Eloy) - 6:35

2.) Future City (Eloy) - 5:35

3.) Up and Down (Eloy) - 8:23

This 1973 album by German outfit Eloy is pretty good and shows them practicing a heavy brand of psychedelic/space rock. Although the influences of the British groups can be felt here and there (Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull), there is a distinctly "Eloy" quality to the music.

Musically, the tracks alternate between spacey sections and heavier passages where the group is going full steam ahead. While I prefer the spacey parts, I also enjoy the spirited ensemble playing and great "jamming". The guitar playing also has a bit of a hard edge to it, but it is neither overbearing nor distracting. Noticeably, there are no synthesizers to speak of, although there is some nice Hammond organ work. The drummer is very good and really drives each track along. Finally, while the vocals by lead vocalist Frank Bornemann are presented in English with a very heavy German accent, they really do not bother me at all. Frank was also influenced by Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull) and you can hear some of that in his vocals as well.

This reissue is pretty good and features two bonus tracks that are pretty good, photos of the band, lyrics (in English), and liner notes (in German).

Overall, this is a fine example of heavy space rock that finds Eloy at an early developmental stage. While some of their best, synthesizer-heavy albums were still a few years away (Ocean, 1977), this is still a pretty good album. Recommended along with the stylistically similar follow-up Floating (1974).

I was generally unimpressed with this purchase, an unfortunate first exposure to Eloy. I purchased this solely on the "also bought" list on some other Prog albums here and the reviews listed for this one.

I find this bordering on "psychedelic" with dark guitar tones and heavy chords from the Hammond, more reminiscent of early Deep Purple or Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida than the brighter synth-laden 70's music I associate with "progressive".

Land of No Body runs nearly as long as the famous In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida , but seems to lack the drug-induced inspiration of that one. For the most part the first (original) 4 tracks drone on without real motivation for the first 36 minutes. Only at the tail end of Up and Down does the oppressive weight lift off the band and the music lighten up. This sets the stage for two interesting bonus tracks totaling just over 6 minutes. These and a couple of notable guitar strains give me some hope that other Eloy compilations may be better choices.

At moments, the vocalist very closely matches the timbre of Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, so fans of that band may find something of interest here. In general, however, I cannot recommend this album.

Inside: It is the first professional album of Eloy in 70th It is the intellection and culmination of creative minds. The speed of the rhythm gives you no chance to fill your mind With anything effect of drums are heavily undeniable. Guitar gives you high courage to walk among to the inside with bare hand of knowledge. You listen you go for the next.