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Eloy - Ocean (1977)


Eloy es una banda alemana que toma su nombre de una raza futuristica de gente, en la novela "La máquina del tiempo" de H. G. Wells. "Ocean" es considerado de lo mejor de su larga discografía, un álbum conceptual relacionado con la creación y la destrucción Atlantis, y conformado por tan sólo cuatro grandiosos y épicos temas pero de larga duración. Una maravilla que llega casi casi a la perfecciòn. Una delicia sonora en toda su dimensión. Los que no conozcan a la banda escuchen el disco sentados para no caerse de culo, y bueno, los que lo conozcan, éste es una remasterización comprtida por el Mago Alberto que tiene un sonido espectacular. Absolutamente imperdible!

Artista: Eloy
Álbum: Ocean
Año: 1977
Género: Space rock sinfónico
Duración: 44:11
Nacionalidad: Alemania


Lista de Temas:
1. Poseidon's Creation
2. Incarnation Of The Logos
3. Decay Of The Logos
4. Atlantis' Agony At June 5th - 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime

Alineación:
- Frank Bornemann / guitars, vocals
- Klaus-Peter Matziol / basses, vocals
- Jürgen Rosenthal / drums, percussion, flute
- Detlev Schmidtchen / keyboards, mellotron, xylophone, voice
- The Boys Of Santiago / chorus





Eloy es una banda de rock progresivo alemán, cuyo estilo musical incluye rock sinfónico y el space rock, este último con una mayor prevalencia en los álbumes anteriores. A pesar de su nacionalidad y período de actividad, la banda no se considera generalmente Krautrock debido a su sonido, que tiene mucho más en común con los grupos ingleses de rock progresivo como Pink Floyd, King Crimson y Yes. Es más, a la banda que siempre se consideró por la crítica musical como los "Floyd alemanes" debido a su sonido paralelo al de los británicos en muchos momentos. Es verdad que a veces suenan parecidos, pero los alemanes tienen su sonido particular, mezclando space rock con aires sinfónicos memorables.
"Ocean" es el sexto álbum lanzado por los alemanes. Fue lanzado en 1977 y es considerado por muchos su mejor disco, un clásico del género en Alemania. Se vendieron 200.000 copias, haciendolo mejor que Genesis o Queen en las listas alemanas.

Para mi, el disco sería perfecto con una mejor voz, que es como su punto flojo, pero la música y los climas son inmejorables, y uno se pregunta porque ésta banda no tuvo el mismo reconocimiento internacional que Pink Floyd, por ejemplo...pero aquì los dejo con el comentario del Mago Alberto que es quien nos trae esta belleza inigualable...

Otra de las bandas que inevitablemente caen al blog es Eloy, quizás una de las bandas progres más representativas de Alemania, y con un caudal musical de casi 30 álbumes, estos germanos fueron el gérmen de todo un movimiento que vino después, ellos supieron plasmar en su música mucho del estilo de la epoca, Pink Floyd como base, y de allí supieron darle su propio sello.
El presente disco es uno de los mejores de la banda segun la crítica especializada junto a Dawn, disco que seguramente también postearemos, un trabajo prolijo, con mucho vuelo musical, con excelentes arreglos y con toda la carga del progresivo de aquel entonces.
Para los amantes del género este es un grupo fundamental y casi fundacional, no hay desperdicio, no hay baches, todo suena atractivo y se nota que los alemanes estaban al palo con el movimiento de entonces.
Esta versión es la remasterizada, aclaro este punto porque quien tenga la versión original notará sobremanera matices y sonidos más presentes, retoques que hacen muchísimo más atractivo el proyecto.
Si escuchan con atención notarán que Eloy hace hincapie en muchísimos efectos pequeños pero contundentes, casi suenan como loops, pero solo son efectos de cámara o de algún procesador de aquella época, sobresaliente en este aspecto.
Un trabajo que derrocha buenas críticas pero escuchando detenidamente a Dawn, tambien se pone a la par de este hermoso trabajo. Otro progresivo que llega para quedarse, grupazo alemán que siempre que se hace historia contemporánea figura y seguira figurando como uno de los más importantes de la movida germana, así que cabezonas/es denle sin miedo.
Mago Alberto



Frank Bornemann es el conductor y líder de esta formación, cantante y mayoritariamente compositor de los temas de sus álbumes. Pero el resto de compañeros no le andan muy lejos a la zaga, con un magnífico Rosenthal a la batería que se encargará de las letras, Matziol que trabaja su bajo dotando de la tensión necesaria las evoluciones y un polivalente Schimdtchzen manejando toda clase de teclados. El disco está compuesto por 4 extensos bloques caracterizados por la abundancia de teclados que entran en capas con un sonido limpio y espacial que hace que las atmósferas que se crean sean frescas y etéreas. Melodías ágiles conducidas por esos teclados tan versátiles y cantidad de distintos efectos de sonido, ecos flotando en el fondo y voces profundas que relatan palabras o frases remarcadas. La voz de Bornemann es desde mi punto de vista lo más flojo del grupo, más bien fría, un tanto mecánica y con falta de recursos. Pero ello no hace mella en éste trabajo que recoge unas melodías fantásticas para disfrutar y con una ambientación llamativa que invita a escuchar.

Pido perdón por la tardanza en esta nueva entrada pero creo que os voy a compensar con algo grande como este “Ocean” de Eloy. Grupo Alemán formado en 1969, el nombre del grupo fue escogido del libro de H.G. Wells "La máquina del tiempo" donde existía una raza futurista llamada "Eloi" que ha sobrevivido al desastre de guerras y catástrofes.
Eloy es uno de los mejores grupos de Krautrock, aunque también toca otros palos, art-rock, rock espacial, psicodelia, e incluso el rock sinfónico, un constante cambio de la música, fue un experimento continuo.
La formación ha tenido durante su trayectoria muchos cambios en la banda, para este álbum la formación fue la ideal, el que siempre ha estado y líder Frank Borneman (voz y guitarra), Jürgen Rosenthal (ex de los Scorpions, batería y letrista), Klaus-Peter Matziol (voz y bajo) Detlev Schmidten (teclados).
Decidieron romper con su etapa psicodélica y aventurarse en una música más trabajada y profunda dentro del sinfónico y progresivo, donde les asemejaron con grupos de la época, como por ejemplo al "Sommerabend" de NOVALIS y “Rockpommel´s Land” de GROBSCHNITT, álbumes esenciales en el rock Alemán e internacional, sin olvidar a los eternos PINK FLOYD.
Banda que siempre se consideró por la crítica musical como los "Pink Floyd" alemanes, no digo que en muchos momentos coincidan pero disiento de ello, creo que tiene su propia identidad musical haciéndoles uno de los grandes grupos del sinfónico-prog, pero como siempre ocurre con este tipo de música el grupo es conocido solo por los seguidores del rock sinfónico-progresivo.
"Ocean" es el sexto álbum del grupo, salió en 1977 con gran éxito de ventas, incluso en su país natal vendió más que Génesis y Pink Floyd, es un disco espiritual que cuenta la historia del ascenso y caída de la Atlántida. Sería injusto por mi parte no darle un reconocimiento especial y espacial a la imaginación del batería Jurgen Rosenthal quien puso las letras y le dio el argumento y la poesía a este álbum. Es una historia épica, un mundo mitológico, intrigante, es difícil describir con palabras pero no te deja impasible, los textos son pomposos, pretenciosos y cuenta la historia de Poseidón (mitología griega) y el mito de la Atlántida, su creación (Poseidon's Creation , Incarnation Of The Logos ) la caída (Decay Of The Logos ) y su destrucción (Atlantis' Agony ).
“Ocean” es imaginación y fantasía constante, puede ser que en su primera escucha pueda dar la sensación de improvisación y pesadez, pero nada más lejos de la realidad, es fascinante desde el principio, pero también hay que reconocer que el disco ha tenido muchas críticas relacionadas con la voz y tengo que decir que es cierto, a pesar de ser un grupo alemán decidieron cantar en inglés y es aquí donde esta unos de los pocos fallos del disco (por no decir el único), el inglés de Frank Bornemann no es muy bueno que digamos y en algunos momentos la voz es un tanto débil, demasiado educada.
El disco tiene 4 canciones a cual más brillante con diferentes tiempos pero que musicalmente encajan a la perfección, combina sonido atmosférico y melodías con mucha fuerza pero agiles y naturales, el sonido es un sinfónico pesado con un amplio uso del sintetizador y batería, aportando momentos increíbles y mágicos, siendo este el núcleo musical del álbum, efectos envolventes de guitarra para formar un sonido futurista, un bajo poderoso y aplastante. Tengo que decir que he compartido la escucha de este disco con otros colegas y sé que podría no ser del gusto de todos, es posible que para los neófitos les produzca algo de modorra al utilizarse tanto sintetizador, pero les ocurre a los que solo acarician la superficie del disco y buscan la sencillez de oído.
Empecemos a desgranar esta joya, la introducción es gigantesca, “Poseidon’s Creation”, la creación de la Atlántida, para mí el mejor tema del álbum y eso que el resto es una maravilla. He oído mucha música y tengo que decir que hay muy pocos temas en la música rock, donde sintetizador, guitarras y batería mantengan un equilibrio musical durante más de 5 minutos, solo los grandes grupos tiene ese “Don”.
Nada más empezar los primeros acordes nos vemos envueltos en una atmosfera melodiosa con un portentoso y espacial mellotrón de schmidtchen, te transporta en la alfombra voladora de su teclado, incrementando a cada nota la fuerza de su mellotrón, donde hay momentos de pasajes más pesados que recuerdan a la primera época de Tangerine Dream y otros que recuerdan en ocasiones a Génesis.
Pero no podemos olvidarnos del resto de la “orquesta”, el gran protagonista es esa soberbia batería con esos break maravillosos que aunque son repetición lo ejecuta a la perfección, con un bajo con unos graves maravillosos, preciso y pegadizo…. y sobre todo con una guitarra con evocaciones “Pinkfloydianas”, en definitiva una oleada de instrumentos alocados pero bien orquestados, con sonidos de fondo que imitan el eco en algún lugar de las profundidades y justo al final esa guitarra con unos agónicos acordes y acompañamiento de coros.
“Incarnation of the Logos”, en la línea del primer tema con mucha influencia de teclados y sobre todo un texto apoteósico de Rosenthal que dice algo así “ no hay seres vivos, ni mar, ni cielo, no hay movimiento, ni colores, hay un vacio completo, el universo y los planetas no saben que están atrapados en una zona muerta” .La primera parte de la canción a la vez de apacible es desgarradora, intrigante y muy melódica, con voces entrelazadas y donde de nuevo la majestuosidad del teclado de Detlev Schmidten y la batería de Jürgen Rosenthal nos transporte a una atmosfera misteriosa y cósmica, se nota en todo momento la imaginación de los años 70, un perfecto rock espacial y progresivo. Y una segunda parte más vital con riffs en la música y en la letra convirtiéndola en una gran fiesta musical.
“Decay of the Logos” nos cuenta el inicio del final de Atlantis, violencia, guerras, hambre, musicalmente seguimos en la misma línea aunque más corta que las anteriores, pero muy bien confeccionada, más intensa. Este tema también tiene dos partes muy diferenciadas, esta primera muy suave, melódica y una segunda en progresión y con más fuerza, más progresiva, donde me recuerda de nuevo a Génesis. En cuanto a la voz (con un inglés pésimo) no es cantada sino más bien es un relato, con. Volvemos a un teclado con mucho poder y dando un ambiente espacial, un hermoso y oscuro sonido del bajo. En general es una pieza musicalmente y líricamente más pesada.
Y para finalizar un tema algo caótico, “Atlantis’ Agony At June 5th – 8498 13P.M. Gregorian Earth time”, habla sobre la destrucción de Atlantis por los dioses, es una epopeya perturbante y difícil de asimilar. Es la canción más larga de todas casi 15 minutos de música atmosférica con grandes efectos sonoros que dan la impresión de espacio. Si en los temas anteriores el teclado era esencial aquí es determinante y junto con una guitarra sorprendente hacen de este tema una joya del space rock. Comienza con un laberinto de sonidos espaciales, con un órgano hammond a pleno rendimiento y quizás algo denso, al fondo la voz en un monologo de borneman, que por desgracia en esta canción es donde se nota a peor su inglés. Los break de batería son muy “Pinkfloydianos”, al igual que el resto de temas empieza suave, para ir intensificándose gradualmente, la estructura de la canción es muy compleja, quizás en la primera escucha algo cargante pero al final la música comienza a surtir efecto y entra fácilmente. El final es frenético y asombroso con todo el grupo dando lo mejor.
Bueno espero que os haya gustado, para mi es sin duda el mejor disco de Eloy y eso que tiene varias joyas entre su discografía, un soberbio disco y por supuesto recomendado en tu discoteca, a disfrutarlo.
Viejo rockero




Eloy: Ocean. El álbum que todo amante del prog debería conocer
En Pentagramario hemos estado algo desconectados, no porque sea nuestra decisión, sino porque andamos bastante ocupados preparando material nuevo y haciendo algunas investigaciones para posibles ensayos que habremos de publicar por este medio próximamente.
Y justamente navegando por Internet, como quien va aumentando sus conocimientos musicológicos, me topé con un curioso grupo alemán que tuvo su principal y más alta producción durante los años setenta; Eloy. Lo interesante, saliendo ya del análisis mismo de su trabajo musical, es que siendo una banda de rock progresivo germano de la década de 1970, no se considera kraut, sino más bien perteneciente a la escena de Canterbury.
¿Cómo así? el krautrock siempre ha sido de sonidos más experimentales (de ahí salen grupos como Can y Neu!), la escena de Canterbury (madre de bandas como Camel), ha mantenido una constante predominante de sonido más clásicos y concretos, sin tanta experimentación como en el kraut. Así de simple, no necesitas pertenecer geográficamente a una determinada zona para que tu estilo musical suene y con el tiempo termine perteneciendo a la misma, como es el caso de Eloy.
El álbum que más me gustó de ellos y que vengo escuchando detenidamente varias veces, se titula “Ocean” y fue lanzado al mercado el año 1977 por la disquera alemana Electrola. Es definitivamente su mejor trabajo, una de las mejores muestras de rock espacial y progresivo que existen, no en vano se encuentra en el top 5 de space rock en Progarchives.
Con un sonido denso y poderoso en el bajo, las melodías que Eloy impregna en su álbum son unas de las más poderosas y contundentes dentro del space y el progresivo en general. Momentos increíbles del sintetizador, pasajes fuertes y envolventes de la guitarra eléctrica, un mellotron que, acompañado de arreglos detallistas, nos hace navegar a través de lo que, cantando, nos va contando Frank Bornemann… la historia de Atlantis, su ascenso, caída y destrucción.
Compuesto de cuatro temas, este álbum empieza con “Poseidon’s Creation”, una extensa canción de poco más de once minutos, la cual abre con el sonido de un profundo sintetizador, al cual posteriormente se unen el bajo y la batería, a los cuales se mezcla vertiginosamente unos solos eléctricos y brutales de guitarra. Casi a los cinco minutos, Bornemann inicia su canto, narrándonos la historia de lo que era Atlantis, otro poco sobre Poseidón y el enamoramiento que tuvo de la princesa de la isla, Kleito.
El segundo tema en aparecer es “Incarnation of Logos”, no parece tener mucha melodía hasta los casi cuatro minutos (dura ocho), momento en que el órgano-sintetizador se apodera de la canción. Tiene un comienzo vocal bastante atmosférico. Los arreglos son bastante bien cuidados, donde resaltan toques de percusión y algunas campanas. La guitarra, como constantemente en este disco, es eléctrica y destornillante. La letra nos habla de la encarnación de la palabra… la creación de Atlantis…
El tercer y penúltimo tema, primero de la segunda cara en el vinilo, es “Decay of Logos”, tema que nos cuenta el inicio de la debacle de Atlantis. Con un poderoso órgano-sintetizador, la letra no se canta, sino más bien está a modo de monólogo. Los arreglos vuelven con campanas y toques de percusión.
El último tema es “Atlantis’ Agony at June 5th – 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime”, que con sus 15 minutos de duración, es la más épica y compleja de todas las composiciones de este álbum. Comienza con un grandioso introducción instrumental, no una típica orquestada, sino una espacial, con sonidos fantasmales y efectos especiales, donde el órgano y el Hammond se enseñorean a más no poder, dando anuncio, durante ocho minutos, del momento vocal. Cerca al final, la banda acelera todo a un tempo medianamente rápido. Es ahora cuando los violines se unen con la guitarra y sintetizador para dar final a esta obra maestra del rock progresivo y espacial.
Una curiosidad es que muchos angloparlantes se quejan de la pronunciación del Inglés por parte de Bornemann, aunque para la mayoría no son más que pequeños detallitos.
La producción estuvo a cargo del mismo vocalista y líder de la banda, quién también ha sido el único miembro constante en la misma. “Ocean” es considerado el mejor y más fino álbum de Eloy, además de uno de los mejores en lo que respecta al rock espacial.
Eloy toma su nombre de la novela de H. G. Wells “La Máquina del Tiempo”, en la que los Eloi, que son una de las estirpes humanas del futuro, llevan una existencia casi paradisíaca.En lo personal, “Ocean” ha sido para mí uno de los más grandes descubrimientos que he hecho dentro de mis búsquedas musicales. Conciso, bien trabajado, fuerte, detallado… es la pieza maestra de Eloy, el álbum que los dejará anclados a la historia de la música progresiva.
Es uno de los pocos discos que he escuchado completos varias veces seguidas. No es por gusto, es un álbum lleno de vida, que transmite lo que cuenta y otorga la densidad necesaria, que genera el ambiente y hace vivir la historia.
Nada tiene que envidiarle a bandas similares, llámese Camel, Genesis, Pink Floyd. Lamentablemente no ha trascendido tanto como se hubiese merecido, y esto tal vez debido a la calidad inferior de sus posteriores trabajos. Pero bueno, si nos centramos en “Ocean”, Eloy es de los grandes.
Santiago Cárdenas M.


Esta es una obra musical conceptual que se basa en la leyenda (?) de la mítica ciudad de Atlantis. Fue grabada por el grupo Alemán Eloy, quienes ya tenían un tiempo editando álbumes y contaban con la madurez suficiente para componer su obra más ambiciosa.
Se tata de un parsimonioso Space-Rock con sintetizadores y guitarras plenas de efectos. La música se asemeja a la de Pink Floyd, Pulsar y otros maestros del género, aunque Eloy es un grupo con una tendencia más rockera y directa.
Sin embargo, en este disco Eloy se inclina por temas muy extensos, con largos instrumentales e interminables segmentos narrados lo que le rodea de un aura de grandilocuencia. Sin duda, este es el disco más pretencioso de Eloy, señalado además como su obra clásica.
Rating: 8.5
La Taberna de Rael


Y ahora les copio varios comentarios en inglés, por si es que hace falta. Pero como dijo el Mago Alberto, este trabajo reboza de excelentes comentarios, todos van a decir que les encantó, pero igual les dejo unos cuantos reviews mientras se van llevando el disco....

The original "Ocean" actually sold 200,000 copies in Germany, which is quite an accomplishment, as this is full of everything I like about prog rock. So if you like some off-the-wall spacy prog rock, give this album a try. 5/5 stars!!!.
Ronald Couture


Commonly regarded by fans and specialists alike as their best album , this is good but non-essentail music. A good starting point for beginners but it is still nothing worth writing home about and I wouldn't dream of introducing this band to a novice as there are hundred more exciting music ( most of the people I know already heard this, anyway)
Sean Trane


The music of ELOY is captivating and "Ocean" delivers for me the big punch. "Ocean" is comprised of a few songs of the highest calibre supporting an excellent concept storyline. ELOY use electronics and guitars in a way on "Ocean" that seem to push all the right buttons and have a lasting impact on the listener. I have read lots of articles which suggest that Bohneman's vocals are below standard, but I actually like them and can't subscribe to this point of view. 4/5 stars.
James Unger


I won't forget the day I bought this album. I was already familiar with "Floating", but little did I know what I'll have in store when I bought "Ocean". I was stunned! Progressive space rock taken to the extremes. This was their second album with the new lineup. To me I felt "Dawn" sounded like the band was messing about maybe a little too much, but it's still full of good material. With "Ocean" they really got their stuff together and created one of the most "out there" space rock albums ever! They created a concept album about the rise and destruction of Atlantis, from creation, the rise of civilization, civilization becoming corrupt, and the destruction by the Gods who had enough. At least that's how I interprited the lyrics on the album.
The album starts off with "Poseidon's Creation". The album starts of with some guitar and string synths, eventually the drums and bass kick in. There's a lead guitar solo from Frank Bornemann that sounded like it came of "Meddle", and it's only the late '70s string synths that let you know this is not "Meddle". Eventually the vocals kick in, singing about "Poseidon". The string synths keep staying. Eventually, once the singing is over, is some great Moog and guitar solos. You get to hear the talents of bassist Klaus-Peter Matziol as well, where he gives us a little slap bass. Eventually the song ends with a rather impressive sounding choir (might not be a choir, but the band members themselves). I was completely blown away by "Incarnation of Logos". Mainly it starts off with just Frank Bornemann singing (about the formation of the planets and of Atlantis) and Detlev Schmidtchen giving us some over-the-top string synths. You'll also hear some spoken dialog. Then the music picks up speed with the whole band participating, with some killer synth solos. "Decay of Logos" seems to be about the corruption of Atlantis, greed, lust for power, wars, etc. It starts of with more spacy synths, but eventually it become the more aggressive number on the album, almost verging on hard rock. The last cut, "Atlantis' Agony at June 5 - 8498, 13 PM Gregorian Earthtime" (about the final destruction of Atlantis by the Gods) is most problematic of the album, at least by many. I don't have such a problem myself, but some think the first half is tedious. Here, the song starts off with some narration. The string synths kick in, and keep droning for the next 8 minutes or so. Narrations keep popping up from time to time. But there's more than just synth dronings here. There are bizarre wailing sounds played on an ARP 2600 synthesizer, an out-of-this-world pipe organ (at least, an electronic keyboard that sounds like one), and various other subtleties that often gets overlooked, and maybe that's why I was never bored with it. After that big "pipe organ" at the end, and the final narration, the band finally gets to business. That means, real singing, band participation, the usual great Moog solos, and that overall great spacy feel.
This is totally unreal. There must have been something in the air in Germany in '77 (in the cocaine-dominated world of '77, it seems to me that pot and LSD were still dominant in Germany in '77) to have a record-buying public to make "Ocean" outsell such better known acts as GENESIS and QUEEN in ELOY's home country.
Yes, ELOY has often gotten a bad rap. The singing, the songwriting, etc. Yes, this album is totally '70s, you can't get around that fact. Yes, Frank Bornemann needs some brushing on the English language. But I think this is a way cool album. For those who want off-the-wall spacy prog rock, you can't go wrong here. 5/5
Ben Miler


3.5/5 Stars Acutally
Eloy is for sure one of Germany's best and most noted prog bands. Sometimes people differ on the quality of Frank Bornemann's accentuated singing but there are for sure some worse examples.
Lets now begin with their album "Ocean" wich is not only their most successful but also is one of the most noted and best german prog albums in general. "Ocean" is a concept album that tells the story of the demise of Atlantis and furthermore creates an apocalyptic scenario about the future of this world. The first of the four epic songs "Poseidon's Creation" includes a lot of grecian mythology. With its striking introduction including a grooving bass and a great guitar solo it belongs to Eloy's best songs. "Incarnation of the Logos" begins with extensive synths, a speciality of keyboarder Detlev Schmidtchen. To it Frank Bornemann tells us about the creation of the world. In the second part the song gets more dynamic and bass player Klaus-Peter Matziol sings about how humans abuse their new gained skills to commit depravation. But they won't get away with impunity like we get to know in the next song. "Decay Of The Logos" is the most diversified song on the album. It begins with a kind of sarcastical adoration of a fictitious sovereign that changes into an aggressive impeachment by the use of harder sounds. The last part of the song seems as it should show the evil disposer what he has done. Eventually the last song gives us account of the doom of Atlantis. It preludes with esoteric seeming sounds and voluminous drums. Here you can hear what I mean by saying accentuated singing: "th" sounds like "s" and when you hear things like "strikes sem wiss dithaster" you finally know where Eloy are from...The prelude may be a bit too long but the final part of the song compensates this little mistake.
I liked this album right away and don't really minded the accent wich is admittedly very obvious. The concept is great and the musicianship is awesome. The rythm section can be compared to Grobschnitt and especially the bass sounds similar without sounding equal. So if you are searching for a good album to start with german prog, this is one of the best choices to do so. 3.5 Stars...without the accent and the parts that got a bit too long I maybe would have given 4.
Martin Dietrich

It's quite undeniable that most of the productions by this Germanic band deserve especial recognition, but "Ocean", definitely surpassed the boundaries of expectation set upon them, and showed that limits and paradigms could be alienated and in cases like this particularly, drive the way to establish the next parameter of measurement in the world of music. Far beyond the experimentation and constant introspection blended in the creation of this album, the transitional significance plays and important role as well. Severely underrated, this 1977 album is as cathartic as enigmatic under the signature of masterpiece. It doesn't really reach to the appellative of "magnificent" or "indispensable" since there are still, too many proggers out there that haven't started their journey to approximate their ears to this melodic, symphonic music written and composed by such overlooked musicians that certainly knew their way throughout the prog world. Without intending to apply my consideration of keeping ELOY under the terms of "favorite bands ever" as a palliative, I recognize they're unpopular somehow since the diffusion and the media have been very punitive to the band since they weren't contemplated as "breakthrough" and got unarguably overshadowed by the upper class bands. I believe changes started to manifest, and by changes I'm talking about recognition given and getting a place under the spotlight for once and for all; right after the band released "Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes" a couple of years later and rose eyebrows and opened widely the ears of the people out of surprise and incredibility. Previous releases by the band such as "Power and the Passion" and "Dawn" started to take place in history in very meaningful ways, they got to be appreciated to depths of worshiping the band and everything surrounding them. Therefore, "Ocean" became the jewel it is nowadays, it experimented that so-called transition and got the spot it deserves.
The opening scene, "Poseidon's Creation", has got a two way use. Firstly, the task of indoctrinate your ears and mind all over again by listening to mind-blowing mellotron and keyboards preludes displayed so fiercely by Detlev SCHMIDTCHEN, and to a revealing, quite peculiar sound of voice expelled by Frank BORNEMANN so you could fit in the world of this enigmatic band. All of this, just as the proper introduction. Secondly, this track perfectly performs the function of red carpet to "Incarnation of the Logos", which happens to appear so soft and quiet, it violently switches the ambiance and mood, into mysteriousness and inert time lapses. The sound of hypnotic, minimalist cymbals and keyboards surround the atmosphere, the lyrics float around that empty room inside your mind, the cold sweat runs through your spine in the shape of a distorted voice in between the song. then the impact is irremediably taken towards the entire track and there's nothing much to do but to flow with the spacial, captivating music.
"Decay of the Logos" is the complementary part of the iconographic saga, so scrutinizing, that lacks of imperfections and musical blanks. Maybe not as powerful as its predecessor, but it certainly sparkles and irradiates with a spirit of its own. Arguably, the most transitional and defying track out the entire record since it breaks and tears the progressive schemes predicted to happen so far in the album. It's not even worth it to resist, this song will take over your mind and will possess your entire senses to the level where you'll possibly have no control over yourself. Astonishing crafted piece. The instruments are individually represented but the full instrumentation reflects a spotless coordination and work.
If it weren't just enough so far, the "epic suite" blank (if there ever existed such a thing for ELOY), is majestically filled by "Atlantis' Agony at June 5th 8498, 13 P.M. Gregorian Earthtime". Simply indescribable. From the profound, almost heavenly message incarnating the commands to follow interpreted by an earthly God, to the last tune of the track, the sound reaches the heights of purity and voraciousness so fantastically, it'll only make you restart the album over. There are not failures, no mistakes or even a single stain in the production of this album. Magnificent.
I might've exaggerated on the amount of compliments destined to this album, but believe me, they're simply not enough and there are no possible remaining words to enounce the power and the credibility of this latter half of the 70's album. A point of departure to newly born fans in the eyes of the world described by ELOY. A signifying milestone to assiduous fans. Just cannot get enough of this proposing band. Undoubtedly, the highest ratings to be set upon this production. 5/5!
Alberto R.

It took me thirty long years to discover this amazing band. They appear to not only, have been unknown to me, but to the Epinions readership in general, since I was the first to write a review on them. I have now purchased nine of their sizable catalogue in the preceding two months with three more enroute. This review, on their masterpiece - Ocean, is my third review of an Eloy album. I will continue to post additional reviews periodically.
ELOY
Eloy (name taken from H G Well‘s Time Machine) is a German Atmospheric, Progressive Art Rock band that was formed back in 1969. Through the years, personal wise, the band has totally turned over, in some positions, several times. Their originator Frank Bornemann (guitars/vocals) has persevered, presiding over a three decade band, that has turned out some of the best progressive rock music, I’ve had the fortune to hear.
OCEAN
Ocean, their sixth album, released in 1977, is a concept album, depicting the rise and fall of Atlantis. Though there are only four tracks, they average almost eleven minutes each. Many Eloy aficionados point to this album as their ‘tour de force’. It is excellent, but as far as I’m concerned , based on what I’ve heard so far, there is no album that stands heads above the others.
Overall, Ocean has an atmospheric ambience reminiscent of Hawkwind or a more unknown band that I once reviewed named Ship of Fools. It also reminds me Jeff Wayne’s, War of the Worlds.
Track listing
1. Poseidon's Creation (11:38) **** Has a long droning medium pace and a whinny guitar intro. At the 4:40 mark, Bornemann finally begins the vocal. There is quite a lot of guitar playing on this song, augmented occasionally by the synth.
“When the mighty sons of the spheres beyond distributed the elements of earth they laid down the foundation-stone of highest spiritual birth which ever existed since thousands of years but is lost now in the future and past lightyears away from our daily tears those unperceived moments which always last ”
2. Incarnation Of The Logos (8:25) **** Has an atmospheric vocal beginning. The song doesn’t seem to have much of a melody until the 3:40 mark when the synth/organ takes over with a pleasant one, assisted by some percussion and a bell now and then.
“No native soil, no ocean, no salty wave no sky above no living being no movement, no colours, no elements no eye to see anything- complete emptiness Before all was nothing?”
3. Decay Of The Logos (8:15) ***½ The shortest song at eight minutes seems a little jerky at first with more monologue than music. When it does get going after about three minutes it’s still jerky in a medium paced beat. Strong synth playing through the middle.
“Overbearing secular creature my worshipped king king of wisdom and pain!
You are the one, the mighty one ruling so wise you're the universal sin!
Guardian of justice offering help favorite victim of your self-made gods! ” 4. Atlantis' Agony At June 5th - 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime (15:35) ***** This is a monster song. It is like nothing I’ve ever heard. Except for a fifty some second monologue at the beginning, “Atlantis…” starts with a truly intriguing eight minute plus instrumental intro. Not just any intro, like you’re used to, with a full orchestra and violins. No this is an spacey atmospheric intro that would make the great Pink Floyd, envious, with the propitious use of ghostly sounds and special effects segueing into an amazing five minute organ bridge, with no beat just the Hammond a few side effects and you. No it doesn’t get boring. Instead it sets you up for the vocals, which issue forth at about the eight minute mark. Slowly the rhythm section establishes a slow beat, while the singer does a great imitation of Bob Dylan, with a remarkable spacey synth breaking in between the vocal. But we’re not done. With about two minutes left, the band picks up the tempo to a medium fast tempo (the first time I‘ve heard them play at this speed). Now the violins join in with the guitar and synth for the finale of this great finale.
“And so the gods decided: great is the fear for you, when your eye takes the field against those who tried to raise against you. Make your eye go down and strike the mutineers with disaster. The eye shouldn't rest in your forehead, now it has to go down as "Hat-Hor"... ... And the eye of "RE" mounts down from his divine brow - down there on Earth and strikes them with disaster... ”
CONCLUSION
One of the factors, I find appealing about this band, is that in the span of three decades, they managed to present a style of music which was compatible with each era, so listening to their albums from different periods gives us a window into the progressive music of various time periods. Eloy’s musical tempo almost never exceeds medium and on Ocean tends to be more in the medium slow range.
Listening to this and other Eloy albums I hear influences from numerous other bands. Like many prog bands I hear Pink Floyd but I also hear Uriah Heep, Moody Blues and Bob Dylan (really, on track four!). 5/5
Duane Daum

ELOY's masterpiece. Ocean delivers shivers on your spine with that spacey rhythm the band is so famous for. Each track here contains a "chapter" of the story of a marine city's birth, rise and decay, an apocalyptical epic journey through layers of synths and powerful guitar notes that make it a mesmerizing and at the same time accessible album.
"Poseidon's Creation" opens the album with its long and powerful intro, where a battle of guitar and synths follows until FRANK sings the begining of the epic journey. After that, we are led to an extended guitar solo that gives place to "Incarnation Of The Logos". This one is a very atmospheric track, divided in two parts. The first part narrates a bit more of the story, while the second is a bass solo with very energetic vocals near the end. Amazing! "Decay Of The Logos" is more hard-rock, but still maintaining that spacey feel. It indeed rocks, in contrast of the more "mind" oriented last song, "Atlantis' Agony...". This one has a similar estructure to "Incarnation Of The Logos", though it is even more atmospheric, and contains the album's definitive climax when the aquarian city finally falls and disappears. Breath-taking!
People love to compare ELOY's sound to PINK FLOYD's, at the point of bashing the german band and even accusing them of being imitators of the FLOYDian music (i can't imagine the FLOYD making a song like "Incarnation Of The Logos" or, in a more extreme case, "The Midnight Fight", for example). But i don't think they are mere rip-offs. In my opinion, they are very talented musicians, with their characteristic sound. And this album, Ocean, is a very powerful work by this underrated prog band, which is not in any way spoiled by FRANK's accent and vocal performance. 5/5 stars.
Bruno Éttori

This is the best i ever heared from Eloy, a true masterpiece of the '70. This is one of my favourite albums from the '70. From the first piece Poseidon's Creation, (witch is very enjoyble, technical, the drummer is all over the place), to the last one they develope a great music, very long instrumental parts, so i want you to tell you this is 5 stars.To many this band is not a revelation in prog but you have ti listen not once, but many times to enjoy this german bend. Maybe is not a monster band like the bands from England, but worth listen. Among my favourites albums of all times. Super well played. 5/5
Bogdan Olariu

Finally, after a few near misses, Eloy got it right! No 'buts' this time, just a near perfect masterpiece of psychedelic space-rock and story-telling to stand amongst the very best of the genre. Ocean is a distillation of all that had gone before yet displaying an ever increasing level of competence and self-confidence. Smooth ambient atmospheres rub shoulders with hypnotic yet ethereal space-jams in an irrestible combination of lush and futuristic keyboard textures, understated sensitive guitar phrases, superb bass motifs, excellent vocals [yes, really], solid performances, inspired arrangements and a thoughtful concept all assisted by a crystal clear soundstage.
This is the sound of a band in their prime, and what a band, now on their second album together [this lineup] and as always led from the front by Frank Bornemann, by now an accomplished singer as well as guitarist. But this is not a 'guitar' album as such: the dominant musical device is densely layered keyboards creating moods with and without support from harmonious guitars and a tight rhythm section, sometimes light and upbeat but often dark and sombre, using 'drones' and spoken vocals to invoke feelings consistent with the story: suspense, awe, wonder, dread and melancholy. Tempos are exclusively mid-pace and rhythms are loping rather than aggressive [for reference, think: contemporary Pink Floyd].
The allegorical concept of Ocean is a cautionery tale based on the ancient myth of Atlantis, a 'heaven-on-earth' continent containing a race of people who became so corrupt that they had to be destroyed by the gods before they terminally polluted the earth. Bornemann has said they chose "the subject of Atlantis to point out the wrong direction society is taking - that our development into such a wrong direction can only result in a catastrophe" but provides no answers to the conundrum [the 1998 follow-up Ocean 2 was an attempt at redress]. Although divided into four tracks, the album proceeds and succeeds as a single homogeneous entity, stylistically coherent and satisfyingly constructed: there is no hint of filler, nor anything out of place, as each section sets an appropriate mood in an entertaining and inventive way. Even a lengthy monologue-over-ambient-drones section covering the first half of the final track never descends into tedium as attention is maintained by background subtleties and tantalising foreknowledge of the rhythmic section to follow.
There are no lows to report, so neither can there be any significant highs either, perhaps only pieces that are to be slightly more favoured than others. The classic Eloy grooves of Poseidon's Creation sets the scene, a nice Proggy arrangement with both spacey and bouncy melodic components, turning to a darker mood later in the song. A brilliant start, followed by slow eerie drones and heart-beat bass drum of an equally stunning Incarnation Of Logos, a track dripping with images of the cosmos and planetary motion - "primary procreation is accomplished" - before entering a very Renaissance-type instrumental break. Both utilise subtle but effective un-voiced backing vocals.
The second half allows no respite from the relentless excellence. This is where the Atlantean dream begins to fail. Decay Of The Logos begins with a variant of the spacey groove effect before turning into a more conventional Prog Rock number complete with tempo changes, a synth solo, what sounds like a violin and even a Mellotron among the usual instruments. Final track, Atlantis' Agony ..... is hugely atmospheric with an ambient keyboard [especially organ] and effect laden first half chronicling the fall of Atlantis, slowly developing a gorgeous rhythm as the album ends with a prediction: "the mass of stones will surface again .... soon it all will be revealed". You want the mood to last forever, but a complex and up-beat ending breaks the spell.
Atlantis is both inside and outside, a commentary on a possible past in a parallel universe out in the infinity of space, yet a warning for us in the here-and-now. Ocean's music-scape eerily conveys the magnitude and wonder of the cosmos in a very direct manner, more succesfully than most of its peers. Though it is long since I last saw the film, I am put in mind of 2001 A Space Odyssey - that feeling of profound infinity pervading the film is also to be found here. Their storylines may differ, but to me they are cut from the same cloth!
EMI's latest remastered edition [2004] is as always nicely packaged though liner notes are in German and there is no bonus addition. That is about the only negative comment I can make on this occasion. Needless to say, Ocean is a masterpiece of space-rock and is highly recommended as the means of a trip to the stars.
Julian Mackrell

ELOY have such an impressive body of work but for most of their fans this is the album that ranks at the top. I really like the instrumental music these guys play. It's so lush and dreamy with those spacey synths and floating keys. On this album the guitar is definitely secondary to the keyboards.
The first song "Poseidon's Creation" may very well be one of the best songs they have ever done.The beginning sounds so good and it gets fuller sounding after a minute. Great sound ! It's very FLOYD-like 2 1/2 minutes in and the guitar is outstanding. It settles with vocals after 4 1/2 minutes. Nice guitar after 8 1/2 minutes. "Incarnation Of Logos" is rather slow paced with vocals and a spacey background for 3 1/2 minutes then it all speeds up with the bass and synths standing out. I really like the synths here.
"Decay Of Logos" begins with a deep bass line and drums that set the tone. Synths come in before a minute. It settles with bass and spacey winds. Vocals 2 1/2 minutes in. It kicks in a minute later with some excellent drum work although i'm not too fond of this section as it seems out of place. The final song begins with spoken words before a mellow soundscape takes over. Spoken words come and go. Organ after 3 minutes and synths after 6 minutes. I love when the song kicks in at around 8 minutes, especially the last 2 minutes.
This isn't my favourite ELOY record but it's right up there and a true "must have".
John Davie

"No native soil, no ocean, no salty wave, no sky above, no living being, no movement, no colours, no elements, no eye to see anything..."
The most famous record of Eloy is a hell of an album! A wonderful space-rock experience in four parts describing myth of creation and decay of Earth.
Motionless, though, too motionless not to be seen as the second element of a trilogy, the real magnum opus released by the same line up between 1976 (Dawn), 1977 (Ocean) and 1979 (Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes).
Thesis, anthitesis and synthesis, this is how the band - I don't know if they were completely conscious of that - thought, wrote and performed in the studio this peculiar kind of music. Whilst the yellow-painted "Dawn" (it is my favourite one) is dinamic, varied and "terrestrial" in structure, the blue "Ocean" represents an opposite mood resulting from its long ethereal compositions witch describe very well the words "infinite" or "eternity". Musicianship is, as always, without any fault, but less dinamic. More dreamy, deep and warm, featuring a prominent role for keyboards and bass guitar. Electric guitar is more sparse now than ever in the past and the orchestra that played in the previous album, now is missing replaced by all those wonderful soft and whispered angelic choruses. A pleasure to listen to this unique record!
The green "Silent Cries and Migthy Echoes"?
As you can clearly listen having all the three albums, it is the synthesis made between yellow and blue primary colours... .
As for Ocean, an impressive album that cannot be underestimated by any prog rock fan. Possibly one of the more shining glories from Deutschland.
A masterpiece, for sure, but not a the very same level of Dawn and that's why I'll round it down to four.
By the way, the general ratibg should be around 4.5/5 stars.
Andrea Cortese

The German ELOY is obviously one of the most celebrated continental prog names but quite unknown here in Finland for some reason - like almost any psychedelic prog apart from Floyd's debut seems to be. This LP I found from a flea market last autumn. I haven't given it very many spins yet... Nevertheless, this music works extremely well in its own field. Somehow it's charming to see such a serious psychedelic and conceptual approach in '77 when both things - as well as prog in general - were considered old-fashioned.
This album has four lengthy tracks and a concept about the myth of Atlantis, but it all stays quite accessible and the musical drama keeps flowing from start to end. Frank Bornemann's vocals sound a bit like Roger Waters, and the plentiful keyboards would be at home on Tangerine Dream's late 70's albums. Rhythm section is very solid too. 'Incarnation of the Logos' can be streamed from this site. Give it a try and be taken into a psychedelic ride in the oceanic myths. But don't play this music in a party if you don't want to appear as a relic (ok, you could use this to accompany a drug trip, but drugs are for losers!).
Matti

"Worlds atomize and oceans evaporate in eternity"
Some 6 years into their career, ELOY came up with what is arguably their defining album. "Ocean" is a four track concept album of breathtaking beauty and refinement. When listening to the music here, it is all too easy to forget that it dates from 1977 since the sound is as vibrant and fresh today as it was then.
The tale, which is based around the legendary city of Atlantis, is played out lyrically and instrumentally with spoken word and spacey sounds alternating with strong melodies and harmonic vocals. Hence we have an album which defies categorisation. At times this is indeed space rock, but it is also highly symphonic. On top of that, the album arguably represents one of the first examples of the genre now defined as neo-prog, its influences being apparent in the music of bands such as Jadis, IQ and Pendragon.
In terms of influences on the music, the sound of Pink Floyd is strong, especially the "Wish you were here" era. The drifting synth background used to such great effect on "Shine on you crazy diamond" is apparent throughout, with the opening "Poseidon's creation" being particularly partial to the nuances of that piece. The closing ""Atlantis agony." on the other hand has a synth solo which is very reminiscent of "Welcome to the machine". This however is not simply a WYWH clone album. The sounds and influences are taken and developed, then incorporated into what was at the time a highly original piece of music.
Even today, "Ocean" has the sound and content of a highly accomplished album. If I have one minor gripe it is in the often phonetic rendition of the English language lyrics. This tends to starve them of emotion, leaving them sounding a bit sterile. The alternative though would have been for the album to have been performed in German, which may have limited the band's appeal beyond their native state. That however a small criticism and should not detract from the significance of the album.
In all, an album all prog fans should investigate. This is a milestone release.
Irrelevant footnote, if you take a quick glance at the cover photo, you could be forgiven for thinking that David Byron and Roger Glover were moonlighting with the band.
Bob McBeath

Achtung! - Do not miss this album!
This is one of the legendary prog albums that must be considered in the whole history of progressive music. One thing that strikes into my mind is the fact that considering the uniqueness of the music delivered by ELOY, I have not been able to find any band's followers in terms of the music style ELOY has played. Any legendary bands like Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP, Gentle Giant etc. has followers that play the music in the similar vein. But this is not the case with ELOY where I cannot find any band which has adopted its music. It might have been caused by two things: first, it's not the kind of music that many people enjoy or second, the music is so unique so that it can not be followed in some or another way. If these two reasons are valid, I totally disagree. Look, the music offered through this album is so beautiful and, in fact, peaceful. I find piece of mind enjoying this music. I just realized couple of days ago that when I looked this album on my CD shelf, I have not reviewed this album at this site. So, I picked it up and played again . Wow! It's peaceful man.. especially during the period of fasting month (this time is a Ramadhan month for Muslim). I always play this CD during the time when I eat and drink in the morning before dawn (sahur) and in fact throughout the day while I am working at my desk. It's a great companion, indeed, especially through the ambient spacey nuance plus great keyboard and guitar solos. And the second argument, I do not think that the music of ELOY is complicated and it can, I think, be adopted quite easily. What is probably unique is the lead vocal quality and its combination of music nuance. But that's okay, any band can create their own sound - not necessary copying the whole style. So, I do not know why there is basically no band that follows the path of ELOY. If you know, please let me know because I definitely like the music, really!
Poseidon's Creation (11':38") is a song that is so famous from ELOY and it's probably like "Firth of Fifth" of Genesis' or "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" in the case of Pink Floyd or "Siberian Khatru" in the case of Yes. The song starts beautifully with an ambient music featuring a bit of Gilmourian guitar, soft keyboard and ambient drumming with dynamic work on tom and snares. In fact, the combination of guitar and drum is really nice and has become one of attraction points for this track. The key strengths of this song includes the brilliant flow of the music as well as the melody that brings the music along the way with a feeling of peace of mind during the wonderful flow. I feel like I'm flying enjoying this track, really! It's a beautifully crafted song that the music is accessible to many ears. The inclusion of Frank Bornemann unique vocal quality has made the music much more interesting to enjoy. I tell you, with the song duration of 11 minutes I have never felt getting bored with the music this song delivers. It's so great and so entertaining .
Incarnation Of The Logos (8':25") continues the nuance and style of the opening track in ambient spacey nuance. Again, the guitar work flows beautifully, followed with great voice of Frank Bornemann. The main attraction of this track is probably the interlude in the middle of the song. It demonstrates the great combination of keyboard solo and rhythm section that comprises drums, bass guitar and guitar. Oh by the way, one thing that is very good also from the band's music is the bass guitar work that flows dynamically in tight bass lines along with the music flow.
Decay of The Logos (8':15") brings the music into more upbeat style with higher drive on vocal as well as rhythm section. The tempo is of course faster than any other two tracks that precede it. This is about the time to lift up the music in a more energetic way. This has made the album much more interesting to enjoy because at the first two tracks ELOY deliver the music in medium tempo and this time demonstrates much more energy to create another emotional atmosphere to the listeners.
Atlantis' Agony At June 5th - 8498, 13 PM (15':35") depicts a controversial title. It has a very long narration from start until minute 8 backed with a slow tempo keyboard work which reminds me to the long intro of Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". At approximately minute 8 the bass guitar enters beautifully into the music followed with drum work (dazzling tom drum) followed with excellent voice of Frank. Yes, you might be getting bored at the first 8 minutes of the song but . bear with me . if you enjoy the music from the start, close your eyes, relax and let the music flows into your mind . and boom! You'll experience great things in your mind as the music concludes, starting from approx minute 11 when the slow keyboard sounds enter through your ears. It's a great song .!! You might have experienced it like a meditation. Indeed, this is a great meditation that you might use it to accompany you in your yoga practices. Try it!
Conclusion
It's a masterpiece of progressive music that you should not miss at all. I can guarantee that the music is accessible to most ears. It has tight composition with excellent arrangements, great flow and wonderful musical nuance coupled with catchy melody for all songs featured in the album. The performance of the band is also excellent. This album must be owned in any prog lover collection.
Gatot Widayanto

ELOY's Ocean is a fantastic meandering space-rock album that perfectly captures it's subject matter musically. The album is based upon the tale of Poseidon and Atlantis, it's made quite clear obviously by the names of the tracks and there are various voice over parts detailing the myth (in a thick German accent mind you, which I personally love).
The album starts with my personal favourite song 'Poseidon's creation' in a brooding fashion before ascending into a flowing space rock groove for a while followed by a mellowed out storytelling section before resting on a slow space rock groove to end. This is space rock at it's best. The rest of the songs follow in similar fashion - fat German space rock grooves, storytelling, suspenseful building before the inevitable climax. My only major gripe with the album is that it moves a bit slow sometimes and it does get a tad boring and repetitive in parts which is what inevitably keeps it back from masterpiece status in my book.
The instrumentation on this album is fantastic, the production is great all the instruments are nicely separated and perceivable without it sounding overproduced. The songs mainly rely on synths and organs to create a sort of backdrop or sound-scape if you will and they are probably my favourite part of the album and they give the other instruments a lot of room to move. The drums from the get go are top notch stuff, I especially enjoy the flanged krautrock style hi-hat sound on 'Decay of the Logos'. The bass is nice and fat and contributes some nice grooves and is well up in the mix, which is a great thing to see. The guitar work likewise exemplary, I really enjoy prog style guitar that is very calculated and musical whilst not being overbearing, merely occupying it's place and contributing.
Overall this is a great album recommended to anyone into spaced out prog but it isn't quite good enough to earn a 5/5 star rating.
Richard Ingham

The Story about the Agony of Atlantis
With 'Ocean' ELOY has released another concept album - in this case according to the Greek mythology. It's one of the most popular and prolific german Prog releases. The four songs are a cocktail of Psychedelic and Symphonic Rock, sometimes very CAMEL like music with a powerful bass playing. The keyboards are dominating, excellently harmonizing with the electric guitar and the vocals have a notable german accent.
The intro of Poseidon's Creation was used as the background music for several television productions. Undoubtedly compelling, first of all the last five minutes with a nice guitar solo are really exciting. Incarnation Of The Logos follows with a slowtempo begin and picks up speed after some minutes with kind regards to Andrew Latimer & Co. Decay Of The Logos, for a long time ignored by me, surprises with a complex song structure. I finally could detect elements which are very interesting indeed. During one part the guitar is played like a violin for example. Atlantis' Agony At June 5th - 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime is about the ruin of the legendary Atlantis. It opens by a short recitative which was often used by german bands in this decade. Afterwards you are feeling like participating at a submarine excursion accompanied by a long synth intro. The song speeds up in the second half with a very nice melody and a clear reminiscence to PINK FLOYD, the kings of Psychedelic Rock.
'Ocean' is a release which unfolds its real beauty with several rehearsals, so please be patient. As for the instruments awfully good played music. Only the vocals are a small deficit in my opinion. They are offering a special note anyhow - probably for others this might be a particular attraction though.
Uwe Zickel

Ocean is an old favorite of mine from this German space rock group, Eloy. It has a pretty unique sound, don't think space rock like Pink Floyd. Of course they make some great soundscapes with the synths, but overall it's more bass and drum heavy. This album surprised me the first time I heard it due to it's astounding production quality. Trust me, you've never heard a drum set sound this good back in the 70s.
About the music itself, well it's got a pretty mystical vibe. I guess it fits the story of Atlantis. There's a lot of great beats too. The beats and the basslines really carry the music. It may only consist of four songs, but they're all pretty long. It's a great album though, and if you're into the whole symphonic and psychedelic rock thing I suggest you give it a listen.
Matt R.

Probably the best "Eloy" album. The more spacey one they have released so far. Fully reminiscent of "Floyd"; maybe too much. Purists might call it derivative but it is a very well crafted album. Full of poetry and beautiful music. The best moments are the instrumental parts because vocals are just as poor as on "Dawn". This German accent is an absolute torture.
Compositions are long (only four songs to fill this album). Music displayed is often grandiose. Keys are very peformant and give to the whole a superb atmosphere. Maybe that a full instrumental album would have been even better. It is a very relaxing album and for those who like long instrumental breaks it might well be a very appealing release. You just have to make abstraction of those vocals. So, maybe that if you just listen to this work in a distractive manner, it will sound great.
The closing number reminds me of "Tangerine Dream" during their great trilogy. It is fully aerial. Space-rock at its best actually. Bombastic keyboards and an excellent track.
Four stars for this very good album. If only those vocals...
Daniel Z.

Eloy are one of few German prog rock bands that got international recognition in the 70's. Ocean is their 6th release, and by many seen as their best release.
Musically Ocean is somewhat different from their other releases. The album has 4 long, epic tracks on it, it's a concept album, and the main musical focus is the use of various kinds of synths.
All the songs contain extensive use of synths, layers of different kinds of synths are everpresent in the songs. Synths here including hammond and mellotron, to make the description easier. There's floating synths in the back of the soundscapes, synth soloing overlaying or underscoring other instruments, electronically enhanced voices, synth sounds and noises added for effect...and the songs are dominated by this.
Fleshing out the soundscapes are some good, excellently played bass lines; high class drumming and percussion from start to finish, and some well planned and performed guitar work. The only weak aspect on this release are the vocals, where the lack in range, flat delivery and heavy accent that for some is a part of the charm with this group; but for others is the one element that is offputting. The guitar work may sound a bit similar to Pink Floyd at times; but apart from that element the sound here is pretty unique.
All the above elements are combined in 4 long, epic, spacey and dreamy songs; with some psychedelic moments to them as well; which is especially true of the last track on this album. All the songs have a good flow to them, always intriguing and always progressing excellently.
This release is a "must have" purchase for most people into synth heavy symphonic and spacey prog rock; and anyone fond of long dreamy soundscapes will find this album to be a treat as well.
Olav Martin Bjørnsen

Following the success of "Dawn", Eloy implemented a more epic approach to a similar style in "Ocean". Four long tracks make up what is widely regarded as their best work. Lyrics were never Eloy's forte, but Jurgen Rosenthal reaches his peak here. Still, it is the wide battery of keyboards and the rhythm section that really carry the day and the buoyant Eloy sound to another triumph. Bornemann's guitars have a bit more prominence than on "Dawn", especially during parts of the opener and best track, "Poseidon's Creation", and his voice is distinctly improved from Dawn.
"Incarnation of the Logos" starts slowly and reflectively both musically and vocally but is cranked up for a superb orchestral keyboard and bass guitar workout, and Rosenthal also excels on drums. Bornemann is nary to be found in this section, an example of his ability to step back and let others have at it. "Decay of the Logos" is the piece that reminds me the most of the "Dawn" material, with a section featuring reverbed voice followed by a harder passage showcasing Bornemann's more aggressive angular melodic style. Even where he sings lead, the instrumentation is so powerful that he is far from the dominant feature of the sound.
While this is an excellent album and a strong representative of the declining space rock era, it has a few weaknesses not present on its predecessor, and these are chiefly on the finale, "Atlantis Agony". The narrative part was just so passe by 1977 and only accentuated the flailing of the genre, even if Eloy, unlike almost every Anglo prog rock band at the time, was in their peak period. It is a triflingly slow moving piece. I'm all for buildups but this one seems more in a holding pattern a little like a plane taxiing on the runway for far too long. And as a passenger in such a situation, I do find myself dozing off. The organ is pleasant to meditate to, and the string synths and other orchestral sounds weave in and out, but it all just goes on too long. The second half of its 15 minutes does provide a majestic setting for the culmination of the album.
While not quite as impressive as Dawn, this followup is a saline aqueous solution to the prog naysayers of the late 1970s.
Keneth Levine

Eloy's Ocean appears to be the defining moment of this band's long career. After five albums of some exceptional material and some mixed results, they pulled it all together on this four-song concept album about the fall of the mythical island of Atlantis. Not only would this be one of their best and most noted albums, but it outsold other more established prog rock acts in Germany.
Eloy's music from this time period can best be described as symphonic space rock. In many ways, it sounds similar to Pink Floyd's output from the same time period: lush synthesizer backgrounds, soaring guitars, driving rhythms, except it isn't as blues-based as Pink Floyd was. It also shows a hint of East European symphonic prog rock influences.
Although nowadays, Ocean sounds a bit dated from the recording techniques of the time period, the essence of their music remains. Once you get past this dated feeling, the music is skillfully composed and performed. Frank Bornemann and Detlev Schmidtchen were top-notch instrumentalists.
Probably the most difficult challenge in listening to Ocean are the heavily-accented and nasally vocals of Bornemann. Bornemann clearly has improved since this album, but Ocean will take a bit of getting used to. I don't find any distractions at all after many repeated listens, but when I first heard Ocean, it didn't really appeal to me much. It has grown on me considerably since then, and thus it might do the same for you.
Ocean should clearly be one of the essential purchases for German progressive rock. In the overall scheme of things, it doesn't quite compare to the output coming out of the U.K. in the same decade (Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, etc.). I honestly think this album would have been on that level if they had recorded it in a more top-notch facility and sang it in their native German. Still, it's an excellent achievement, well deserving of four / five stars.
Ken Robinson

The best Eloy album ever, in my opinion. This is Eloy at its peak, no doubt about it. It is only unfortunate that this masterpiece was release in 1977, a real bad year for prog music in general, and concept albums in particular. If it was produced a year or two earlier it would get much more exposure and the critics would be less harsh. Nevertheless, it was still Eloy´s bestseller up to that time and a proof that good music can stand on its own even at hard times. Even today, 30 years afeter, Ocean stands as their most satisfying album.
Based on the Atlantis legend, with only four long tracks overall, this album has a superb production and the band is on top form. Great drums, keys and guitars. The strong german accent that plagues the vocals suits well here, at least in parts. And, besides, it never really bothered me much. Frank Bornemann ended up making this handicap a kind of trademark that gave Eloy part of their charm. He was never meant to be the singer, as he claimed, but his voice works well for their music. The long instrumental passages are the highlight, though, since those guys were by that time a tight unit and the songwriting is superb. Some eletronics elements appears by the end of the record, another novelty for Eloy.
If you´re new to be the band, then Ocean is a good starting point. It shows that excellent prog music was not being produced only in England and the USA. Eloy was one of the first german groups to make great records on that style outside the english speaking countries and Ocean (with or without accent) is their magnum opus. 4,5 / 5 stars.
Tarcisio Moura

Poseidon done well.
Ocean is considered one of the top albums of the space rock sub-genre, and rightly so. While it may not be the genre's number one best or most appreciated works it certainly stands its ground against some of the giants that are its peers such as Nektar and Hawkwind. The band often find themselves in comparison with the likes of some of the most established space rock bands often, and is usually called by the moniker ''The poor man's Pink Floyd''. Style wise this is an accurate comparison, however, as Eloy oftentimes plays the style of Floyd with heavily keyboard laced instrumental sections over subtle guitars, a prominent and driving bass and some dominant vocal sections. Fans of the Floyd will find this album as a good place to be introduced to the German equivilant of the band, as the soundscapes should please the ear of any astral traveler.
What Eloy does best (especially on this album) is create an atmosphere that drives the song in instrumental sections. Right off the bat with the 11-minute long Poseidon's Creation the band paints a wonderful picture driven by that bass formerly mentioned. The long instrumental sections in the middle and end of the song are wonderfully hypnotic and could go on forever if they wanted to without getting redundant. The same goes for the final half of the finishing track, Atlantis Agony, which brings things to a more aggressive level with more pressing keyboards and bass. The most of the rest of the album is either slow or quick (but never overly fast) with the keyboards creating a wonderfully spacey mood.
The vocals do feel out of place on the album, though. While the vocals are pleasant enough they often seem forced, and the mix of spoken-word and singing doesn't often blend well. A constant echoing effect on some of the tracks like Decay of The Logos feels like it could have been skipped but wasn't, while some of the lyrics on Incarnation Of The Logos are so cheesy that is would make some modern progressive metal bands hold their sides with laughter (a particular favorite is when the echoed voices come in from the background and whisper ever so seriously ''and the Gods made love...!''). The vocals have a peculiar charm though, since the German accent is so thick that it leaves one wondering just what the lyrics are supposed to say (''Son of God and daugher of Euhrsh''). But for their wonderful campy style Eloy win over just as many people as they turn off because it really does create more than just a song - it's a story which I can imagine could often be called pretentious in some circles. But isn't that what prog is all about?
When it comes right down to it - campy vocals and cheesy lyrics or not - Eloy can really churn out some good spacey material, and on this effort they could easily do battle with the best of the best in the genre. Impressive instrumental sections that are spaced and yet demanding make for a very interesting listen, and they lyrics will have the more intellectual fanbase giving a thumbs-up. 4 decayed logos out of 5 for a fun experience - if not taken too seriously.
Patricia O'Bee

Please, listen to Eloy.
In a crystal ball surrounded by fog, a celestial god is looking at what the Earth had become. He is gently narrataing from above the wise words the human race so eagerly need. He is following us through a journey at the center of Atlantis, for better and for worse...This is why I looove ELoy: the graphical fantasy is so refreshing!
The concept couldn't lifted properly without the whole Space-rock approach, with no filler; everything has it's place from the celestial narrator, the hypnotical guitar lines, the totally delectable bass lines and yes, even the heavy accent has a German-mad-scientist adds to the whole plot.
Trippy, aerial, floaty and representing well the sci-fi and fantasy atmosphere of the 70's, Ocean will be a delight for newbies and veterans, looking for a new band to give an ear.
Handclaps to Eloy.
Jonathan Payeur

To me Eloy is totally underappreciated. Their work is almost as good as that of Pink Floyd or other famous space rock groups. This album is particularly like Floyd because it's a concept. Well maybe not, it's about Atlantis not politics, insanity, or isolation but either way the concept in this album is a very good one and it holds together very well. The bass guitar parts are perfect from start to finish and Bornemanns vocals aren't as deathly German as they normally are. My favorite is Decay of Logos, it simply drifts you off to another world. The spoken word on the final track could've been done better but hey I guess it's just the music on the album that counts. 4.1/5 stars.
Tanner

Ocean, I must say, is underrated, compared to all the other abroad classics (Depois Do Fim, Hybris, Anabelas....). Majestic, terrifying, epic, this album is for sure one of the best Space Rock albums ever. It's one of those albums that in my opinion cannot be doubted on, one of those classics that will remain in the history of prog rock history.
The style tends to have a perfect balance between hard rock and spacey moods, like you will never find. Even Nektar's "A Tab In The Ocean" wasn't able to create this formula a few years before the release of Ocean. The record is a fantastic concept album written by drummer Rosenthal, (who is also very creative when playing) that concerns Greek Mythology and the mythic city Atlantis.
"Poseidon Creation" is the fantastic opener, where the band's style is more highlighted. It is in my opinion the best song of the album, with an outstanding and heavy riff mixed with floating moods. Brilliant, one of the best space rock songs ever.
"Incarnation Of Logos" has one of the most unbelievable intros ever. So spacy and at the same time mysterious, it seems almost like you are really floating in sapce, above the mighty ocean. Not crazy about the rest of the song, but it's still really good.
"Decay Of Logos" is another masterpiece, maybe not as good as the first track, but still impressively consistent. It also has a pretty catchy riff, with good vocals and general surrounding.
"Atlantis Agony" is considered by the fans their highest point of their carrer, and they might be right. After the intro, a mood very similar to "Wish You Were Here" kicks in, even though it's a bit more mysterious than the PF masterpiece. Also the final part is majestic, with many memorable moments that will surely be remembered in many years from now.
Five/five stars, an essential masterpiece for prog rock fans. That's all what I got to say.
Nick

If there's any Eloy's album which deserves the attribute of masterpiece it's this one. The Uriah Heep influence has been superseded by an original sound, with some Folydian influences, but not so strong as in Power and the Passion.
The album contains only 4 long tracks and should be a concept one, even if I never investigated it.
"Poseidon's Creation" contains all the things that make a song be called "progressive". Long instrumental parts, keyboards, guitar riffs...only Bornemann's voice is unfortunately the same as ever with that strong German accent. I don't know why he didn't sing in German instead of English. It was probably for 'commercial' reasons, but German would have been best fitting with Bornemann's voice. Regardless this fact, that's common in all the Eloy's discography, this is an excellent song with several sections. The keyboards part after the singing has something of Genesis and of Wakeman at the same time, followed by a very good guitar piece that even giving me a sensation of "already-known" can't be related to any specific prog dynosaur. The coda is quite psychedelic thanks to the repetitiveness of the guitar's part.
"Incarnation of the Logos" makes clear that we are speaking of ancient Greece. Poseidon in the first track and Atlantis in the last identify our story in 10.000BC, when Plato put's the disappearence of Atlantis. The song is slow and keyboard-based. Did Porcupine Tree know this song when they have written Radioactive Toy? The instrumental part in the middle of the song is one of the best ever created by this band.
Bass opens "Decay of the Logos". There's just a bit of krautrock flavour because of the repetitive bass line (almost performed by keyboards) of the initial part. This is a complex song in the sung parts with uptime tempo and odd signatures. It's about a decay, so it introduces the fall of Atlantis which is going to come at June 5th - 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime.
"And so the Gods decided ...." well without written lyrics I'm unable to understand what Bornemann says with his accent, but I think the message is clear. Deadly bells, background screams, winds and a narrator for the storm to start. 3 minutes of dark psychedelia than the organ plays minor chords like in a requiem on which the narrator says something. It goes on dark and slowly for the first half of the track, until the bass enters. Now Bornemann sings. If I have to think to an example of "a progressive song" this is a good one. There's something theathrical in the nubers cried by Bornemann at the end of the singing part. Now the bass is hypnotic while the keyboards make an excellent work. This can be defined an epic, maybe the first real epic in the Eloy's discography. Probably a bit dated in the sounds, but good music never dies, isn't it so? It's at minute 13 that the catastrophe of the title happens. This song is about the Atlantis Agony, not its death, so don't expect explosions or similar. the music flows dark and dramatic without any excess. The coda sounds like deadly bells again. Unfortunately it fades out, a production choice that I never like and it seems to be completely unneeded at this point.
Even with some defects this is probably the fundamental album of this band and I don't want to decrease its overall rating so I will round up to 5 the 4.5 stars that I think it really deserves.
Luca

For a long while I felt indifferently towards 'Ocean' but the passing of time and the many listens have revised my early opinion. I now firmly believe this to be a genuine contender for the Space Rock crown. For this review I've chosen to focus on the lyrics rather than talk about such and such a detail of the music; suffice to say the album is composed of four epic tracks that almost seem to match the grandeur of the doubtful world of Atlantis on which the whole thing is based.
The story of Atlantis first appeared in Plato's 'Critias' and 'Timaeus' dialogues, although a volcanic eruption circa 1450 B.C. that destroyed Knossos could well be the basis for the story. In spite of the possibility that Plato's story is based on historical events, his dialogues were largely allegorical and attempted to reconcile the idea of the supernatural with scientific explanations of the natural.
The spoken-word parts toward the end may seem to stop the album dead in its tracks but they are essential for the development of the story and in general the concept sticks closely to the original story. 'Poseidon's Creation' explains how the gods divided the earth among themselves, with Poseidon receiving the sea and the island of Atlantis: 'When the mighty sons of the spheres beyond distributed the elements of earth'. Poseidon and the maiden Cleito then begat 5 pairs of sons - 'Incarnation of the Logos', where Logos is the word or the son of a god - and the island flourished: 'And words transform into flesh and blood'
Filled with foolish and wicked ambition - 'Decay of the Logos' - the rulers of Atlantis attempted to enslave the entire Mediterranean world but were defeated in war by Athens: 'Vanity - Insanity, warm, hot and true, / Who cut the enemy down? We are betrayed!' In the aftermath of the war the angered gods delivered the coup de grace: 'Make your eye go down and strike the mutineers with disaster.' 'Atlantis' Agony... ' describes the manner in which it was destroyed when a volcanic eruption, earthquakes and tidal wave engulfed the island: 'A liquid fire appears in the sky... A mind power makes the rocks sink.'
Atlantis was later thought to have been located west of the Pillars of Hercules, i.e. the straits of Gibraltar. Some years ago I gazed out at the ocean that might shelter the legendary city when I stood at 'the edge of the world' in west Portugal, and I would willingly do time on those waters if I had this album for company. Atlantis might or might not lie hidden beneath the depths of Poseidon's domain but Eloy's 'Ocean' soars to the extreme heights of Space Rock. 5/5
seventhsojourn

The act of uppermost magic has begun, Impulses working on and on, Movement here and there, Vibrations Move The Atmosphere!
"Ocean" is the most revered and famous album from Eloy and close to the best the band has produced, but for me the best album is "Floating" which is also a masterpiece of prog. "Ocean" is certainly an adventurous album with an over emphasis on Frank Bornemann's strained vocals and an over indulgence of the incoherent concept and narrations which is not necessarily a good thing, but it works for the most part. The band are at their best when they take off into full blown keyboard and guitar solos and there are plenty on offer here. This album relies heavily on atmospherics and symphonic soundscapes and is wonderful headphone music.
There are only 4 songs but they all feature incredible musicianship and a heavy concept that has something to do with the lost city of Atlantis and Poseidon's power with the divine Logos. The story focuses on the rise and fall of the great mythical city of Atlantis, depicting its creation and its destruction. It throws in the dawn of civilisation, and how it became corrupted by greed, power and lust and finally after the gods had taken all they could take, they proceed to destroy the city to rubble on June 5th 8498 at 13 pm.
"Atlantis was the island's name, greatest treasury of all times, human eyes didn't ever see the same, silver and gold, fertile hills, woodlands and plains, it was situated in front of the strait they call "The Columns of Herakles", Kleito was the daughter's name, a princely virgin of clearness and love, so Poseidon fell in love with her and built a shrine on the mountains above surrounded by a golden wall and inside he placed his holy law."
The first track is the wonderful 'Poseidon's Creation' that takes off immediately with the narrations and symphonic sounds. After a gentle intro the Hammond blasts in and a rhythm builds in to the main riff. Bornemann's guitar soloing is stellar and it is layered over with another solo blending together perfectly. The bassline is fabulous from Klaus-Peter Matziol and the keyboard skills of Detlev Schmidtchen are superb. The track really gets going at about 8 minutes when the band go into full flight in an instrumental of musical genius. This is an excellent uplifting start to this album.
"The act of uppermost magic has begun, Impulses working on and on, Movement here and there, Vibrations Move The Atmosphere! Transcendental forces penetrate The planet we call Earth, and all spheres of the universe All the elements burst!"
'Incarnation of the Logos' drifts in with effortless keyboarding from Schmidtchen and compelling musical textures helped by Matziol's bass and Jürgen Rosenthal's percussion. There are loads of spoken dialogue scattered on here but Bornemann sounds pleasant on vocals. The mellotron soaked background music builds eventually into some dynamic metrics, especially the bassline. At about 3:50 the rhythmic pulse quickens and it becomes majestic and I particularly like the melody line. This one grew on me over time and became another of my favourites. The next vocal section is a mediocre point of the album but the synth laden melody saves it.
"From the upper sea of the setting sun, you submit all mankind to toe the line, To toe your line, You commit your frightful arms against the palaces and treasures of our mind, Our innocent mind, That's why you should remember, The duty that's required by your life, Or is it true that you did surrender, Your only possibility to survive?"
My favourite track is 'Decay of Logos; with terrific singing and a powerful structure of melodic themes and soloing. The main melody is well executed and again grows on me with every listen. Indeed side 2 of the album is even better than the first side which is excellent in its own right.
"A mind power made the rocks sink, And by this power the mass of stones will surface again, Legends kept the secret of their wisdom, And soon it will all be revealed, soon it all will be revealed, 1983, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88."
'Atlantis' Agony At June 5th - 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime' begins with a lengthy passage of 'tron and voice over and then a tolling bell that builds into a stormy spacescape. The band are at their most inventive here, and do not hold back on the atmospherics and effects. The synth dominates in the opening passage, until about 8 minutes when drums and Bornemann's vocals chime in. He sounds great here and the rhythm is steady with some inventive drumming patterns and pulsing bass. There is a divine twin keyboard solo that takes things to another level. The section at 13 minutes is fantastic music, with a spacey nuance and swathes of mellotron.
Overall this album is a magnificent slice of space rock featuring an awesome display of musicianship. I can see how the overbearing narrations and concept may not appeal to all, but for 1977 this one stands out well above the rest. It is definitely well worth checking out as an example of one of the best and proggiest from the amazing extensive discography of Eloy.
Scott Tuffnell

A mythologic space-rock journey
4.5 / 5 stars
"Ocean" was the most successful album of ELOY, for a reason. More ambitious than their former opuses, this album shows refinements on many points. The few hard-rock influences have vanished, the style and personnality of the band is now defined: "fantasy space-rock". The melodies are more noticeable and Frank Bornemann has improved his guitar playing. Compositions become longer again, reaching 15 minutes for the last one. This means that ELOY has completely finished its mutation (started in 1973) to a progressive band. The success of "Ocean" is even more surprising as it was released in 1977, during the explosion of punk rock.
"Poseidon's Creation"'s opening shows inspirations from their british elder brothers. The beginning has reminiscences of PINK FLOYD's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part 2" introduction with its galoping bass and piercing guitar. The sung part is pleasant while a bit long, and the ending section features an excellent solo from Bornemann. This track will become a classic in ELOY's discography. "Incarnation Of The Logos" is softer. Starting with an ambient intro, it finishes with a nice melancholic melody.
"Decay Of The Logos" begins with a spacey intro and then becomes more agressive. Although the shortest song (8 minutes), it has a good progression, various ambiances and a noticeable melody. The record finishes with the evanescent "Atlantis' Agony". This epic is the spaciest track of the album, as it alternates atmospheric passages and dreamy soundscapes. The ending is also very catchy.
Only a few lengthy moments prevents this album from reaching the maximal note. With "Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes", "Ocean" is undoubtly one of ELOY's best albums, and also an essential record of the space-rock genre. Although not very innovative at the time, the band proves they can compete with their other british progressive brothers. A classic, highly recommended to PINK FLOYD, space-rock, or even symphonic prog fans.
Nico


Podría traer muchos otros comentarios pero es al pedo, al que no le gusta este disco es marciano... Un disco maravilloso, sin vueltas.



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Buenos días desde La Barra Beatles. Hoy reunidos para recordar una hermosa canción, de las más lindas del cancionero de nuestro rock: “Iba acabándose el vino”, de Charly García. Está en un gran disco llamado “Música del Alma”, un álbum altamente recomendable para amantes de la música acústica. Para introducirnos en el tema voy a traer a un amigo que se nos fue hace varios años, Hernie, conocido en la barra brava de Ferro como “El eléctrico”. Probablemente este pibe sea el mayor fanático de García que conocí. Solía relatar las frases de Charly de un modo tan sentimental que hasta el propio autor se hubiera quedado oyendo a esa voz que venía desde tan adentro, casi desde el significado mismo de la canción. Se notaba que la había recorrido, conocía bien esos vericuetos que están detrás de las palabras, esas notas que la melodía no canta y que, ni bien empieza el tema, la imaginación le hace un coro en silencio que atraviesa todos los compases, los adorna y queda dando vueltas por los parl

Humillación

Jorge Alemán afirma en esta nota (tan actual aunque haya sido escrita hace siglos: el 5 de octubre de 2023) que la pesadilla del avance de la ultraderecha argentina, experta en crueles humillaciones, comenzó hace tiempo y parece que las razones argumentadas que se presentan no alcanzan para despertar de este mundo distópico. Por Jorge Alemán "La historia es una pesadilla de la que estamos intentando  despertar". James Joyce Además del lógico temor frente a que las ultraderechas se queden con el gobierno, estamos asistiendo a uno de los espectáculos más humillantes de la historia argentina. La pesadilla ha comenzado hace tiempo y no parece que las razones argumentadas que se presentan sirvan para despertar de este mundo distópico.   Un clan experto en humillaciones crueles, con matices delirantes que apuntan con una ametralladora de estupideces que son pronunciadas con fruición y goce, se presenta para ocupar las más altas responsabilidades de la Nación. Es el punto

Cuando la Quieren Enterrar, la Memoria se Planta

El pueblo armado con pañuelos blancos aplastó el intento de impunidad . Alrededor de medio millón de personas se manifestaron en la Plaza de Mayo para rechazar categóricamente el 2x1 de la Corte a los genocidas. No fue la única, hubo al menos veinte plazas más en todo el país, todas repletas, además de manifestaciones en el exterior. Una multitud con pañuelos blancos en la cabeza pudo más que todo el mecanismo político-judicial-eclesiastico-mediático, forzando al Congreso a votar una ley para excluir la aplicación del "2x1" en las causas de lesa humanidad. Tocaron una fibra muy profunda en la historia Argentina, que traspasa generaciones. No queremos genocidas en la calle: es tan simple como eso. Tenemos que tolerar las prisiones domiciliarias a genocidas, que se mueran sin ser condenados o que sean excarcelados gracias a los jueces blancos. Cuesta muchísimo armar las causas, años. Muchos están prófugos, muchos no pudieron condenarse por falta de pruebas y otros porque tard

Kosmovoid - Space Demon (2021)

Todo un viaje. Seguimos con la saga de buenos discos brasileros, y presentamos el tercer álbum del power trío brasileño Kosmovoid, haciendo una mezcla de krautrock, industrial, psicodelia, ambient, post-rock y space-rock, una mezcla de estilos que no hemos escuchado en otras bandas brasileras, desplegada por una banda que tiene como principales influencias a bandas como Ash Ra Temple, Dead Can Dance, Popol Vuh, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream y Goblin entre muchas otras. Aquí los sonidos electrónicos forman parte del espíritu de las canciones, que deambulan de manera instrumental sobre un colchón de ritmos casi tribales, creando un trance ritual generada por una buena armonía entre cada instrumento, buscando siempre no caer en lugares comunes aunque estén claras las referencias y las influencias de su música. Once temas instrumentales envolventes y reconfortantes forman este buen disco, que toma el Krautrock y lo trae al día de hoy, mezclándolo también con otros estilos para crear algo

Ideario del arte y política cabezona

Ideario del arte y política cabezona


"La desobediencia civil es el derecho imprescriptible de todo ciudadano. No puede renunciar a ella sin dejar de ser un hombre".

Gandhi, Tous les hommes sont frères, Gallimard, 1969, p. 235.