ELOY’S TOP FIVE

The band’s classic albums for the uninitiated.

Inside (Harvest, 1973)

Transformed from the rather workaday blues rock of their 1969 debut, Eloy blossomed into something special on their sprawling second effort. Worth hearing for gargantuan opener Land Of No Body alone.

Power And The Passion (Electrola, 1975)

A mind-bending concept album that tells the tale of a scientist’s son, his time-travelling exploits, penchant for marijuana and unexpected involvement in a peasants’ mutiny in 1358. The tunes are brilliant, too.

Ocean (Electrola, 1977)

Arguably Eloy’s masterpiece and their biggest success in Germany, Ocean both cemented the band’s distinctive sound and allowed them to expand into more wildly atmospheric territory.

The Tides Return Forever (ACI, 1994)

After drifting away from their trademark sound for a number of years, Eloy’s 16th album marked a welcome return to flat-out prog glory and kept the band’s name alive during a rather tricky period for the whole genre.

Ocean 2: The Answer (GUN, 1998)

A long-awaited sequel to Eloy’s magnum opus, Ocean 2 didn’t quite scale the heights of its illustrious predecessor, but it did confirm that Frank Bornemann had lost none of his exploratory zeal, or knack for penning a big tune. DL