Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Eloy
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1978
Rating: 4/5
After the release of their best album “Ocean” (1977), Eloy rightfully enjoyed the reputation of being the most popular German (prog) rock band, one that could easily hold its own in popularity against the biggest names in British prog rock. Usually, when a band reaches wider recognition and the listeners’ excitement is at its peak, the time is right to cement that success with a live album showcasing some of their best work. Eloy did exactly that and released their first (and so far still only official) live album, which was simply titled “Live”, even though they never lacked imagination when it came to naming albums.
For this recording, Eloy understandably focused on their two best and most successful albums, “Dawn” (1976) and “Ocean”. From their earlier work, only “Mutiny” from “Power And The Passion” (1975) and “Inside” (from the 1973 album of the same name) made the cut, which is no tragedy, since from the mid-seventies onward their material was at least a class better and more advanced. Multifaceted keyboardist Detlef Schmidtchen probably also had no desire to keep gliding over the Hammond organ the way his predecessor Manfred Wieczorke did. Wieczorke was downright in love with Hammonds, which formed the backbone of the keyboard sound on the band’s earlier work. Bandleader Frank Bornemann, who had grown even more as a guitarist by then (his vocals, on the other hand, were still a chapter of their own and a matter of the listener’s personal taste), also increasingly reached for subtler guitar lines, quite in the style of David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), turning his back on the extensive use of typical heavy rock riffs from before.
Most of the performances on “Live” sound even better and mightier than in the studio, which is hardly a big surprise, since the band had always had a reputation as superb live performers. Many of the songs are noticeably extended and include some extra symphonic arrangements and a few small improvisations. The only slightly annoying bits are the short recitations before and between some of the tracks (spoken by drummer Jürgen Rosenthal), which could have been dropped without any trouble, especially the ones in German. Frank’s strong German accent is even more pronounced live, which might bother some, while others won’t worry too much about this most obvious Germanic factor of theirs, which is one of the band’s recognizable trademarks. The production, in keeping with Frank’s tradition, is once again excellent, and there isn’t a trace of any possible studio tinkering on the recordings.
The record opens with excellent, extended versions of the interlinked conceptual classics “Poseidon’s Creation” (with its great guitar solo at the end) and “Incarnation Of the Logos” (both from the album “Ocean”), which are even better than their studio versions. On the tracks from “Dawn”, such as “The Sun Song”, where the only distraction is the unnecessary German recitation taken from some British novel called “Illuminations”, and “The Dance in Doubt And Fear”, it’s especially interesting to hear how Schimdtchen, using a wider palette of keyboards, covers those original studio symphonic arrangements that were the orchestra’s domain. Although they stick to the spirit of the originals in essence, they take quite a lot of freedom with some of the additional arrangements. The excellent “Mutiny” from “Power And The Passion” is one of two songs that Frank originally recorded with earlier lineups of the band. Given that the incarnation that recorded this concert was noticeably better as instrumentalists, it goes without saying that this version is also clearly better than its studio counterpart. The symphonic arrangements are much more extended and refined, the guitar passages subtler, while the rhythm section is even livelier. The esoteric treat “Gliding Into The Light And Knowledge” is another one of the highlights of the record, among which it would be hard for me to pick the best performance. On the oldest piece on the record, the beloved classic “Inside”, Frank properly stretches his fingers again and once more shows off a larger number of guitar passages, along with a somewhat heavier sound that was typical of their early years. Drummer Jürgen Rosenthal is excellent as usual, I’d say one of the best drummers in prog rock of that era, someone I can compare without hesitation to giants like Neil Peart, Barriemore Barlow or Carl Palmer. The set closes with the epic masterpiece “Atlantis’ Agony At June 5th – 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime”, which they play in all its majesty, adding a heap of extra electronic sounds on synthesizers. They even stretch this ambitious composition by an additional six minutes. Here again, the short German recitation at the beginning of the long ambient intro section is a bit irritating, though Schmidtchen shines on keyboards there, and after that they conjure up the best moment on the record and throw in a few extra arrangements that aren’t on the studio version.
Some critics say this live album is only for the band’s biggest fans. I couldn’t disagree more, since in my opinion it’s one of the finest progressive rock live documents to come out in the late 70s. “Live” is a proper live pick for all fans of space rock at its best, and a majestic showcase of the band at the peak of its creativity. For those just getting to know the band, though, I’d still recommend exploring all of their 70s studio albums first and only then treating yourself to this excellent live snack.
Line-up
Frank Bornemann – vocals, guitar
Klaus-Peter Matziol – bass guitar, backing vocals
Detlef Schmidtchen – keyboards
Jürgen Rosenthal – drums, percussion, voice
Production
Frank Bornemann
Track list
1. Poseidon’s Creation (11:37)
2. Incarnation Of Logos (8:46)
3. The Sun-song (8:30)
4. The Dance In Doubt And Fear (7:36)
5. Mutiny (9:56)
6a. Gliding Into Light And Knowledge (4:24)
6b. Inside (6:34)
7. Atlantis’ Agony At June 5th – 8498, 13 p.m. Gregorian Earthtime (20:54)
Album length: 78:17
