Eloy
| Eloy | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hannover, Germany |
| Genres | Progressive rock, symphonic rock, space rock, psychedelic rock |
| Years active | 1969–1984, 1988–present |
| Labels |
Philips (1971) EMI/Electrola/Harvest (1973–1984) |
| Website | Eloy |
| Members |
Frank Bornemann Michael Gerlach Hannes Folberth Steve Mann Klaus-Peter Matziol Bodo Schopf |
| Past members |
Erich Schriever Manfred Wieczorke Helmut Draht (deceased) Wolfgang Stöcker Fritz Randow Luitjen Jansen (deceased) Detlef "Pitter" Schwaar Detlev Schmidtchen Jürgen Rosenthal Hannes Arkona Jim McGillivray |
Eloy is a German progressive rock band, whose musical style includes symphonic and space rock, the latter theme being more prevalent on earlier albums. Despite their nationality and time period, the band is not generally considered krautrock because of their sound, which has much more in common with English progressive rock and symphonic rock groups such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes and Camel.
History
Founded in 1969 by guitarist Frank Bornemann, the band has endured several line-up changes, with Bornemann being the only consistent member of the group. In the 1980s, after a series of major splits in the group, Bornemann pursued a more commercial direction. Despite attracting a large following in Germany, the band never gained popularity in the United States. However, in later years, former members of the band re-joined, and in 1998 released the album Ocean 2, a return to the classic symphonic progressive rock genre for which the band was well known.
Bornemann described the origin of the name of the band thus: "The name Eloy is based on the book 'The Time Machine' by H.G. Wells. Wells describes in his book the situation of mankind about 800,000 years later, and 'Eloy' is a human race in his story. The Eloy in Wells' story have made a new start with the help of the time traveler. In a way, it was a new beginning for the human race. German rock bands in the late 1960s played mainly covers from other bands instead of playing their own compositions. Record deals for German bands were absolutely rare and German bands generally were considered to be second class bands in their own country. At that time it was a strong effort for a German band to come out with only their own compositions. It was a start into an unknown future, and from this point of view, comparable to the human race in Wells' story. That is why I got the idea to name the band 'Eloy'."[1]
In August 2009, it was announced that Eloy would be reforming for a new album. The support of fans from many parts of the world, which had been around for many years, eventually reached the ears of the musicians themselves. And so Frank Bornemann, lead singer, guitarist, and producer of Eloy reunited the band again for its 40th anniversary. After a break of eleven years, Eloy launched a new album with the title "Visionary", aiming to recapture the spirit of the early years.
A double DVD, 'The Legacy Box', was released in December 2010 and contains a number of videos and television recordings from all periods of the band, as well as a comprehensive documentary of the band's history with interviews, a photo gallery, and many other features. "[2]
The band played at festivals in Germany and Switzerland in July 2011 with largely the same personnel as those on the 1994-1995 tour.[3]
Eloy cancelled their first-ever performance in North America. The band was supposed to headline the North East Art Rock Festival on Sunday, June 24, 2012.[4] The cancellation was due to Frank Bornemann's injury following a road accident in March 2012.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Eloy | 1971 |
| Inside | 1973 |
| Floating | 1974 |
| Power and the Passion | 1975 |
| Dawn | 1976 |
| Ocean | 1977 |
| Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes | 1979 |
| Colours | 1980 |
| Planets | 1981 |
| Time to Turn | 1982 |
| Performance | 1983 |
| Metromania | 1984 |
| Codename Wildgeese (soundtrack) | 1984 |
| Ra | 1988 |
| Destination | 1992 |
| The Tides Return Forever | 1994 |
| Ocean 2: The Answer | 1998 |
| Visionary | 2009 |
| The Vision, the Sword and the Pyre - Part 1 | TBA[5] |
Compilation / remix albums / box sets
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Rarities | 1991 |
| Chronicles I | 1993 |
| Chronicles II | 1994 |
| The Best of Eloy Vol.I - The Early Days 1972-1975 | 1994 |
| The Best of Eloy Vol.II - The Prime 1976-1979 | 1996 |
| Timeless Passages | 2003 |
| The Legacy Box | 2010 |
Live albums
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Live | 1978 |
| Live Impressions (DVD) | 2013 |
| Reincarnation on Stage (2 CD + DVD) | 2014 |
Band members
| 1971–1972 | |
|---|---|
| 1973 |
|
| 1974 |
|
| 1975 |
|
| 1976–1979 |
|
| 1979–1981 | |
| 1981–1984 |
|
| 1984–1987 | Band split. |
| 1988–1993 |
|
| 1994–1997 |
|
| 1998–2010 | |
| 2011–present | |
Timeline
References
- ↑ History page on the Eloy's Official Website
- ↑ News page on Eloy's Official Website
- ↑ Welcome page on Eloy's Official Website
- ↑ NEARfest Apocalypse Lineup
- ↑ "ELOY Legacy". ELOY official website. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
External links
- Official Eloy Website
- Eloy at www.progweed.net
- Eloy's biography (in German) - http://www.germanrock.de/e/eloy
- Eloy page on Gnosis2000.net
- Rétrospective Eloy on Bigbangmag.com (in French)
- Mert Gocay's Eloy page
- Eloy on Progarchives