1982
Time To Turn
01. Through a Somber Galaxy (6:00)
02. Behind the Walls of Imagination (6:25)
03. Time to Turn (4:32)
04. Magic Mirrors (5:25)
05. End of an Odyssey (9:25)
06. The Flash (5:34)
07. Say, Is It Really True (4:45)
Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars, co-producer
Hannes Arkona / guitars, keyboards, percussion
Hannes Folberth / keyboards
Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass, Taurus pedals
Fritz Randow / drums
With:
Amy, Anna & Sabine / additional vocals (3)
With Time to Turn, Eloy are well within their synth heavy, almost synth pop, approach to prog that dominated their late 70s and early 80s sound. While most of the key prog bands had died or significantly changed in sound from ~1976, a band like Eloy somehow managed to remain an ongoing concern. I could be wrong, but I always feel the band were heavily influenced by Alan Parsons but fortunately, unlike that band, Eloy stayed mostly true to their prog and symphonic roots and never strayed too far into synth pop and definitely not into adult contemporary (as heard on albums such as Eve and Eye in the Sky). The album does sound cheesy from time-to-time, as is common with the band's latter-day sound, but it's rarely too much of a turn-off (pardon the pun), and the overall feeling is surprisingly good without being groundbreaking (a fair description for most Eloy albums is must be said).
The album kicks off with 'Through a Somber Galaxy' which variously sounds like a street blues track (the introduction, with the moog replacing the usual whistling or harmonica), a classic Eloy driving rocker and yet another ode to Camel with 80s keyboard production. Not bad, but not essential either.
Much better is to follow though. The dynamic 'Behind the Walls of Imagination' is a cracking track mixing Rush synths with classic Eloy guitar and moog interplay and Chris Squire-sounding bass. To cap it off, the track has a nice catchy melody in the refrain even if Frank Bornemann's voice is not strong enough to really take it to the next level.
The title track is another cracking track, this time starting as a nice mid-tempo stomper carried by Klaus-Peter Matziol and augmented with cool jangly guitars. Then the track explodes in the refrain with searing synths and one of Bornemann's better vocal performances. Even more surprising are the pleasant female symphonic harmonies provided by "Sabine, Amy, and Anne".
Arguably the best track is the lengthy and ambitious 'End of an Odyssey', which starts off as pure Camel circa Moonmadness, what with the massive moog solo in the first half of the track. I love that album and I almost equally love this track. The track then sounds more like a poppy version of Pink Floyd's 'Dogs' once the vocals start. It's a relative disappointment after the monumental introduction but still a good track overall. And it never feels overlong, which is quite an achievement for a prog band releasing such a lengthy track in 1982. The only strange part is how it suddenly fades out without any particular climax.
Elsewhere, 'Magic Mirrors' is a bit Eloy-by-numbers by this stage and is overall quite flat. The bass sounds a bit like that from the introduction to 'Through a Somber Galaxy', the symphonic keyboards are quite simple and synth pop sounding, while Frank Bornemann's never quite nails the vocal hooks he's aiming for.
The relatively modern approach of the band, clearly heard in the production, also shows up in the new wave rhythm of 'The Flash'. To be fair I'm usually getting a bit bored of the album by this point and this track doesn't really offer anything we haven't already heard. Just when you think the album is going to peter out, it really surprises you with the mostly acoustic 'Say, is it Really True', with possibly the most tender Eloy vocals you will ever hear, and some really tasteful keyboard embellishment, including what sounds to be synthesised seagull sounds.
So, yet another good, solid album from this stage of Eloy's career. I have never heard anything beyond Time to Turn, but I have been assured that it is all downhill from here. Nevertheless, while the band will never be remembered as one of the true prog greats, they should be remembered as one of the better "second tier" bands, and it's a great testament that they managed to release such a good album in 1982 when other, better prog bands, had almost all fallen by the wayside.
02. Behind the Walls of Imagination (6:25)
03. Time to Turn (4:32)
04. Magic Mirrors (5:25)
05. End of an Odyssey (9:25)
06. The Flash (5:34)
07. Say, Is It Really True (4:45)
Frank Bornemann / vocals, guitars, co-producer
Hannes Arkona / guitars, keyboards, percussion
Hannes Folberth / keyboards
Klaus-Peter Matziol / bass, Taurus pedals
Fritz Randow / drums
With:
Amy, Anna & Sabine / additional vocals (3)
The album kicks off with 'Through a Somber Galaxy' which variously sounds like a street blues track (the introduction, with the moog replacing the usual whistling or harmonica), a classic Eloy driving rocker and yet another ode to Camel with 80s keyboard production. Not bad, but not essential either.
Much better is to follow though. The dynamic 'Behind the Walls of Imagination' is a cracking track mixing Rush synths with classic Eloy guitar and moog interplay and Chris Squire-sounding bass. To cap it off, the track has a nice catchy melody in the refrain even if Frank Bornemann's voice is not strong enough to really take it to the next level.
The title track is another cracking track, this time starting as a nice mid-tempo stomper carried by Klaus-Peter Matziol and augmented with cool jangly guitars. Then the track explodes in the refrain with searing synths and one of Bornemann's better vocal performances. Even more surprising are the pleasant female symphonic harmonies provided by "Sabine, Amy, and Anne".
Arguably the best track is the lengthy and ambitious 'End of an Odyssey', which starts off as pure Camel circa Moonmadness, what with the massive moog solo in the first half of the track. I love that album and I almost equally love this track. The track then sounds more like a poppy version of Pink Floyd's 'Dogs' once the vocals start. It's a relative disappointment after the monumental introduction but still a good track overall. And it never feels overlong, which is quite an achievement for a prog band releasing such a lengthy track in 1982. The only strange part is how it suddenly fades out without any particular climax.
Elsewhere, 'Magic Mirrors' is a bit Eloy-by-numbers by this stage and is overall quite flat. The bass sounds a bit like that from the introduction to 'Through a Somber Galaxy', the symphonic keyboards are quite simple and synth pop sounding, while Frank Bornemann's never quite nails the vocal hooks he's aiming for.
The relatively modern approach of the band, clearly heard in the production, also shows up in the new wave rhythm of 'The Flash'. To be fair I'm usually getting a bit bored of the album by this point and this track doesn't really offer anything we haven't already heard. Just when you think the album is going to peter out, it really surprises you with the mostly acoustic 'Say, is it Really True', with possibly the most tender Eloy vocals you will ever hear, and some really tasteful keyboard embellishment, including what sounds to be synthesised seagull sounds.
So, yet another good, solid album from this stage of Eloy's career. I have never heard anything beyond Time to Turn, but I have been assured that it is all downhill from here. Nevertheless, while the band will never be remembered as one of the true prog greats, they should be remembered as one of the better "second tier" bands, and it's a great testament that they managed to release such a good album in 1982 when other, better prog bands, had almost all fallen by the wayside.
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