Eloy

For other uses, see Eloy (disambiguation).
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 strong feedback from all parts of the world, which has been around for many years, eventually reached the musicians themselves. And so Frank Bornemann, lead singer, guitarist and producer of Eloy, has brought the band together again for a 40th anniversary reunion. After a break of eleven years, they launched a new album with the title 'Visionary' aiming to recapture the spirit of the early years.

The 'The Legacy Box' double DVD was released in December 2010 and contains numerous videos and TV recordings from all the band's periods, 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 the personnel largely the same as 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

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

Official Eloy 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

  1. ↑ History page on the Eloy's Official Website
  2. ↑ News page on Eloy's Official Website
  3. ↑ Welcome page on Eloy's Official Website
  4. ↑ NEARfest Apocalypse Lineup

External links

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