Inside

From Hannover, Eloy formed in 1969, taking their name from sci-fi author H.G. Wells's Time Machine. As with many German bands at the time, Eloy covered English bands, which had considerable influence on their music. Oddly enough, the band gained a recording contract by winning a talent contest. Their hard rock debut, sung in English (as were all their albums), was a private release, but constant touring led to a deal with EMI. For their second album, Inside, guitarist and vocalist Frank Bornemann had taken control of the band's musical direction as, unsurprisingly, it took a turn to the sci-fi and the progressive. Combining the bluesy riffs of early Jethro Tull and the psychedelic jams of Pink Floyd, the album is still quite a statement. The first side is comprised entirely of "Land of Nobody" and features the excellent organ work of Manfred Wieczorke. Fritz Randow and Wolfgang Stocker's plodding rhythm section are new for the album, but Stocker wouldn't last for another. The second side features three shorter tracks that further highlight the band's unique combination of both hard and progressive rock. Bornemann's voice is "like Ian Anderson with a German accent" and something you either like or (more than likely) don't. Recorded while Bornemann simultaneously produced the Scorpions second album, their next album, Floating, followed in much the same direction. Both created some stir in the US, but unfortunately their record label Janus went bankrupt. Eloy, however, would soldier on.