ELOY / Time to turn

Time to turn


Bit rate: 320 kps


LINK: timetoturn

01. Through a somber galaxy
02. Behind the walls of imagination
03. Time to turn
04. Magic mirrors
05. End of an odyssey
06. The flash
07. Say, is it really true


1982's Time to Turn marks the conclusion of their album Planets, released the previous year. One minor lineup change has happened at this point, and that's drummer Jim McGillivray leaving only to be replaced by a returning Fritz Randow (who last appeared in 1975 on Power and the Passion). While I feel Planets is the better album, Time to Turn is still an excellent album, and way better than just about any other prog album I've heard from the early '80s. Keyboardist Hannes Folberth still uses such '70s keyboards such as the Mini Moog, string synths, and Hohner clavinet, while using some newer, early '80s polyphonic synths (synths like the Prophet 5 or something similar). This album is the sound of a band still sounding a bit reluctant to enter the 1980s (as was their previous two, Planets and Colours). One of my favorite cuts, without a doubt is "Behind the Walls of Imagination", I especially love the use of clavinet that's used throughout giving that oddly '70s feel for a 1982 recording. Another favorite is "End of an Odyssey". It starts off rather electronic, before the second half kicks in typical Eloy fashion. "The Flash" is a faster pace number, but the interesting part is the lead guitar near the end part reminding me of something off Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes. "Say, Is it Really True" is quite a welcome piece, for it's one of the rare acoustic pieces Eloy has done ("Future City" from Inside is that other example). As for "Magic Mirrors", another laid-back piece dominated by clavinet, that song is featured on the original German LP on Harvest (with cover artwork by Winfried Reinbacher) as well as the current CD reissue. This song was not featured on the British LP (which had different cover artwork, this time by Rodney Matthews) on the Heavy Metal label. Some British versions added on "Illuminations", which has already appeared on Colours. So if you have the British version, get the German LP or the CD reissue to get the complete Time to Turn. It's great to see Eloy was still making great music in the early '80s, as this album proves. 


 I have most Eloy original albums and often wonder if they are the type of group that has a major impact when one first hears them, so that the first remains the best. For me, Time to Turn represents one of the greatest works of space rock ever. The vocals speak of appropriately grandiose adventures and themes, the riffs are more infectious than a winter virus, and the development of the work within and between the tracks is exemplary. I'm not saying Eloy isn't without schlock value, but this too is oddly for the best. My LP and CD recordings are slightly different, the LP containing "Illuminations" that probably fits better with its predecessor and successor and the CD "Magic Mirrors", a somewhat jazzy number giving the CD a more mellow focus. Both are fantastic and it's too bad the CD doesn't include both tracks. My favorite is definitely "End of an Odyssey", a 9-minute masterpiece in which the instrumental, mostly keyboard, first half leads brilliantly into the vocal section before terminating in a masterfully rhythmic guitar melody. But talk about rhythym, the title track surpasses all, a real rocker featuring a fine Bornemann lead guitar solo. And the acoustic guitar touch on "Say, is it really true" is a welcome diversion before its development into a more typically orchestrated affair. Time to Turn has become the standard against which I compare all Eloy recordings, and, while I like most of them, none seem to hold together nearly so well for me.

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