Taking their name from the "Eloi", the futuristic race of people in H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, ELOY was
initially formed in 1969 in Germany. Inspired by THE SHADOWS and THE
BEATLES, they became one of the major bands in the progressive rock
scene highly influenced by the space rock of PINK FLOYD. They started
off in Germany as a hard rock band with a political bent, but soon
drifted into a spacier progressive rock sound. They have had a number of
turnovers, with a major split in the 1980s that resulted in a move
into more of a mainstream direction. Based mainly on founder Frank BORNEMANN's guitar solos, their music evolved to include more synthesizers and choirs.
The infamous Midnight Beat 4-disc boxed sets, Satanic Sessions is
an obsessive's dream. Documenting the sessions for "Their Satanic
Majesties Request" and the associate singles, the box takes listeners
through multiple (and often abortive) instrumental takes of songs both
released and unreleased. Because these generally aren't the final takes,
few have the additional overdubs that would be added at subsequent
multitrack stages, although "Citadel" (which is present in its
near-finished final instrumental take) is a welcome exception. The set
ends with several takes of "Jigsaw Puzzle," which of course would not be
released in completed form until "Beggars Banquet." Quality is
absolutely stellar throughout.
Unsurpassed Masters
7 Volumes, 8 CD
Alt mixes, demos, BBC, backing tracks. Covers the period of 1963 through 1979, when the Stones were at their creative best.
