EAST OF EDEN

Now here's an almost forgotten effort by a very early progressive group from England. One doctor of philosophy that retreated for a year on a mountain near Mecca (wind instruments), a painter/football player (sax & organ), a graphic designer (guitar & vocals), a student of oriental music in Turkey (bass) and a coca-coal addict on drums. "Take one violin which blows rock and Bartók, add one flute from the East, mix in Sumerian saxophones, bass, drums, guitar and liquid wordpictures - mark East of Eden", chronicles the backside of the sleeve.

East of Eden projects a psychedelic backgrounds, world music influences, classical influences and some jazz-bassguitar. There are some similarities to the King Crimson debut, mainly the avant-garde endings of the tracks, the use of up-tempo jazz parts, the grotesque arrangements and mystical atmospheres. A bit different from King Crimson's debut is the recording quality that doesn't allow all ideas to solidify and sometimes leaves us with pitch anomalies in the arrangements (which normally bother me a lot). The vocals of Nichelson aren't too melodic, but if you listen to the record a couple of times you'll get into it. I like his gentle approach.

Especially strong are the haunting ballads with classy violin-melodies, like 'Isodora' and 'Waterways'. Opening-track 'Northern Hemisphere' has hard rock vibes but the melodies are well developed. 'Centaur woman' is a psychedelic rock 'n roll track used as a vehicle for several solo sections. The production really lets us down on this track and it's the only weaker track of the album. On side two the first two tracks continue the style of side one. Third track 'Moth' impresses with its bombastic world music arrangement and mystical vocals. The ending track 'In the Stable of the Sphinx' has a lot of different parts and an eclectic progressive style. Brilliant ending that will satisfy proglisteners a lot.

Conclusion. Well developed eclectic progressive rock album that would have been a real masterpiece had it been given the proper production. Buy it I if you are interested in the development of the progressive genre or when you want a really original early progressive record that has a unique take on world-music influences. I'm going to give it the big three- and-a-halve rating.

This album just blows me away. How East of Eden managed to be so 'progressive' and yet still rocking in 1969 just amazes me. The blending of eastern influence (as indicated by the band's name) puts this album over the edge. Still, the more traditional rock tracks (Northern Hemisphere, Isadora, Bathers) are still just as great.

Centaur Woman is definitely a standout... for more reasons than one. I personally love the short lyric sections and the riffs are just fun and rocking. Then comes the bass solo. Just perfectly executed, takes up the whole middle section (about half) of the song.

In the Stable of the Sphinx also deserves a mention due to its length. I have to say... what live versions there are of this song are much better... and shorter. The only less-than-perfect moments on this album come during the middle part of In the Stable. After a powerful opening riff, it sort of loses its direction. Thankfully, it gets better and ends strong as well. As I said, this track is better on bootlegs, getting shortened and joined with Bathers.

Northern Hemisphere gets my last shout-out. Very rocking track, got a spot on my personal "Prog that Rocks" compilation. Great opening... a riff that is not easily forgotten.

Overall rating: 9/10 (5 stars)

Musically, this album goes from Folk Rock to Acid Jazz, from Symphonic Prog to the experimental music in a mix that is not easy to understand but that captivates the mind and soul. Thanks to superior musicians.

This album start with "Northern Hemisphere" that with "Isadora" is the track more conventional, more POP and more commercial. If you think that this is the soul of "Mercator Projected" you are outside of the road, because "Mercator Projected" is also "Centaur Woman" a song with great bass soli by Steve York, in a song that is close to King Crimson but with more Jazz in the veins and also more colours in the veins. Great is also "Bathers", an emotional ballad, with great atmosphere. "Communion", insipred by a Bartok string quartet, is another great song, not banal but extremely magical, because too atmospherical.

"Mercator Projected" is not an easy album for 1969 standard, a perfect mix between Oriental and Western music with Bartok, a mix from Family and King Crimson (for example more understandable) and in my opinion with good appeal. Today a winner groupfor Jazz music but in 1969 a great example of Early Prog. The production is not perfect but great for 1969 standards, all focused on making intelligible the musical chaos of the band. But we must not forget that where music is more POP oriented (and mean to trivialize) the poetic magic comes across. certainly because of the great imagination of the authors but also because of the great technique and sensibility of the musicians.

At the end: if you do not know East Of Eden and "Mercator Projected" you should definitely make you a copy of the album and start dreaming.

"Have To Whack It Up" has this catchy beat as the guitar and violin play over top. So good. Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. A lot of yelling ends this opening track. "Leaping Beauties For Rudy / Marcus Junior" opens with horns and random drum patterns. Dissonance follows as things get intense. A change 2 minutes in as an uptempo melody takes over. Great sound. "Xhorkom / Ramadhan / In The Snow For A Blow" has an Eastern vibe to start. A beat with horns kicks in before 3 1/2 minutes as the percussion also joins the already existing drums and horns. Some flute then the sound turns more powerful as the vocals stop. Horns and a beat then take over again. A drum show before 7 1/2 minutes.Violin ends it. "Uno Transito Clapori" has these experimental sounds that pulse throughout. "Gum Arabic Confucius" opens with bell sounds as flute joins in softly then percussion. It kicks in after 2 1/2 minutes with a catchy rhythm and flute. Dissonant horns after 3 1/2 minutes as spoken words come in.The previous soundscape returns. Love this !

"Nymphenburger" hits the ground running as violin and drums rip it up. Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes.The guitar solos a minute later then the tempo picks up after 4 1/2 minutes with violin leading. Such a catchy beat as the violin lights it up. "Habibi Baby / Beast Of Sweden / Boehm Constrictor" is exotic and psychedelic to start as distorted vocals join in. It calms down with intricate sounds before kicking in at 4 1/2 minutes.Too much ! Violins are slicing away as the bass throbs. "Traditional : Arranged By East Of Eden" is the short closer. Sparse sounds as reserved vocals come in. So cool.

Gotta love the cover art too. Amazing album.

"Northern Hemispheres" has this low end groove with abrasive violin early on.Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes remind me somewhat of Richard Sinclair. Some brief processed vocals after 2 1/2 minutes are followed by flute that takes over.That low end groove with vocals is back. Dissonance ends it. "Isadora" opens with flute as the vocals and drums join in.This is great ! Violin after 1 1/2 minutes when the vocals stop. Flute then replaces the violin. Check out the bass, sax, flute, guitar and drum section that follows ! So good. Vocals are back at 3 1/2 minutes. "Waterways" reminds me of one of the mellow tracks off of KING CRIMSON's debut from the same year. He even sounds like Greg Lake somewhat here. A change 2 minutes in though as the tempo picks up and we get a strong Eastern flavour. Amazing ! Love the drum work too. Sax before 3 1/2 minutes then the early mellow sound with vocals returns to end it. Well almost because a toilet flush is the last sound we pretty much here. "Centaur Woman" has some funny lyrics to it. It becomes uptempo quickly and it is rather Bluesy.The tempo does shift a lot on this one as well. Flute plays over top then sax. Some low end sounds when it calms down before 2 1/2 minutes. It kicks back in at 5 1/2 minutes with vocals.Some crazy sax 6 minutes in.

"Bathers" is mellow with violin and what sounds like mellotron strings. Reserved vocals too. A fuller sound after 1 1/2 minutes.This is excellent ! "Communion" is spacey to start then the violin, flute and drums kick in. Vocals follow.This reminds me so much of THE PLASTIC PEOPLE OF THE UNIVERSE. "Moth" opens with drums and sax. A calm with vocals before a minute as contrasts continue.Great tune. "In The Stable Of The Sphinx" opens with the phone ringing and someone talking before the music kicks in to an uptempo groove. Check out the violin after 2 minutes. Love this track. Nice guitar before 3 minutes that reminds me of SANTANA. It settles 5 1/2 minutes in. Dissonant sax 7 minutes in then it picks back up before 8 minutes.There's a cool bonus track of a cover of THE BYRDS "Eight Miles High" along with two demo tracks.

Thankyou Esoteric Records for this re-issue ! This is a classic !

First of all, the reasons because this is not a five star album: Have To Whack It Up, the first song of the album, is a simply hard-rock piece with Arbus at the violin and a shouted vocal ending. Then Habibi Baby/Beast Of Sweden/Boehm Constrictor: tapes recorded backwards and an experimental section in the middle with electric guitar and violin dissonances. Finally the last song, a Traditional, an old american song with piano and voice only. These songs aren't bad but we are miles far away from excellence.

The rest of the album? Just a word: Amazing!!!

Leaping Beauties for Rudy / Marcus Junior starts with a free arrangement with drums and two saxes and then evolves in a fantastic hard rock piece influenced by arabian music. Xhorkham/ Ramadham/ In the snow for a blow opens with the final Traditional played in reverse and then becomes a complex jazz-esotic oriented piece, reminescent of Coltrane and Mingus, with great use of wind instruments . We found flute and saxes again in Gum Arabic / Confucius with usual esotic influences and then Nymphenburger where the frantic use of the violin (overdubbed six times) is absolute amazing.

A great experimental record, but not for everyone: you must listen to it several times to catch it really! For adventurous listeners!

Rating: 8/10.

Best song: Nymphenburger

How this album is so unknown is much of a question.EAST OF EDEN blended Classic Rock with jazz solos,psychedelic movements,Classical hints and bluesy riffs to create one of the most rich-sounding albums of the time.In ''Mercator projected'' the fuzzy guitars of Nicholson and the complicated bass work of York are battling with the obscure violins,the harmonica solos,the jazzy saxes and the pastoral flutes of the Arbus/Caines duo.The psych vocals,handled mostly by Nicholson,are great as well,but the strong ace of the band are the fantastic dark,improvisational instrumental passages and the nice interplays of the musicians.No keyboard attacks or organ orgasms in here,this is an obscure yet magnificent blend of different styles and instruments,always in a rock basis.EAST OF EDEN remained a cult act among UK Prog fans,but their debut should be heard by many more people than this closed circle.Highly recommended!

Central-East European and Oriental/Arabic folk elements were important inspiration to this album, even more than it was the case with the debut. Although they are dispersed and inter-mingled across several different multi-part tracks, these are perhaps the best moments on "Snafu". "Marcus Junior" with its klezmer-like danceable feel and wonderful woodwinds as leading instruments was even a minor hit, published as a B-side of the 7" single "Jig-a-Jig" (the band's most popular track, included on some "Snafu" CD re- issues as a bonus). "Ramadhan", "Gum Arabic" and "Habibi Baby" contain obvious Arabic/Middle Eastern snippets, bringing them close to (and anticipating) the work of EMBRYO or other early "World Fusion" pioneers, such as OREGON. There are even some noisy elements that I could recognize from FAUST's phenomenal "clear vinyl" debut from the following 1971 year! We cannot say that EAST OF EDEN were not aware of the contemporary progressive music!

If only the whole album was produced with a clearer sense of unity among different tracks or if there were more compositions like excellent "Nymphenburger", "Snafu" would deserve even a better rating. Still, in spite of my feeling that it is less strong work then the debut album "Mercator Projected", due to its experimental and avant-guarde nature I cannot give it simply a 3 star rating.

PERSONAL RATING: 3,5/5

P.A. RATING: 4/5