EAST OF EDEN

I find it funny how the 60s birthed prog rock, but not until '69 did we practically get the genre we know and love today, through the releases of many albums such as In The Court of The Crimson King, Uncle Meat, For My Children's Children's Children, and A Salty Dog. Another of these early prog rock releases has to be East Of Eden's Mercator Projected.

East Of Eden's debut is considerably less proggy than their follow up records, and definitely a bit more bluesy, but what is found here is some nice early prog in my mind.

What I like about this album is the more heavy psychedelic format these songs create, usually also combining with a more folk rock sound to create this very rocking, and driving record that I think, for the most part, works out very nicely, especially on tracks like Northern Hemisphere and In The Stable of the Sphinx. I like it a lot.

That said, though, I do not think this album has any really interesting moments. Obviously very early prog rock won't have stuff that excels to the heights of Close To The Edge or A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers, nor is the genre refined enough to really get those enigmatic sweet spots, but I still feel like by 1969, especially after works came out and about from bands like Procol Harum, The Moody Blues, and The Mothers of Invention, which their albums have had some rather interesting moments up until this point, and so should be blueprints, if you will, for bands like East Of Eden to follow, I just still think East Of Eden's debut never really has any big moments that I truly adore. The songs are good, but they don't have that kick that makes me want to listen to them over and over again, unlike other albums around this time, which is rather disappointing.

An album that isn't really bad, but not really great either. I guess if you like the more rock side of prog than this album might actually be quite the treat. However, for me anyways, I feel like this doesn't quite get the spices rolling to really make this a stand out album in my mind. You can definitely see the proggy seeds growing on here, but they are still quite deep underground that only in certain moments will you might see them.

I came into Kalipse knowing East of Eden from their album Snafu many years ago. The studio version of Marcus Junior on that album is seared in my brain for life. Initially I was disappointed with Kalipse, but now I'm OK with it.

One cannot expect so many years later, I guess, for them to sound like the high-energy, crazy eclectic rock outfit with all the rough edges of the 1970 version. Kalipse is very smooth. The Goodbye Pork Pie Hat cover stands out. It has a phrasing change throughout, an extra beat or two near the end of each line, that gives the otherwise sedate, respectful rendition some extra zip. Many of the tracks are dominated by solos over a short repeating riff or bass figure, similar to the aforementioned Marcus Junior, but much more smooth. The soloing is fine, professional-level for sure, but not remarkable enough to prevent the combination of repetitious bass line and adequate soloing from sounding like any other competently-done smooth jazz. The heads or arranged parts, though, e.g. Kalipse and Slow Food, are really nice, well above average.

If I want to hear current music that's like the old East of Eden, maybe Sons of Kemet is close enough in spirit. But as an older guy myself now, I'm more drawn to peaceful sounds, and Kalipse is easily good enough to warrant many listens.

EAST OF EDEN were a British Jazz-Rock band who were best-known for their chart song "Jig-a-Jig", although the single wasn't representative of their album recordings. They released their first album "Mercator Projected" (1969) on the Deram label, a subsidiary of Decca Records. East of Eden recorded seven more albums during the proggy 1970's:- "Snafu" (1970); "East of Eden" (1971); "New Leaf" (1971); "Another Eden" (1975); "Here We Go Again" (1976); "It's the Climate" (1977); and "Silver Park" (1978). The band reunited nearly twenty years later for their "Kalipse" (1997) album and they've released two further albums in the early 21st century:- "Armadillo" (2001) and "Graffito" (2005). It's time now to map out the songs for their first album: "Mercator Projected". The 2004 CD reissue added three bonus tracks to the original eight songs on the album, including a cover version of The Byrds "Eight Miles High".

We're heading for the "Northern Hemisphere" for the first stop on our musical journey. It's a slow but powerful burst of Blues- Rock for the opening song which ploughs on ahead relentlessly like a runaway steamroller. The song has a somewhat menacing air, so it's best to stand well clear, because this steamroller of hard driving rock doesn't sound like it's about to stop for anyone. The song has the same strident appeal as King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man", only without the tortured vocals. Dancing gracefully into view now comes "Isadora", a tribute to the dancer Isadora Duncan (1877-1927), who was tragically killed when her scarf became wrapped around the wheels of the car she was travelling in. It's a stirring Jazz-Rock number in which the flawless flautist takes flight and showcases his talent in the best tradition of Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. The enchanting lyrics deserve a mention too:- "Isadora dance, we are entranced, Billowing sleeves, in the breeze, Her heart's so soft, the willow weeps, To dance is to live, to love is to give, Beneath a vine of ivy leaves, Isadora sleeps." ..... This resonant refrain was recorded 42 years after Isadora Duncan's tragic death, and now, here we are nearly a century on listening to this immortal musical tribute, when some of the East of Eden band members themselves may be no longer with us. It's a lovely song with timeless appeal. We're sailing along next with "Waterways", an Indian-influenced fuzzy guitar psych-out, so it's time to order a vindaloo curry and settle down for some sitar and electric guitar with a Quintessential side order of Raga Rock. Next up is "Centaur Woman", a raw and earthy, good old-fashioned blast of Jazz-tinged Blues-Rock in the style of Canned Heat, featuring a flautist, a saxophonist, a harmonica player, and with a mean and moody guitarist hammering out some aggressively raucous riffs. This dynamic song veers dramatically from slow blues to wild flamboyant outbursts of uptempo Jazz-Rock with all of the musicians going hell for leather in a helter-skelter frenzy of sound.

Onto Side Two now and we're dipping our toes in the water for the mellow and hypnotic "Bathers", a swirling and mystical magic carpet ride that's tripping the light fantastic in a sea of psychedelic rainbow colours. This song is awash in a Purple Haze of soothing psychedelia. It's time to follow that camel next, because we're headed to the kasbah for "Communion", a song with an exotic Egyptian feel to it. The eastern-influenced music conjures up images of pharaohs and sphinxes and pyramids. You can almost picture the harem scene where a circle of be-robed and be-turbaned Bedouins are getting high as a kite as they puff away eagerly on their hookah pipes. This groovy song is a real Jewel of the Nile. We're continuing our global travels somewhere in the exotic east with "Moth". Maybe it's Egyptian, maybe it's Turkish, but either way, it's psychedelic snake- charming music that takes the listener on an Egyptian flight of fancy, or a magical mystery tour of Turkish delight - whichever you prefer. There's no mistaking the exotic middle-eastern pretensions for the next song: "In the Stable of the Sphinx", the highlight of the album and the longest song on the album with a running time of eight and a half minutes. It's a real whirling dervish of swirling and hypnotic eastern rhythms, all bathed in a healthy splash of psychedelic colours. Prepare for the manic middle section when the music is speeded up to 99 and it sounds like the record is about to go spinning off the turntable in a psychedelic freak-out. A serene calm is restored though for the magnificent conclusion which floats along on a mystical and spiritual wave of flower-power love and peace.

This stunning debut from East of Eden has all of the sweet eastern promise of a box of Turkish delights. "Mercator Projected" is a magical mystery tour around the world, featuring a delicious exotic cocktail of hypnotic eastern rhythms, romantic refrains, psychedelic freak-outs, mean and moody blues, and jazzy jam sessions. This superb album has it all!

Once in a while, just when you think you have heard all of the gems from the 70s, something comes along that takes you by surprise. The band East of Eden with their 2nd album "Snafu" is just one such album. I ran across this album while searching through this site way back at the beginning of the decade, found a bargain bin copy of it, bought it, and forgot about it. Shame on me. This album is one of the most amazing new things (well, it's new to me) that I have heard from that amazing musical decade for a long, long time. How could I have avoided this for so long?

Most of the music on this album is instrumental with a few vocal embellishments thrown in here and there. From what I have read, this sophomore released from this band is quite different from their first album, which supposedly is more of a psychedelic affair. This album is world's away from psychedelic, leaning more towards a peppy, jazz fusion album which is so full of fun that you just can't help but smile when you listen to it. And the best part is, you can tell the band is having a good time playing it.

So, what exactly is this? The closest way to describe it is fusion music that doesn't take itself seriously. But that is not all you get here. The music can go from avant-garde to jewish dance music in the space of a couple of seconds. Just listen to the 2nd track "Leaping Beauties for Rudy / Marcus Junior" and you'll know what I'm talking about. Then go to the next track "Xhorkhom / Ramadhan / In The Snow For A Blow" and experience a backwards track that introduces you to a mid- Eastern rocker and then whirls you away in a jazz/rock festival that is full of horns, woodwinds, guitars, drums and lots of "sing-a-long" (?) fun. "Gum Arabic / Confucius" brings in a psychedelic flair by poking fun at the bands first album (which was way too serious) with a spoken word section while the flute goes wildly off kilter, and then returns again bringing a sax along with it. Oh, and don't forget that there is a violin in there too, or would you call it a fiddle? Think of "Kansas" with the "I-don't-give-a-damn" attitude. Make sure that you don't ignore the track "Nymphenburger" which allows the violin and the guitar to go wild with each other.

It is quite difficult to explain just what you are getting into here, just think that if Secret Chiefs 3 had a musical mentor, then this band must have been one of their inspirations. The music is quirky, fun, carefree, unpredictable, and totally not serious enough to just be considered plain old Jazz/ rock fusion, which is why it must be considered Eclectic. It's not all fun and games however, as "Habibi Baby / Beast of Sweden / Boehm Constrictor" is a more psychedelic mish-mash of Arabic styles and traditional folk instruments, but done with a more avant-garde style.

The unfortunate thing is that apparently the band had a big European hit with a single that came out shortly after this album, called "Jig a Jig" which is actually a bonus track on the 2004 reissue. After that hit, the band started to concentrate on that silly country-folk sound, and this would end up being really their best album. But, let me say that it is definitely an album you will want to look for. So with that, I will let you go search for this album so that you can experience it for yourself. Most of the few reviews that have been done on this album express surprise and admiration for this album, but it looks like I am not the only one that has missed this album because there really aren't as many reviews or people that have heard this than there should be. Now go find this hidden masterpiece especially if you love your music quirky and eclectic. It's so hard to believe this was released in 1970.

Probably the place to begin and end your East of Eden experience. The more psych-rock of their debut has not aged very well. In contrast, Snafu is an engagihg listen every time. I think about how Kansas' song "Leftoverture" was a series of stitched-together musical ideas and favorite warm up jams; maybe because we have become so familiar with that great piece that it all seems to naturally flow together. But, of course, you can certainly hear the not so subtle transitions within the piece that one could argue make it sound exactly the way it was made. With Snafu I get that same feeling, but the changes that occur (the many that don't build on the theme, that just start a new one) seem very exciting. That anticipation of changes of tempo is, dare I say enthralling. This is a real solid album, and any critique I've read about lack of cohesion is exactly what is great about it. Lots of musical ideas to consume....and in the end, just like Leftoverture, it all seems just as it should be. Adding to the many melodies and anti-melodies explored here are an array of fascinating instruments that add a non-western flavor that is quite exotic to these New York ears. I listen to a lot of prog and I keep coming back to this. Other reviewers have done a great job with the song by song rundown. Listen with a nice system for max affect.

With their debut album, Mercator Projected, East Of Eden approached a unique territory that could be described as a crossover of psychedelic rock and world music. One year after the work, the group started recording Snafu, an album that many years later is considered their best work.

The music on Snafu is nearly unclassifiable. East Of Eden's highly complex style introduces elements of Arabic music, Jewish folk, Celtic folk, jazz, European art music of the middle ages and renaissance, Eastern European folk, ambient, avant-garde rock, and experimental music. Yes, it's that complicated. However, every second on the album passes by naturally, making it an incredibly fascinating journey. Sophisticated arrangements, skillful instrumental workouts, dynamically varied parts, tongue-in-cheek moments, melodic songs, atonal cacophony - all of these elements are to be found on this album. Let me just say, that this review is short and subjective, because Snafu is among my favorite musical creations of all time.

Electric violin with Israeli music influences is one of the things that gives East Of Eden a distinctive sound. Others include various saxophones, trumpets, bagpipes, African hand drums, a Celtic fiddle and many more. Geoff Nicholson's guitar work links the band's world music-infused sound with progressive rock. In short, the musicianship on this release is out of this world.

There are eight tracks on the album, every single one has its own personality. "Leaping Beauties for Rudy", "Xhorkhom/Ramadhan/In the Snow for a Blow", and "Gum Arabic" bring a little bit of middle-eastern influences. "Nymphenburger", which I consider the best track on the album seems to owe a great deal to musical traditions of Eastern Europe, as well as Israeli music with some blues flavoring at moments. "Boehm Constrictor", a part of a three piece suite is another fascinating piece with an exotic folk sound. There are more ambient, melody-less moments such as "Beast of Sweden" or "Uno Transito Clapori".

All in all, I consider this to be one of the best and most representative progressive rock albums of all time. This is without a doubt a must-listen for every prog rock fan. Very highly recommended!

Snafu is one of those amazing things you discover on this site. A rather obscure piece of music from England in 1970, the band East of Eden released their undeniably perfect album on the apex of progressive music's creation.

Many of the bands sounds point to Gentle Giant,who has the same sort of eclectic zeal that's present in Snafu. East of Eden in the very same manner didn't achieve heavy popularity with their releases either, but was significantly more successful. David Arbus brings a whole new spin on it however, combining the intricate stylings of Darryl Way (Curved Air) and the moving wind instrumentation similar to the soundscapes created by Chris Wood (Traffic). Even in a similar manner to Winwood, Nicholson brings out some fantastic guitar playing as well.

Most if not all of the more significant tracks are six to eight minutes in length, providing enough entertainment while still not going overboard. The aforementioned instrumentation is fantastic with just the right amount of zany attitude. I'd say it's a very good one to pick up if you've heard of them. Give them a listen.

I saw East of Eden twice on the early 70's rock circuit. The first time I had never heard of them - the second time I was really looking forward to it. They were electrifying as a live band, led by their commanding virtuoso violinist Dave Arbus. Rock audiences didn't usually dance wildly in those days, but East of Eden were truly irresistible. At my second concert, they proved a dream warm-up act for a very depressed outfit called Supertramp, who started by announcing a song from "our last album, which nobody bought". But the supercharged audience soon lifted Supertramp's spirits and they gave a passionate thank you to "the best audience we've played to in years". (My personal contribution to Crossover Prog history.)

All that said, I'm not quite sure why this album is garnering so many five-star ratings. There is some firebrand stuff (especially on the Jig-a-Jig bonus tracks, which take me way back to the above-mentioned evenings). But it is a mixed bag of alternately interesting and perplexing tracks, the latter being anarchic in the comic mode of Frank Zappa or early Soft Machine. Fun, mostly, but not a masterpiece.

Verdict: they were better live.

After the interesting experiments blended with 60s heavy psych on their debut album, EAST OF EDEN were in no mood to rest on their laurels with the sophomore release SNAFU. They refined the approach started on the debut and literally jazzed it up a few notches also replacing the bassist and drummer. Alternating between bluesy and ska guitar, free-form jazz and catchy jazz-fusion with ethnic world music incorporated into the fabric. In fact, the band was one of the very first to heavily incorporate influences and rhythms from around the world. In addition to standard rock instruments we also get violin, flute, saxes and various other wind instruments and percussion. One of the most surprising tracks is "Uno Transito Clapori" which is a strange hypnotic electronic piece that sounds like it would be more at home on a COIL album than a jazz-fusion one. Various other unorthodox experiments really add spice to an already strong album.

This album really delivers in the eclectic department and I am absolutely amazed that this album was released way back in 1970. Apparently they took the success (and influences) of King Crimson from the year before to heart and decided to pave their own unique musical path. They did just that and this is an even more enjoyable album than their debut. Unfortunately the experiments would end after this album and they would drift more towards a country folk sound which isn't surprising since a the next year a country folk tune "Jig-a-jig" was a huge hit in Europe and set the course for a tamed down more accessible sound. The track was released only as a single but is included on the remastered version of this album. It's excellent as well. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5

An amazing album from an amazing year ? 1969. The year where music crossed that invisible line into higher progressive arenas. This album was one of the first to successfully do just that but unfortunately remains rather obscure.

It is still rooted in the hard-psych of the late 60s but really jumps into new territory with the crazy different instruments used (electric violin, flute, bagpipe, recorders, saxophones, organs, harmonica, Indian thumb piano in addition to standard rock instruments), the wild jazz improvisation inserted where they see fit (especially the wild instrumental outburst on "Centaur Woman") and the sheer innovative and daring experimentation that they employ. It is very playful and it's apparent that good times were being had by all involved in its creation. It has many of the elements of progressive music that would be expanded upon and refined in the 70s.

Although I prefer the following album to this one, this is definitely an incredible album that I will be revisiting. It's a wild ride that has the best of what the late 60s psychedelic experience was all about with the added bonus of zany creativeness that makes it oh so fun.