Eden

Description

Originally released in 1984, Eden is the acclaimed first album by Everything But The Girl, the successful British duo formed in 1982 by singer-songwriters Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt. This deluxe CD reissue, comprising 26 tracks, includes B-sides and bonus tracks. Recorded and mixed in nine days in September 1983 and produced by Robin Millar, Eden spawned the hit Each And Every One, which charted in the UK Top 40, and sold over half a million copies worldwide. Thorn and Watt met at the University of Hull in 1981 and, over the following two years, became recognized solo artists, signing their compositions to the independent London label Cherry Red. Eden marks their move to Blanco Y Negro/Warner and represents the fusion of their respective worlds. Thorn's understated soul voice and Watt's jazz-folk guitar, along with his Latin-tinged arrangements, are brought to the fore. The sound is sharpened by lyrics that blend sharp critiques with a disarmingly bittersweet intimacy. The album brings together a handpicked group of musicians, including Simon Booth (Weekend, Working Week) on additional guitar, Colombian double bassist Chucho Merchan, Brazilian percussionist Bosco D'Oliveira, veteran alto saxophonist Peter King, and Charles Hayward, of the London experimental group This Heat, on drums. Several B-sides from the period were recorded shortly after the Eden sessions. Later tracks from the same year hint at the more incisive pop sound the duo would develop on stage and on their next album. June Miles-Kingston (Modettes, Fun Boy Three) joins them on drums, Phil Moxham (Young Marble Giants) on electric bass, and Johnny Marr on harmonica for "Native Land". The track listing follows that of the last deluxe edition from 2012, but - with the master tape recently rediscovered - it adds the 1983 duo version of Paul Weller's "English Rose", originally recorded for the NME's "Racket Packet" cassette. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell, the album features the original cover art by Jane Fox in a new layout by John Gilsenan (IWant Design), and includes complete lyrics, credits, and period photographs.