Monday 14 October 2019

East Of Eden - Mercator Projected (1969)


The debut album from this British band.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of kalimba, electric violins, bagpipes, drums, bass, guitars, flutes, saxophones, organ, harmonica, percussion and vocals.

This album cover is one of the more legendary ones from the early prog rock scene. I have always wanted to find out what hides behind this cover.

The band has also a semi-legendary status too. They released eleven albums, if I am not much mistaken.

Hence, I have purchased a handful of their albums and will review them this fall and winter.

Mercator Projected gives the listener a bit of a shock and a solid shakeup of the cobwebs in the ears and the brain..... This is not easy listening.

Well, the opening track Northern Hemisphere is a beat track with some avant-garde elements. The album takes of in another direction after that.

Yes, there is still some melodic parts here. But most of the album is pretty much an eclectic album in the vein of both Gentle Giant and in particular King Crimson. But East Of Eden probably top both of them in eclectic weirdness on this album.

The eclectic weirdness includes a lot of gypsy and fusion on this album. The electric violin is everywhere. There are also some English folk rock here too.

There are some really cool stuff here which acts like food for the brain. It is one of those albums who is really progressive.

The quality is also good throughout too. I like this band.... I think.

3 points





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