Customer Reviews

Mercator Projected

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

East of Eden released a several albums, 1969's Mercator Projected being their very first album, and it's also said to be their best. The album was originally released on Deram, the same label that gave us the Moody Blues. Mercator Projected is an excellent example of prog rock at its beginnings. You get psych, jazz rock, and Middle Eastern styles. A couple of rockers, some jams, some atmospheric numbers, phased vocals à la The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus", strange electronic effects. The band featured violinst Dave Arbus, who was also the same guy who played on The Who's classic "Baba O'Reily" (known as "Teenage Wasteland" for those who don't remember the actual title). The rest of East of Eden at that time also consisted of bassist Steve York (who jumped ship after this album for Manfred Mann Chapter III), saxist Ron Caines, guitarist and vocalist Geoff Nicholson, and drummer Dave Dufort (although the album misspelled his name as "Dufont"). Apparently the band wasn't exactly known for keeping steady lineup, and within a couple of years, they switched over to Harvest Records and went for a more country-influenced sound. Some of the best songs on Mercator Projected includes "Northern Hemisphere", "Isadora", "Bathers", "Moth", and the instrumental "In the Stable of the Sphinx". In regards to "In the Stable of the Sphinx", I just recently acquired an album released on Elektra Records called The Zodiac - Cosmic Sounds (The Zodiac were basically Paul Beaver, and various L.A. session musicians, and a narrator who sounded like Jim Morrison, doing psychedelic rock, with Moog synthesizer, ethnic instruments, and naturally rock instruments), released in 1967. One piece was called "Taurus" and it sounded awfully familiar to me. Well, it sounds like East of Eden borrowed the theme to "Taurus" during the slow part of "In the Stable of the Sphinx". British groups seemed very aware of The Zodiac - Cosmic Sounds at that time (Scottish band Writing on the Wall did a full-on cover of "Aries" off their 1969 album The Power of the Picts). The only weak spot on this album is part of "Centaur Woman" which shows that Steve York is going just a little too far on his bass guitar. But the vocal parts of the song is more bluesy than the rest of the album, and the vocals were provided by Ron Caines, who isn't normally the band's vocalist. And if the Middle Eastern influences of the album isn't enough, the back of the album shows the band members all dressed in Egyptian garb and makeup. So if the thought of early prog with jazz rock, psych, and Middle Eastern styles sounds interesting to you, you're bound to enjoy Mercator Projected.

Cannot remember how many times a day i used to play this record. It was in a class of its own and I cant forget the Northern hemispehre change of tempo. The groove was really deep just there.

Up until a few months ago,I had never even heard of East Of Eden.I just HAPPEN to get a CD-R copy marked simply as 'East Of Eden' from a friend.At first,I thought it possibly MIGHT'VE been a Gong spinoff project,you know...how they've had several short-lived ones?I was later informed the CD-R was,in fact a live bootleg CD.This had to have been my FIRST time I've ever gotten a bootleg of a band that I ACTUALLY liked BEFORE knowing anything about the band.So,I then knew I needed to find out more about this 'experimental progressive' UK ensemble.'Mercator Projected' was originally released in 1969 as this was the band's first record.After listening to this CD reissue for the first two times,I can NOW understand why East Of Eden never made it big.Their music is simply too way-ahead-of-it's-time for most listeners.Might say they're too inventive for their own good.Most inspiring tracks here are "Northern Hemisphere",the awesome "Waterways","Centaur Woman",the album's lengthiest cut "In The Stable Of The Sphinx" and one of the three bonus tunes,a decent cover of the Byrd's "Eight Miles High".If this doesn't prove these guys meant business,I have no idea what would.Players:Geoff Nicholson-guitar&vocals,Dave Arbus-violin&flute,Ron Caines-sax&vocals,Steve York-bass and Dave Dufort-drums.Might appeal to fans of Third Ear Band,Lard Free,Can,King Crimson or Soft Machine.

This is an early progressive rock masterpiece that was released during the end of the psychedelic era (1969). Psychedelic influences such as raga guitar solos, phasing, vocal distortion, and mellotron are all over Mercator Projected. East Of Eden can certainly hold their own instrumentally next to a band such as King Crimson. Nothern Hemisphere is a great piece of hard rock with echoed vocals and fat guitar riffs. The band plays hard and heavy throughout making this album one of progressive rocks loudest moments. Waterways is an atmospheric composition devoted to distorted vocals and violin playing. Towards the middle of this standout composition the band explodes into a raga rock solo. Absolutely Brilliant!!!!! Centuar Women is an excellent, powerful blues-rock track that eventually delves into some free form playing. This album certainly deserves it's lost classic status. For fans of early progressive rock or psychedelia, this album is a no-brainer!!

It is my humble privlige to be the virgin reviewer of this.

East of Eden were a late 1960's-70s hard rock, prog band, and they had a violin. The violin was not a big feature in this band, mainly working as part of the rythm section.

What stands out here are the giutars and flutes and saxes. You could compare this, vaugly, to Court Of The King Crimson King, in that there is hard rock, and some jazzy, orchestrated ballads.

But East Of Eden play their hand a lot broader on this album than King Crimson did on their debut. The guitars are crunchier, and the hard rock has more of a blues base. (If Cream had pushed into the prog era, they might have tried stuff like this.) They also highlight the jazz elements more than Crimso did--where they synthasized a lot of the styles they used, East Of Eden tended to tackle one, or superimpose two, at a time.

If you like psych or prog you gotta have this. This band should have been a lot bigger. Maybe they didn't sell because the title sounds more like a docteral thesis than a rock record. Pity.
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I can't but agree with the other reviewer. I knew these guys from England in the early 70s. True, they go everywhere ("discontinuity") but here and there (for instance, "Isadora", "Bathers"--the latter is ..well, almost more pop but what depth in this voice and the theme itself is esoteric--who knows of Lake Balathon), they really display impressive stuff. So, three stars is correct, unfortunately. Yet, I never gave up this album and "Snafu" which I bought 30-35 years ago as a kid (or so) and That may say something...

Ok, Ok, I purchased this cd to hear their version of "Eight Miles High." It is fairly easy to understand why East Of Eden never made it. There is a mixture of Middle Eastern, some jazz, a mix of King Crimson during the "Lizard" era, and maybe even some Zappa. The songs aren't bad, there just isn't thread of continuity to hang one's hat on. Definitely a freaky bunch. By the way, "Eight Miles High" version is a combination of violin, drums, sax, and other instruments, not great, but not bad.

I'm only giving it 4 stars because the mastering (sound) is one-dimensional and you will not hear the impressive playing that the age-old vinyl of this title possessed. These guys rock. They swing. The band is tighter than tight and unlike much of what I hear today as "prog-rock," "psyche," or whatever you want to call it, this set of musical interludes is solid and grooving. OK. They occasionally go a little wild, but they always bring it back in with a solid rocking beat. This is not nearly as weird as some might have it. In fact, its key is the underlying rocking vibe which also propelled its predecessor, "Mercator Projected." Despite the uninspired mastering, GET THIS and have fun.

I'm amazed this is catalogued on Amazon. There is one passage in which the Moody's influenced them or vice versa, since they were both on Deram. What if the East had been the star band?

This is a reissue of a 1969 release on Deram records. I thought it was the NEW San Francisco band East Of Eden. It's not.