EAST OF EDEN – Snafu (1970-2004) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

East of Eden's second album had to be one of the least commercial albums ever to enter the British Top 30, as well as one of the most stylistically diverse (or inconsistent, depending upon your mindset). The term "progressive rock" fit as well as any, yet much of it was rather along the lines of early jazz-rock fusion, with lengthy hard-to-hum instrumental passages. But there was a lot of Eastern influence as well, especially on those pieces that highlighted Dave Arbus' violin and flute. Some of the absurdist humor along the lines of Frank Zappa and the Soft Machine makes itself known too, though East of Eden were more serious than Zappa and less whimsical than the Softs. Indeed, it's a rather sober affair that sometimes approaches gloominess, and like the late '60s/early '70s Soft Machine, it's more oriented toward virtuosic instrumental sections than vocals and lyrics. Then there's some out and out weirdness, like the squiggly tape manipulations/musique concrète of "Uno Transito Clapori" and the eerie backwards-sounding effects that run through some of "Habibi Baby Beast of Sweden." The surreal touches sometimes seem self-conscious, not least in the song titles, i.e. "Traditional: Arranged by East of Eden" (which is not traditional, but an East of Eden original). It all leaves the impression of an intellectual band who can play well and play in lots of different styles, but don't quite excel at anything as far as raw compositional ability. Richie Unterberger  
Tracklist :
1.    Have To Whack It Up 2:20
Alto Saxophone [Electric], Vocals – Ron Caines
Violin – Dave Arbus
2a    Leaping Beauties For Rudy 
Alto Saxophone – Ron Caines
Tenor Saxophone – Dave Arbus
2b        Marcus Junior 7:02
Soprano Saxophone – Ron Caines
Tenor Saxophone, Electric Violin – Dave Arbus
3a        Xhorkom
Harmonica [Harp] – Geoff Nicholson
Piano, Vocals – Ron Caines
3b        Ramadhan
Claves, Drum [African Hand Drum] – Geoff Britton
Flute – Dave Arbus
Soprano Saxophone, Vocals – Ron Caines
3c        In The Snow For A Blow 8:07
Alto Saxophone [Electric And Acoustic] – Ron Caines
Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone – Dave Arbus
Vocals [Everyone] – East Of Eden 
4.    Uno Transito Clapori 2:53
Tape – Peter, Robin
5a        Gum Arabic
Flute, Bells [Indian], Bagpipes [Bagpipe Chanter] – Dave Arbus
Synthesizer [Stylophone] – Ron Caines
5b        Confucius 8:18
Flute, Electric Violin – Dave Arbus
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Ron Caines
6.    Nymphenburger 5:46
Alto Saxophone [Electric] – Ron Caines
Guitar [Both], Vocals – Geoff Nicholson
Violin [Six Violins] – Dave Arbus
7a        Habibi Baby
Flute – Dave Arbus
Soprano Saxophone – Ron Caines
Vocals – Geoff Nicholson
7b        Beast Of Sweden
Electric Violin – Dave Arbus
7c        Boehm Constrictor 6:22
Flute, Violin – Dave Arbus
Percussion – Geoff Britton
Strings – Andy, Geoff Nicholson
8.    Traditional : Arranged By East Of Eden 1:33
Piano, Strings – Geoff Nicholson
Piano, Vocals – Ron Caines
– BONUS TRACKS –
9.        Jig-A-Jig    3:43
10.        Petite Fille (Previously Unreleased)    3:52
11.        Biffin Bridge (Previously Unreleased)    5:50
12.        Blue Boar Blues (Previously Unreleased)    7:06
13.        Nymphenburger (First Take)    5:10
14.        Marcus Junior (Single Edit)    3:56
15.        Jig-A-Jig (Take Nine)    4:10

EAST OF EDEN – Graffito (2005) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The world has now caught up with East of Eden, a band whose dizzying musical excursions in the late '60s/early '70s were so far ahead of their time, they entranced an entire generation of prog fans, while simultaneously signposting the path to world music and jazz fusion. Graffito is Eden's third album since their re-formation in 1997, and while continuing to blaze a trail through a thicket of genres, it sounds thoroughly contemporary. Where once the band had roamed virgin pastures, it now escorts listeners through crowded paddocks, so pervasive have jazz crossovers and world hybrids become. And perhaps it's this crowded terrain that has provoked Eden into sharpening their focus and curtailing their wilder musical journeys, which are reflected in the zippy track descriptions, an impossibility in the past. No longer does the band range far and wide within a single song. Instead each piece is a thorough expedition of a theme. "The Cloud," for instance, delves deep into funk, albeit in a free-form jazzy way, while "Jump the Gun" bridges the gaps between bebop, funk, and reggae. "Hotel Ceramic" captures the ambience of its Parisian hotel namesake in subtle swing style, while "Southern Hemisphere" less successfully attempts to do the same for South Africa, but it's a lovely song nonetheless. With the bulk of the tracks clocking in at over five minutes, Eden have plenty of time to explore the nuances of mood and atmosphere, perhaps too much so for those who prefer an edgier sound and less free-form meanderings. Regardless, Eden continue to push at the stylistic edges of world/jazz music, and while no longer the breathtakingly innovative band of yore, they continue to offer up music in quite fascinating form. Jo-Ann Greene  
Tracklist : 
1.    Sensible Shoes 5:25
Written-By – Geoff Nicholson
2.    Noir 5:02
Written-By – Geoff Nicholson
3.    Zizanie 6:02
Written-By – Geoff Nicholson, Ron Caines
4.    Jump The Gun 5:11
Written-By – Geoff Nicholson
5.    Graffito 3:36
Written-By – Ron Caines
6.    Hotel Ceramic 6:07
Written-By – Geoff Nicholson, Ron Caines
7.    Almazán 6:10
Written-By – Geoff Nicholson, Ron Caines
8.    The Cloud 5:32
Written-By – Geoff Nicholson
9.    Mantra 2:50
Written-By – Ron Caines
10.    Southern Hemisphere 3:19
Written-By – Ron Caines
11.    Curves 5:52
Written-By – Ron Caines
12.     Hymnal 3:29
Written-By – Ron Caines
Credits :
Guitar [Guitars], Drum Programming, Guitar Synthesizer, Bass, lustration – Geoff Nicholson
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Ron Caines
Violin – Dave Arbus
Guest, Congas – Frank Dymore (tracks: 3, 11)
Guest, Double Bass – Roger Harding (tracks: 2, 5, 7)
Guest, Drums [Additional] – Joe Ospalla (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 8) 

KHAN — Space Shanty (1972) RM | SHM-CD | Three Version | APE + WV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Almost stereotypically overreaching early-'70s progressive rock, with quasi-operatic vocals, spinning guitar solos, and lengthy suite-like tracks on the order of "Stargazers" and "Hollow Stone (incl. Escape of
the Space Pilots)." The highlight is Dave Stewart's effervescent organ work during the gentle and meditative passages. Richie Unterberger

Tracklist :
1 Space Shanty


2 Stranded

3 Mixed Up Man Of The Mountains
4 Driving To Amsterdam
5 Stargazers
6 Hollow Stone
7 Break The Chains
8 Mixed Up Man Of The Mountains (First Version)
Credits :
Bass, Vocals – Nick Greenwood
Drums – Eric Peachey
Guitar, Vocals – Steve Hillage
Organ, Piano, Marimba, Celesta [Skyceleste] – Dave Stewart