Eyes of Eden Faith (2007)

It may be hard to believe, but this is the CD premiere of this little-known, underrated, but quite important 5th release from such an amazing British progressive band! It was recorded in February 1974 (a whole year after violinist Dave Arbus departure, and now with Jo O'Donnell from Irish folk-rock band Mushroom on board) but released a whole year later by German Harvest label in striking, nude cover. Without a doubt it deserves for recognition. The band has offered a varied and well-arranged progressive-jazz-blues-rock songs stylistically similar to some of the tracks from the previous two albums (from 1971), but done in somewhat simpler and more consistent form. This CD has been expanded with many rare & unreleased live tracks.

By the time this third album came out, little was left of the original spirit of East Of Eden and only violinist Dave Arbus of the original line-up. They had changed from one progressive label Deram to another Harvest, but also lost their experimental edge in the process. As a matter of fact, aside from more conventional song structures, this album has a slight country music feel. This album is quite far removed from the experimental forays of their first two albums, but the album has many charms and holds some interest for progheads.

East of Eden's debut LP is one of the hardest-rocking albums to come out of the progressive rock movement, and maybe the best non-Rolling Stones albums issued by English Decca label during the late 1960s. It's also one of the most daring debut albums of its period, less tightly focused than, say, King Crimson's Court of the Crimson King, but otherwise equally bold and maybe more challenging. The whole record is eerie - coming from a pop culture where most psychedelic rock tended toward the light and airy - East of Eden use high-impact bass, drum, and guitar parts mixed with the distinctly Oriental and Central/Eastern European classical influences…

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. 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…

Released in October 1969, the 2nd album from this underrated Welsh band is generally regarded as the more 'progressive' of the two records released under the Eyes Of Blue name. This time the band focused on more complex structures (including some Eastern influences) and instrumental interplay (check out the 9 minutes opener ‘Merry Go Round’), with plenty of psychedelic guitar, some classical guitar, organ, mellotron and great vocals as well. lt’s worth noting that the sleeve notes were supplied by Quincy Jones. In 1970 the band changed the name for Big Sleep and released one, very rare, Spanish-only single ‘Largo’ and then the whole album called ‘Bluebell Wood’ (1971). This CD has been carefully remastered and expanded with two rare single tracks!

This fantastic debut album from psychedelic Welsh sextet (who'd previously issued two Mod singles on Deram) was released in December 1968 by Mercury Records. lt was very enjoyable combination of pumping R’n’B, swirling psychedelia, early progressive rock & some jazz influences - full of spontaneous guitar playing, inventive Hammond organ & mellotron sounds, powerful drumming and classy vocals. Highlights include acid-tinged and very psychedelic ‘Prodigal Son’, dreamy arrangements of Handel’s ‘Largo’, powerful rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ and two Graham Bond songs (who also wrote the sleeve notes): ‘Love ls The Law‘ and ‘Crossroads Of Time‘.

Just because it took them 13 years to deliver a studio sequel to their 1994 live album Hell Freezes Over, don't say it took the Eagles a long time to cash in on their reunion. They started cashing in almost immediately, driving up ticket prices into the stratosphere as they played gigs on a semi-regular basis well into the new millennium…

In honor of Philip Glass' 70th birthday, Sony has devoted two CDs to 18 short works and movements of larger works, from recordings in its archive. The set provides a useful introduction to the composer's work from a relatively brief span in his long career, from 1976 to 1988. It was an exceptionally productive period for Glass; works written during that period include his three large-scale portrait operas – Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, and Akhnaten – all represented here, as well as two very popular albums of short pieces: Glassworks and Songs From Liquid Days.