Eden (2021 Half Speed Master) Vinyl

Everything But The Girl039s bestselling debut album, Eden was originally released in May 1984 and spent almost six months on the official UK album chart, peaking at number 14. It spawned the UK Top 40 hit, 34Each and Every One34. The label wanted further singles, but the duo preferred the album to grow by word of mouth. Eden achieved gold album status in the UK and has gone on to sell more than 600,000 copies worldwide.Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn met at the University of Hull in 1981. They formed Everything But The Girl initially as a sideproject, as both had already established themselves on the UK independent music scene as teenagers Tracey with her lofi minimal girl group, Marine Girls later namechecked as one of Kurt Cobain039s favorite bands Ben as a young guitarist and singersongwriter, collaborating with altfolk icon Robert Wyatt on his debut EP. The pair each released early solo albums on Cherry Red and in the summer of 1983 decided to pool new songs for Eden. It was recorded with producer Robin Millar chosen for his work with Weekend and The Pale Fountains at his Power Plant Studios in Willesden, North West London.34All the songs were written on guitar in Hull in early 1983. We were living in one room with a shared kitchen on Pearson Park,34 recalls Tracey. 34Power Plant seemed very glamorous by comparison. Sade was recording downstairs. We were upstairs.34The sessions featured a band handpicked by Ben and Tracey Working Week039s Simon Booth on second guitar, This Heats Charles Hayward on drums, and South American musicians Chucho Merchan double bass and Bosco DOliveira percussion plus a clutch of top horn players from the English jazz scene. The album was released on the newlyformed imprint Blanco Y Negro corun by Mike Alway and Rough Trade039s Geoff Travis through Warner, and signalled Everything But The Girls move from an independent to a major label.Acclaimed on release, it remains as strong today. Pitchfork reflected in a recent retrospective review on 34how assured and sophisticated much of this music remains ... the album plays out as one bittersweet swoon.34The album has been mastered and cut at halfspeed by longtime Everything But The Girl mastering engineer, Miles Showell, now at Abbey Road Studios, who is one of only a handful of engineers specializing in halfspeed mastering that uses new techniques to more faithfully reproduce the sound of original master tapes.