Eden (Everything but the Girl album)
Eden is the debut studio album by the British musical duo Everything but the Girl. It was released on 4 June 1984 by Blanco y Negro Records. The album contains the single "Each and Every One", which peaked at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.[2] The cover design was by lead singer Tracey Thorn's former colleague in Marine Girls, Jane Fox.
| Eden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 June 1984 | |||
| Recorded | January 1984 | |||
| Studio | Power Plant (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:40 | |||
| Label | Blanco y Negro | |||
| Producer | Robin Millar | |||
| Everything but the Girl chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Eden | ||||
| ||||
Background and release
Eden was the first professional recording by EBTG with a bigger company and a proper producer, Robin Millar, who was parallelly producing Sade's Diamond Life. Though it was finished in the autumn of 1983, it wasn't released until June 1984 due to contractual obligations between the band and Cherry Red Records.
By the time Eden was finally released, EBTG felt it didn't represent their current sound and interests and did very little promotion to it. "Each and Every One", the only single, became a UK Top 40 single the surpassed the band's expectations and previous efforts
In the time between recording and releasing Eden, Thorn and Watt opened themselves to new influences, mostly The Smiths, with whom they became close. "Never Could Have Been Worse" (the b-side to "Each and Every One") showed this influence in sound and lyrics. This was part of the band's following two singles.[3]
"Mine" was released only four weeks after Eden, and marked a departure from the album's themes and sound, with Thorn singing about a single mother and gender politics involved in surnames. It reached No. 58 in the UK Singles Chart. "Native Land", which featured Smith's Johnny Marr in harmonica, only reached to No. 73.[3] Although these weren't included in Eden, they did make the US only album Everything but the Girl.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Clash | 8/10[5] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| Number One | 4/5[7] |
| Pitchfork | 7.0/10[8] |
| Record Collector |  [9] |
| Record Mirror | [10] |
| Smash Hits | 8/10[11] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[12] |
| Uncut | 8/10[13] |
Eden was met with critical acclaim and NME ranked it number 20 among the "Albums of the Year" for 1984.[14]
By 2012, Eden had sold around 500,000 copies.[15] Eden was reissued in 2012 as a remastered two-disc deluxe set by Edsel Records.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Each and Every One" | 2:48 | |
| 2. | "Bittersweet" | Thorn | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Tender Blue" | Watt | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Another Bridge" |
| 2:13 |
| 5. | "The Spice of Life" | Thorn | 3:30 |
| 6. | "The Dustbowl" | Thorn | 1:39 |
| 7. | "Crabwalk" | Watt | 2:02 |
| 8. | "Even So" | Thorn | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Frost and Fire" |
| 2:31 |
| 10. | "Fascination" | Thorn | 3:06 |
| 11. | "I Must Confess" | Watt | 3:20 |
| 12. | "Soft Touch" | Watt | 3:12 |
2012 Edsel Records reissue
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Laugh You Out the House" |
| 1:49 |
| 2. | "Never Could Have Been Worse" | Watt | 2:45 |
| 3. | "Mine" | Thorn | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Gun Cupboard Love" | Thorn | 3:01 |
| 5. | "Easy as Sin" | Watt | 2:58 |
| 6. | "Native Land" |
| 3:08 |
| 7. | "Riverbed Dry" |
| 2:45 |
| 8. | "Don't You Go" |
| 3:28 |
| 9. | "Each and Every One" (home demo, 1983) |
| 2:52 |
| 10. | "Bittersweet" (home demo, 1983) | Thorn | 3:05 |
| 11. | "Even So" (home demo, 1983) | Thorn | 1:52 |
| 12. | "Frost and Fire" (home demo, 1983) |
| 2:13 |
| 13. | "Soft Touch" (home demo, 1983) | Watt | 1:49 |
| 14. | "Another Bridge" (BBC session recording, 1984) |
| 2:19 |
| 15. | "Easy as Sin" (BBC session recording, 1984) | Watt | 3:14 |
| 16. | "Riverbed Dry" (BBC session recording, 1984) |
| 2:44 |
| 17. | "Never Could Have Been Worse" (BBC session recording, 1984) | Watt | 2:44 |
Personnel
Everything but the Girl
- Tracey Thorn – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Ben Watt – guitars, vocals, Hammond organ, piano, horn arrangements
Additional musicians
- Simon Booth – guitar
- Joao Bosco De Oliveira – percussion
- Charles Hayward – drums
- Chucho Merchán – double bass
- Dick Pearce – flugelhorn
- Nigel Nash – tenor saxophone
- Pete King – alto saxophone
Technical
- Mike Pela – engineering
- Jane Fox – cover design
Charts
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] | 3 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] | 28 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[18] | 14 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands (NVPI)[19] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[20] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- Sheffield, Rob (1 March 2018). "Review: Tracey Thorn's Synth-Pop 'Record' Delivers Sisterly Passion, Wry Wisdom". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- "Everything but the Girl". Official Charts Company. 20 August 1983. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- Thorn, Tracey (2013). Bedsit Disco Queen. United Kingdom: Hachette Digital, Little, Brown Book Group. pp. 200–202. ISBN 978-1-40551-398-2.
- Jurek, Thom. "Eden – Everything But the Girl". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- James, Gareth (29 May 2012). "Everything But The Girl – Eden...Plus". Clash. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- Male, Andrew (April 2016). "Tracey Island". Mojo. No. 269. p. 45.
- Adams, Nick (16 June 1984). "Albums". Number One. No. 59. p. 37.
- Harvell, Jess (9 July 2012). "Everything But the Girl: Reissues". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- Waring, Charles (December 2021). "Everything but the Girl: Eden". Record Collector. No. 525. p. 103.
- Page, Betty (9 June 1984). "Quiet riot". Record Mirror. p. 18.
- Anthony, Lisa (7–20 June 1984). "Everything but the Girl: Everything but the Girl". Smash Hits. Vol. 6, no. 12. p. 19.
- Crist, Renée (1995). "Everything but the Girl". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 136–137. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- Richards, Sam (July 2012). "Everything but the Girl". Uncut. No. 182. p. 98.
- "NME's best albums and tracks of 1984". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- Wade, Ian (19 June 2012). "From Eden With Love: Everything But The Girl Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Everything but the Girl – Eden" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- "Charts.nz – Everything but the Girl – Eden". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- "Dutch album certifications – Everything but the Girl – Eden" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 10 June 2019. Enter Eden in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1992 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
- "British album certifications – Everything but the Girl – Eden". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 March 2018.