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. The cover design was by lead singer Tracey Thorn's former colleague in Marine Girls, Jane Fox.

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 that 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.

"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. Although these weren't included in Eden, they did make the US only album Everything but the Girl.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Clash	8/10
Mojo
Number One	4/5
Pitchfork	7.0/10
Record Collector
Record Mirror
Smash Hits	8/10
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10
Uncut	8/10

Eden was met with critical acclaim and NME ranked it number 20 among the "Albums of the Year" for 1984.

By 2012, Eden had sold around 500,000 copies. 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"	Tracey Thorn Ben Watt	2:45
2.	"Bittersweet"	Thorn	2:49
3.	"Tender Blue"	Watt	3:02
4.	"Another Bridge"	Thorn Watt	2:11
5.	"The Spice of Life"	Thorn	3:29
6.	"The Dustbowl"	Thorn	1:37
7.	"Crabwalk"	Watt	3:25
8.	"Even So"	Thorn	2:31
9.	"Frost and Fire"	Thorn Watt	3:11
10.	"Fascination"	Thorn	3:20
11.	"I Must Confess"	Watt	3:10
12.	"Soft Touch"	Watt	2:01

2012 Edsel Records reissue

Disc 2
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Laugh You Out the House"	Thorn Watt	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"	Thorn Watt	3:08
7.	"Riverbed Dry"	Thorn Watt	2:45
8.	"Don't You Go"	Thorn Watt	3:28
9.	"Each and Every One" (home demo, 1983)	Thorn Watt	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)	Thorn Watt	2:13
13.	"Soft Touch" (home demo, 1983)	Watt	1:49
14.	"Another Bridge" (BBC session recording, 1984)	Thorn Watt	2:19
15.	"Easy as Sin" (BBC session recording, 1984)	Watt	3:14
16.	"Riverbed Dry" (BBC session recording, 1984)	Thorn Watt	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)	3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	28
UK Albums (OCC)	14

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)	Gold	50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	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.
Gordon, Alex (1 January 1998). "Everything but the Girl". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 159-160.
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1984/Music-Week-1984-04-21-I.pdf (Page 18)
"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.

v t e Everything but the Girl
Ben Watt Tracey Thorn
Studio albums	Eden Everything but the Girl Love Not Money Baby, the Stars Shine Bright Idlewild The Language of Life Worldwide Acoustic Amplified Heart Walking Wounded Temperamental Fuse
Compilation albums	Essence & Rare 82–92 Home Movies The Best of Everything but the Girl Like the Deserts Miss the Rain Adapt or Die: Ten Years of Remixes
Singles	"Night and Day" "Each and Every One" "I Don't Want to Talk About It" "Missing" "Walking Wounded" "Wrong" "Tracey in My Room" "Corcovado"
Other songs	"I Didn't Know I Was Looking for Love"
Related articles	Discography Bedsit Disco Queen Marine Girls Patient

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