ECLIPSE & FIFTH ELEMENT: THE 1973 RECORDINGS

This compiles into a single release the two albums Jade Warrior recorded in 1973, only for Vertigo to shelve both of them, leading to the band's departure from the label and Glyn Havard's exit from the band, who would continue as a two piece on Island Records.

Eclipse is perhaps the more cohesive and polished of the two, having been essentially finished and a test pressing made before Vertigo pulled the plug. By comparison, Fifth Element is a more chaotic assembly of tracks, consisting of off-cuts from Eclipse, early sketches for the Island Records era, and commercially-leaning art rock numbers, all thrown together in a hurry in a bid to convince Vertigo to change their minds; it somehow works despite this, but is perhaps better regarded as a diverse collection of songs than a fully-formed album. The Esoteric rerelease offers them in a single package with a nicely detailed booklet digging into the chaotic end of the band's Vertigo era.