Wild Boy: The Lost Songs of Eden Ahbez is a reissue of the well-known 2016 release curated by Brian Chidester, renowned researcher and biographer of Eden Ahbez. Especially for this album, Brian wrote an interesting text about Ahbe’s life, which definitely became the decoration of the release.

With the new 2023 re-release, we went a little further and kept what is commonly referred to as studio cuts. It’s a few more minutes in the studio with Ahbez himself, full of emotion and life. In addition, to the delight of fans, the edition includes an additional composition Nature Boy (Mantovani Orchestra). It is worth noting the outstanding mastering prepared from practically decomposed tapes by the Grammy-nominated Jessica Thompson, which guarantees a deep and warmth sound. Jessica is a huge Ahbez fan, and we’re highly appreciative of what she has done to preserve his music for the future.

Eden Ahbez is definitely at the origin of psychedelic music, and this release can be taken as further proof. This iconic figure — the world’s first hippie — Eden Ahbez had become famous primarily for his 1948 song “Nature Boy” and his amazing solo album from 1960 called Eden’s Island – one from the first concept albums in the history of music and probably the first psychedelic music album. Wild Boy: The Lost Songs Of Eden Ahbez deepens our understanding of the origins of the psychedelic movement in the late 1950s.

The disc contains a musical works by Eden Ahbez himself, written by him in the period after “Nature Boy.” The inclusion of songs such as “Palm Springs” (Ray Anthony Orchestra) and “Hey Jacques” (Eartha Kitt) gives the listener the chance to discover these little-known recordings by world-famous artists for the first time. Through “Wild Boy” and “Surfer John” you can hear the author’s handling of absurd rock and exotica experimentation, as well as sweet psychedelic pop like “Monterey” (with Paul Horn on flute). Overall, Wild Boy: The Lost Songs Of Eden Ahbez offers an overview of Ahbez’s lost works of 1949-1971 with seven unpublished recordings and eight rare singles.

If you are missing the hallucinogenic music of Eden Ahbez, this record amazingly makes up for that deficiency with simple chords, expansive arrangements, and lyrics about travel, relaxation, free love, and spirituality — thus creating the standard of psychedelic music. Eden Ahbez’s songs weren’t just fantasy — his personal philosophy was the real thing that he lived every day.

Released by Everland Music and Ebulunga, distributed by Lights in the Attic Records, with permission from the Eden Ahbez Estate and Rhino Records.

Every copy of Wild Boy: The Lost Songs of Eden Ahbez purchased here will help fund the production of the “As the Wind” documentary.