East of Eden originated in Bristol in 1967 from non-rock roots and presented a mix of Jazz-Fusion, Prog and World Music with some experimental avant-garde bits tossed in for good measure.
Moving to London in 1968, they took on ex-Graham Bond bass player Steve York (later with Vinegar Joe) and drummer Dave Dufort and signed with Decca’s ‘underground’ label Deram and found a college audience.
Their album, Snafu, was recorded in 1969 and released in 1970. The LP contained a collection of distinctive tracks with titles such as Nymphenburger, Uno Transito Clapori and Have To Whack It Up.
Their rousing set-closer Jig-A-Jig drew them a new audience when it was released as a single and charted unexpectedly.
The band split up in 1978 with no original members left. Multi-instrumentalist Dave Arbus reunited with fellow founding members Ron Caines and Geoff Nicholson to record 1997’s Kalipse and further reunions took place intermittently.
Dave Arbus
Violin, flute, saxophone, trumpet Ron Caines
Saxophone, piano, vocals Geoff Nicholson
Guitar, harp, vocals Dave Dufort
Drums Steve York
Bass Andy Sneddon
Bass Geoff Britton
Drums Al Read
Vocals Jeff Allen Drums David Jack Bass, vocals Don Weller
Saxophone Mike Price
Bass Stuart Rossister
Drums Terry Brace
Bass
You May Also Like
Johnny Devlin Johnny Devlin was born John Lockett Devlin on 11 May 1938 in New Zealand. In 1956,…
Plastic Penny British group Plastic Penny formed in November 1967. Much of their material was psychedelic pop (with…
Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Hopkins was born in June 1951 and raised in the village of Skewen, just outside…
Carole Bayer Sager The daughter of Elias Bayer, a New York thread manufacturer, Carole had a middle-class Jewish upbringing…
Saturday's Children Though they remained largely unknown outside the city, Saturday's Children were one of the most talented…
Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Originally called The Sixpence, Strawberry Alarm Clock were a Californian psychedelic bubblegum band of the mid-'60s,…
Ray Columbus and The Invaders Starting out as a fairly accomplished outfit in the style of Cliff Richard and The Shadows,…
Little Anthony & The Imperials Formed in Brooklyn in 1957, the group's first hit, the haunting Tears On My Pillow (1958), encapsulated the…
Moving to London in 1968, they took on ex-Graham Bond bass player Steve York (later with Vinegar Joe) and drummer Dave Dufort and signed with Decca’s ‘underground’ label Deram and found a college audience.
