Artist: East of Eden
Album: Snafu [Bonus Tracks]
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: 1970
Label: Eclectic
Quote:
If you ask anyone who inhabited the Rock venues of the late 60's and early 70's who the most memorable bands on the circuit were, the name East of Eden will always crop up. Yet now they are largely forgotten, over shadowed by the obvious names such as King Crimson The Nice and Yes, and their uncharacteristic hit 'Jig-a-Jig' only served to confuse people as to the kind of music they were actually producing at the time. The original incarnation of the band were never categorised in the general mainstream of 'progressive' rock which invariably relied on guitar and keyboard pyrotechnics. Instead their front line of electric violin. played in an almost Hendrix-like mode, saxophone bordering on free form jazz mixed with bluesy guitar, gave them a unique identity.
Their utilisation of jazz in a much purer form than their contemporaries was the prime element which defined their music. Also use of eastern scales, reggae rhythms and influences of classical composers such as Bartok crossed musical boundaries years before the term 'World Music' was coined. The band were originally formed in Bristol in 1967 but moved to London in 1968 taking on board ex-Graham Bond bass player Steve York (later with Vinegar Joe) and drummer Dave Dufort. This line-up made their first album 'Mercator Projected'. The curious production by a Decca pop producer high- lighted a soft-edged eastern influenced style rather than the rawer improvisational qualities of their stage performance. Their second album 'Snafu' was more representational incorporating reggae and Charles Mingus and John Coltrane influenced tracks. This time on bass was Andy Sneddon and drums Geoff Britton (who went on to join Paul McCartney's Wings) Both albums clocked up respectable sales. 'Snafu' made the top 30 in the UK and a single 'Ramadhan' reached No.2 in France in 1970 'Jig-a-Jig', which was the encore number in their set, an ironic throwaway twist to the rest of their show, became a top ten single on it's re-release in 1971. Dave Arbus then made two rather more conventional albums on the Harvest label (with David Jack. guitar, Jeff Allen, drums and Don Weller, Sax). By this time Ron and Geoff had quit the band, Ron to concentrate on playing jazz and Geoff to join the band Bubastis. Since reuniting in the 1990's they have concentrated on playing mainly jazz based instrumental material. In the recent 'Classic Albums' TV Series on The Who's album 'Who's Next' Dave Arbus was featured as he contributed the long Violin solo ending the legendary track 'Baba O'Reilly'.---- eastofedentheband.com
Track Listings:
1. Have to whack it up (2:20)
2. a) Leaping beauties for Rudy
...b) Marcus junior (7:02)
3. a) Xhorkham
...b)Ramadham
...c)In the snow for a blow (8:07)
4. Uno transito ciapori (2:28)
5. a) Gum arabic
...b) Confucius (8:18)
6. Nymphenburger (6:15)
7. a) Habibi baby
...b) Beast of Sweden
...c) Boehm constrictor (6:22)
8. Traditional: arranged by East of Eden (1:36)
Bonus tracks on Eclectic re-issue (2004):
9. Jig-a-Jig (A-side of Deram DM 297-Released May 1970)(3:43)
10. Petite Fille (3:55)
11. Biffin Bridge (5:52)
12. Blue Boar Blues (7:14)
13. Nymphenburger (first take) (5:16)
14. Marcus Junior (single edit, B-side of Deram DR 297 (5:12)
15. Jig-a-Jig (Take Nine) (4:17)
Line-up/Musicians:
- Dave Arbus / violin, wind instruments
- Geoff Britton / drums, percussion
- Ron Caines / saxophones, vocals
- Geoff Nicholson / guitars, vocals
- Andy Sneddon / bass
East of Eden is a perfect illustration of the futility that Decca Records in England faced in cultivating progressive rock (apart from the Moody Blues. A critically acclaimed jazz-fusion band with a strong Eastern music influence, they were a natural for stardom during the late '60s; indeed, they might've taken the wind out of the sails of the Mahavishnu Orchestra very fast, but they never became more than a cult act in England, with a strong local following in London, especially on the underground scene, even as they attracted serious audiences in continental Europe. The band was formed in Bristol, during 1967, by Dave Arbus (flute, sax, trumpet), Ron Caines (alto sax), and Geoff Nicholson (guitar, vocals). Caines and Nicholson had previously played together in an r&b-based band, and the Caines and Arbus had been playing together for a couple of years. Future Wings member Geoff Britton was their original drummer, although the group's rhythm section was never an essential focus of their work, and went through quite a few musicians. Arbus had been trained in the violin, but it wasn't until he saw Jean Luc-Ponty playing on stage in Paris that he realized the possibilities that the amplified instrument offered. He add the electric violin to his repertory, greatly broadening the band's range and sound, and the following year they moved to London. The group was signed to Decca's progressive rock imprint Deram label in 1968, and cut two LPs, Mercator Projected and Snafu, of which the latter made it into the British top 30, while a single, "Ramadhan," got to number two in France. Their one big hit in England, "Jig-a-Jig," made the Top Ten there and became something of a stylistic albatross around the band's neck, since it didn't resemble their usual sound or anything else they normally played. Caines and Nicholson left the band as the '70s began, and Arbus kept it together. They jumped to the Harvest label, but their work there never caught on, coinciding as it did with a change in style and a veering away from Eastern music to a country-ish sound. Arbus left in the early '70s and was replaced by future Rory Gallagher collaborator Joe O'Donnell. The band carried on thru the mid 1970's as almost exclusively a European act, recording and releasing albums in Europe only. The three original core members reunited in 1999 for the recording and release of the album Kalipse.
1. Have to Whack It Up
2. Leaping Beauties for Rudy/Marcus Junior
3. Xhorkom/Ramadhan/In the Snow for a Blow/Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul
4. Uno Transito Coapori
5. Gum Arabic/Confucius
6. Nymphenburger
7. Habibi Baby/Beast of Sweden/Boehm Constrictor
8. Traditional
9. Jig-a-Jig [Bonus]
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