East of Eden were a British progressive rock band, who had a Top 10 hit in the UK with the single "Jig-a-Jig" in 1970. The track was stylistically unlike any of their other work. Although some might consider them a symphonic progressive band, others state that their style is mostly jazz-oriented.
History
Their professional career began back in 1967 when they were formed in Bristol as Pictures of Dorian Gray, by Dave Arbus, Ron Caines, Geoff Nicholson, Mike Price, and Stuart Rossiter. Price left in spring 1968 and was replaced by Terry Brace. Vocalist Al Read joined at the same time. With this line-up the band released the now very rare single "King Of Siam" on 25 July 1968. They appeared in the film Laughter in the Dark. Brace left in September 1968, and was replaced by Steve York. Rossiter also left, and was replaced in September 1968 by Dave Dufort. In 1968 they moved to London, and were signed to a recording contract with Deram Records. In February 1969 Dufort left and in came Bryan Appleyard, who was replaced in June 1969 by Geoff Britton , who later joined Wings. York also left in June 1969, and in came bassist Andy Sneddon. In 1969 they released the Mercator Projected album, followed shortly afterward by Snafu, and Jig-a-Jig, a European-only compilation, released in 1971. Snafu reached the Top 30 of the UK Albums Chart, while a single, "Ramadhan", reached number two in France. Caines and Nicholson left the band in the 1970s for an unsuccessful stint with Harvest Records. Arbus also left around this time, and was replaced by Joe O'Donnell. The band continued to record and tour in Europe. Original guitarist Nicholson left in May 1970. The band broke up in 1978 having undergone various changes in membership. Important members in late line-ups included vocalist Al Read; bassist Terence 'Terry' Brace; bassist Andy Sneddon; bassist/vocalist David 'Davy' Jack ; drummer Jeff Allen ; bassist/vocalist Martin Fisher ; violinist Joe O'Donnell ; Alan 'Al' Perkes ; and guitarist Garth Watt-Roy. The three core members reunited in 1996, and their album Kalipse was released the following year. Like most of their earlier work, it was a cult hit. Arbus was a guest musician on the Who's track "Baba O'Riley", playing the violin solo. He was a friend of that band's drummer Keith Moon, and was also later a member of Fiddler's Dram.
