Jacobs Creek
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969) - Steve Burgh (RIP 2005) -- lead guitar, organ, vocals - Tim Case -- drums, percussion - Bruce Foster -- banjo, organ, vocals, guitar - Derrek Van Eaton -- vocals - Lon Van Eaton -- vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar, sax, sitar
supporting musicians: (1969) - Steve Mosley -- drums, percussion - Jim Sedlar -- trumpet - Denny Storley -- percussion
line up 2 (1969-71) - Steve Burgh (RIP 2005) -- lead guitar, organ, vocals - Bruce Foster -- banjo, organ, vocals, guitar - Derrek Van Eaton -- vocals - Lon Van Eaton -- vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar, sax, sitar NEW - Steve Mosley -- drums, percussion (replaced Tim Case)
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- Bruce Foster (solo efforts) - Message (Bruce Foster) - Shark Frenzy (Bruce Foster) - The Trees - Lon and Derek Van Eaton
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Jacobs Creek Company: Columbia Catalog: CS
9829 Country/State: Trenton, New Jersey Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: includes lyric insert Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $40.00
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For a brief moment in the early-'70s brothers Derrek and Lon Van Eaton were the darlings of rock critics and poised to be the next big thing. They even captured the attention of Apple Records manager Tony King who recommended them to George Harrison. Harrison liked what he heard and signed them to Apple He brought them to London, wrote a song for them and asked Beatles associate Klaus Voorman to produce their debut album - 1972's "Brother". Unfortunately that brush with fame was over in a heartbeat.
The thing is that by 1972 the Van Eatons were established musicians. Their professional career traced back to the mid-1960s when they were members of Trenton, New Jersey's The Trees who managed to record a nifty garage rocker for the small Trenton-based Bali-Hi label before breaking up.
- 1968's 'Don't Miss the Turn' b/w 'Your Life' (Bali-Hi catalog number BH 808)
Within
a year The Trees had morphing into the hipper sounding Elisium. The
original line up featured Derrek on vocals, brother Lon on vocals, keyboards
and guitar, guitarist Steve Burgh, former Trees drummer Tim Case and
multi-instrumental Bruce Foster. Within a matter of months
Elisium
Inexplicably, having invested considerable time and effort in the album, Columbia did little to promote it. With drummer Steve Mosley replacing Tim Case, the band returned to New Jersey, playing local clubs and even high school dances. Within a year they'd called it quits with the Van Eatons setting out as duo.
"Jacobs
Creek" track listing: 1.) Colors (Lon Van Eaton) - 5:20 rating: **** stars 'Colors' opened as a pretty, largely acoustic ballad. Perhaps just my ears, but I found the Van Eaton's vocals a bit strained. Luckily showcasing some manic Steve Mosley drumming the song abruptly morphed into a rocker with some tasty Steve Burgh lead guitar. That made it easier to overlook the vocals. 2.) Anonymous Verdict Suite (Jesus' Return / Christian Man) (Lon Van Eaton) - 7:18 rating: *** stars 'Anonymous Verdict Suite' was a two part suite, I certainly wasn't expecting the Blood, Sweat and Tears horns that opened 'Jesus' Return.' It also took a little time to acclimate to Steve Burgh's vocals. Come to think of it, 'Jesus' Returns' bore more than a passing resemblance to a BS&T track. Derrek took over lead vocals on 'Christian Man'. The horns were still there, but the melody was stronger and the group harmonies were nice. 3. Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Lon Van Eaton) - 2:26 rating: ** stars A country-tinged good timey track, 'Everything's Gonna Be Alright' would not have sounded out of place on a Lovin' Spoonful album. Mildly cute, but not particularly memorable. 4. Coming… The River (Lon Van Eaton) - 5:04 rating: **** stars 'Coming… The River' opened up with some vaporous Burgh wah-wah guitar and the Van Eaton's lysergic-tinged vocals. With a drifting vibe and some cool studio effects, it was one of the album's most psychedelic performance and unlike anything else on the album. 5. Do You Understand? (Lon Van Eaton) - 3:09 rating: *** stars Opening with a short a cappella segment, I've struggled to come up with an apt description for the ballad 'Do You Understand?'. With Derrek and Foster sharing lead vocals, the track was built on a sweet melody that sounded like it had been influenced by medieval and traditional folk music. Pretty, but very unusual. 6.) What's Around (Lon Van Eaton) - 3:02 rating: **** stars Powered by Foster's jittery lead guitar (he also handled the lead vocals), 'What's Around' found the band diving headlong into a mash-up of mid-'60s garage and West Coast psychedelia. Certainly unusual, but once you got acclimated to it, the results made for one of the album's standout performances.
(side
2) A sugary sweet, harpsichord powered ballad, this one featured Derrek on lead vocals. And once again, I found myself liking Lon's voice more than Derrek's. The track sounded very much like something you might hear on a mid-'60s album by The Association. \The song also appeared as the "B" side on their 'What You Hear' promotional 45. 2.) Behind The Door (Lon Van Eaton) - 4:06 rating: *** stars The band get heavy ... Worth hearing for Case's wild-as*ed drums and Foster's fuzz solo. 3.) What You Hear (Lon Van Eaton - Bruce Foster) - 2:53 Complete with horns and a catchy melody, 'What You Hear' featured Foster, Derrek and Lon sharing lead vocals. To my ears it sounded like another Association-styled ballad. Admittedly a good Association-styled ballad.
- 1969's ;'What You Hear' b/w 'A Love Song' (Columbia catalog number 4-44856)
4.) Lonely Fire (Lon Van Eaton) - 4:10 rating: *** stars More Association-styled harmonies. Pretty, but bland. Extra star for Lon's melodic jazzy lead guitar which provided the song's highlight. 5.) The Circle (Lon Van Eaton) - 6:10 rating: **** stars Bruce foster on banjo. Lon Van Eaton on sitar . Yeah, it was a combination I don't think I'd ever heard before. The album's strangest performance, 'The Circle' managed to somehow mash up country and raga with the song ending with some wonderful mid-career Beatles harmonies. Not that you were going to wake up humming this tune, but the fact it actually worked was amazing. 6.) Katharine (Lon Van Eaton) - 1:01 rating: ** stars Let's close the album with an acoustic folk ballad ... At least it was brief.
© Scott R. Blackerby May, 2025
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became Jacobs Creek. By mid-1969 they'd relocated to New York
City. Dates on the city's club scene attracted
the attention of Andy Warhol who hired them to perform at his art studio -
The Factory. Their big break came later in the year when they were
hired to open for a Doors concert. Signed by Columbia Records they
were teamed with producer Al Lawrence (then a hot commodity from his work
with Carlos Santana) and Jimmy Wisener. Quite rare for an unproven
act, "Jacobs Creek" featured a collection of twelve
original tunes - all credited to Lon (Bruce Foster co-writing the single
'What You Hear'). Blessed with three lead vocalists in Foster, Derek
and Lon the album was also notable for its diverse sound. It was one
of those collections that sounded a bit like a demo intended to showcase
their musical versatility to a record label - "hey we can play it
all - everything from sensitive singer-songwriter ('A Love Song'),
Association-styled pop ('Lonely Fire'), medieval
ballads ('Do You
Understand?'),
West Coast psych ('What's
Around') with a detour into Blood, Sweat
and Tears-styled horn rock 'Anonymous
Verdict Suite.'
That diversity was a two edged sword. It made for a collection that
held your attention. Other than a couple of lame ballads
('Katherine'), the majority of the album was at least intriguing. At the
other end of the spectrum, you were left wondering what these guys were
about. Playing spot-the-influence was sort of fun, but you could do
that any Friday night listening to a cover band at your local dive
bar. Too bad they weren't given a shot at a follow-on release.
