Recommended:  Eponymous Debut (*8); Et Zenda (*7)

1972    recorded live session, eventually released on 2002 album (see below).
 

Tim spent most of his university life sat on a hill, playing his accoustic guitar, and singing silly songs to himself - although his singing was not particularly great. He came from Canterbury and had been greatly influenced by the burgening music scene in his home town. Jodie heralded from South Wales and was heavily into folk music. She also had a terrific voice but was normally too shy to use it.

Zenda the Sheep didn't play many gigs. They tended to hang around in the upstairs room of a local vegetarian restaurant, playing for the amusement of themselves and whoever else might listen. One of their regular audience was Linda Jessop, a local girl who worked at the restaurant, and she would join in with the trio on and off, on percussion, flute, and vocals.

They began to write their own material at this stage (about 1971) and came up with about five songs during this time in the upstairs room. The first song they wrote was a mainly instrumental piece based on Pachabel's Cannon, which they called Ambrosia. Adam & Jodie (who were now in a relationship) had written a rock 'n' roll number about a man whose girlfriend had flushed herself down the toilet, and Tim had put forward a few tunes. The one they worked on most though was a song called "Knees and Other Leg Parts", about a man having his leg amputated. Tim had written most of it a couple of years earlier, and he and Jodie finished it off over a plate of vegetable samosas.

The three of them, along with Linda, started to play the odd folk night at local pubs, but their psychedelic leanings were generally frowned upon and the group became more and more reclusive.

It was at this point that Linda's boyfriend, Ike Imeson, showed an interest. He was from Nottinghamshire originally but had moved to Wales with his family at the age of 16. He had returned from his university studies in Leeds with a maths degree and a drum kit, which he could hit competently. He'd heard the band play a few times and was of the oppinion that what they needed was a good drummer behind them.

They brought him in on a trial basis, and had a few practices at his house before deciding to explore this more percussive sound further with something of a change of direction.

This change of direction was also coupled with a change of name. "Zenda the Sheep" became "Et Zenda" for when they were outside the vegetarian retaurant and with the drums, but remained "Zenda the Sheep" for their quieter upstairs moments. With this change, Jodie moved to keyboards.

With Ike, the group penned another couple of songs: The Calculator Song, about one man's love for his calculator, and All Sit Up, which was about nothing much, but which had a scarier feel than the previous songs: a jolly tune but with a slightly menacing edge.

Et Zenda played a few gigs but were largely unpopular and so didn't do it too often for fear of their own safety. In early 1972, the group disbanded to concentrate on their studies.

The following year, Adam & Jodie (now known as Jo) went on a trip to New York. Here they bumped into John Craven who was by this point already a celebrated guitarist having played with John Mayall, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. Craven was in New York looking for a new project. He'd milled about with Cage and Warhol, and more recently had played with Wayne County and Alice Cooper. Adam and Jo persuaded Craven to return with them to Wales to restart Et Zenda. Craven, who was keen to return to the U.K., agreed, and the band reformed with Craven on guitars. After a few practices he was suitably impressed, and layed down the money for some studio time. In december 1973, the six of them went into the studio to record an album. At this time they were calling themselves "Et Zenda et al", but on seeing that the last line of all their lyrics was et cetera, Craven suggested that Et Cetera would be a more appropriate name. Being as Craven was not only playing with them but also paying for them to record an album, the rest of the group took him up on his suggestion.

- You Spin Me Right Round Baby Right Round Like a Record Player Right Round Round Round / Return to Zenda / Bramalian Rhapsody / Ashes to Ashes / Cistern Addict / The Other Side // All Sit Up / Paranoia / Knees and Other Leg Parts / Vegetable Stew (Because I Love You) / The Calculator Song /Ambrosia

ET CETERA reformed in 2001 to re-release their album (slated as ClustAEC1CD but withdrawn due to legal problems), and to tour. Band were as before but with JESSICA MOORE (of MAGENTA MOOR) or FLINTON THORNS (ex-SQUARE ROOT) on bass instead of the missing SCOTT.

LUCAS and HUSTLER then reform ET ZENDA with following guests:
    MAGGIE MOORE (of MAGENTA MOOR) - bass, flute, cello / IAN MATTHEWS  (MAGENTA MOOR) - drums.

- Swift as the Wind / Cistern Addict / Knees and Other Leg Parts / Mr Apollo / Carp Sanctamonious / Daymare / A Very Cellular Song / All Sit Up / The Calculator Song / Ambrosia / She Wore a Scarlet Ribbon / Left Help in the Field of Helen's Veil / Yr Defod

- Starship 20-20 / Venusian Love Song / All Sit Up / Return to Zenda / Mr Apollo / Paranoia / Knees and Other Leg Parts / Cistern Addict / Trespassers Will... / Soil Survivor / Interzone / Death and the Melon / Sleeping Heavy / Death Bitch Queen / Fuck Window / Jesus Spits / Dead Clergy / Smokes / Puffing Billy / Folsom Prizon Blues / Bo'weevil Blues / Race with the Devil / New Dawn Fades / A Plague of Goths / Ever Since You Told Me That You Love Me (I'm A Nut) / Daddy Daddy What Is Heaven Like / Over the Rainbow / The End / Swift as the Wind / You Spin Me Right Round Baby Right Round Like a Record Player Right Round Round Round / Vegetable Stew (Because I Love You) / The Other Side / Anger / The Stories of Our Lives / Emotional Strife / The Girl in the Red Dress / The Drop / Life / Life II / Close to Home / lllusion / Love / Dreams / Ashes to Ashes / Bramalian Rhapsody / The Raven's Flight / Souls We Dry-Cleaned Before / 11 / Ambrosia / The Calculator Song