During the early 1970s the Cleves, then based in Sydney, Australia, issued an unremarkable self-titled album that followed the hard rock-progressive rock currents then dominant. The band had first assembled in New Zealand in the mid-'60s as the Clevedonaires, revolving around the Brown siblings Gaye (vocals and organ), Ron (guitar), and Graham (guitar). Bassist Milton Lane completed the lineup, which also released a pair of pop-oriented singles in 1969 and 1970. An EP called Music From Michael appeared as well, built around a sixteen-minute, ten-part suite taken from the soundtrack to the film of that title. After roster shifts that included the addition of one-time Bee Gees member Vince Melouney on guitar, the group—now without Melouney—relocated to the U.S. in late 1971, adopted the name Bitch, and released three singles on Warner Brothers.
