The E-Types

During the middle years of the 1960s, a Salinas, California ensemble located near San Jose performed an agreeable fusion of British Invasion-derived pop and rock with a hint of garage energy. Noticeable keyboard lines, three-part vocal harmonies, and self-written songs that introduced minor-key turns produced a sound recalling both the Zombies and the Turtles. The group attained strong local support inside a fairly narrow geographic area yet registered no presence on a national scale. Four singles appeared on small imprints, most of them overseen by producer Ed Cobb, whose credits also included the Standells and the Chocolate Watch Band. The band demonstrated clear promise through its capacity for sturdy original material, nearly all of it supplied by outside associate Larry Hosford rather than by the members themselves. Time ran short, however, before that promise could develop into work of lasting consequence, and the outfit disbanded in 1967 precisely as California audiences turned away from such carefully shaped pop and rock in favor of psychedelia.