The group was signed to John Peel's Dandelion Records after he witnessed their first gig, and their single, "The Ballad of a Big Girl Now", was released in 1969. Following the single was the release (under the same label) of two albums - Soundtrack and The Asmoto Running Band - the second of which was produced by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd. During this time, the group opened for several acts including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Fleetwood Mac. The sometimes whimsical, sometimes epic (verging on progressive rock) writing style of guitarist Root Cartwright, was paired with the eclectic lyrical contributions of David Jones, Gillian Hadley and Monica Nettles, and was performed by vocalist Vivienne McAuliffe. The violin and recorders of Bindy Bourquin were another key element of the group's trademark sound. Lyn Edwards, originally on bongos, took over on the drumkit. The group disbanded in December 1971, but a new band with a smaller nucleus (including new bassist Richard Jones from Climax Blues Band) and a name-change to, simply, Principal Edwards, they recorded a few new singles and a third album called Round One for Deram Records. Most of the Deram recordings were also produced by Nick Mason
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