EGG

Demanding an attentive audition - this is ELP-ish with a RIO twist. Difficult but worthwhile and highly regarded among connaisseurs , I personally feel that this has not aged well especially compared to ELP. This might have been a foursome if Hillage had not gone back to school after that Arzachel - Uriel project. This might have changed drastically the sound of this band. Highly experimental , this should not please newcommers to prog.

Such a bit immature early 70's issue from Canterbury, characterized by normal music breaks through (natural I have regarded them as "normal" in comparison to the best standard concerning Canterbury, but I like to point out also their remarkable ideas too). In fact this classic album, featuring the brilliant and pyrotechnical keyboards of Dave Stewart, it's a mix between the "early progressive" style and such "Canterburian Jazz" in between... filled with odd time signatures and other adaptations from Bach and Grieg as well. This is one of the "prog rock rarities" which can complete our personal "prog discography". Recommended for the lovers of the early style from Canterbury, although it is not completely essential; but the best moments inside are memorable!!

Egg's debut album is an astonishingly assured piece of work, especially when you realise that the three members of the band were all under 20 when it was released. They had emerged from the ashes of Uriel, a band that was formed at the City of London school. Keyboard player Dave Stewart was originally the guitarist, but switched to organ when he realised that the young Steve Hillage (for it was he) was a better player. Hillage then left for university, the remaining trio renamed themselves Egg and built up a solid reputation on the underground circuit. It's an essential piece of the Canterbury scene jigsaw and also still stands up as a strong release today, although the sound is definitely dated.

Like the early Soft Machine, Egg was an organ led trio with a particularly English sense of humour to go with the serious musical chops, although where Soft Machine's work had a jazz flavour Egg were into quoting the classics. The main composer was Mont Campbell, although the group shared the writing credits (Stewart later said that Campbell was responsible for 95% of Egg's music). This album, like their follow up, had one side of shorter pieces and a side long instrumental. The first half is a patchwork of short, eccentric songs and instrumentals. A particular highlight is a jazzy reading of JS Bach's Fugue in D minor, which is closer to Jethro Tull's Bouree than to the occasionally overblown bombast of The Nice or ELP's take on classical music. Mont Campbell's voice has a similar timbre to Richard Sinclair's and the lyrics have a similar tongue in cheek quality. That, plus Dave Stewart's distinctive keyboard work, gives songs like While Growing My Hair a kind of proto Hatfield and the North feel. The second half of the album is a rather more serious affair. The first movement features a very nifty quote from Hall of the Mountain King, while Blane moves into the kind of RIO/Avant Prog territory that Dave Stewart would explore in the Ottawa Music Company, a rock composer's group he formed with Chris Cutler. The reissued version restores the third movement (originally omitted because of copyright issues over a quote from Starvinsky) which gives the extended piece a more balanced feel. Rounding off the CD reissue are the a and b sides of Egg's debut single. Seven is a Jolly Good Time is a catchy number in 7/4 time (Caravan's Hello Hello uses the same time signature to similar effect), which in 1969 wasn't a wholly uncommercial move - Jethro Tull had a sizeable UK hit with Living in the Past, which is in 5/4. You are all Princes is a similar experiment, though far less memorable.

This is an album which has a lot of charm, but which is very much a first effort by musicians (Stewart in particular) who would go on to achieve much greater things, and which hasn't aged brilliantly. The CD reissue, with extra tracks and informative liner notes (which have been cribbed from here) is worth an extra half star.

Cracking?

I first came across Egg's debut album around the time of its release when a friend bought it on spec. Having heard it a few times in the early 70's, and with positive memories of it, I picked up the recently released remaster to see whether my recollections were accurate.

Egg were very much a part of the Canterbury scene, citing Soft Machine as one of their major influences. The band was led by virtuoso keyboard player Dave Stewart, later of Hatfield and the North and latterly his long running musical partnership with his wife Barbara Gaskin. Stewart had previously been a member of a band called Uriel with legendary guitarist Steve Hillage, so it is interesting that Egg chose to become a very one dimensional unit, lead guitar being completely absent and organ becoming the sole dominant sound of the band. While Stewart is clearly the band leader, the compositions are generally credited to most if not all of the group members collectively.

"Egg" was one of the most successful releases on Decca's short lived Nova label, which was dedicated to prog and other serious music. That is not to say the album sold in great numbers, but rather reflects the disastrously poor results returned by the label's other signings.

As for the music itself, the album moves from a deceptively pop like start, through predominantly jazz influenced colours to at times unstructured improvisation. Side one of the original LP consists of four separate tracks, plus three brief interludes. The interludes (the briefest of which, "Bulb" is 9 seconds long) can be dispensed with without further comment. "While growing my hair" has distinct echoes of jazz pop band The Peddlars, being a jaunty 60's sounding piece. It was one of the last tracks recorded for the album, and the only one engineered by future Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker. It is immediately succeeded by the similar sounding "I will be absorbed", a Rare Bird/Beggar's Opera like organ based number with distinctive vocals.

"Fugue in D Minor" is a straightforward adoption of Bach's "Toccata & Fugue in D Minor" played on organ.

The second side of the album consists entirely of "Symphony No.2" in four Movements plus a brief interlude ("Blane"). Strangely, despite the fact that the entire piece is made up of improvisations on classical themes (Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King" is immediately noticeable in "First movement"), the third movement was omitted from the original LP due to concerns over the references to the work of Stravinsky. It is however restored to its rightful place on the remastered CD version. "Second movement" has distinct echoes of a theme from ELP's "Tarkus".

The suite is almost exclusively dominated by organ, and a single tone organ at that. While enjoyable, it does become somewhat tedious as the track progresses, especially in the jazzier improvisations of "Movement four".

The expanded re-master also includes the A and B sides of a single released by the group prior to the album. "Seven is a jolly good time" takes its name from the time signature of the chorus. It's a light, bouncy song along the lines of Caravan's more frivolous numbers.

In all, an album of historical significance which still sounds good today. Some of the music displays a charming naivety, while other parts border on the indulgent.

If only they had recruited a guitarist.

Egg is a labeled a Canterbury band, but in all honesty they sound more Psych/Symphonic on this disc. Their sound is influenced by the classical prog of The Nice with a dash of early ELP. What probably might tip them in the Canterbury side of things is the silly song titles and the funny lyrics. They have moments that sound like the poppy side of Caravan, ('While Growing My Hair", "I Will Be Absorbed"). What stands out is the play of Dave Stewart. He brings out many sounds from his small collection of keyboards, and to think he and the boys in the band have yet to reach 20 years of age! Being young and ambitious, they tackle classical music, ("Fugue In D Major" for instance) and for the most of side two a bit of advant garde/classical prog with numerous odd sounds and bizarre turns. What might turn some people off are the flat-like vocals of Mont Campbell. Having a throaty voice, it works at times with the slower songs but when he needs to pick it up a tad especially during "The Song of McGillicudie The Pusillanimous...." his howls are Arthur Brown bad. But that's a minor quibble. It's a fun album, very much of it's time. A bit of psych, a bit of symph, a bit of advant garde and a bit of classical. Just not what you'd expect from a Canterbury band. I really enjoy the album, it's not a bad album at all, it just doesn't compare to other bands that warrant 4 stars, so I'll give it a solid 3. Well done, though!

Considering their talent and importance, this group doesn't always get the love they deserve. Perhaps they were swallowed by the burgeoning English progressive scene in 1970. Or maybe the first record reminded people a bit too much of the Nice and it never took hold. Nevertheless, this is one of the very best debuts of a progressive rock band and is absolutely essential in the context of early Prog history.

Master keyboardist Dave Stewart, the underappreciated Clive Brooks on drums and bassist Mont Campbell were doing wild neo-classical organ rock when other acts like ELP were still developing and hadn't yet created a distinctive sound. They made an album for Zel records in 1969 as Azrachel (with a young Steve Hillage on guitar) before recording their first album proper at Landsdowne Studios, Holland Park in October 1969. Though clearly influenced by Keith Emerson's The Nice, Egg took symphonic prog to the next level and 1970's Egg made Emerson, Lake and Palmer sound average and reserved by comparison, with jazzadelic Soft Machinisms and brilliantly played passages in the manner of Stravinsky and J.S. Bach.

The record starts with the fun 'While Growing My Hair' and psychedelic 'I Will Be Absorbed' weakened only by Campbell's wan vocals. 'Fugue in D Minor' rocks the Bach and 'The Song of McGillicudie the Pusillanimous' gets the blood pumping with racing organ and a nod to the Doors. The centerpiece is 'Symphony No. 2', one of the first true symphonic rock compositions showcasing rhythmic counterpoint, swirling keys, and five sections including the marvelous, dark and previously unreleased Third Movement. 'Seven is a Jolly Good Time' brings a bit of English silliness to the party and the CD finishes with the great 'You Are All Princes', a melodic slice of commercial prog that gives ELP a run for its money. Though a touch less realized than their follow-up The Polite Force, this chronicles a priceless moment in rock and hinted at grand things to come.

Egg certainly does sound Emerson, Lake and Palmer-ish but with the benefit of underexposure. The similarity is chiefly based on the organ sound, and since both bands issued their debut album in that same 1970, one must consider the likelihood of common ancestry rather than copycat syndrome. Egg also contains ample Canterbury elements beneath the Hammond domination.

In the end, like ELP, Egg did not age well, although they did not rot, and a certain jazzy aspects in the more vocal dominated pieces suits the band well and elevates their legacy somewhat. This is especially true in "While Growing my Hair" and "I will be absorbed", both well sung, played and improvised in approximately equal measure. But the short filler pieces serve little discernible purpose and the lengthy symphony is hopelessly retrograde even if it contains some toe-tapping moments.

It's an album with some fine but even more mind wandering aspects. I recommend this newly hatched Egg chiefly to hard boiled veterans of the Canterbury scene and ELP, and, while that actually covers quite a large audience here in the archives, I cannot really count myself among them.

As is often the case, I just read a 5 star review of this wonderful album, and I am compelled by some existential forces to put in my bit !!! EGG were originally a 4 piece known as 'Arzachel', complete with guitar-zero Steve Hillage within the ranks, when Hillage left the band for further studies, the remaining 3 members opted to continue as 'Egg'. Keyboard nutter Dave Stewart already pushed the boundaries of the Hammond Organ's potential to inexplicable heights, and continues to titillate us with his amazing playing, unique style and manipulated sounds. The rhythm section of Bassist Mont Campbell and Drummer Clive Brooks had an obvious understanding of Mathematics and Science to comprehend and realise the extraordinary compositions which make up this slab of scarce vinyl....From the avante sounding 9 second opener 'Bulb', right through to the closing moments of 'Symphony No. 2', this album is an incredible journey of intellectual composition, and incorporates lots of fun and exciting moments, complete with an authentic 'Canterbury' sound (a sound which has been vaguely deciphered and labelled after-the-fact) and shouldn't fail to please listeners who aren't partial to humour and insane complexity. Naturally, lovers of SOFT MACHINE and the earlier CARAVAN albums should scramble for EGG !! 5 stars.

Egg is the debut album from Canterbury/ psychadelic rock band Egg. The album was released in 1970. Egg came out of the ashes of the psychadelic UK based Arzachel. A great psychadelic rock band which only managed to release one legendary album in 1969. All three members of Egg were in the lineup of Arzachel. The only one missing from the Arzachel lineup is guitarist/ vocalist Steve Hillage. Egg continued the style of Arzachel on this debut album, but the music is generally more sophisticated and less psychadelic than on Arzachel´s sole album. The difference between the two bands also comes down to the lack of Steve Hillage guitar playing which means that Egg is a power trio without guitar.

The music has influences from several genres like psychadelic rock, jazz and classical music which makes Egg´s music pretty diverse. The focus in most songs is on Dave Stewarts organ playing but the rythm section of Clive Brook on Drums and Mont Campbell on bass and vocals are also very much a part of the music. Mont Cambell has a pleasant voice. It´s not especially distinct but pleasant like in most Canterbury music.

Songs like While Growing My Hair, I Will be Absorbed and The song of McGuillicudie the Pusillanimous (or don't worry James, your socks are hanging in the coal cellar with Thomas) are good psychadelic tracks with vocals and Dave Stewart´s organ playing little melodic figures. Fugue in D Minor is a rock version of a classical piece. The lead melody is of course played on the organ. Both They laughed when I sat down at the Piano...and Boilk are small piano, organ experiments that are nice breaks from the longer tracks. The main attraction on the album is Symphony No 2 though. A 22:26 minute long instrumental song with lots of both classical themes and more psychadelic excursions. It´s a great joy to be listening to this song even though there is a couple of minutes of the song that I could have done without. The noise making from Dave Stewart was probably considered innovative at the time, but today it´s just plain annoying.

The musicianship is excellent and I cannot praise Dave Stewart´s control of his organ enough. He is without a doubt one of my favorite organ players.

The production is a bit muddy but far better than the almost bootleg sound on Arzachel´s album.

There are many power trios playing rock music with a classical touch out there. Emerson, Lake & Palmer is the most obvious one to mention. Egg stand out from the rest though as they have a subtle and soft approach to the genre that is admirable compared to the pompeus and most of the time overblown symphonic approach of ELP. Egg deserves 4 stars for this wonderful debut album.

The history of Egg starts exactly in 1967. The band formed mutually by student's companion was a band that was called "Uriel". The sound source of this Uriel is put on the market as CD. Therefore, it came to be able to buy material concerning this Egg in music worldwide in the market. If the age is considered, the band that derives in the music of Canterbury is not a translation that starts music with originality from the beginning. It is guessed to be a worldwide overflow of the element of Rock and psychedelic and a little start also of the situation of Canterbury from those influences. Active Steve Hillage to the back with Khan and Gong was on the register in this Uriel, too. And, their music characters came to be touched off gradually by Cream and The Nice. However, Hillage never debuted with them. The name of the band is renamed to "Egg" and debuts in 1970. A part of aggressiveness and a classical part of their elements might be indeed large. I think that they are the results of classical of Stewart and an active part's uniting with the dash feeling of the rhythm. Tunes of the album are all the work of the cooperation of the member excluding two. The keyboard of Stewart contributes to Canterbury with some perfection already. The variegation of the sound of Stewart might prove the fact with the riot of color and the shine like a sensual phrase etc. of the tune and "I Will Be Absorbed" with the dash feeling like "While Growing My Hair". However, a classical element is included as for some part. Egg might have been a starting point if talking about the history of the music of Canterbury Scene and Stewart of course.

Proto-Prog is one of my least favourite genres, and I mention that because the vocals and organ on a few of these tracks sound like your typical Proto-Prog band (if there is such a thing). Honestly though I wish they hadn't used vocals on this album, especially when he really tries to sing with some passion, it's cringe-worthy. The Classical music sections are also not the kind of music I usually like, but those are hit and miss for me. Now that's only part of the story here of course. I love when they seem to jam and also the experimental passages. The first bonus track "Fourth Movement" is for me the best track by far, we even get some fuzzed out organ. It's not a good thing though when a bonus track is your favourite song off the album. So a mixed bag for me and certainly not nearly as good as "Polite Force" or "The Civil Surface", both of which will follow this debut.

The song I like the least is "While Growing My Hair". The vocals ruin it for me. It really reminds me of a bad THE DOORS song. "I Will Be Absorbed" is the only track with vocals I really like. Mainly because he sings in a reserved manner. I like the way the keyboards seem to echo. "Fogue In D Minor" is an instrumental with prominant bass and organ. "They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano..." is led by piano before experimental sounds come in. "The Song Of McGillicudie..." is uptempo with vocals, organ and drums standing out. The best parts are when he's not singing. Great sound 3 1/2 minutes in.

"Boilik" is a short experimental piece. "First Movement" is where Stewart really shines. "Second Movement" is dominated by the drums until the organ comes to the fore later on. It sounds amazing after 5 1/2 minutes. "Blane" is fairly experimental. "Third Movement" opens with floating organ as drums join in. Again it's the bonus track "Fourth Movement" that steals the show for me. The fuzz organ and bass solo are killer.

3.5 stars. Interesting to hear this but I really feel they improved in pretty much every area on the two records that will follow.

The debut album of Egg ( nothing but Arzachel without guitarist Steve Hillage, who left to study psychology in Kent University) is a real early progressive gem. All Egg's releases stayed in the shadow, and it's a shame.

Guitar less trio, heavily based on future on of the greatest Canterbury scene keyboardist Dave Stewart plays perfect mix of psychedelic jazzy symphonic progressive. Nearest comparison could be ELP, but Egg's music is more jazzy and less bombastic.

Compositions still are not so complex, as in later Canterbury albums, bluesy roots still are more presented. But at the same time, besides of some jazzy arrangements, symphonic influences are very major. All three musicians are great, and Cambell's vocal is more then competent.

Whenever guitar is absent at all, keyboard sound absolutely dominate in album's music, but in a perfect way music doesn't become overloaded or too much symphonic, but stays airy and pleasantly lightweight.

One of the great early Canterbury scene's album - recommended!

Egg surely weren't planning to become Nice/ELP soundalikes - take Uriel (the band Egg is the successor to), remove Steve Hillage, and bam!, you get your bass/drums/organ lineup as the inevitable result. Maybe it's just the Bach cover and the prominence given to Dave Stewart's organ playing that makes people compare the group to Emerson's two big bands from the era, though I would personally stress that Stewart is in no way an Emerson soundalike - his playing is less forceful and aggressive, and also less inclined towards empty showing-off (unlike many ELP albums, there's no goofy novelty track here - the lyrics might sometimes be silly, but the music is always serious business). A solid debut from Egg, even if it is a bit of a Dave Stewart showcase.

It seems as if virtually every single 'Canterbury' style group emerged from either the pop-psych outfit The Wilde Flowers or, latterly, Steve Hillage's college band Uriel. Whilst the Likes of Soft Machine and Caravan would form out of the ashes of the former, the latter give birth to what would eventually become the trio of Egg. Featuring Mont Campbell(bass, vocals), Dave Stewart(organ, piano) and Clive Brooks(drums), Egg were a funny little beast, part-classical, part-jazz and all-progressive. They produced three albums during a rather brief career, with this interesting curio of a debut followed by 1971's 'The Polite Force' and, after a three-year gap, 'The Civil Surface'(notice the pun titles) which saw the light-of-day in 1974. Of the three it is perhaps the self- titled debut that proves most satisfying due to a playful experimental edge that gives meaning to much of the meandering, especially on the interlinking five-part suite 'Symphony No.2', a composition brimming with jaunty invention and quick-fire tempo changes. Dave Stewart's organ is the dominant force throughout, his juicy solo's backed by the thoughtfully-applied bass and warbling vocals of Mont Campbell, whilst Clive Brooks energetic drumming bristles away underneath giving much of 'Egg' a sonic style not unlike that of The Nice or even ELP in their more jocular moments. Like many progressive groups from the genre's golden days, Egg are probably better thought of now then they were back in the day, and whilst they have always been a cult outfit with a small-but-loyal following their singular brand of eccentric neo-classical Canterbury jazz has always intrigued those with a penchant for something slightly different. Very much the thinking man's prog-rock group, Egg's first album is by no means a classic, but it is still a highly-engaging offering that nicely sums up just what an exciting and thoughtful time it was to be a musician back at the beginning of the 1970s. Like they always say: they sure don't make 'em like this anymore.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

Legendary act of the Canterbury scene, Egg actually emerged in 1968 out of the ashes of Uriel with the same members (David Stewart on keyboards, Mont Campbell on bass and Clive Brooks on drums) minus guitarist Steve Hillage.The absence of Hillage naturally brought a change of sound to a more organ-driven style and Egg signed a contract with Deram, followed by a single in August 69'.A brief reunion with Hillage led to the classic Psych/Prog Arzachel album, but Hillage soon returned to his studies and the trio continued as Egg on the recordings of their first full-length album, the classic ''Egg'', released on Deram in March 70'.

Highly influenced by the sound of THE NICE but not leaving apart their psychedelic background, Egg came up with an album of Classical-inspired Progressive Rock with major psych influences as a more polished version of THE NICE.A couple of tracks though with aggresive vocals, powerful drumming and jamming organ versions are sure to remind of the later, but the majority of this album's legth show Egg trying to deliver a more professional and refined Classical approach on rock music.As expected the musicianship is heavily driven by Stewart's organ and piano lines, somewhat split between melodic passages, Classical adaptions and more improvised solos, always supported by the frenetic bass of Mont Campbell and the skillful drumming of Clive Brooks.The amalgam of Egg's sound is certainly the long epic ''Symphony No. 2'', a nice journey in Egg's history, offering, besides the undisputed Classical education of the band, plenty of dramatic moments, experimental beats and psychedelic cuts.

Egg's debut may sound a bit dated for today's standards but it still deserves a place in a prog man's collection.A historical piece of music regarding the Canterbury school of Psych/Prog and a must-have for anyone into keyboard-based Progressive Rock or early-70's Art Rock.Go for the Esoteric Recordings CD reissue, which offers also the pair of tracks featured on Egg's first ever single.Recommended.

Dusty,moldy and memorable.

Yes this record sounds dated, just how I like them. Just the right amount of scratchy production and bad drum miking. But this is where all the charm lies: it's a terribly British record. Even the cover is sober. A subtle 'up yours' to the snobby English class who only listens to Stravinsky and Rachmaninov.

This is a record that probably fell under the radar at the time but to this day, still delivers charm and irresistible attraction. Keys, drums and bass is a formula that got worn out in the 70's, but this one is tearing up my heart and melts in tiny notes of nostalgia. It's not a pompous load of look-at-me, it's just 3 guys with bad hair and moustache who couldn't score with the ladies after a show....'cause not girls came to see them. Feel like and old pair of slippers, am I right?

Underrated and perfect.

I came into knowing Egg with the followup to this one, The Polite Force, which is one of my favorite Canterbury albums. So, the self-titled debut had a bit of a hill to climb to please me. But it does! I love hearing some of the sounds and rhythms that will later come into make the amazing music of The Polite Force! "I Will Be Absorbed" (5:12) (9/10) is an incredible song: great melodies, great singing, pretty tight musicianship. Definitely a favorite! The Bach "Fugue in D minor" (2:45) (9/10) and their own Stravinsky-influenced "Concerto" (20:41) (8/10) are both quite enjoyable--even the trippy, experimental parts of "Blane" are interesting. But the highlight for me is the piano/organ experimental piece, "They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano" (1:21) Perhaps a little autobiographical? The two other vocal pieces, "While Growing My Hair" (4:03) (8/10) and "The Song of McGullicudie the Pusillanimous" (5:10) (8/10) sound a bit dated but, again, this is amazing stuff for 19 year olds! This album is especially noteworthy in that within the next nine months you have the release of the much more 'mature' The Polite Force! Amazing! Also, I like Mont Campbell's voice! 3.5 stars rated up for astonishment factor. (Dave Stewart was Uriel's original guitarist?!!!)

Egg are often labled as a Canterbury scene band. The band's main composer and bassist Mont Campbell admitted he had not even known that until long after Egg broke up. Put lables aside, Egg's self-titled debut album ticks every box of what I'm looking for in progressive rock. At the beggining of 1970, this was way ahead of its time. Leaving the tired psychedelic cliches, Egg were looking for a classical and jazz-inspired sound that would later be heard from acts such as Emerson Lake & Palmer and many, many more. It has it all - musical experimentation, unique arangements, long epics, odd time signatures, strange titles, mystic lyrics, jazz and classical influences. I usually don't do so and do not like to, but I feel it is an absolute necessity for me to review every track seperately. Another fanboy review? Probably.

"Bulb" is a slowed down 8-second recording of a shattered lightbulb with mutliple delay. An odd album opener, giving us the taste of what's to come."While Growing My Hair" starts with a dreamy organ passage, than turning into a jazzy, rolling 3/4 rhythm. The main theme sounds a bit like The Doors at times with Mont Campbell's low vocals. "I Will Be Absorbed" is a lush and mellow, yet complex piece in 7/4, showcasing band's jazzier sensibilities with lush organ by Dave Stewart. Mont Campbell's singing again, does not disappoint."Fugue in D Minor" is a rendition of Bach's fugue of the same title in a very grooving, funky rhythm, letting Dave Stewart show-off his incredibly mature baroque organ skills. The track was allegedly recorded as an album filler. I'm sure glad it was, it's a Egg legendary piece."They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano" is a one-minute track, which only features Dave Stewart's Chopin-inspired piano playing. The beautiful romantic melody is haunted by a dissonant tone generator, which sounds like a... like a weeping robot of some sort. "The Song of McGillicudie the Pusillanimous (Or Don't Worry James, Your Socks Are Hanging in the Coal Cellar with Thomas)" is a very avant-garde organ-driven song, which sounds a bit like a progressive rock "extension" of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown's early work. Based on a rapid rhythm in 10/8, it sounds incredibly smooth and moody. Lyrically, it's a perfect reflection of the sound. "Where should I go what should I do. Now that I know can't get away from you. Everyone has something to hide from themselves and now it's too late to go back go right on." This is it. A very interesting track."Boilk" is the most experimental of all. Without any rhythm, this features samples of Mellotron tapes played backwards, forming a sort of heavenly sound collage.

"Symphony No. 2" is one of the first real progressive rock suites. An outstanding work of art."First Movement" is opened by a very, very catchy, avant-garde sounding passage of notes played in 10/8. Next intervals are gradually being added to the main theme creating a unique passage, that is very typical of this album. It resolves into a part of Edvard Grieg's "In Hall Of The Mountain King" than turning into a laidback, hardbop-esque lane with a smooth jazzy jam. "Second Movement" is more classical inspired with dark organ passages. The main theme is borrowed from Igor Stravinsky's "Rite Of Spring". "Blane" honestly sounds like a homage to the electro-acoustic composers, who spent the 60's playing around with tone generators and computers in studios. There are loads of atonal sounds, saturation, "ugly" mechanical effects here, but also some charming, celestial chords. "Fourth movement" is Egg's classic sound! Filled with fuzz-organ, this is the most rock-oriented of the tracks without sacrificing any of its avant-garde integrity. This is the closing of a great multimovement suite. Sort of a let-down, I would expect fireworks and champagne, but I guess we will have to make do without those.

In conclusion, I will never have enough good to say about Egg's debut album. It's that good! Although I'm in the minority, I consider this one of the legendary albums of progressive rock's second league. However, this album is not for everybody. Newcommers shall not be pleased with what they hear. But this album is a must for prog nuts. Not only does it hold a strong historical value as one of the pioneering albums of the genre, but also it is just plain joy to listen to. This will be a very pleasing experience to fans of organ-driven prog and proto-avant-rock nuts alike. Highly recommended, 10/10!

The oddly named prog band EGG actually started out as the other oddly named psychedelic rock band Uriel which was founded in 1967 by guitarist Steve Hillage, organist Dave Stewart, bassist / vocalist Mont Campbell and drummer Clive Brooks. It gets even stranger that Uriel released their only album under the Arzachel moniker in 1969 but after that album's release, Hillage left the band in order to focus on his new project Khan. The other three members of Arzachel decided to continue together but instead of keeping the name Arzachel or even Uriel which was often confused with "urinal," the band hatched up to the monosyllabic EGG and carried on as a trio. Already having a history in the music biz and playing the club circuits, the trio went into the studio and caught the bug of the current progressive rock scene that was taking England by storm in 1969 and by early 1970 released this first eponymously titled album on the Dream label.

EGG was one of the early pioneers of complex music in a rock paradigm. While bands like The Nice, The Moody Blues and Deep Purple were creating new exciting sounds by mixing 60s psychedelic rock with symphonic classical music, EGG took those early aspirations into a much more demanding field and into the arenas of the big boy's club with early bands like King Crimson, East of Eden and Marsupilami. EGG's debut was built around Baroque classical chops inspired by J.S. Bach as well as the overarching prowess of Igor Stravinsky but accompanied those classical workouts with a heavy groovy bass and a sophisticated jazzy drumming style that took EGG into its own world from the very start. The band's quirky whimsy as evidenced by the hilarious track titles such as "The Song Of McGuillicudie The Pusillanimous (or Don't Worry James, Your Socks Are Hanging In The Coal Cellar With Thomas)" along with a healthy love of avant-jazz interpolations earned them a coveted seat in the Canterbury Scene due to Hillage's connection but this debut album at least comes off more as some fo the earliest symphonic prog.

With a trippy series of noises leading the way, the album then kicks off with Stewart's distinct organ talents as he riffs a rather accessible and hook filled run while Campbell adds a groovy bass line and lower register vocal style. The first two tracks set the groove of the organ led rock sounds (no guitar here whatsoever) but tracks like "Fugue In D Minor" and the sprawling 22 minute plus "Symphony No. 2" showcase Stewart's mastery of the classical musical universe however while dominate in those two still lingers beneath the surface throughout the album. Also adding some bizarre variations to the album are short little filler numbers such as the piano dominated "They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano," "Boilk" and the opening "Bulb" which offer some of the earliest industrial sounds that i've heard. While these short avant-garde snippets may have been added for an interesting contrast, it seems likely that many of the later Nurse With Wound type projects were possibly influenced by them. For the most part the album is based on organ fueled melodies with an accompanying lyrical vocal delivery. At least until "Symphony No. 2" where the big guns are drawn.

After the freaky industrial bleakness of "Boilk," which implements a concentrated delivery of avant-garde progressiveness, the final "Symphony No. 2" sprawls out for over 22 minutes with five individual suites that in reality are all separate tracks but are connected thematically. While "Movement 1" is a continuation of the Western classical interpretations with parts of Grieg's "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" and in all honesty wouldn't have sound out of place on one of The Nice's albums with the Emerson styled keyboards, by the books rock backing in the vocal free zone, "Movement 2" lets the experimentation begin. While Stewart focuses on classical organ runs to keep the melodic drive going, Clive Brooks delivers some stellar drumming styles that take jazzy rolls and rock standards and juxtaposes them into a mishmash of wizardry. The track works its way into a very strange atmospheric frenzy which paves the way for the next track "Blane" which deviates completely from the classical rock formula.

Unlike anything else on the album, "Blane" delves into the bizarre freaky world of electronic manipulation and bizarre experimentation. The track babbles and bloops and bleeps on for over 5 minutes and yet provides enough moments of melody to keep the listener grounded despite the intense industrial bleakness that ends it. "Movement 3" was removed from the original album released in 1970 most likely due to time limitations but is back in its original intended spot on the new remastered CD versions fo the album. Rightfully nixed due to the fact that borrowed too heavily from the Stravinsky classic (and had legal issues because of it) but still provides a decent series of organ runs, a stomping decent drum and bass delivery and sounds like something right out of Gustav Holst's playbook from his orchestral suites in "The Planets." "Movement 4" continues with a more rock based mix of drum and bass with the organs punctuated to add a bit of melodic delivery from time to time but this is the spot where Brooks shows off his drumming skills and he rock the house! The newer CDs have two bonus tracks "Seven Is A Jolly Good Time" and "You Are All Princes" which are well worth the inclusion as they include a wealth of off-kilter time signatures and fit into the original album's flow perfectly.

EGG is a phenomenal album considering all three of its members were only in their teens. Despite the youthful energy on board, this debut is surprisingly mature as if it was created by a band of seasoned professionals. The album finds the perfect balance between symphonic prog bombast, traditional classical interpretations, 60s psychedelic rock vibes and touches of otherworldly avant-garde mind freakery. While excellently performed the album does sound like a product of its time with those instantly identifiable sounds of the organ, mellotron and tone generators that pinpoint it to the 1970 timeline. If there is any weakness in EGG's debut, it would have to be the vocals. Mont Campbell gets the job done and in all fairness allows the lyrics to be focused upon that may not be so easily done had he been an operatically trained singer but nevertheless the dynamics of the music far exceeds those in the vocal department but in the end is quite ignorable due to the most phenomenal parts of the album being swallowed up by the instrumental technical workouts led by Stewart's amazing keyboard prowess. Despite EGG's debut being overshadowed by the admittedly better sophomore release "The Polite Force," this first chapter is by no means one to be missed. This is quite an interesting slab of early prog that offers lots of exciting twists and turns. One of 1970's finest moments for sure.

If you thought ELP was the king of very elaborate classic sounding prog music, then you clearly have not heard Egg yet. Egg was a Canterbury Scene band founded in the 70s via Dave Stewart, Mont Campbell, and Clive Brooks. It was formed after the legendary Steve Hillage left their previous band. This trio is pretty commonly regarded in the Prog scene as a very weird, but interesting band from Canterbury that would do something highly different from their contemporaries like Caravan, Gong, or Soft Machine.

Their first album, the self-titled Egg, is an album that I've known since my middle period of discovering new music in 2021, but never quite delved into until I got a bit more into the Canterbury Scene through bands like Supersister and Hatfield And The North. If you want to get a good picture of Egg's general scope of sound then I'd say the more classical and symphonic stylizations of ELP's Tarkus and Aphrodite's Child's 666 is a good showcase on this more classical focused approach to proggy music.

What I really find enjoyable about this approach is the band really gushing over this type of music. Songs like the cover of Bach's Fugue In D Minor and their very own progressive rock symphony of Symphony No. 2 comes straight to mind for me. How they can make oldy sounding music and turn it over and give it a more rock construct, kinda like what ELO did in their early days, makes for a really charming experience. I really do enjoy the more Canterbury sounding songs like While Growing My Hair and The Song Of McGillicudie The Pusillanimous (Or Don't Worry James, Your Socks Are Hanging In The Coal Cellar With Thomas) too. They balance out the more classical focused songs in favor of that sweet, sweet, sweet soft Prog sound that I crave in my Canterbury music.

While I do praise the songs a lot, I am gonna be honest on the track listing because good, lord, almighty, some tracks on here do not need to be here. Bulb, They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano?, and Boilk are the most filler of filler tracks in the entire scope of Prog rock. They honestly kinda make me disappointed, since (yes I calculated) these are about 2 minutes and 26 seconds worth of music lost due to filler and adding an unnecessary amount of tracks on here. While 2 minutes is short, something can definitely be done with such time. It's honestly disappointing that this album has three highly unnecessary tracks. I'd say they should've stayed on the cutting room floor.

Sadly, that is not where my problems ends with this LP. I think the Spotify description for the band fits really well with what I am about to say: "An overlooked classical rock trio that had both the talent and sound of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer without the bombast or success." Egg, while really good musicians, never reaches the same finesse, the same savoir-faire if you will, as ELP or any of their contemporaries. They never reach the same highs for me, and I find their big moments here never ending up leaving a massive and wowing impression on me. Whether that may be because I am spoiled with other great Prog rock music or not, I still find that Egg's first album is one of the more lacking in wowness. The band definitely has their own, great charms, but the charms they lack are very noticeable.

Absolutely overlooked and underrated, but not one that is a must listen for any Prog or Canterbury fan. I'd say if you like the sound of the Canterbury Scene and the more classical workings of bands like ELP, ELO, and Aphrodite's Child, give this album a spin. It isn't a bad 40 minute time waster, and it can be a fun listen from time to time, but it isn't one that is a must have, or one that is issued in a run in to listen. It's a good album, but not one that can reach the same highs as any of its contemporaries.