EGG

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!