EGG

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