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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 side 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 fantastic 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 classical 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 off 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 beautifully 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 element 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.