EGG

The second album by EGG is a more serious effort, no short pop-influenced melodies and playing is more refined. "A visit to Newport hospital" is partly heavy dramatic partly floating in the Canterbury style. Well composed, bringing Hammond with the fuzzed organ a la Soft Machine. I like the doomy organ that does not need any additional guitar really.

The second song is a great rhythm workout. "Boilk" is a letdown, fully loose organ experimentation and the worse thing is that it lasts 9 minutes. The final epic suite is more cohesive and better composed than the one on the debut album. It's very solid listening to a bit majestic, classically oriented motives and thankfully, no vocals this time. Despite one weak track, it is still a worthy addition to a Canterbury music vocabulary.

Egg was quite a unique band with a mellower Canterbury sound thanks to the absence of guitar and a classical music elegance. On this first album, there are even some traces of psychedelia in particular because of the organ arrangements. I find shorter pieces up to 5 minutes better developed and accessible than longer experimentation-filled suites. The band could combine vocals, interesting ideas into tasty pieces whereas the long 20-minute suite is not cohesive at all. Classical music covers are OK but nothing that makes you acquire the album. The choice of "Fugue in D minor" is one of the most generic organ choices but hey it could have been hot in 1970. Instrumentally, I like the intensive "The song of..." mainly because of the winning rhythm section. Bonus tracks are really pleasant and feel nostalgia in the "Seven is a jolly good time".

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.

Egg is one of my personal favorite Prog/Canterbury bands of all time, and it all starts with their self titled debut album.

We begin our journey with Bulb, a weird intro that makes you feel that your transending into another dimension, a song that foreshadows what the rest of the album (or even the entire discography of Egg) will sound like. Overall, a really spine chilling song to start off the album. 4/5

Then we go to the second song While Growing My Hair, which technically is the "First" song in the album if you consider Bulb an intro. This song is a simple tune with a really groovy vibe thanks to the organs from Dave Steward, and with the help of drummer Clive Brook with his equally groovy drumming. Overall, this is a really good song that sets the vibe of the album. 4/5

I Will Be Absorbed is the third track, and its equally as good as the previous track. With a more mellow vibe, it contrasts well with the more alive and joyfull While Growing My Hair. Again, Dave does a great job playing those notes, and the odd time signature gives this track a unique sound that just screams "Egg". 5/5

And then we get to a cover of Fugue In D Minor by good ol' Joseph Bach. This is a great rendition of an already classic composition, the drums really compliment well with the melody as always. Yeah, this is an obvious 5/5.

We continue with They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano... And oh man, this song really hits hard for some reason. The melancholic piano meddling along side the distorded guitar wails really give a chilling tune to this song. This interlude is an easy 5/5.

And now we get to The Song Of McGillicudie The Pusillanimous (Or Don't Worry James, Your Socks Are Hanging In The Coal Cellar With Thomas)... I think i'll just call it McGillicudie for now. Anyways! this is one of the more chaotic songs in the album, and in a good way! This is where Clive goes nuts on the drums, and with Dave going along playing these dissonant chords that go really well with the berserk drumming. 5/5.

We close off Side 1 with Boilk, a very experimental piece that also goes really well if played after McGillicudie. I have little words to describe how good this Mellotronic sounding interlude is, so i'm gonna rate it 4/5.

And then we get to Side 2 with a 20 minute epic, simply titled Symphony No. 2. What can i say? It's a masterpiece. The track starts with an already awesome organ melody that already gives out how the rest of the song will be. Movement 1 is a smooth part of the song, and also including In The Hall Of The Mountain King in between the melody, which adds even more charm to this already charming song. Movement 2 then starts, and it gets even more smoother. It's just wonderful, that's what i'm gonna say. And then we get to Blane, my favorite part of Symphony No. 2. This is by far the most experimental Egg has been in this album, it just gives me shivers down my spine every time i hear that distorted guitar. And i love it. And we finally end this track with Movement 4, with the vibes of the first two movements back. I feel like a broken record just saying this, but this is smooth. Just, smooth. And when you think its going to end with an epicloud finale, it abruptly ends. Which adds more to the experimental and unpredictable nature of this album. 5/5.

Although i still think this still is my least favorite album (but i still love it), i think this is still an almost flawless record from Egg. It's easily a 8.5/10.

What a coincidence, Eggs two worst songs are the A Side/B Side of their sole single release in 1969. One of my favourite bands, their first two albums have lacklustre songs like Clean Innocent Fun (Arzachel) and The Song Of? (Egg) yet manage to avoid being bad by having beautiful songs like Queen St. Gang (Arzachel) and I Will Be Absorbed (Egg). This single is the concentrated terribleness of Eggs worse distilled in two songs, Seven Is A Jolly Good Time and You Are All Princes.

Seven Is A Jolly Good Time has many very annoying vocal lines that are simply not captivating. Sounds like carnival music or old timey minstrel stuff when Mont Campbell sings the refrain, Seven Is A Jolly Good Time. The only not bad part of the song is the "Really doesn't matter".

You Are All Princes has nothing of merit, it is woefully forgettable. It's presence fails to bring this album out of the bad territory.

Overall this single is a solid 2/5, would not recommend, definitely listen to an Egg/Arzachel album instead.

I can see why Egg was compared to The Nice (or was it ELP?).

I like Egg a lot and never thought they sounded alike until I stopped cherry picking this albums highlights. Yeah, the music here sounds pretty much like The Nice. Mont Campbell actually sounds like a much less gruff version of the aforementioned bands lead singer. One thing I would like to say is that the music is definitely alot more Avant Garde due to the strong influence from Stravinsky on Eggs main composer, Mont Campbell.

Alright enough comparisons. Since I don't take originality into consideration for my reviews this album earns three stars based on its merits/faults. I think some of the short songs are pretty ugly 60s/70s psych and the suite is disjointed/dull/uninspired. I also think some of the ideas are neat like the bands lack of guitar, I Will Be Absorbed is an amazing song and lyrically Egg is quite lovely.

Overall I think this is a pretty meh debut that like the band's different name earlier album, Arzachel represents a point in time before these artists found their own sound. Fortunately, Egg released two follow up albums both of which are amazing works of art full of Eggs own identity.

Best Egg album.

An even affair. Germ patrol and Wind Quartet are very pleasant exercises that provide welcome respite's in-between the albums "meat". While prelude, eneagram, nearch and wring out the ground are wonderful Egg compositions. Honestly though what gives this album an edge over it's compatriots is it's absence of flaws.

Unlike the debut which has a mixed bag of vocal songs on the first side, Civil Surface posseses only excellent vocals a la I Will Be Absorbed/A Visit To Newport Castle on the magnificent Wring Out The Ground (Slowly Now). Unlike Polite Force there is no maddening Boilk (not even a bad song just meh, which is a flaw I can't overlook for a five stars).

Ultimately I love egg and the best Egg album is not best by a lot.

it's like getting an 100% on a test versus a 95%.

I like it. It's good music quite eclectic (great track variety) yet very listenable. I've been listening to it more and more lately as an album and I enjoy it best this way, it makes for a magical experience where the lines between songs erode and all that's left is beautiful music. In this regard it reminds me a lot of other 'Canterburry Scene' albums like Hatfield and the North. As of right now I have trouble giving it five stars because of certain avant 'songs' that I doubt stand alone. However the sum is again, very good, thus I shall bestow a four for now (Track 2/3 are fine/good, thus this album shall remain a great album at 4/5).

Ps the singer did a great job IMHO

Egg is a Canterbury group that is basically a trio (bass, drums, keyboards) that was left when Steve Hillage moved on after their sole Arzachel album - which some consider to be an early Canterbury and space rock classic. Keyboardist Dave Stewart would also play with Steve Hillage on Kahn's 'Space Shanty' album (a favorite of mine) and is one of the better keyboardist of the genre. On this album we get to hear two great psychedelic and jazzy Canterbury songs that are instantly enjoyable and recognizable as top notch genre classics. Mont Campbell's vocals (who also plays bass) don't stand out, but its clearly enough to cast that dopey English vocal jazz sound that fits the music so well. 'A Visit To Newport Hospital' is a jazzy hardrock song with distorted organs and some strong instrumental sections. 'Contrasong' with its amazing rhythms and wind-sections is another bright and energetic high-light. After that Egg goes fully avant-prog on the listener with the plain boring soundscape 'Boilk' and the formless summation of ideas called 'Long Piece No. 3' (which fills the second side). Perhaps without the nine useless minutes of 'Boilk' this would have still been a worthy addition to most prog collections, but as it is; this record sounds way too unfinished and random to be considered that worthwhile. I actually wanted to like this much more than I do because of the fantastic recording sound and the love I hold for 'Space Shanty'. Do add the first two songs to your digital playlist though!

EGG's short career was riddled with problems and almost none of the trio of Dave Stewart, Mont Campbell and Clive Brooks' making. It had plenty to do with the Decca label which signed a whole list of artists and failed to promote any which meant EGG was just one of a long list of rather strange sound makers that didn't fit in with the mainstream. Add to that the band failed to score many live gigs and remained rather obscure during the band's original four year stint that lasted from 1968-72 no matter how critically lauded these musical maestros had become and no matter how cutting edge their musical style was in many ways. No, it would take several decades for a new progressive rock renaissance to reignite any interest in the music this trio so cleverly crafted.

With no solutions presented to rectify the hurdles placed in front of the band, the three members decided to call it quits in 1972. Stewart would rejoin forces with Steve Hillage of Uriel and join on as keyboardist for his new project Khan, whereas Clive Brooks joined Groundhogs. Campbell on the other hand was content to play as a session musician with a fledgling Henry Cow. These guys were getting their feet wet in new projects but EGG was highly prolific and produced more material than they were allowed to record. After a couple of years Dave Stewart had the itch to revive the EGG project so they could record and release some of the material that was supposed to have been included on a third album that never was.

The old gang returned to their respective roles and brought along a lot of new talent as guest musicians. THE CIVIL SURFACE was the answer to those forgotten compositions that lay dormant for three years and appeared in December 1974. Along for the ride were cameos from Steve Hillage on guitar, Lindsay Cooper on baboon and oboe, Tim Hodgkinson on clarinet, Jeremy Blaines on flute and the future Hatfield Northettes Amanda Parsons, Ann Rosenthal and Barbara Gaskin providing a sneak peak of the sounds that would evolve into the Hatfield & The North project. In addition to the EGG sounds of yore, THE CIVIL SURFACE also contained lots of wind performances with extra help from Maurice Cambridge on clarinet, Stephen Solloway on flute, Christ Palmer on bassoon and Mont Campbell expanding his talents beyond vocals and bass and contributing some French horn.

Given the circumstances and the other projects that took place in between EGG albums, it's no surprise that THE CIVIL SURFACE is a bit more eclectic than the band's first two releases. One of the most noticeable differences is the absence of vocals with only "Wring Out the Ground (Loosely Now)" having any lead vocals at all and that is the 5th of 7 tracks. The track also provides a sneak peak into the sounds that would be further explored on Hatfield & The North albums that would emerge the following years. Both vocally and compositionally this track is a virtual rough draft for the super group that followed. Another clear difference is that the band had moved beyond its dominate 60s organ shtick and embraces a much wider display of progressive musical compositional flow. Of all the tracks only "Germ Patrol" and "Enneagram" evoke a sense of the past with the organ dominated rhythmic flow, jazzy drum rolls and angular time signature rich Canterbury fueled melodies.

New to the band's sounds are two tracks entirely dedicated to wind instruments. Logically titled "Wind Quartet 1" and "Wind Quartet 2," the tracks sound more like something off of the first Gryphon album only with more of a Henry Cow take on avant-garde angularity. Only the crumhorn is missing. Another clear reference to the Hatfield years to come is on the rather detached "Prelude" which wends its way down angular alley only to break into the heavenly choir which would become known as The Northettes on the Hatfield albums. Despite these nascent origins, these girls already have their divine diva harmonies down pat and add an extra dimension to the album, one that should've been included on other tracks.

Overall, EGG delivered an excellent batch of loose fodder that would've forever been locked up in the archives for decades only to find a release some time in the 90s however due to the band's commitment to the project and the sublime material they crafted, the album found an actual release in the 70s. As expected THE CIVIL SURFACE hardly brought the band into the world of superstardom as it remained in the niche world of the avant-garde. While it has taken many decades to find a true audience, EGG has held up well over the decades with three distinctly different albums, each expanding the band's sound into a new paradigm. While i do think THE CIVIL SURFACE is a slight step down from what came before, it is also a step up as it jettisoned the mediocre vocals of Campbell for the most part and expanded the band's musical game into the modern world. The extra talent on board gave the album a much richer spectrum of influences and despite the tracks sounding a little disjointed still manages to deliver a strong set of musical compositions. Not a bad way to end the EGG brand with but also pales in comparison to the Hatfield & The North albums that Dave Stewart would be instrumental in creating.

3.5 but too good to round down