An overlooked classical rock trio that had both the talent and sound of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer without the bombast or success, Egg -- comprised of organist Dave Stewart (not the one in the Eurythmics), bassist/vocalist Mont Campbell, and Clive Brooks -- formed in July, 1968 from the ashes of Uriel/Arzachel after their guitarist, Steve Hillage left to study philosophy at the University of Kent. The band never made it on a major scale, as their music was too grandiose and challenging to garner a mainstream audience. It's a shame, because Campbell had a powerful set of vocal cords, and the group WAS capable of composing shorter, finely crafted melodies.

An early single Seven Is a Jolly Good Time b/w We Are All Princes received modest airplay on the BBC's venerable John Peel Show. The group then proceeded to record two albums, Egg and The Polite Force, both dominated by Stewart's organ, then broke up after Stewart joined the Canterbury all-star group Hatfield and the North. The Civil Surface is a reunion album that came out in late '74. Stewart currently works with singer Barbara Gaskin on periodic new age projects. Campbell had a brief spell with the first version of National Health, and Brooks drummed for a fortnight with the Groundhogs, but their current activities are unknown. ~ Peter Kurtz, Rovi