EGG - THE POLITE FORCE - 1971

"The Polite Force" was EGG's second album and represents IMHO one of the pinnacle and most influential Canterbury prog albums. "The Polite Force" is stylistically similar to the early work of SOFT MACHINE featuring Dave Stewart's surging keyboard work with a solid supporting duo of Hugo Martin Montgomery Campbell (bass, vocals, organ, piano and French horn) and Clive Brooks (drums). Songs vary in compositional aspect and range from very complex to pure experimental maintaining a high degree of originality and professionalism. EGG score with their mixture of ARZACHEL / SOFT MACHINE influenced instrumental extensions, highly developed Stravinsky influenced compositions, impeccable performances and their careful attention to timbre and organ dynamics of Dave Stewart. Would strongly recommend you pick up the Mason Records re-mastered version of this classic album which has been very well reproduced.



EGG were made up of Dave Stewart,Mont Campell and Clive Brooks.The three had been part of another band previous to this called ARZACHEL,along with Steve Hillage.That band was very psychedelic, and that sort of explains where the song "Boilik" came from,as it seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the album.Stewart would hook up again with Hillage in a band called KHAN after this release.He would also play again with Mont Campbell in the band NATIONAL HEALTH. This album starts off with "A Visit To Newport Hospital" a wonderful track that contrasts Stewart's heavy organ (at the start, and at the end of the song) with the main section that is bright and catchy with reserved vocals from Campbell.Great tune! "Contrasong" features a guest four piece horn section of sax and trumpet.The bass is prominant 2 minutes in along with horns and organ.Vocals are back after 3 minutes. "Boilik" is the experimental and psychedelic track.There is the sound of water being poured down a drain? Anyway we get different strange sounds coming and going,with some mellotron early and lots of electronics.We finally get a melody 8 minutes in as Stewart plays some organ.A very Psychedelic tune. "Long Piece No.3." is made up of 4 parts. Part one is lead by the organ and drums.Part two is a highlight for me along with the first song.It has a catchy sound of organ and drums before it stops and some spacey sounds arrive.The original melody slowly comes back in this one. Part three has lots of tempo changes and some fuzz organ before 2 minutes.There is a heavier sound before 4 minutes.The final part is an uptempo passage. I laughed when i read where someone called the Canterbury genre an inbred genre.It does seem like most of the bands are connected somehow.I find that kind of cool actually,trying to connect the dots.This is a must-have for Canterbury fans.
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