Egg emerged in July 1968 as a classical rock trio whose members possessed the instrumental prowess and sonic palette associated with Emerson, Lake & Palmer yet operated without that ensemble’s excess or commercial reach. Organist Dave Stewart (distinct from the Eurythmics musician), bassist/vocalist Mont Campbell, and drummer Clive Brooks coalesced after guitarist Steve Hillage departed Uriel/Arzachel to pursue philosophy studies at the University of Kent. Their elaborate and technically demanding compositions prevented widespread acceptance, an outcome all the more regrettable given Campbell’s commanding voice and the trio’s demonstrated ability to shape concise, precisely constructed songs.
A debut single, “Seven Is a Jolly Good Time” backed with “We Are All Princes,” earned limited exposure through BBC broadcasts on the John Peel Show. The group subsequently issued the albums Egg and The Polite Force, both centered on Stewart’s organ work, before disbanding once Stewart entered the Canterbury supergroup Hatfield and the North. A 1974 reunion produced the album The Civil Surface. Stewart later collaborated intermittently with vocalist Barbara Gaskin on new age recordings, while Campbell briefly participated in National Health’s original lineup and Brooks spent two weeks drumming for the Groundhogs; further details of their activities remain undocumented.
