1970 Album of the Week, March 12-18: Egg, by Egg

I'm going to open this particular 1970 Album of the Week installment by promoting a book which I have not yet read (been meaning to since it came out, but only got around to ordering a copy this morning) but which at least mentions the band in question: David Weigel's The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock (not an affiliate link). If you're into progressive rock, or rock history, or Dave Weigel's writing (I resemble those last two remarks), you're probably going to like it. I certainly expect to. You might also want to give a listen to the National Review podcast "Political Beats," episode 43, on which Weigel discusses King Crimson. I expect that will give you a certain advance feel for the book.

One reason I'm opening by flogging Weigel's book is that he is, while I'm about as far as it's possible to get from, an authority on / major fan of "progressive rock."

That's not to say I don't like prog rock, depending on how you define it. I've seen everyone from the Yardbirds to Jethro Tull to Pink Floyd to Rush identified as prog, but I don't really see them that way (I'm more into "Train Kept a' Rollin'" than "Shapes of Things," for example). When I think of progressive rock I think of Yes, Tangerine Dream, and Genesis. And while I don't dislike that latter batch of bands, I like the former batch far more.

So: Egg. And Egg, the band's 1972 debut album.

The band formed in 1968, recorded two albums, broke up in 1972, then briefly reformed to record a third album in 1974. Finis.

The second side of the album consists of one track, "Symphony No. 2," and the first side includes J.S. Bach's "Fugue in D Minor," which should tell you something about where their heads were at. I picked this album for this week not because of any special dedication to the band or to the album, but because I found it quite an enjoyable listen. My favorite is the jazzier "I Will Be Absorbed" --