Egg - The Polite Force (1970)

Artista: Egg

Álbum: The Polite Force
Año: 1970
Género: Canterbury
Duración: 42:52
Nacionalidad: UK

Lista de Temas:
1. A visit to Newport Hospital
2. Contrasong
3. Boilk
4. Long Piece No. 3
4.1. Part 1
4.2. Part 2
4.3. Part 3
4.4. Part 4

Alineación:
- Mont Campbell / bass, vocals, organ (4.1), Piano (4.1), French horn (4.2)
- Dave Stewart / Organ, Piano, tone generator (4.3)
- Clive Brooks / drums
Guests:
Henry Lowther / trumpet
Mike Davis / trumpet
Bob Downes / Tenor sax
Tony Roberts / Tenor sax

Discazo!!! Alberto nos traae Eggs uno atrás del otro! Lo pidieron por chat, Alberto se copa y lo trae, y yo lo publico. La obra máxima (al menos está buenísima, y si no es su mejor disco pega en el palo, aunque la verdad tendría que escuchar todos sus discos para emitir una opinión tan tajante, jeje) de los ingleses. Lo tengo antes de comenzar el fin de semana y apagar la compu hasta el lunes que viene, así que no lo reseño, pero se los dejo igual. Aquí, algunas buenas reseñas para que tengan una idea de lo bueno que está este disco que ahora nos trae Alberto.

... el primer material discográfico de Egg, bastante elaborado y perfeccionista, pero The Polite Force, su segundo trabajo, avanza aún más y se dedica a la inovación y experimentación. Éste álbum es valorado por progarchives como el mejor que hicieron, lo cual se justifica bastante si tan sólo le damos una escucha y observamos con detenimiento su colorida y artística portada. Éste disco marca una diferencia importante en su música pues en principio pierden un poco las tendencias a la música clásica, y en parte se dedica a crear un jazz rock instrumental por momentos suave y en ocasiones más enérgico que se crea a partir de perfectas armonias, e incluso encontramos una genial participación de metales (saxos y trompetas) en "Contrasong". Cerrando el lado uno del disco, el instrumental "Boilk" nos toma desprevenidos con efectos electrónicos y mezclas extrañas que son más cercanas al krautrock, un corte de carácter muy experimental y un tanto improvisatorio, pero definitivamente vanguardista. El lado 2 del disco es un tema instrumental divido en cuatro partes llamado "Long Piece No. 3", el cual presenta variaciones rítmicas y cambios impredecibles pero al mismo tiempo conserva la armonía tan grandiosa que mencione anteriormente. En su totalidad, una joya de álbum imperdible para cualquier colección de rock progresivo, sobre todo si les gusta el canterbury.

Kob

Con su segundo disco, "The Polite Force", la gente de EGG gestó su obra cumbre, y además, uno de los discos más impresionantes y llamativos de la línea progresiva Canterbury: la verdad es que Dave STEWART, Mont CAMPBELL y Clive BROOKS crearon un trabajo que irradia grandeza musical e ingenio creativo por todos sus innumerables poros. ¡Y qué decir del derroche de energía! - el órgano de STEWART asume una posición de mando poderosa con sus alucinantes cortinas, acordes y solos a manos de su siempre refinado ejecutor (amén de algunas sonoridades extra aportadas por el bajista CAMPBELL).
La pieza que abre el disco es ‘A visit to Newport Hospital’, la misma que comienza con un ambiente introductorio bastante hard, no ajeno a la onda del primer DEEP PURPLE o incluso a ARZACHEL, banda pre-EGG: no es casual esta referencia, pues la letra escrita por CAMPBELL hace un candido repaso por la historia de EGG desde los días de URIEL, allá por los fines de los 60s. La parte cantada tira mas para un ambiente moderadamente jazzeado, nada bombástico, pero si sofisticado desde una perspectiva progresiva. La reaparición del motivo introductorio en la parte final hace que el tema termine con un estupendo broche de oro. El siguiente tema, ‘Contrasong’, está construido con una cierta afinidad hacia el big band, con esos arreglos de metales que añaden una polenta positiva al asunto: un acierto eso de incluir un cuarteto de saxofonistas y trompetistas para reelaborar el colorido intrínseco del motivo original. Este tema permite a EGG emparentarse momentáneamente con la vibración alegre de un CARAVAN, aunque claro está, sin perder un ápice de su esencia. A modo de frontal contraste, ‘Boilk’ (titulado al igual que uno de esos minúsculos interludios del disco debut) se enfila en las canteras de la vanguardia experimental, creando un ejercicio de “bombardeo” sonoro bizarro y travieso, no tanto agresivo como si chocante, eso mismo, chocante, pero manteniendo una suerte de rara fineza a través de sus casi 9 minutos y medio de duración. En ‘Boilk’ encontramos exhibiciones de generador de tonos, sonidos de vibráfonos y campanas, corrientes de agua, instrumentaciones improvisadas editadas en reversa, e incluso al final, un hermoso pasaje de Bach tocado por STEWART con clase y serenidad – nada parece faltar en esta celebración de lo deconstructivo, un festín donde se combinan los aromas alucinados de la musique concrete y los sabores atrevidos de la psicodelia primigenia floydiana.
La segunda mitad de este disco esta conformada por la suite cuatripartita ‘Long piece no. 3’, la misma que me atrevería a designar como la pieza cumbre de toda la trayectoria de EGG. Cada una de sus partes contiene un interesante flujo de cambios de ritmo y ambientes, compases complejos sopesados con fluidez y sin pirotecnias de parte de la dupla rítmica, espectaculares viajes de órgano en los cuales la sofisticación es llevada con moderación y fineza, reiteraciones efectivas, ocasionales ideas melódicas con gancho. La Parte 1 esta mayormente basada en juegos de síncopas elaborados con solemnidad y una engañosa ambientación espartana: en realidad, lo que se alude en los espacios vacíos es tan relevante como las notas y acordes ejecutados. La Parte 2 comienza con un motivo bastante sereno, incluso con un aura un tanto romántica, el mismo que se detiene para que emerja un flujo sonoro experimental medidamente perturbador. Las cosas vuelven poco después a la serenidad, con un equilibrado dialogo entre el piano y el órgano, con el toque incorporado de algunas líneas de trompa. La Parte 3 es la más compleja en términos de composición: aquí STEWART deja constancia de su inocultada admiración por Keith EMERSON. El empleo de efectos de generador en el último minuto es una suerte de equivalente de los delirios de Moog que EMERSON casi ha patentizado. La Parte 4 es la mas breve, no llegando a los 3 minutos de extensión – la cosa emersoniana sigue presente en esta atractiva coda, la cual concluye con un reprise de algunos de los juegos de síncopas presentes en la Parte 1.
Qué más puedo decir sobre este gran disco de este excelente power-trío puntero del Canterbury que no hayan dicho otros en otras páginas web especializadas: la obra discográfica de EGG es un ítem infaltable en la colección de cualquier melómano prog serio, especialmente si tiene sensibilidad jazzera.

César Inca

Ahora con comentarios (algunos pocos, hay muchos otros que no copio) en inglés:

Great disc to hear how the Canterbury syle developed! The first two tracks are my favorites, all the essential ingredients are there, the odd-timings, dynamic shifts (even if a bit stiff at first) and of course the biting humor and whimsy. Great stuff!

Phil McKenna

"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.

James Unger

EGG's second release, for sure was better structured musically, in comparison to their debut. This stuff will be anyway carried out, within the following "The Civil Surface". Its blend of classical arrangements along with unusual time signatures, were the basis for everything inside the school of Canterbury (including either "HATFIELD AND THE NORTH" in the seventies, or ISILDURS BANE nowadays)... one of the bravest bands, able to emerge from the Canterbury scene, prior to the proselytes of ELP, JETHRO TULL, and so on...

The member was doing indeed variegated work from the announcement of Egg of the second album in 1971 to the reorganization of the band with this album. It is guessed to them that some position for Canterbury Scene had already been established though the session for BBC also had gone. It might have the element like their a few humours and projects etc. of Canterbury though this album is recognized as the last album of fact Egg that Bass player's Mont Campbell has interest in French Horn and makes a variegated guest participate. Lindsay Cooper and Tim Hodgekinson of Henry Cow including The Northettes. And, the guest such as old friend's Steve Hillage is indeed gorgeous. The credit of the tune are all names of the band and the tune of Quartets that seems that Campbell composed it also gives the change and the surprise to the flow of the album. Because such an element is included, the overall impression might be a little loose. However, the route of Egg is always kept by the sense of Stewart. The impression of Rock of "Wring Out The Ground Loosely Now" raises this album-quality. It puts on a little abstract lyrics and the humour and the sense of Egg flow. They pull this album and the act is pulled to the history of the band at the end. The sense and the humour of Egg were one of the products to which Canterbury had given birth though the history was a short life.

Lorenzo

The Polite Force was Egg's second album and represents a considerable advance on their debut, both in terms of composition and performance. Overall there's a greater sense of focus, coupled with an attention to detail and a more solid structure both in the individual pieces and across the album as a whole. The result is splendid example of Canterbury style prog that is the equal of slightly later albums by Matching Mole and Hatfield and the North, with which it shares a similar spirit of adventure and fun.
As on their debut, side 1 consists of shorter pieces, though this time there are only three. A Visit To Newport Hospital has autobiographical lyrics about the band's early days as Uriel and shows Mont Campbell's flair for writing accessible, melodic songs in daunting time signatures. Contrasong, the shortest piece on the album, is a an extremely tight piece which alternates between 5/8 and 9/8 (so it says in the liner notes) and features a punchy horn arrangement by Campbell (who went on to study French Horn at the Royal College of Music). Campbell's ability to sing with such insouciance while playing finger breaking bass lines in such unusual rhythms is staggering, while the ability of the trio as a whole to make such complex music swing speaks volumes about the amount of musical talent they had. Boilk is a lengthy piece which veers in to the RIO/Avant prog territory that they had explored on parts of their first album. The incorporation of a theme by Bach is a neat touch, but at 9 minutes it rather outstays its welcome, and despite its strengths it would have benefited from some judicious editing. The second half of the album is taken up with the imaginatively titled Long Piece No.3, a side long Canterbury adventure that ranks alongside 9 Feet Underground, Slightly All The Time and Mumps as a classic of the genre. The four sections of the piece flow naturally into each other and each member of the trio gets a chance to shine without taking a flashy solo. As a whole it's a finely nuanced piece of ensemble playing, writing and arranging which has great charm and sophistication. There's nothing extraneous on this piece, and the trio play with a maturity and restraint that was sometimes lacking in their less talented (albeit more commercially successful) contemporaries.
This is an essential album for anybody interested in the Canterbury scene, and indeed for anybody interested in exploring some of the lesser known gems of early prog. If you're only going to get one Egg album, this is the one to buy. Highly recommended.

Chris Gleeson

Even in the prog world Egg stayed an obscure band. They may be one of the pioneers of the Canterbury scene, Egg never reached the same amount of attention that the English prog greats received. Even though "The polite force" is one of the highlights of the relative short career of Egg, it is more a kind of a hidden jewel. On this album the band showcases the same musical inspiration skill of ELP, VDGG or Pink Floyd but without ever going over the bombastic top. Only the first two tracks includes vocals. The emphasis is on the instrumental parts. The vocals serve well in the second role but would definitely fail if they would be on the fore. It's well sung but there's a lack of personality in the voice of Mont Campbell. The vocals are similar to other Canterbury bands ; sounding timid and polite (!) The domination of the organ chords make a comparison with the sound of VDGG inevitable but on the sidelong epic, the sound of Elp comes damn close. Like on many other Canterbury releases the sound of the album is calm and smooth. Throughout the record there's an organ driven jazzy atmosphere which results in a laid back feel on most of the album. The first two tracks are more or less conventional when compared to the other tracks. "The visit to a Newport hospital" has a menacing beginning and ending part which consist of layers of guitar chords, somewhat reminiscent to those opening tones of KC's "shizoid man". The middle part has a smooth atmosphere which is typical for Canterbury bands. I keep playing this awesome track again and again. Thanks to the blazer section, the haunting "Contrasong" has a more diverse sound which sound timeless listening to it now ; here the vocals sound a little more selfassure. On the rest of the album Egg takes you on a daring , experimental journey. "Boilk" starts of with something like a tubular bell followed by a spooky mellotron sound and some very strange sounding picking on the guitar. Then there's some premature electronic effects and the ending part is showing the pastoral organ of Dave Stewart once again. The experimental nature of this music must have been way ahead of its time in 1971. Even now it still is worth a spin. It seems this band was able to accomplish in 1971 what KC would do several years later on "Larks tongues in aspic" or Pink Floyd in "On the run". It wouldn't surprise me if the aforementioned bands used this as a source of inspiration for their own music. On the sidelong track "Long piece no 3" the organ and piano parts of Stewart take the lead again and it becomes clear that in essence, the rest of the music is built around it. Nevertheless it is one hell of a fascinating journey. There's lots of strange excerpts, different moods, odd time signatures and great musicianship to enjoy. This is instrumental pièce de résistance wouldn't be misplaced on an album of ELP although they would have played it with a bigger and more impressive sound. Egg is more subtle but the melodies and sounds are quite similar to ELP.
In short : This album is some kind of a lost classic for every prog fan to enjoy. I've been listening to this record in a state of fascination although it's more than 30 years of age and no moogs or synthesizers are used.

Fishy

This is not just a spectacular example of the Canterbury sound at its very best, it is a superior record of British Progressive Rock at the zenith of power, inventiveness and musicianship. The brilliant Dave Stewart leads drummer Clive Brooks who kicks out the polyrhythms with passion, Mont Campbell's pumping bass, and a team of horn players in a session that rivals albums such as National Health's 'Of Queues and Cures' (also with Stewart) and ELP's 'Tarkus'. The first two cuts present this organ-based, Bach-infused yet jazzy music in digestable, melodic portions. Track 3, 'Boilk', begins as a blend of atmosphere, sound effects and psychedelic flip-outs that leads to a serious display of prime prog rock inspiration and facility. The closing cut is the wonderful 'Long Piece No. 3', a definitive statement of the time and a quintessential look at where rock music was going, or at least *capable* of going. Not just for Canterbury fans but for all who love prog in its youth, Egg's 'The Polite Force' is an indispensable document and a true masterpiece of its kind.

David

This is quite an early and important album and has the well-deserved reputation of being a minor classic. This is more focused than Soft Machine and, as far as I'm concerned, more balanced and tastefully humourous than any Caravan album.
"Newport Hospital" showcases everything that's good about the band: their flexible approach to instrumentation shows up in the filtered and layered keyboard lines - memorably including the sludgy, downbeat introduction with -that- Sabbath-stylee chord change - a tasteful approach to writing that incorporates non-standard time signatures without flaunting their presence (count along to the transition parts and you might be surprised, if that's your thing) interesting and often anecdotal wordsmanship with a touch of offhand humour and, last but not least, an aptitude at writing the sort of hook that keeps your average jazzy-prog fan's attention strictly on the music at hand.
Plenty of good things have been written about "Contrasong" on this page, but I think it's a misstep and a little too "muso" - it has that trademark progressively awkward frantic-ness happening over a silly time signature which may please some ears; personally I wish they had blended the song's framework a little more delicately because as it is, you can see its bones! Of course, the song is still worth listening to, especially if you don't have my sort of hangups. "Boilk" follows and, again, is one that will decisively split audiences, being mostly a sound collage dipping into noise, concrete and all those avant-garde things that don't necessarily merge well with rock music. This reviewer finds that the church organ weaving in and out of the piece keeps things pseudo-coherent, resulting in a soundscape that should be pleasing to anyone willing to live without a groove for nine minutes.
Side B's epic has to be heard to be believed. It starts a little like "Contrasong" but realises its potential in a much more entertaining way. I have to say that at my first take, I mentally compared the opening sequence to nice little art bands like Ange, Crucis and Shylock, finding it similar in style to their MO. ELP may occur to the symph heads (but if so, you'd have to imagine them physically restraining Keith Emerson and taking away his boxing gloves) as here, more than anywhere else, is where the lack of guitar hits home hardest. I won't go on to describe the full epic because it's so multipartite and enjoyable that I'm sure I'd do it a disservice.
Buy. Especially buy if you like later Canterbury albums by bands such as National Health or Picchio dal Pozzo. Also buy if you've exhausted all the popular symphonic bands and are still dying for more keyboard-oriented rock. If not, perhaps you should buy "The Polite Force" anyway because it's magical, and might just turn you onto a new type of music despite your tastes.

(I/L)olo Iamnhnia

"The Polite Force" was EGG's second album and represents one of the pinnacle and most influential Canterbury prog albums, and one of my fav from this genre. This is quite an early and important album and has the well-deserved reputation of being a classic of prog music in general. Songs are in compositional aspect and range from very complex to pure experimental maintaining a high degree of originality and professionalism. From the first note on A visit to Newport hospital you may say is Black Sabbath, but after few moments you find something else, Canterbury syle to the strange Bolik and the stunning 4 parts of Long piece, Egg's music is well played and above all quite intresting and original. Nothing left to me just to give them 4 stars, an important album from the'70. 4 stars without hesitation.

B. Olariu

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 wondrous 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.

John Davie

If the fact album says by the flow of original Egg because a lot of tunes for Wind Quartets by which Bass player's Mont Campbell had started it were collected to the album, it might be a concluded album though Egg announced "The Civil Surface" in the shape reorganized in 1974. The tune that Campbell had composed in "The Civil Surface" was a tune with the taste like the chamber orchestra it differed from the flow till then. Campbell takes charge of this album and French Horn besides Bass.
Egg that had debuted in 1970 was a band from which they had been formed by the companion by the keyboard player in the band with the form of Trio that put Clive Brooks in Mont Campbell and the drum player in Dave Stewart and the Bass player at student's time. A classical element is excluded a little and ..style included ..sound of a variegated keyboard.. further.. has finished in this album though had taken a little classical element as their debuts Album are the overall. They always take the humour to music and digest a peculiar element of Canterbury at the same time. The work of Stewart is always good. As for his sense, it is demonstrated since Egg in various bands.
As for the entire impression of this album, the performance evolves from First Album further and the sense of Stewart twines round a complex rhythm well. Hoop Stewart to which Steve Hillage will not be on the register by the companion of the same student is accomplished in the band from which competing with Hillage is called Khan again after this album is announced before they debut.
It has a very sensual flow by the sensibility of the melody of Stewart in "A Visit To Newport Hospital" and the progress of the code though it is a complex rhythm. The work of Stewart in Egg is really sentimental and sensual though sometimes overflows in the whole of the band the humour. The sense of incompatibility doesn't exist even if a doubtful melody is introduced into an opening part and the part of Coda because the element exists. The idea has succeeded. It is very a famous piece of music.
"Contrasong" is being performed by the guest inviting the wind instrument player of four person organization. It is a tune with which the humour that Egg has overflows indeed. The rhythm basically has the pattern of 5/8 and 9/8. The fact to which Egg advances more technically can be found.
"Boilk" progresses by the melody with non-daily element and gives the listener an uneasy impression. The flow that the collage is done progresses with a very experimental element.
"Long Piece No.3" is a tune with the flow of the suite as well as First Album. The processing of the space of the melody and the sound of the distorted organ progresses indeed splendidly in Part1. Such an arrangement might include a little classical element. However, Egg catches music at the angle besides the sound like The Nice. It rushes into the part of "Quietness" from the progress of the melody that gives the relief in Part2. The sense of Egg that produces such a flow is really wonderful. The tune moves to the part of "Movement" and performs the progress of a sensual code of Stewart again. Perform..sense..other..band..too much..busy..stripes..cork..announce..sense..preeminent.It is unusual existence. Part2 shifts to Part3 with the taste kept. They are doing the session for broadcasting of BBC at this time and the feeling of live has gone out of this suite indeed. Complex progress of the rhythm and the way of making the sound are the performances made only Egg though Part3 has the taste of the march. The tune chaotically moves to Part4. As for Part4, the rhythm of seven and the rhythm of five are used. And, the shine of the sound exists also in a complex rhythm. The distorted sound faces the end of the album dashing.
The influence that the band had is very large though Egg dissolves back and was remarkable work about Stewart including United States Rascal Reporters. The music of Canterbury made us discover music that contained very various elements. And, the world also gradually influences it by the music of Canterbury.

Kazuhiro Kojima

Two things appear clearly when listening to this album. First: This is not only Canterbury. In particular, Contrasong could have been written by Magma. It contains a mixture of Zehul, Symphonic other than Canterbury. I think they have been defined as Canterbury because of the Sinclair-like voice of Campbell. Boilk is very experimental, like some Ron Geesin's works. They are in one word: ECLECTIC. The 3 artist were previously members of Arzachel. The difference is that they have abandoned the bluesy psychedelia of the late 60s to walk into a more mature path. Only the organ at the end of Boilk recalls Azatoth from the Arzachel period.
The second clear thing is that it's impossible to describe this album track by track because of the complexity. It would be too technical (and boring).
It's an excellent album but not for all the tastes. If you look at classical Canterbury like Caravan or Curved Air, this is not your pot. If you are more in Hatfield and the North or early Soft Machine it can fit more with your tastes.
An excellent album under all the possible perspectives except for the commercial one.

octopus-4

Hay un montón de comentarios más que podría traer pero todos dicen lo mismo, el disco está buenísimo!!!!. Y, ahora sí, que pasen un buen fin de semana. Y otra vez agradezcan mucho pero mucho a Alberto.