Egg Archive

We are pleased to announce the release of a new solo CD by Mont Campbell, founder member and main composer of Egg. A sequel to Campbell's 1996 work Music from a Round Tower, which was placed third in the International Green Dolphin Critics' Awards for that year, and continues his exploratory style of composition introducing rare non-western instrumental performance directly into western harmonic and formal structures.

"Ambrosia for the ears. Superbly performed and produced, this is music with extraordinary integrity." Victor Lewis-Smith (writer/director)

"It's lovely to hear those strange timbres play things which sound quite natural to them, although they are from such far-away lands and cultures. The harmonies and rhythms are beguiling..." Jonathan Harvey (composer)

"Once again, Mont has produced a beautiful, imaginative and thoughtful work with flashes of the humour that belie his 'serious composer' persona. All power to Dirk 'Mont' Campbell, one of the UK's unsung musical geniuses." Dave Stewart (keyboardist/composer)

"Elaborate, beguiling and multi-faceted, Music From a Walled Garden is presented as an almost continuous sequence... there are many contrasting juxtapositions of material, presenting surprising twists and turns en route - you never quite know where the music will go next." Symon Clarke (composer)

Music From a Walled Garden (56 minutes) ships in a full-colour Digipak with a 12-page booklet containing track notes and musical information by Mont Campbell. The CD is released on November 20th 2009 and may be pre-ordered now.

Website www.dirkcampbell.co.uk

Egg consisted of Dave Stewart (keyboards), Mont Campbell (bass/vocals) and Clive Brooks (drums). Known for their uncompromising complexity and pinpoint accuracy of performance, the group was one of the most musically adventurous to emerge from the UK underground scene of the late '60s.

The Metronomical Society is a collection of live and studio recordings made by the pioneering trio between 1969 and 1972. It features archive material unheard for nearly 40 years, including a sizeable segment of Egg's last Roundhouse concert which demonstrates the group's live power. Also included are superior versions of tracks from the band's radio sessions, previously available only on poor-quality bootlegs.

The CD lasts over an hour and ships in a full-colour Digipak with a 20-page booklet containing Egg's history in the musicians' own words, unique period photos and artwork. The foreword is written by the irrepressible Captain Sensible.

Formed in 1967 at the height of the UK psychedelic scene, Uriel consisted of Steve Hillage (guitar/vocals), Dave Stewart (organ), Mont Campbell (bass/vocals) and Clive Brooks (drums). When Hillage left the band Uriel continued as an organ trio, later changing their name to Egg.

Arzachel Collectors Edition is a re-mastered version of the legendary 1969 psychedelic album recorded under a pseudonym by Uriel, featuring the amazing 17-year old Steve Hillage on guitar throughout. The CD also contains four unreleased, ultra-rare Uriel studio demos, a spoken-word message from the past and a live snippet recorded in 1968. Steve Hillage plays on two of these bonus tracks.

61 minutes of mind-expanding music and the occasional freak-out in a full-colour Digipak with its own 20-page booklet. As in The Metronomical Society, the story of Uriel (told in the band's own words) is illustrated by a unique set of photos taken in the late '60s.

A limited number of copies signed by the four musicians were available but have now sold out

Specially written to accompany the two Egg Archive CD releases, Copious Notes is a 60-page, 26,000-word companion booklet written by Dave Stewart, Mont Campbell and their close friend Antony Vinall.

The booklet tells the inside story of Uriel, Egg, Arzachel and the Ottawa Company from the formation of Uriel in early 1968 to the making of Egg's final album The Civil Surface in 1974. The text is crammed full of personal memoirs, anecdotes, short stories, random recollections, social observation, period details, musical analysis and song lyrics, as well as a priceless collection of archive photos taken by Terry Yetton and the musicians. An essential read for Canterbury and prog fans, UK music historians and collectors.