Sometimes you don’t know how a certain album landed in your periphery. Did it suddenly appear out of the mystical musical ether? Was it one of those random selections that comes on after the album I set to play as I fell asleep ended? We may never know (though the latter scenario seems more likely), but whatever the cause I’m glad The Civil Surface, the third and final studio album from the oddly satisfyingly named Egg found its way to me.

Formed out of the ashes of Uriel, the psych/blues band formed by Steve Hillage (prior to his forming Gong), Egg was a progressive rock trio comprised of Dave Stewart on keyboards, Mont Campbell on bass, horns, and occasional vocals, and Clive Brooks on drums. None of that was a factor in my procuring and enjoying The Civil Surface, and in fact despite really enjoying the album I haven’t checked out their earlier releases. Sometimes that’s just how it works: you get into something, and it’s enough for you.

So what exactly is it that makes it enough for me? Opening track “Germ Patrol” provides a good summary: after a percussive ticking and some nonsensical effects the song proper kicks off with a luscious interplay between organ and bass, giving off some heavy Zappa compositional vibes. One thing to note is the super up-front percussion – this was supposedly a point of contention among the band members, with Brooks insisting his performance be prominent in the mix. And to be sure, it’s a stellar performance, especially when you consider he’s playing off against bass and keyboard allowing a maximum of space and air, but it can definitely err on the side of fatiguing. The digital version on streaming services is a little more harsh than my original vinyl pressing, but it doesn’t detract from the fantastic soloing and melodic phrasing all around.

“Wind Quartet 1” is exactly what its name implies: it’s a short (under three minutes) small instrumental for woodwinds. Again, the Zappa influence is strong, although maybe leaning a little closer to more traditional classical arrangements and composition than Zappa would use. It’s really a nice preamble to the final track on Side A, “Enneagram” which is an energetic instrumental rocker with a throbbing fuzzed out bass tone and different sections that recall at times Jethro Tull’s more complex rock sections.

The second side of The Civil Surface kicks off with “Prelude” but at four minutes its jarring harmonized vocal chants and dank keyboards make for a less than stellar opener. I’ll readily admit to playing Side A repeatedly rather than flip it, largely because of this track not fitting the groove the first three songs out me in. There’s quit a bit of dissonance too, but at such a high register it’s more distracting than intriguing. So it’s weird that if it’s a prelude, it’s a prelude to the much more traditional prog rock number “Wring Out the Ground Loosely Now” which also is the only track to feature lead vocals, courtesy of Mont Campbell. he’s not a strong singer, the melodies from the vocals being trepidatious and very moderately paced. The music, however, is gangbusters: lots of time for solo executions and rollicking grooves in the song’s eight minutes.

The relative brief runtime of “Nearch” means that its very Zappa-ish horn interplay doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it’s another track that when I hear it immediately makes me happy. It’s also where where the thunderous drums fit right into the mix, so points to Brooks for winning the fight (for this song at least). Things calm down for closer “Wind Quartet 2” which leaves me as a listener questioning why end The Civil Surface this way? It’s a fine piece, but as a closer it doesn’t work. Knowing the band was kind of at their breaking point maybe things were put together with little thought to sequencing?

We may never know. Egg disbanded, Dave Stewart went on to front Hatfield and the North, furthering the Canterbury elements found here, Steve Hillage was already rolling with Gong, and I’m left with a solid prog rock record with a most excellent Side A. That’s good enough for me.