Why does the keyword matter? Because it captures the strange ontology of art: the fictions we invent to give our obsessions meaning. The Metronomical Society was likely a joke among three teenagers—a private mythology that justified their love for Stravinsky, Varèse, and Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo à la Turk.” But by treating it as real, they made it real. And in 2007, they resurrected it as a farewell.
Formed in July 1968 after the departure of guitarist Steve Hillage from their previous group, Uriel, the trio rebranded as Egg allegedly because "Uriel" sounded too much like "urinal". Between 1969 and 1972, they established themselves as one of the most technically demanding acts in the UK underground, blending classical structures with avant-garde jazz and rock. The band released two landmark albums during this period:
Why these specific years? Historically, they bridge the 1960s dream and the 1970s hangover. Artistically, they saw the birth of experimental rock, land art, and conceptual performance. For our title, 1969–1972 is the : the egg cracks open, and society’s metronomic heart is exposed. Imagine a live performance where a giant egg slowly breaks on stage over three years, each crack synchronized to a ticking clock, until 1972—when the yolk spills and the metronome stops. The audience, trained to anticipate the beat, experiences silence as violence. That silence is the true art. Egg - The Metronomical Society -1969-1972- -2007-
is a comprehensive archival collection released in 2007 by the pioneering British progressive rock trio Egg . The album serves as a historical document of the band’s peak years between 1969 and 1972 , featuring previously unreleased live performances and superior radio session recordings. Album Overview
Listening to the remastered tracks from this era in the 2007 collection, one is struck by the "chamber rock" quality of the music. It was polite, yes, but with a dark, driving undercurrent. They were a band that could reference Bach and The Nice in the same breath, yet they remained largely ignored by the mainstream press, who found their complexity too academic. Why does the keyword matter
The Metronomical Society never existed. Long may it live.
: Egg (Dave Stewart – keyboards; Mont Campbell – bass/vocals; Clive Brooks – drums). Release Date : December 2007. Label : Egg Archive (catalog number CD69-7202). And in 2007, they resurrected it as a farewell
The album compiles over an hour of material that had previously only been available on poor-quality bootlegs or remained unheard for nearly 40 years.
But where did this obsession with time originate? In interviews, Campbell once cryptically referred to a “society of mathematicians and percussionists” his father had told him about. Stewart dismissed it as a “beautiful fiction.” Yet fans noticed a recurring symbol on early Egg flyers: a pocket watch whose hands formed an equilateral triangle, with the words Societas Metronomica beneath.
The 12-track set balances complex, original compositions with the band's signature "Canterbury" whimsy. Egg (2) - The Metronomical Society - Discogs
: Features a significant segment from the band’s final London concert before their initial breakup. Dave Stewart has noted these tapes capture the "visceral power" of their live sound better than their original studio albums.
