You gotta love little labels like Phoenix Records, who go out of their way to make sure rarities like this little gem from Japanese prog/hard rock act Flied Egg (yes, it's a play on certain Asian's pronunciation of 'fried egg') don't forever get lost in the vaults. Dr. Siegel's Fried Egg Shooting Machine was originally released back in 1971, and the members of the band included Shigeru Narumo (guitar, acoustic guitar, hammond organ, piano, Moog synthesizer, harpsicord, distorted organ, chelesta, vocal, equalized vocal, harmony, toy instruments, sound effects), Hiro Tsunoda (drums, percussion, lead vocal, high boosted vocal, harmony, toy instruments, jokes, noise), and Masayoshi Takanaka (bass, bowing guitar, acoustic guitar, vocal, harmony, toy instruments), who previously were called Strawberry Path.
The music on Dr. Siegel's Fried Egg Shooting Machine is mainly early 70's styled hard rock with bits of prog, and the obvious comparisons are Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, and Birth Control, especially due to Narumo's heavy use of the Hammond organ and electric guitar. Heavy tracks are mixed with more passionate, pop/prog pieces, so there's plenty of variety to be had. Acid guitar freakouts like "Burning Fever" mesh with gorgeous pop numbers such as "I Love You", but then you have the Heep influenced heavy rock & prog gems like "Rolling Down the Broadway", "Plastic Fantasy", and "Guide Me to the Quietness" to really tug at your musical tastebuds. The heavy riffs and raging Hammond on "I'm Gonna See My Baby Tonight" are quite effective, and the dueling solos will bring to mind the glory days of Blackmore & Lord. For lovers of ELP, check out Narumbo's nimble piano, Moog, & Hammond lines on the wild "Oke-Kas", a tune that would certainly make Keith Emerson proud.
The vocals here are in English, and they are actually not bad, but the real highlights are the splendid musical performances that these three players delivered, and some really kick ass songs that will scratch that early 70's hard rock & prog itch for those that just can't get enough of recordings from that era. Awesome stuff!
Track Listing
1. Dr. Siegel's Fried Egg Shooting Machine (6:05)
2. Rolling Down The Broadway (4:34)
3. I Love You (3:33)
4. Burning Fever (3:14)
5. Plastic Fantasy (6:08)
6. 15 Seconds Of Schizophrenic Sabbath (0:18)
7. I'm Gonna See My Baby Tonight (5:34)
8. Oke-Kas (4:37)
9. Someday (4:01)
10. Guide Me To The Quietness (8:08)
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