Fifty Year Friday: The Nice “The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack”
Recorded around October 1967 and released sometime in 1968 between January and March (as best as I can determine), this aggressively adventurous album effectively fuses elements of psychedelia, acid rock, jazz and classical music, establishing this in many progressive rock fans’ mind as one of the first true progressive rock albums.
The first track, “Flower King of Flies” is not inherently different than early Pink Floyd, except perhaps for the level of unbridled energy present, and the second song, the title track, is basically a bubbly, upbeat pop tune, performed , once again with unusual energy and a high level of musicianship. The third track, though, borders on the harder edged rock often provided by the early blues-based metal bands; there is rugged guitar work and precise, yet perfectly spontaneously-sounding, organ work from Keith Emerson.
It isn’t until the fourth track, a 4/4 arrangement of Dave Brubeck’s mostly 9/8 “Blue Rondo à La Turk”, dominated by the acid-rock, Hammond organ work that is the centerpiece of this instrumental, that the album falls more into the progressive rock realm. Included are glissandos, a J.S. Bach toccata reference , controlled distortion, and a climatic building towards the recap (the Brubeck Rondo theme), which frenziedly finishes the last ninety seconds, maintaining a perpetual, inexhaustible torrent of energy.
“War and Peace” opens up the second side with a level of focus and direction more typical in straight-ahead jazz than expected of a sixties’ rock group. With the exception of Jimi Hendrix and, perhaps, Cream, this is the closest that anyone gets to the soon-to-be-prevalent heavy metal sound in a 1967 recording, notwithstanding a quote of a Bach Brandenburg concerto.
“Tantalizing Maggie” continues along the hard-rock, nearly heavy-metal frame of mind, with a modulating, exploratory, instrumental, B section that gives way to a modified recap of the A section with classical references that finish the piece.
“Dawn” straddles the line between an avant-garde concert piece and sixties psychedelia, with sprinkled fragments closer to free jazz and baroque classical than to rock music.
The last track, “The Cry of Eugene”, is a beautiful ballad laced with elements of both psychedelic rock and the concert hall providing a suitable close to a varied, interesting, and well-executed album. Emerson may be the standout here, but Jackson, O’List, and Davison all contribute significantly with energy and passion.
CD versions of the original LP include additional material with some releases including alternative versions of tracks as well as Nice’s rendition of Leonard Bernstein’s America, an essential for progressive rock lovers.
LP Track listing [from Wikipedia]
Side one
- “Flower King of Flies” (Keith Emerson, Lee Jackson) – 3:19
- “The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack” (Emerson, David O’List) – 2:49
- “Bonnie K” (Jackson, O’List) – 3:24
- “Rondo” (Dave Brubeck, Emerson, O’List, Brian Davison, Jackson) – 8:22
Side two
- “War and Peace” (Emerson, O’List, Davison, Jackson) – 5:13
- “Tantalising Maggie” (Emerson, Jackson) – 4:35
- “Dawn” (Davison, Emerson, Jackson) – 5:17
- “The Cry of Eugene” (Emerson, Jackson, O’List) – 4:36
Personnel
- Keith Emerson – organ, piano, harpsichord, vocals
- Lee Jackson – bass, guitar, vocals, timpani
- David O’List – guitar, trumpet, flute, vocals
- Brian Davison – drums, tubular bells, timpani
zumpoems 