The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack

Taking their name from Steve Marriott's (of the Small Faces) euphemism for being high, The Nice originally formed as a back-up band for Immediate label soul singer P.P. Arnold. But the group's infatuation with Jimi Hendrix-like stage antics, manifested in Keith Emerson's keyboard histrionics, led them quickly away from the singer and into London's limelight. Guitar heroes had been around for years already, but Emerson lashed out as England's first keyboard showman. Their first single "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" b/w "Azrial (Angel of Death)" flopped, though the flip side proved most inviting. Their debut album, The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack, is atypical psychedelia. "Dawn" stretches out beyond pop, while "Cry of Eugene" contains that prototypical melody that Emerson would come back to again and again. The lengthy "Rondo" took its theme from "Blue Rondo à la Turk" by jazz composer Dave Brubeck (without credit) and gives a better taste for what The Nice could offer. Bassist Lee Jackson and drummer Brian Davison are a competent, if often overlooked, rhythm section, much like Hendrix's Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. In November 1967, The Nice joined The Move, Pink Floyd and The Jimi Hendrix Experience on a tour of the UK, further cementing their reputation as a premier live act. Guitarist David O'List departed later in the summer, as sessions for their next album were just underway. The band remained a trio thereafter, giving Emerson ample room to flaunt his considerable talent. Though the album didn't chart, its impact was not diminished: The keyboard would become one of the distinguishing trademarks of prog rock, and Emerson its first superstar.