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Review Summary: One of the pioneer albums of prog. The starting point to ELP. “The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjak” is the debut studio album of The Nice that was released in 1967. The line up on the album is Keith Emerson, David O’List, Lee Jackson and Brian Davison.
The Nice was formed in 1967 by Keith Emerson, Lee Jackson, David O’List and Ian Hague. Soon Hague left the group and was substituted by Brian Davison. With this line up, the group set out on their own and they released “The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack”, following which O’List left the group too. The remaining members carried on as a trio and they released three more albums, “Ars Longa Vita Brevis”, “Nice” and “Elegy”. Then, in 1970, Emerson decided to split the group in order to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It proved to be fatal for the continuity of the group. However, in 1973, Jackson and Davison formed Refugee with the addition of the Swiss keyboardist, Patrick Moraz. They released only one studio album, “Refugee”, in 1974, before the group dissolved after Moraz left the group to can join Yes.
Their first year’s worth of work had begun to build the group, and especially the extroverted personality of Emerson, a following in England. The organist would jam knives into his keyboards, set fire to various objects on stage, including, at least once, at Royal Albert Hall, the American flag, creating a potential diplomatic incident for the government, and simulate sex with his instrument. By 1968 he was known as the Jimi Hendrix of the keyboards. The quartet’s debut album, “The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack”, managed to sound different from virtually anything else in music at the time. Spooky organ solos and slashing guitar attacks ran together and clashed, and heavily veiled quotations from Dave Brubeck and Johann Sebastian Bach all seemed to trail out from in and around their songs and pointed to something wonderfully strange and new about this band. They were working hard on their second album, “Ars Longa Vita Brevis”, when guitarist Davy O’List, owing to his personal instability, left the group in the early fall of 1968.
“The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjak” was very well acclaimed after being released, it’s considered one the first progressive rock albums ever made and it’s even often considered the first progressive rock album of all time. This was also the only album to feature the presence of their guitarist David O’List, which was never been replaced by them.
The name of the album is based on the last names of all four band’s members. So, “Emerlist Davjack” is a pseudonym that was created combining the last names of the four members of the group, Emerson, List, Davison and Jackson.
The album opens with “Flower King Of Flies”, a surprisingly solid and concise psych nugget song that reminds the sound of the early period of Pink Floyd. The charming escapist lyrics are set against some heavily distorted guitar and Emerson’s oddly acoustic piano joined by the inevitable organ. Next comes the title track. The quasi classical organ lines attempt to drive a song that ultimately goes to be nice. But this track could have benefited from greater length. It’s a song dominated by the Baroque sound of Emerson keyboards, some noisy percussions and a complex choral work that reminds me the early The Moody Blues. “Bonnie K” features pleasant overdubbed guitars with a strained soul blues vocal that becomes grating quickly. It sounds strangely due to the interaction between guitar and organ, which is uncommon on an Emerson’s band. “Rondo” is the best track. It’s an instrumental with a powerful atmosphere and with great performances. It’s a progressive rock song with great work of Emerson, the most progressive on the album. It was performed on many of the live shows of Emerson, Lake And Palmer. “War And Peace” is an energetic instrumental in a jazz and blues styles, well performed and with great individual works. “Tantalising Maggie” is a psychedelic song that also reminds me the early Pink Floyd. It’s a song with some interesting musical parts, especially a great classical piano work by Emerson. “Dawn” is perhaps the most psychedelic song with lot of whispers, breathing and silences. This is, without any doubt, the most irregular, experimental and strange song on the album that creates a strange and unique impressive atmosphere. “The Cry Of Eugene” is a powerful and experimental psychedelic song played in a style of a ballad with nice piano and a good guitar work. Here we can feel the first seeds of what would be the progressive rock.
Conclusion: “The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjak” isn’t, in my humble opinion, the first progressive rock album and it even isn’t truly a progressive rock album. However, it’s one of the first albums to have many progressive elements and it confirms that The Nice were among of the pioneers to develop what which became known as progressive rock. “The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjak” isn’t a masterpiece but still is, in my humble opinion, a very solid album. This is also in general a very good album with some fantastic musical moments that deserves a very special place in the history of the progressive rock music. So, I think this is a fundamental piece of music in any decent progressive musical collection.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
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Album Rating: 3.5
"The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack" of The Nice is a relatively little known album despite be one of the pioneer albums to prog. It's true that "In The Court Of The Crimson King" of King Crimson is usually considered the first prog album ever. But, some works of several bands had prog hints too, like "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" of The Beatles, the debut and "Strange Days" of The Doors, "Tommy" of The Who and "S.F. Sorrow" of The pretty Things, only to metion a few. However, three albums of three different bands are even closer to prog before King Crimson's debut, "Shine On Brightly" of Procol Harum, "Days Of Future Passed of The Moody Blues and this one, "The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack" of The Nice.
Despite "The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack" cannot be considered a true prog work, it's more a psychedelic one, it has one track that can be totally progressive, "Rondo". The track is amazing and if not for anything else, the album deserves to be checked due to it. And we mustn't forget The Nice was a kind of a pre-ELP's band. It was the band of Keith Emerson before he formed ELP. And it wasn't a coincidence that "Rondo" was one of the tracks performed live many times by ELP and released on some of their live albums.
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You interested me. I'm going to listen to the album. I love ELP. I hope to like this one too.
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Nice pal. I also love ELP. But, be careful. This isn't ELP. Thi is more a psychedelic work of the end of the 60's. Still, I think you may like it, especially of the already mentioned track, Rondo, a true prog track.
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I need to check this. Seems to be interesting.
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Do that man. I think you'll not regret.
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Yes, I see a similitude to Pink Floyd here and there, in their psychedelic era. I can even detect some psyche, proggy CCR sonorities. In fact, album is a full blend of psychedelic and progressive rock, thanks to Emerson's keys. I was'nt aware that some band members reformed with Refugee. I didn't exactly like that Refugee album. I'm not a fan of Patrick Moraz, so yes.
Good review, bro!
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Yeah, in reality Refugee was formed by the remaining two members of The Nice, Lee Jackson and Brian Davidson, which is a kind of a The Nice Mk II with Patrick Moraz taking the place of Emerson, a trio in the same vein of The Nice and ELP. The line up on the next three albums of The Nice was the same with Jackson, Davidson and Emerson. So, The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack has a different line up because it has also a guitarist David O'List, un uncommon thing with the usual trios of these bands. As I mentiond on the review, O'List left the band after The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack, in 1968, during the recordings for their second album, Ars Longa Vita Brevis. So, the band decided to pursue only as a trio.
I knew already that you aren't a great fan of Moraz. You told me that when I reviewed the album of Refugee and The Story Of I of Moraz.
Thanks, pal.
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I remember my dad mentioned me this was the first band of Emerson, the beginning of the sound of ELP. Since I never checked it I will go seize the opportunity now. Nice work. Pos.
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Nice. I hope you can like it. Tell me your impressions later.
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In fact. I don't like the usually fast, nervous style of Moraz playing. He wasn't good in replacing Rick Wakeman in Yes. Where he is the most pleasant is when he plays in duo with Bill Bruford. There is a good jazzy chemistry between both. Thanks for your informative segment.
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Yeah, both have a great chemistry. That isn't strange because somehow both more linked with jazz than rock.
Be my guest, bro.
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It is a nice psychedelic and progressive album well balanced with great keys of Emerson and with a great highlight, Rondo.
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I'm very glad you liked it. This is really a very nice cross representant of the music of the end of the 60's and the beginning of the 70's.
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