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 Hendrix-like stage antics, in particular Keith Emerson's keyboard histrionics, led them quickly away 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 "Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack" flopped, though the flip side "Azrial (Angel Of Death)" proved more inviting. Their debut album, Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack, is atypical psychedelia: "Dawn" stretches out beyond pop, while "The 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 unnoticed, rhythm section, much like Hendrix's Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. In 1968, the Nice joined the Move, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix Experience on a tour of the UK, further cementing their reputation as a premier live act. Guitarist David O'List departed after the tour, and 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 the distinguishing trademark of prog rock, and Keith Emerson its first superstar.