The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack 1968 Album

The Nice

The Nice were mainly known as the launching point of the career of madman progressive rock keyboard player Keith Emerson, and also as arguably the world's first bonafide progressive rock group. Strangely enough, I place their debut record in a different category – because it works better as a weird little psychedelic pop record, more than anything else. The big numbers here, like "Rondo" and "War and Peace", foreshadow what the group would eventually become, but it's wild and woolly stuff like "Bonnie K" and "Dawn" which really give this album its' snap. And don't forget, it was the only one with an actual guitar player – Davy O'List, who was of the Hendrix school if you need a primer. Overall, despite some misgivings, these thoughts are worth your time and then some.