THE THOUGHTS OF EMERLIST DAVJACK

The first album by The Nice is their only studio album with founding guitarist David O'List. In a way, it actually helped their sound to have another instrument to temper Keith Emerson's keyboards. And the album is quite progressive for it's time (1967). While there is only a hint of what Emerson will eventually do with ELP, I'd still call it progressive.

As on any album by The Nice, Lee Jackson's vocals can be annoying. At least he only uses that drunken barroom voice sparingly.

The title track is interesting, if only for the 60's flower child vocals on the intro. It's fun to picture Emerson (who is credited for background vocals) singing along. Then there's Rondo. While I like the song somewhat, I wish they had had the courtesy to credit Dave Brubeck with the composition (and turned it into a 4/4 song).

War And Peace is a cool, bues rock jam, but Emerson seems to have gotten short changed in the mix. His keyboards are waaaay in the background at times.

The rest of the songs are primarily sixties psychedelic, with Emerson's flourishes adding a slight symphonic prog flavor.

For proto-prog, it's actuall somwhat compelling.