The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack


The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack is the 1968 debut album by English psychedelic and progressive rock band the Nice.

Background

Originally formed in the spring of 1967 as the live backing group to soul singer P. P. Arnold, the Nice quickly established an identity of their own. By August, they had split from Arnold and were receiving rave reviews for their live performances, which secured them a residency at The Marquee. Andrew Loog Oldham approached the group soon after and signed them to Immediate Records, where they were ushered into Olympic Studios that fall with Oldham's insistence that they only record original material. According to O'List, Mick Jagger was originally planned to produce the album, but was unable to do so. Engineering duties were undertaken by Glyn Johns, who contributed echo effects to "Flower King of Flies", also sung by O'List.

Songs and recording

The album was primarily composed of psychedelic pop typical of the period, with Keith Emerson contributing layers of keyboards and occasionally adding in quotes from well-known classical pieces. There are also two lengthy acid-rock instrumental jams, "Rondo" and "War and Peace", which point in the group's future progressive rock direction; on these, Emerson incorporates glissandos, feedback, and pitch-bending into his Hammond organ solos as he did on stage, along with an innovative patchwork quilt of blues, jazz and classical motifs.
At the 1967 Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival, lead singer Jackson claimed the song "Flower King of Flies" was about Paul McCartney. "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" was used as incidental music for the 1968 children's television drama The Tyrant King, directed by Mike Hodges and written by Trevor Preston for Thames Television, from the London Transport book by Aylmer Hall. The 6-part series also featured music by the Rolling Stones, the Moody Blues and Pink Floyd. The title track was released as the album's lead single in November 1967 along with the non-LP B-side "Azrial "; while it received a positive review from the Daily Mail, it failed to chart. Because the group lacked a strong lead vocalist, they frequently used echo and filter effects on their vocals, such as on "Tantalising Maggie", while the heavily psychedelic "Dawn" features an eerie whispered vocal from Jackson against extensive stereo panning of both guitar and organ feedback.
"Rondo" is based around an extended quote and reharmonization of the Dave Brubeck Quartet's "Blue Rondo à la Turk", adapted from to time, while the organ solo includes a short excerpt from Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor. "War and Peace" also contains a quote from Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, which would be more fully developed on the following album's "Brandenburger". "The Cry of Eugene", which was later re-recorded by Jackson's group Jackson Heights, refers to "Harlequin & Columbine" and features trumpet work from guitarist Davy O'List. This would be the only Nice album to feature O'List.

Title and album cover

The name 'Emerlist Davjack' is a portmanteau created by combining the last names of the four members of the group; Keith Emerson, David O'List, Brian Davison and Lee Jackson. The original disc credits all compositions to 'Emerlist Davjack'; later releases give more specific credits. The first half of the title is apparently a reference to bassist Lee Jackson's habit of carrying a copy of Mao Zedong's "Little Red Book", an alternate name of which was "Thoughts of Chairman Mao."
The cover, photographed by Gered Mankowitz at a Soho studio, shows members of the band shirtless and wrapped in cellophane. According to Emerson, the back cover was to feature slides of the band superimposed over a woman's naked body, although his embarrassment over it caused a less controversial band photo to be used.

Release and reception

The album was released in March 1968 in mono and stereo editions, promoted by a sampler featuring a commentary by DJ John Peel, which included the following comments:

1967 was a strange year for pop music with groups experimenting with new sounds and bouncing on and off bandwagons with dizzying speed and agility. They were calling themselves ridiculous names and regretting it shortly. The Nice came together in a void and will be here when the others are in pantomime in Wolverhampton.

The album received largely positive reviews, although it failed to chart. Melody Maker opined that the album "successfully captures the musical ingredients that make them so rewarding live", noting interesting experiments in electronic and percussive effects. In the US, Cash Box noted that "Rondo" "starts cookin' early" and also named "The Flower King of Flies" and "The Cry of Eugene" as highlights, calling it a "candidate for plenty of sales action." A retrospective review by AllMusic's Bruce Eder was mixed, as he called it a "flawed but valiant effort" with strong instrumental work that is let down by the lack of a real lead singer.
Alternate mixes of six of the album's songs would be included on the 1972 compilation Autumn '67 - Spring '68, with longer running times on several.

Legacy

The album was named as one of Classic Rock's "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock". The adaptation of "Rondo" proved highly influential on many prog keyboardists to come, with Tony Banks noting that the Genesis song "The Knife" was based around a similar organ motif after seeing the Nice play it at The Marquee. "Rondo" would remain a signature piece and encore in Nice, ELP and Keith Emerson Band concerts until Emerson's passing in 2016.

Track listing

;Side one
  1. "Flower King of Flies" – 3:19
  2. "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" – 2:49
  3. "Bonnie K" – 3:24
  4. "Rondo" – 8:22
;Side two
  2. "War and Peace" – 5:13
  3. "Tantalising Maggie" – 4:35
  4. "Dawn" – 5:17
  5. "The Cry of Eugene" – 4:36
;Bonus tracks on 1999 Repertoire reissue
  2. "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" – 2:48
  3. "Azrial " – 3:44
  4. "America" – 6:18
  5. "The Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon" – 2:47
  6. "America" – 3:55
;Bonus tracks on 2003 Castle Music Deluxe Edition
  2. "Promo 7" Sampler for Album" – 5:15
  3. "Azrial " – 3:43
  4. "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" – 2:47
  5. "The Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon" – 2:46
  6. "America/Second Amendment" – 6:19
;CD 2
  1. "Flower King of Flies" – 3:35
  2. "Bonnie K" – 3:19
  3. "Dawn" – 5:04
  4. "Tantalising Maggie" – 4:22
  5. "The Cry of Eugene" – 4:30
  6. "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" – 4:12
  7. "Daddy, Where Did I Come From?" – 2:46
  8. "America Second Amendment" – 6:14
  9. "Sombrero Sam" – 3:32
  10. "Get to You" – 3:40
  11. "The Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon" – 2:55
  12. "Brandenburger" – 3:49
  13. "Little Arabella " – 3:39
;Bonus tracks on 2004 Fuel 2000 reissue
  2. "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" – 4:12
  3. "Flower King of Flies" – 3:36
  4. "Azrael " – 3:43
  5. "America" – 6:06
  6. "America/Second Amendment" – 6:23
  7. "Diamond-Hard Blue Apples of the Moon" – 2:45
  8. "Daddy, Where Did I Come From?" – 2:46
Note: tracks #12 & 13 are reversed from label order, with track #12 running 6:18 and track #13 running 6:06

Personnel

Source:

The Nice

with:
  • Billy Nicholls – uncredited harmony vocals on "Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack"

    Technical

  • Derek Burton and Gered Mankowitz – cover design