THE THOUGHTS OF EMERLIST DAVJACK

The Nice

Symphonic Prog

3.45 | 175 ratings

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Sinusoid
Prog Reviewer

I have more than a few thoughts...

The title of this album is one of the lousiest I've ever come across; I get the ''cuteness'' of merging all four band members' names into one ''person'', but I can't help but bust out laughing every time every time I try to pronounce it. It almost overshadows the pompousness ELP took.

I'm getting too off topic here though. Musically, I find The Nice's debut to be lacklustre even though I recognise its place in the world of prog rock. The first three tracks are little more than whimsical psychedelia that are either awful or bland. The same goes for ''Tantalising Maggie'' and ''Cry of Eugene'' with both needing a good kick up the production.

The longer instrumental workouts are more likely to attract the interested progster, although ''Dawn'' isn't exactly instrumental thanks to the stupid whispering. Emerson and O'List whip out stellar instrumental performances, but it turns to mush at the end. ''War and Peace'' is another muscle-flexer with a more blues-like scale and not as interesting.

All you ever need to know about this album is in the eight-minute-plus romp-and- roller ''Rondo''. It's the only time where I really notice the potential of Jackson and Davidson giving that galloping rhythm that makes the guitar-keyboard interplay that much better. The highlight of the album.

The album is little more than a curiosity for the ELP fans that wish to know where Keith started out. ''Rondo'' only faintly justifies the album's strength as everything else around it just pads or weakens the appeal. It's part of prog's early history if you're into that stuff.

Sinusoid | 2/5 | 2011-1-17

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