Xurtio

Album Title: Thoughts of Emerlist DavJack
Year: 1967


Flower King of Flies - I first found the live version and the high-end was very muddy in it between the guitar and crashes, the vocals were ok. But once I found the studio version, I was more impressed. The vocals were much better, The lead guitar was fun. In the live version, the leads reminded me a lot of early Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour (very much like his leads in Obscured by Clouds), but didn’t really tell a story. In the studio version, I didn’t even notice a lead.

The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack - Major mode, bright chords, “ba-ba-ba-ing”, twinkle keys. Very classic psychedelic pop, not particularly appealing to me (I always preferred Waters to Barrett).

Bonnie K - I immediately loved the upbeat introduction. Very classic rock feel, the vocals make me feel like I’m unloading from a chopper in Vietnam in the movie Platoon. I think it’s because the vocals have some similarities with Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Rondo - Probably unnecissarily long. There’s a couple of neat keyboard riffs and the galloping beat feels like you’re getting somewhere, but also a lot of meandering that made me kind of impatient. The keyboard gets pretty awesome with some blues organ aroun 3:45 leading to a cute little break into the first couple measures of Bach’s Fugue in D minor and then more organ rock. But the galloping… it never stops.

War n Peace - Nice little groovy breakdown. The keys are unremarkable in the first movement, the guitar picks up the pace a bit, it gets a bit sloppy in parts with wobbly chromatic hammeron bends flying everywhere before tying back into a more remarkable keyboard lead and the back into the groove and ending shortly after a nice organ breakdown at the climax.

Tantalising Maggie - Vocals are deliberately belligerent in tone and I find it kind of grating. Mission accomplished, boys. Also, they didn’t cut the pops from the p sounds which makes it even worse. Didn’t get through this one.

Dawn - Interesting enough; I like the way the avante-garde break goes into a little groove with the twinkle keys. The whispering and heavy breathing is kind of overdone and the twinkle keys get annoying, but I liked the groove.

The Cry of Eugene - Back into some classic psychedelia. Nice lingering dissonant notes and good vocal melody on some marching band drums (cue the horns), then some rock guitar. At this point, I realized they were British. I had actually thought they were American for some reason looking at the CD cover.

Overall, good music, I haven’t listened to much Emerson, Lake & Palmer, I might have to now.
6/10

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