Absolutely the Best [Original recording remastered]

Keith Emerson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00005NWKE
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,758 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Rondo

2. She Belongs To Me (live)

3. Diary Of An Empty Day

4. For Example

5. Azrial (Angel Of Death)

6. America (live)

7. Happy Freuds

8. The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack (long version)

9. Hang On To A Dream

10. Flower King Of Flies

11. Bonnie K

12. America (single version)

13. Rondo 69 (live)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars pioneering progressive that rocks, September 25, 2001

By 

Liza Sher "decorator" (San Francisco, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolutely the Best (Audio CD)

First of all, I have to admit that I got this album because I love ELP and it has been so far the only album by the Nice I have listened to. And I loved it!
As soon as I started playing it, I felt enormous amount of energy coming from music. Rondo, She belongs to me (Bob Dylan's song), and Azrial are some of my favorites because they emanate lots of happy energy. America is a very beautiful song that absolutely captures the birth of prog rock, fusing clasical and rock music. The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack is passionate and inspiring. Hang on to a Dream is absolutely beautiful with its gentle and fragile beginning developing into more upbeat jazzy part. It shows off Emerson's keyboard mastery.
Based on the is CD, I can see the similarity between The Nice and ELP, but that shoulf not be disappointing or surprising since the leading figure in both groups is Keith Emerson. I would highly recommend this CD to all the fans of progressive rock.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From the Beginning, June 20, 2005

By 

Robert Huggins (Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Absolutely the Best (Audio CD)

This isn't the only CD available of "The Nice" on the market, but it's a good place to start and hits most of the band's high points on their first three albums for the Immediate label. I don't know if "The Nice" was the very first progressive rock band, but their meshing of rock, jazz and classical music certainly made its mark and paved the way for many other prog rock bands. I wanted to hear the beginnings of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and this CD clearly demonstrates the dominance of Keith Emerson's keyboards even at this early stage. These recordings were made shortly before the synthesizer was introduced to rock audiences and Emerson is limited to piano and organ. Brian Davison (drums) and Lee Jackson (bass, vocals) are a surprisingly effective rhythm section, but poor Davy O'List (guitar) is mostly lost in the shuffle. It's no surprise that O'List left the band during the recording of the band's second album.

It's astonishing to me that this music was recorded over 35 years ago, and yet much of it still sounds fresh. Sure the recording technology of the late 1960s isn't what it is today, but the musicianship of the band more than makes up for any deficiencies of the recording. That said, it would have been nice to hear the guitar parts given a little more prominence, and Lee Jackson is certainly not one of rock's great vocalists. Though Jackson gives it his all, he simply isn't a vocalist of Greg Lake's caliber and I find myself more attracted to the band's instrumentals and those songs that are predominantly instrumental.

This CD is recommended to ELP fans who want to hear the beginnings of the ELP sound and to progressive rock fans, in general, who want to hear some of the genre's earliest recordings.