I seem to recall reading somewhere that Zappa’s ‘We’re Only in it for the Money’ album was a direct response to Country Joe and the Fish’s ‘Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin-To-Die’, parodying the over-sincerity of Joe and others on the San Francisco psych scene of the time. As for others, I think maybe The Move’s ‘Vote For Me’ and ‘Flowers in the Rain’ were also taking the piss.

As for that line-up, has to be the bargain of a lifetime. Certainly not one to be repeated in these sour times.

Thanks for bringing your valuable perspective to the proceedings, Martin.

(things you might not know dept.:- the Comsat Angels covered the track ‘Citadel’)

Don’t recall too many musical offerings critical of Flower Power etc. at the time (Bonzo Dogs took the piss and Zappa must’ve recorded some funny/satirical stuff I’m sure), but The Nice’s ‘Flower King of Flies’ had that theme….

….On one of my favourite albums of all time – & worthy of inclusion on HFoS one day? The Nice’s ‘Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack’ was Keith Emerson et al’s 1st major offering to a waiting world, and established him to this day as the ‘Jimmy Smith’ supremo of rock keyboards.

‘….Emerlist Davjack’ was a hugely atmospheric record (a ghost drags itself through the studio at the start of ‘Dawn’) that brought Emerson’s ballsy yet classically learned Hammmond L100 organ pyrotechnics into the national spotlight; it had the non-virtuosic but always wonderfully apposite Davy O’List (formerly of The Attack) on guitar – his huge great arc of sound a few minutes into the track ‘Rondo’ is one of the timeless joys of recorded electric guitar – as are his brilliant ‘violin-type’ parts on ‘The Cry of Eugene’ – just a sheer joy to listen to.

(on various later compilation/re-issue liner notes O’List seems almost to have been written out of ‘The Nice’s history following his early departure from the group – but he does appear also on the ‘BBC Radio Sessions’ CD, and on a similar ‘In Europe Live’ CD).

A great, storming, groundbreaking album then – one of my favourite half-dozen prog lp’s of all time, I think (Gentle Giant’s ‘Three Friends’ is in there somewhere too). The group gained headlines with their on-stage flag-burning and knife throwing, but really the music said it all – powerhouse drumming from Blinky Davison and huge, chunky, Vox Peardrop bass & vocals from Lee Jackson.

I saw The Nice in 1968 (? – I was definitely there in the sixties, precisely because I DON’T remember!) as part of a huge, unwieldy, Hendrix package tour at the Royal Albert Hall, together with The Move, Amen Corner, The Herd, Eire Apparent, and Pink Floyd. The price? ….an unbelievable 21 shillings & sixpence!

We really were spoilt rotten………Party In The Park, curl up in shame…..