THE BEST OF THE NICE

The Nice and ELP are the same band with Keith Emerson as leader. In the case of The Nice with David O'List (guitar, only in first album), Lee Jackson (bass) and Brian Davison (drums). ELP are Emerson, Lake (bass) and Palmer (drums). The Nice was a PP Arnold backing band, in first days.

My sentence is true if you listen to this compilation and first ELP album (with "Tarkus"). The Nice was more Symphonic Prog and ELP was more Classic Rock. But the final result is the same: Great Prog Rock!

This compilation is good if you search the more Rock side of The Nice, also if the msic is not Rock: "Rondo" and "War And Piece" was penned by Emmerlist Davjack, "America" is an adaption from "West Side Story" and "Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite" was penned by Sibelius. The other songs are in the same direction: Classic music played with Rock instruments. So The Nice was innovative in the end of 60's more that Procol Harum or The Moody Blues. Innovative as the same level of King Crimson or Yes. But when the Prog Rock exploded The Nice evolved into ELP losing a lot of inventiveness since become a pure expression of Emerson (and, minimally, of Lake). The power of "Rondo" was never reached (even from "Tarkus") but this was not a problem.

In definitive I prefer to judge The Nica as first incarnation (or the same band) of ELP. And this compilation is extremely good in this sense.