the nice

I'd say that you have to hear The Nice in the context of there not being an ELP in existence, and their jazzy rock style will take y ou on a very nice journey indeed. OK you have to take Lee Jackson's vocals with a grain of salt but to me that is part of the charm of this band. Five Bridges Suite with the Karelia Suite, that is very tasty stuff indeed.



Edited by miketheorganist - October 08 2011 at 15:48

DiamondDog wrote: FunkyHomoSapien wrote: I like Emerson a lot, but Ritchie was a genius. Bowie said so too. Yeah, but Ritchie's genius was behind the scenes. He was a wizard on stage too, but Emerson took the whole concert spectacle to a new level.

Agreed. Only thing I'd add is that Billy Ritchie took the flak for a lot that followed, people at concerts were puzzled because there was no lead guitar. That's how far ahead it was at the time. But Emerson took the concept by the scruff of the neck and made something of it.

ExittheLemming wrote: ^ Yep, Lake never quite mastered the finer nuances of Lee's rumpity dumpity dump* riff with ELP *Apologies to the laymen amongst us for the arcane and technical music theory verbiage here

I wouldn't quite describe it as a 'rumpity dumpity dump', it's more of a 'dum diddy dum diddy dum'.

I think Lee's 'dum diddy dum diddy dum' is heard to maximum effect on the studio version of Rondo, serviceable though the live version is. How he keeps that galloping bass riff going for 8-plus minutes is unbelievable.

Cactus Choir wrote: Well, It'd be a dull world if we all agreed! Re the third album I actually much prefer the studio side to the live one, particularly Azrael and For Example. She Belongs to Me gets a bit repetitive and Rondo pales next to the studio original and later ELP versions.  If I had to rank the original albums it would be: 1. Five Bridges 2. Ars Longa/Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack 3. Nice [big gap] 4. Elegy

^ have to agree with this in the main. The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack is a decent collection of psychedelia addled pop/rock tunes plus a peek at what was to come (Rondo) Ars Longa suffers from some flimsy song material on side one and the title suite is more admirable for its spirit and daring than its execution (but it certainly contains some of Emerson's finest organ playing) The third album (The Nice or As Nice as Mother Makes It in the US) is a five star belter for me and the adoption of the half studio/half live hybrid format probably indicates they knew they hadn't been able to replicate their live magic in the studio. Five Bridges is rather unjustly neglected as there's not a weak track on the critter and it's probably the most successful rock/orchestral fusion vehicle from that era. The posthumous Elegy seems to attract a lot of flak but I love that album (and who cares if Charisma wanted to cash in on the lucrative juggernaut that was ELP in 1971?)

richardh wrote: jean-marie wrote: Arts longa vita brevis could be the best one?.... disappointingly a very flat sounding album. I think part of the problem is that O'List left the band just before they recorded it and his guitar parts were not properly replaced. The earlier BBC radio session version of Ars Longa Vita Brevis when O'List was still present is exciting and dynamic. That excitemnt just didn't translate when they came to record it. Also they padded it out with a drum solo and an adaption of Bach's Brandenburger Concerto in order to call it a 'suite'. Its certainly an important milestone in prog history (as a statement) but the finished product was not good. Keith Emerson wasn't happy with it and that says it all.

Ars Longa is one of the three best Nice albums along with the debut and Five Bridges IMHO. I don't think the production is that bad, a bit quiet maybe but you can always turn the volume up and the drums sound great (listen to Brandenburger and the Karelia). Most sections of the Ars Longa suite are really good to my ears and I certainly wouldn't describe Brandenburger as 'padding', it's one of the band's strongest tracks. The melodramatic Hammond section on Prelude and the piano/percussion workout on Realisation feature some of the most exciting playing Emerson ever did. I'll agree with Richard that the dull Awakening percussion section is a major candidate for the skip button. The Karelia Suite is terrific as well, more subdued than the Five Bridges version but still with some great Hammond and drumming on it.

It's not a perfect album but it's very good. As for Keith's opinion of it, he was a musical wonder but his judgement wasn't always impeccable - he did pose for the cover of Love Beach after all.

Arts longa vita brevis could be the best one?....

GoldenGod2112 wrote: silverpot wrote: GoldenGod2112 wrote: Does anyone know how I can get my hands on The Nice's music besides youtube? They're on itunes. Thank you very much. I'll have to buy them if I get itunes gift cards for christmas like I usually do. :P

Edited by richardh - September 14 2011 at 15:18

GoldenGod2112 wrote: Does anyone know how I can get my hands on The Nice's music besides youtube?

They're on itunes.

I like Emerson a lot, but Ritchie was a genius. Bowie said so too.