The Nice

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The Nice
General information
Genre (s) Progressive rock
founding 1967
resolution 1970
Last occupation
Keith Emerson († 2016)
Brian Davison († 2008)
Vocals, electric bass
Lee Jackson
former members
Guitar , vocals
 David O'List

The Nice were an English progressive rock band. The group was founded in August 1967 by musicians accompanying the singer PP Arnold . Keith Emerson (keyboards, organ), David O'List (guitar, vocals), Brian Davison (drums) and Lee Jackson (bass, vocals) combined jazz and rock with classical music in their musical style . Her interpretations include works by Leonard Bernstein (America from Westside Story ) , Johann Sebastian Bach ( Brandenburg Concerts ) and Jean Sibelius (Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite ) .

Band history

The Nice at their penultimate concert at Easter 1970 in Hamburg

After performing at the Windsor Blues Festival, Immediate soon offered them a record deal . In the fall of 1967, their debut album The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack was recorded, which was released in early 1968. The album is very much based on the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Emerson's organ playing, however, ousted the guitarist O'List from the scene, who was eliminated shortly afterwards.

In July of that year, the cover version of Bernstein's America rose to the top of the charts. The single also attracted a lot of attention. The cover consisted of a compilation of various images of the heads of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King . At a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, America also saw a US flag go up in flames. This led to a life ban for the Royal Albert Hall.

On Ars Longa Vita Brevis , which came on the market at the end of 1968, various revisions of classical pieces could be heard , among others by Bach, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky . In terms of style, they combined influences from rock, blues and jazz on the album . The eponymous suite for the album took up the second side of the record and was accompanied by an orchestra.

In 1969 the album Nice was released , which moved into the "Top 5" in the British charts. It contained very rich, symphonic instrumentation and was highly praised by critics. In October of that year Emerson's Five Bridges Suite was performed, for which the London Symphony Orchestra had been hired.

The following year The Nice toured Europe and played at the Prague Beat Festival. Shortly before a planned US tour, Emerson surprisingly announced the separation of Nice. At the three-day Pop & Blues Festival on the Easter weekend 28./29. March 1970 in Hamburg's Ernst-Merck-Halle The Nice celebrated their music again in an emphatic night. On March 30, 1970 the band gave their farewell concert in the Berlin Sports Palace . The LP Elegy and the sampler Autumn '67 - Spring '68 were released posthumously in 1971 .

Keith Emerson founded the group Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP) with Greg Lake ( King Crimson ) and Carl Palmer ( Atomic Rooster ).

Lee Jackson founded the Jackson Heights group and Brian Davison founded Brian Davison's Every Which Way .

Brian Davison and Lee Jackson founded the group Refugee together with keyboardist Patrick Moraz in 1974 , but they only stayed together for one LP because Moraz switched to Yes . In March 2007 the English record company Voiceprint released a concert recording from Newcastle City Hall (1974) containing two heavily recomposed The Nice Covers (The Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon and She Belongs to Me) .

Jackson and Davison ended their music careers after the breakup of Refugee until Keith Emerson briefly revived The Nice in 2002.

That year the group reunited for a series of live concerts, one of which was released in 2003 under the title Vivacitas - Live at Glasgow 2002 .

Brian Davison died of a brain tumor on April 15, 2008 at the age of sixty-five . Keith Emerson died on March 10, 2016 at the age of 71.

Discography

Studio albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US
1969 Nice UK3 (6 weeks)
UK 		-
1970 Five Bridges UK2 (21 weeks)
UK 		US197 (5 weeks)
US
1972 Keith Emerson with The Nice - US152 (8 weeks)
US

More studio albums

Live albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US
1971 Elegy UK5 (11 weeks)
UK 		-

More live albums

  • 1996: America - The BBC Sessions
  • 2001: The Swedish Radio Sessions
  • 2002: BBC Sessions
  • 2003: Keith Emerson and the Nice: Vivacitas - Live at Glasgow 2002
  • 2009: Live at the Fillmore East December 1969

Compilations

  • 1972: Autumn '67 - Spring '68
  • 1989: Intermezzo - Live 1970
  • 1998: The Immediate Years (3-CD box)
  • 1999: The Long Versions (2-CD)
  • 2000: America - The BBC Sessions
  • 2000: Beat-Club - The Best of '68 (DVD; among others with The Nice - Hang on to a Dream)

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US
1968 America UK21 (15 weeks)
UK 		-

More singles

  • 1967: The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack
  • 1968: Brandenburger
  • 1969: Hang on to a Dream
  • 1969: Country Pie

Trivia

One of the band's roadies was Lemmy Kilmister , who later became famous with bands like Hawkwind and Motörhead . Keith Emerson received two Hitler Youth knives from him, which he used to beat his Hammond organ at concerts .

Sources and web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Chart sources: UK US
  2. ↑ Legends on the stage in: Nordbayerischer Kurier from 18./19. June 2016, p. 55