The Nice album

Album   Released Publisher Rating
Elegy (Bonus Tracks) 1971 Virgin Records
Nice (Bonus Tracks) 1969 JVC Compact Discs
Nice 1969 Feel Good All Over
The Nice (Expanded) 1969 Castle Music Ltd.
The Nice (Bonus Tracks) 1969 Immediate (Sony Special Products)
Ars Longa Vita Brevis (Bonus Disc) 1968 Castle Music Ltd.
Ars Longa Vita Brevis (Snapper Bonus Tracks) 1968 Snapper
Back to the topElegy (Bonus Tracks)
Review by Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Released:
1971
Label:
Virgin Records
Rating:
Styles:
British Psychedelia
Prog-Rock
Art Rock
Psychedelic
Back in 1972, Elegy was the first compilation of the Nice's work ever issued -- rather than being a collection of hits, however, it was a selection of leftover vault items assembled by the manager, Tony Stratton-Smith, after the trio's breakup. And given those origins, it was a phenomenal record -- the live version of "Hang on to a Dream" was one of Keith Emerson's finest moments on the piano, allowing him to meld George Gershwin and Tim Hardin, among other glorious attributes; and Lee Jackson and Brian Davison do more than acquit themselves well on the bass and drums, respectively, across 12 minutes. Emerson's piano and organ work on Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages" made that his best Dylan adaptation, even if Jackson's singing is a disappointment, especially in the opening section. And the live rendition of "America" is the best representation that the piece ever had in the group's hands, the final evolution of a number with which they started out very strongly. Even "Pathetique," adapted from the Third Movement of Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 6" -- and their one major concession to the future of progressive rock here -- holds together well as a rock trio reduction of a symphonic work. This reissue is a considerable improvement over an earlier version, even though the bonus tracks have been cut back -- the earlier expanded version added a bunch of psychedelic-era outtakes from the other end of the group's history, when they were a quartet, and those tracks didn't fit well with the existing album content. Of the two bonus tracks on EMI's 2009 edition, "Country Pie" has been heard before, but the live BBC version of "Pathetique" is a rip-roaring performance, and the perfect companion to the studio arrangement that's already been heard. And the two bonus cuts fit this CD perfectly. The live "Pathetique," along with the rest of the best moments here, capture a perfect representation of the trio at their peak of performance. And the sound quality is superb, on what was already a pretty impressive album in 1971.
Track # Track Time Composer
1 Hang on to a Dream 12:43 Hardin
2 My Back Pages 9:10 Dylan
3 3rd Movement 7:04 Tchaikovsky
4 America 10:17 Bernstein, Sondheim
5 Diamond-Hard Blue Apples of the Moon (*) 2:45 Emerson, Jackson
6 Dawn (*) 5:05 Davison, Emerson, Jackson
7 Tantalising Maggie (*) 4:20 Jackson, O'List
8 Cry of Eugene (*) 4:31 Emerson, Jackson, O'List
9 Daddy Where Did I Come From (*) 2:46 Emerson, Jackson
10 Azirial (*) 3:45 Emerson, Jackson
Back to the topNice (Bonus Tracks)
Review by Nitsuh Abebe, All Music Guide
Released:
1969
Label:
JVC Compact Discs
Rating:
Styles:
Prog-Rock
Art Rock
British Psychedelia
Psychedelic
Randall Lee's trademark New Zealand jangle has taken him through several projects, from the Cannanes to the bi-continental Ashtray Boy -- his work with Nice strips this style down to the way it might sound in a live setting, concentrating on the warm and evocative sides of Lee's songwriting. The band's self-titled album does this more effectively than later releases, which move toward the more varied pop styles Ashtray Boy worked with -- Lee's dark jangle sounds absolutely stunning, and while the record's songwriting isn't as consistent as one might hope, the majority of it works incredibly well, with unconventional time signatures and progressions keeping things from falling into strummy banality. One listen to the album's opener should be enough to convince anyone. [This edition contains bonus tracks.]
Track # Track Time Composer
1 Azrael Revisited N/A N/A
2 Hang on to a Dream N/A N/A
3 Diary of an Empty Day N/A N/A
4 For Example N/A N/A
5 Rondo "69" N/A N/A
6 She Belongs to Me N/A N/A
Review by Nitsuh Abebe, All Music Guide
Released:
1969
Label:
Feel Good All Over
Rating:
Styles:
British Psychedelia
Psychedelic
Prog-Rock
Art Rock
Randall Lee's trademark New Zealand jangle has taken him through several projects, from the Cannanes to the bi-continental Ashtray Boy -- his work with Nice strips this style down to the way it might sound in a live setting, concentrating on the warm and evocative sides of Lee's songwriting. The band's self-titled album does this more effectively than later releases, which move toward the more varied pop styles Ashtray Boy worked with -- Lee's dark jangle sounds absolutely stunning, and while the record's songwriting isn't as consistent as one might hope, the majority of it works incredibly well, with unconventional time signatures and progressions keeping things from falling into strummy banality. One listen to the album's opener should be enough to convince anyone.
Track # Track Time Composer
1 Dear John N/A N/A
2 Head in the Hay N/A N/A
3 All for You N/A N/A
4 Caress Me N/A N/A
5 Anthem N/A N/A
6 Theme from Nice N/A N/A
7 Circuit Diagram N/A N/A
8 Oversized Hen N/A N/A
9 No Drinkin' Buddies N/A N/A
10 Christiana Amore N/A N/A
11 Pastoral Disaster N/A N/A
12 Return to Nice N/A N/A
Back to the topThe Nice (Expanded)
Review by Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Released:
1969
Label:
Castle Music Ltd.
Rating:
Styles:
British Psychedelia
Prog-Rock
Art Rock
Psychedelic
The Nice's third album was their first to break them into the star recording bracket in the U.K., where it reached number three on the charts. Though only measuring six songs in all, it covered a lot of territory, in a rich mixture of psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical that did a lot to map the format for progressive rock. The extended pretension of some of the numbers, viewed less forgivingly, might also seem like an antecedent to pomp rock. But the studio side of the LP (in its pre-CD incarnation) included one of their best tracks, a cover of Tim Hardin's "Hang on to a Dream" with grand Keith Emerson classical lines and an angelic choir. It also included a reworking of the B-side of their first single in "Azrael Revisited," a slight throwback to the more playful psychedelia of their roots with "Diary of an Empty Day," and the nine-minute "For Example," in which Emerson stretched out his jazz-classical mutations to a fuller length, throwing in a quote from "Norwegian Wood" along the way. More attention was given to the second side of the LP, recorded live at the Fillmore East, with a berserk workout of a number from their debut album, "Rondo" (here retitled "Rondo '69"), and a 12-minute overhaul of Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me." An earlier CD reissue of this album added the mono single mixes of "Hang on to a Dream" and "Diary of an Empty Day" as bonus cuts, but the 2003 CD reissue goes one better by including those and yet three more additional tracks. The three new additions include a whimsical BBC cover of Sonny Rollins's "St. Thomas" with some new lyrics by friend Roy Harper, and a couple of strange orchestral pieces, with virtually inaudible spoken narration, done live at Fairfields Hall in 1969. The first of these, "Pathetique Symphony 4th," is played wholly by an orchestra and bears the writing credit "unidentified"; unless that spoken voice belongs to someone in the Nice, there would appear to be no connection between this recording and the Nice at all. Not so the second Fairfields Hall track, "Lt. Kije (The Troika)/Rondo," in which another orchestral piece alternates with instrumental fireworks (the "Rondo" portion) that are definitely played by the band. The otherwise meticulous liner notes are of no help in clarifying the details, unfortunately.
Track # Track Time Composer
1 Azrael Revisited 5:57 Emerson, Jackson
2 Hang on to a Dream 4:46 Hardin
3 Diary of an Empty Day 4:00 Emerson, Jackson
4 For Example 8:54 Emerson, Jackson
5 Rondo '69 (Live) 7:55 Davison, Emerson, Jackson
6 She Belongs to Me (Live) 11:52 Dylan
7 Hang Onto a Dream (Mono Single Mix)(Live) 4:46 Hardin
8 Diary of an Empty Day (Mono Single Mix)(Live) 4:01 Emerson, Jackson
9 St. Thomas (BBC Session Track) 2:35 Rollins
10 Pathetique Symphony 4th (Live) 10:34 N/A
11 Lt. Kije (The Troika)/Rondo (Live) 8:00 N/A
Back to the topThe Nice (Bonus Tracks)
Review by Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Released:
1969
Label:
Immediate (Sony Special Products)
Rating:
Styles:
British Psychedelia
Prog-Rock
Art Rock
Psychedelic
The band's best album is now a sonic delight, thanks to the 1998 Castle Communications reissue (ESM 645). Emerson's keyboards, Lee Jackson's bass, and Brian Davison's drums just leap out at the listener, aggressively, in sharp detail and a rich spread of sound from the high to the low end and back again. The Fillmore live tracks are still the best parts of the recording, but numbers like "Diary of an Empty Day" also reveal some surprising details, finally captured properly on CD, and the richness of tone on the instruments is a genuine treat. The only "bonus tracks" are the monaural single versions of "Hang On to a Dream" and "Diary of an Empty Day."
Track # Track Time Composer
1 Azrael Revisited 5:56 Emerson, Jackson
2 Hang on to a Dream 4:46 Hardin
3 Diary of an Empty Day 4:00 Emerson, Jackson
4 For Example 8:54 Emerson, Jackson
5 Rondo "69" 7:55 Davison, Emerson, Jackson
6 She Belongs to Me 11:58 Dylan
7 Hang on to a Dream (Single A-Side)(*) 4:46 Hardin
8 Diary of an Empty Day (Single B-Side) (*) 4:00 Emerson, Jackson
Back to the topArs Longa Vita Brevis (Bonus Disc)
Review by Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Released:
1968
Label:
Castle Music Ltd.
Rating:
Styles:
British Psychedelia
Prog-Rock
Art Rock
Psychedelic
The Nice's second album, and first as a trio, was a genuinely groundbreaking effort, and now it sounds the way it was always supposed to. The 1998 Castle Communications reissue (ESM 646), part of its Essential Masters series, puts even the version in the 1995 Charly box to shame. That one was clean and clear, where this is bright, with a much more solid high end and richer bass as well. The energy of the band's playing comes through, along with enough detail to allow you to hear the action on the keyboards in some instances. This is not only the first Nice album to sound as good as the ELP remasters of a couple of years ago, but to match the best of the latter for substance. The "bonus tracks" are merely the monaural single masters of "Daddy, Where Did I Come From?" and "Happy Freuds," when ideally "America" would have been on this CD where it belongs (and where it was, on the American version of the original LP). [The 2003 reissue boasts a two-disc set featuring seven bonus tracks.]
Track # Track Time Composer
1 Daddy, Where Did I Come From? 3:44 Emerson, Jackson
2 Little Arabella 4:16 Emerson, Jackson
3 Happy Freuds 3:27 Emerson, Jackson
4 The Karelia Suite: Intermezzo 8:57 Sibelius
5 Don Edito el Gruva 0:14 Davison, Emerson, Jackson
6 Ars Longa Vita Brevis: Prelude/First Movement: Awakening/2nd Movement: 19:19 O'List, Davison, Emerson, Jackson
7 Brandenburger 4:25 Davison, Emerson, Jackson
8 Happy Freuds 3:26 Emerson, Jackson
9 Ars Longa Vita Brevis 7:59 O'List, Emerson, Jackson
10 Aries 5:26 N/A
11 Lumpy Gravy 2:15 Emerson, Jackson
12 Little Arabella 4:18 Emerson, Jackson
13 Happy Freuds 3:22 Emerson, Jackson
14 The Karelia Suite: Intermezzo 7:31 Sibelius
15 I'm One of Those People That My Father Tells My Sister Not to Go ... 3:12 Emerson, Jackson
16 Azrael Revisited 5:05 Emerson, Jackson
17 Blues for the Prairies 4:18 Peterson
18 Diary of an Empty Day (& Top Gear Signature) 3:39 Emerson, Jackson
19 America/Second Amendment (Live) 7:14 O'List, Bernstein, Sondheim, Davison, Emerson, Jackson
20 Rondo 11:15 O'List, Davison, Emerson, Jackson
Back to the topArs Longa Vita Brevis (Snapper Bonus Tracks)
Review by Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Released:
1968
Label:
Snapper
Rating:
Styles:
British Psychedelia
Prog-Rock
Art Rock
Psychedelic
The Nice's second album, and their first as a trio, was a genuinely groundbreaking effort, and now it sounds the way it was always supposed to. The 2003 Snapper UK reissue puts even the version in the 1995 Charly box to shame -- that was clean and clear, where this is bright, with a much more solid high end and richer bass as well. The energy of the band's playing comes through, along with enough detail to allow you to hear the action on the keyboards in some instances. This is not only the first Nice album to sound as good as the ELP remasters of a couple of years ago, but to match the best of the latter for substance.
Track # Track Time Composer
1 Daddy, Where Did I Come From? 3:44 Emerson, Jackson
2 Little Arabella 4:16 Emerson, Jackson
3 Happy Freuds 3:27 Emerson, Jackson
4 Intermezzo for the Karelia Suite 8:59 Sibelius
5 Don Edito el Gruva 0:13 Emerson, Jackson
6 Ars Longa Vita Brevis: Prelude/1st Movement-Awakening/2nd Movement-Real 19:24 Davison, Emerson, Jackson, O'List
7 America (2nd Amendment) (*) 6:18 Bernstein, Sondheim
8 Diamond-Hard Blue Apples of the Moon (*) 2:48 Emerson, Jackson
9 Daddy, Where Did I Come From? (Early Version)(*) 2:48 Emerson, Jackson
10 Brandenburger (*)(Demo Version) 4:24 Davison, Emerson, Jackson
Back to the topExternal Links