THE NICE

important work is underlined

1967: Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack. 1968: Ars Longa Vita Brevis.
1969: The Nice. 1970: Five Bridges Suite. 1971: Elegy.


As the Nice, Lee Jackson, Brian Davison and Keith Emerson purveyed an early form of progressive rock/classical pop. The band was short on hooks, long on chops; kind of a Cream with keyboards. Tasteless when trying to execute simple songs, and hindered by Lee Jackson's awful singing voice, the band did not disprove that rock and the classics couldn't mix: flirting with classical works by Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Bach and Bernstein was the only time the Nice's pomp and circumstance seemed entertaining in a trash-the-classics sense. The band was talented: "Rondo," the only good song on The Nice, is a remarkable example of rhythmic fortitude; Elegy, the Nice's best album, stays immersed in the classics for the most part, and provides some pompous fun, and one track, "Hang on to a Dream" (thought again displaying awful vocals), digresses into Gershwin ragtime showcases that have interesting moments.

Five Bridges is notable only for Keith Emerson's avoidance of Moody Blues/Deep Purple symphonic clichés when writing for an orchestra. Unfortunately, Emerson also avoided memorable melodic themes and distinctive arrangements, problems that were endemic to Emerson's later career in general. Elegy gets a mild recommendation for those interested in rock archeology.

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