Where’s the Nice??

'America' was never released on an album at the time, yet has now been appended to the 'Here Come The Nice' set and the 2cd remaster of their first (and best) album, 'The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack'.

I have a film clip where Lee Davidson says the whole 'murdered by the inevitable' schtick in a live TV version, and it's unintentionally amusing.

Dick,sorry I was being a bit lazy in referring to Made In Japan without being more detailed but there is a point on the album when they launch into something that sounds remarkably like 'Rondo'.

"Sgt Pepper's" is certainly progressive but often not considered Progressive Rock, if you follow the distinction. Whilst I own and love "Sgt Pepper's", and indeed think it is a progression from the music the Beatles -- and other popular bands -- had released before it, I personally don't lump it into the same genre of music as that played by e.g. Genesis, Yes, ELP, The Nice, King Crimson, VDGG, PFM, Banco, Tull, and so on. Even when the Progressive Rock scene was in full swing I don't think "Sgt Pepper's" was regarded as being in the same basket as bands labelled as Progressive Rock bands; back in the late 1960s and early 1970s I certainly didn't think of "Sgt. Pepper's" as being Progressive Rock, and I don't recall others thinking that either at the time.

The debate about Sgt Pepper's has conducted many times before in these forums, and I think you'll find that the majority considered it progressive, but not Progressive. Whatever genre it is, Sgt Pepper's is a hugely important, influencial album.

The Nice is one of my favourite groups. If any Progressive Rock fan reading this has not heard them, they are worth checking out. Their first album “The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davejack” was released in 1967 (the first Progressive Rock album?).

You can pick up the 3-CD set “the nice – here come the nice – the immediate anthology” (Castle Music, CMETD 055) which includes a colour foldout with a biography and photos, for GBP 11.99 from amazon.co.uk. The track list is given below:

Disc: 1

1. Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack

2. Azrial (Angel of Death)

3. Sampler for the Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack LP

4. Flower King of Flies

5. Bonnie K

6. Rondo

7. War and Peace

8. Tantalising Maggie

9. Dawn

10. Cry of Eugene

11. America: I) America /II) Second Amendment

12. Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon

13. Daddy Where Did I Come From

14. Little Arabella

15. Happy Freuds

16. Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite

17. Don Edito el Gruva

Disc: 2

1.      Ars Longa Vita Brevis (Symphony for Group and Orchestra) /I) Prelude/II

2.      Brandenburger

3.      Azrael Revisited

4.      Hang on to a Dream

5.      Diary of an Empty Day

6.      For Example

7.      Rondo "69" [Live at Fillmore East, New York]

8.      She Belongs to Me [Live at Fillmore East, New York]

Disc: 3

1.      America [Live Newcastle '68]: I) America/II) Second Amendment

2.      Rondo [Live Newcastle '68]

3.      Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack [Long Version]

4.      Flower King of Flies [Alternative Version]

5.      Bonnie K [Alternative Version]

6.      America [Alternative Stereo Version]: I) America/II) Second Amendment

7.      Dawn [Alternative Version]

8.      Tantalising Maggie [Alternative Version]

9.      Cry of Eugene [Alternative Version]

10.  Daddy Where Did I Come from [Alternative Version]

11.  Brandenburger (Demo Version)

12.  Pathetique Symphony 4th [Live Fairfields Hall '69]

13.  Lt Kije (The Troika) /Rondo [Live Fairfields Hall '69]

The cardboard sleeve states “Three albums, stray B-sides and a whole CD of demos and previously unissued live tracks: Here Come The Nice is the definitive document of the late 60s psych/prog pioneers, led by the organ theatrics of Keith Emerson.”

Well worth getting in my opinion. The band’s name may have slipped into obscurity today, but they were well known in the heyday of Prog Rock. If you say ‘Brandenburger’ to veterans of the era they should know immediately what you’re talking about. Emerson’s burning of the American flag on stage during their performance of Leonard Bernstein’s ‘America’ was such a 1960s thing to do, a protest of its time.

richardh wrote: The Nice were an influential band.Just listen to Made In Japan (Deep Purple) or Genesis 'The Knife' for obvious musical reference points. Pray tell me why Made In Japan is an 'obvious musical reference point' - I'm baffled at that choice? While I won't argue it's your's, clearly for the subsequent heavy rock route they would take, In Rock is far more obvious, (for instance the borrowing as Nice did from  Bach, beit via Its A Beautiful Day's Bombay Calling), and earlier as so-called prog musicians for their earlier albums. Indeed, Nice borrowed  from Mozart, I would vigorously argue taking direction from the  Dave Brubeck Quartet  and possibly the Jacques Loussier Trio The Nice were the precursor of ELP although the Moog Synths were not available until 1970. May be for Nice, but the instrument had been around a few years by then - if you could afford one!

And don't ignore Soft Machine's self titled first album made in 1968, especially with its more sophisticated mix of psychedelic pop and proto prog, than the first couple of Nice albums. In fact the first Nice album has a couple of cringeworthy tracks that really dates it IMHO.