1. The Five Bridges Suite:
- I. Fantasia - First Bridge (6:08)
- II. 2nd Bridge (3:59)
- III. Chorale - 3rd Bridge (3:30)
- IV. High Level Fugue - 4th Bridge (1:02)
- V. Finale - 5th Bridge (3:34)
2. Intermezzo Karelia Suite (9:00)
3. Pathetique Symphony No. 6, 3rd Movement (9:27)
4. Hang On To A Dream (12:43)
5. America (10:27)
6. My Back Pages (9:12)

- Keith Emerson - keyboards
- Lee Jackson - bass & vocals
- Brain Davidson - drums & percussion

The history of this CD, originally a double LP combining the contents of two separate LPs (Five Bridges, Elegy), is strange. "Five Bridges" was a suite mixing rock trio and orchestra, in the same form though more ambitious (and successful) than their earlier "Ars Longa Vita Brevis." But their record label, Immediate Records, went bankrupt in late 1969, and the trio was left without a recording contract and owed a lot of money. In the meantime, Keith Emerson had been making plans to leave the trio and form a new group that would, among other differences, be stronger in the vocal department, but until the spring of 1970 he was still playing with the Nice. Amidst this chaos, the group's manager, Tony Stratton-Smith, had kept possession of about three LPs' worth of unreleased tapes by the band, keeping them out of the hands of Immediate and away from that company's creditors (of which the group was one). After Emerson's departure, he released the first of the group's posthumous albums, Five Bridges, which had been recorded late in 1969 -- Emerson wasn't happy to see the not quite finished project (as far as he was concerned) out and there were lawsuits, but the album came out, on Mercury Records in America and on Stratton-Smith's own newly formed Charisma label in England, and it did well -- enough so that Stratton-Smith was back a few months later with Elegy, a collection of live performances from the Fillmore East augmented with some late studio tracks. Mercury later cashed in on Emerson, Lake & Palmer's sudden rise to superstardom by combining the two as the budget-priced double-LP Keith Emerson With the Nice, packaged rather misleadingly with a photo of Emerson on-stage from a performance with ELP.

In the long run, despite Emerson's objections, the material on these two LPs has proved to be some of the group's best -- the concert versions of "America" and "Karelia" run their studio equivalents into the ground, and the live performance of "Hang On to a Dream" is a definitive representation of the group, combining elements of classical, jazz, rock, ragtime, blues, and even Broadway into an extraordinary 13-minute tour de force, not only for Emerson but for bassist Lee Jackson as well. "Five Bridges Suite," also cut live with an orchestra, points the way toward Emerson, Lake & Palmer's mix of pomposity and fun without ever being as pretentious as ELP got. The rendition of "My Back Pages" here is a complete deconstruction of the song, breaking it into parts for virtuoso instruments and vocalist -- the unfamiliar may well be delighted as well as surprised by the results. The live Fillmore cuts have some flaws in the original recordings, especially overloads on volume, but their propulsive energy carries them. And if you listen closely, you can hear riffs and passages that surfaced later on in Tarkus and other ELP works. The original double LP contained two additional tracks, "One of Those People" and the studio version of "Pathétique" Symphony No. 6, 3rd Movement, which were left off the CD to hold down the running time. [Note: All of this material has been reissued in England on two separate CDs -- Five Bridges and Elegy -- in better sounding editions by Virgin Records, with extensive bonus tracks.] ---Bruce Eder, allmusic.com

download (mp3 @160 kbs):

yandex mega mediafire cloudmailru ulozto

back

1. The Nice - Rondo [07:54]
2. The Nice - she belongs to me [11:52]
3. The Nice - Azrael revisited [05:55]
4. The Nice - The thoughts of emerlist Davjack [04:14]
5. The Nice - War and peace [05:09]
6. The Nice - Hang on to a dream [04:46]
7. The Nice - For example [08:58]
8. The Nice - Flower king of flies [03:35]
9. The Nice - Daddy where did I come from [03:44]
10. The Nice - Little Arabella [04:17]

Keith Emerson – organ, piano, vocals 
Keith "Lee" Jackson – bass, guitar, vocals 
David "Davy" O'List – guitar, vocals 
Brian "Blinky" Davison – drums, percussion

The NICE was the precursor to one of progs most influential bands - EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER. This band began their career at the dawning of rock and its sub genres, the closing of the sixties and an era of growing desires to challenge the boundaries of popular music. The four musicians branched out, utilizing and combining classical, jazz, blues and rock music to forge a new and dynamic sound - later to be known as Progressive Rock. The seeds were already sown for the Symphonic and Orchestral style of music that Keith EMERSON would champion throughout the decades to come. --- progarchives.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mega mediafire cloudmailru ulozto

back

1 	She Belongs To Me	5:12
2 	Flower King Of Flies	4:11
3 	Sombrero Sam	7:17
4 	You Keep Me Hanging On	6:28
5 	The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack	2:51
6 	Rondo	12:13

Drums – Brian Davison
Guitar – David O'List
Organ – Keith Emerson
Vocals, Bass Guitar – Lee Jackson

The Nice were booked to play live on Swedish radio in the fall of 1967, prior to the release of their debut record while they were still a quartet. Organist Keith Emerson was not yet the dominate force he became following the departure of guitarist Davy O'List, who is quite prominent on this session. The music is a bit of a mishmash, with Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" starting a bit erratically but finally coming together. Their own composition "Flower King of Flies" has a more subtle vocal by bassist Lee Jackson than the studio version they eventually released, though he has trouble staying in tune. The instrumental jam upon jazzman Charles Lloyd's "Sombrero Sam" seems a bit like filler, but the turkey of the evening is a forgettable cover of Vanilla Fudge's overwrought "You Keep Me Hanging On." A quick take of their own "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" is followed by the gem of the date: a 12-minute workout of "Rondo," better known as jazz pianist Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo à la Turk" (though the Nice were initially credited with composing the piece by their own label, Castle gets it right). This version of "Rondo" easily eclipses all the other versions by the Nice (even though the rhythm is still very stiff compared to its composer's recordings) because of the interaction between the organist and the guitarist. Considering the vintage of this long overlooked music, the sound is quite good, so any fans of the Nice should consider this to be a lost treasure worth acquiring. ---Ken Dryden, AllMusic Review

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto gett

back

1-1 	Daddy Where Did I Come From	3:42
1-2 	Little Arabella	4:14
1-3 	Happy Freuds	3:25
1-4 	Intermezzo From The Karelia Suite	8:57
1-5 	Don Edito El Gruva	0:12
	Ars Longa Vita Brevis 	19:18
1-6.1 	Ars Longa Vita Brevis: Prelude
1-6.2 	1st Movement: Awakening
1-6.3 	2nd Movement: Realisation
1-6.4 	3rd Movement: Acceptance "Brandenburger"
1-6.5 	4th Movement: Denial
1-6.6 	Coda: Extension To The Big Note
	-
1-7 	Brandenburger 	4:24
1-8 	Happy Freuds 	3:26
	BBC Sessions
2-1 	Ars Longa Vita Brevis	7:57
2-2 	Aries 	5:24
2-3 	Lumpy Gravy	2:14
2-4 	Little Arabella 	4:15
2-5 	Happy Freuds 	3:22
2-6 	Intermezzo From The Karelia Suite 	7:29
2-7 	I'm One Of Those People That My Father Tells My Sister Not To Go Out With	3:11
2-8 	Azrael Revisited	5:03
2-9 	Blues For The Prairies	4:16
2-10 	Diary Of An Empty Day ( & Top Gear Signature)	3:37
	Live In Newcastle
2-11 	America / Second Amendment	7:13
2-12 	Rondo	11:15

- Keith Emerson - organ, piano, harpsichord, keyboards, vocals
- Lee Jackson - bass guitar, timpani, vocals
- Brian Davison - drums, bells, timpani
+
- Malcolm Langstaff - guitar (6c)
- Robert Stewart – orchestral arranger, conductor

The roots of progressive rock, or 'prog' if you prefer, was the seemingly natural outgrowth of psychedelia. Its roots can be traced back to the Beatles' wildly experimental studio adventures during 1966 and 1967. Bands took the ball from the Fabs and ran with it into previously unimaginable territory.

The Nice formed in the wake of all things Sgt. Pepper, signed to Immediate Records, and released their debut album, 'The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack' in the fall of 1967. That album showed the band exploring the psychedelic side of things, while putting their own stamp on it, adding elements of jazz and classical into the mix.

With their second album, 'Ars Longa Vita Brevis,' hitting the streets in November 1968, much had changed within the band and the music scene at large. The band initially was made up of keyboardist Keith Emerson, guitarist Davy O'List, drummer Brian Dawnson and bassist Lee Jackson. Less than a year after their debut, List was out (he would later end up in the first Roxy Music lineup) and the band made the decision to remain a trio. The album was preceded by a dynamic single, 'Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon,' and a triumphant take on Leonard Bernstein's 'America.' Things were looking solid for the band at this moment in time.

'Ars Longa Vita Brevis,' which is Latin for "Art is long, life is short," shows the band employing a more dramatic and, perhaps, focused style than their debut. 'Daddy Where Did I Come From?' is a stomping psych pop via beat group rocker, until it suddenly turns into a jazz-inspired freak out complete with narration. A great way to kick off the album, as the sound of Keith Emerson losing his mind is quite enjoyable! 'Little Arabella' is a jaunty little pop song, done up jazz trio-style, with Emerson's Hammond organ reminiscent of Jimmy Smith as the band swings. The acidic and twisted pop of 'Happy Freuds' has elements of Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd smeared all over it.

After that initial cluster of very unique and exciting songs, the LP takes a turn toward the more, ahem, 'serious' side of things. The band dip all the way back to 1893 for inspiration as they dish out their own take on a section from Jean Sibelius' 'Karelia Suite.' The true roots of what would become the sound of Emerson, Lake and Palmer can be found right here. The band continue down this path into no man's land with the title track, which takes up the entire second side of the original LP, and is broken up into six sections...sorry, "movements."

The sound the Nice ultimately arrived at gave birth to the more pretentious aspects of the often wrongly maligned genre of progressive rock. Where the finest elements of the genre were truly exciting and revelatory, the other side of that coin was so often simply bloated rambling, and here's where that started.

Coincidentally, perhaps, the other most significant bell sounding the arrival of the prog era would happen just weeks after the release of 'Ars Longa Vita Brevis,' with the appearance of a new band on the scene called King Crimson, who would point the way forward for many to follow. ---ultimateclassicrock.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto bayfiles

back