Nice was the third album by The Nice; it was titled Everything As Nice As Mother Makes It in the US after Immediate broke their distribution deal with Columbia. Nice had been initially released in the US with a slightly longer version of "Rondo 69" not available on the UK or on the independently distributed US versions. The first US version of Nice was briefly reissued in 1973 by Columbia Special Products.
Songs
Continuing The Nice's pioneering fusion of jazz, classical, and rock, this album consists of studio (1–4) and live (5–6) tracks. The opening "Azrael Revisited" is a remake of the 1967 B-side "Azrial (Angel of Death"), adapted to the new trio format. Their cover of Tim Hardin's "Hang On to a Dream" featured a ghostly choral arrangement by Duncan Browne and became a popular live number which showcased Emerson's idiosyncratic jazz piano skills, including manual striking of the interior strings. "Diary of an Empty Day" is a shorter composition based around Lalo's Symphonie espagnole which features the only guitar work on the album, an acoustic strummed at the close. "For Example" is a multi-sectional piece moving through R&B, classical and lounge jazz with a horn part that briefly quotes The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)".
The material on the second side was taped live at Fillmore East, "Rondo '69" being taken from the group's debut album and having become Emerson's signature piece by that time. "She Belongs To Me" was a Bob Dylan cover transformed into a 12-minute progressive rock jam featuring several extended quotes from Bach, a snippet of Bernstein's theme from The Magnificent Seven and Copeland's "Hoedown" from Rodeo (ballet), the last of which Emerson would return to with Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Reception
The album was a great success, reaching number 3 in the UK Album charts and solidifying the band's status as one of the most influential progressive rock groups in the country.[4]
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