Nice (The Nice album)

The UK version of the album came in a gatefold sleeve, showing photographs of the band relaxing at an unknown location, the interior of which featured handwritten notes by Keith Emerson.

Azrael was the first thing I wrote with Lee – now revisited it relates to the Angel of Death. The 5/4 riff revolves round in a circular motion rather like the birth, life & death cycle, and proves to be an interesting medium to improvise in. The verses are taken in common time (4/4). The quote from Rachmaninoff's Prelude (in) C# Minor is intentional as when it was written. Rachmaninoff had Edgar Allan Poe's vision of a man coming back to life in the coffin after burial.

For the number I detuned the strings on the piano slightly to give it a "honky-tonk" effect which helped in creating an air of something ageing. I'd like to apologise to Amen Corner for not retuning the piano afterwards. They had to use the same piano after our session, unfortunately they didn't need a "Winifred Atwell's Other Piano" sound.

"Azrael" had been the B-side of the Nice's first UK single release, "Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack". As well as the Rachmaninoff quotation, the track relied on Lennie Tristano's Turkish Mambo. The album version is lighter in tone than the original, and taken at a slightly faster pace, but retains the menace of the original.

On Hang on to a Dream we have Duncan Browne to thank for the choir.

At one of our London Concerts I had the pleasure of performing Lalo's Symphonie Espaniol (sic) with violinist John Mayer who also leads Indo-Jazz Fusions.[4] We all thought the main riff too good to be forgotten after (a) one performance and set about giving it a new treatment. The words were written on a very dull journey from Newcastle to Birmingham and it became "Diary of an Empty Day".

People often ask us "why don't you play Blues". The Blues to us is a Universal language. Musicians from different speaking countries on first meeting will know exactly where they are on the basic blues structure. Brian, Lee and I have all been through this grounding and have said what we wanted to say in the blues for the time being through other groups. At rehearsals we'll usually warm up with a twelve bar. That's how the opening of "For Example" happened. However we didn't leave it there. The B minor blues moves into its relative major of D for the main theme then back again. The movement in E which follows is rather Hendrix-inspired after which the original D major theme is given a "Gregorian" feel and a 6/8 jazz waltz treatment in F. It is as the title says an Example.

The track added jazz players (including Joe Newman and Pepper Adams) with musical figures reminiscent of the work of Oliver Nelson as well as a section inspired by Gregorian chant and fleeting references to the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood".

Side 2 [tracks 5 & 6] was recorded on our first live appearance in New York at Fillmore East. Here we have Rondo '69. After the performance an urgent telegram was sent back to England- "please send more trousers".
She once belonged to Bob Dylan. She now belongs to you, me and anyone else who cares to listen. Keith Emerson.

Quotes of the theme to the film The Magnificent Seven can also be heard.

The live version of "Rondo" was also performed by Emerson, Lake & Palmer at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970.

The Nice

• Keith Emerson – Hammond organ, pianos
• Lee Jackson – bass guitar, vocals
• Brian Davison – drums, percussion

• The Nice: Nice at Discogs (list of releases)