Nice


 * The Nice (Keith Emerson, keyboards; David O'List, guitar and vocals; Lee Jackson, bass and vocals; Brian Davison, drums) came together in 1967 as a backing group for American soul singer P.P. Arnold, whose version of Cat Stevens' song "The First Cut Is The Deepest" was a hit in that year for Andrew Loog Oldham's label Immediate Records. Ironically, while Arnold proved to be a one-hit wonder, The Nice were to be a more long-term sucess for the label, issuing three successful albums (before switching to Charisma Records for their two final LPs). As their career progressed, the group became a vehicle for the showmanship of Keith Emerson, especially after the departure of O'List. Emerson became the keyboard equivalent of Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend, mixing flamboyant musicianship with violent assaults on his instrument.
 * The Nice peaked commercially in 1968, with their second LP thumb|320px|rightBrevis]] and a five-minute long instrumental single version of Leonard Bernstein's "America" from West Side Story, both gaining good sales. "America" also brought them notoriety due to a publicity campaign, probably thought up by their record company boss Oldham, with controversial press posters and a burning of the Stars and Stripes during an Albert Hall performance in June 1968. Reportedly this caused Bernstein to veto the release of "America" in the United States and may also explain why The Nice were one of the few major British groups of their era not to tour the U.S. and gain a following there.
 * The Nice split up in 1970, with Emerson, by then the dominant member of the group, continuing to perform long, classically-inspired pieces with still more flamboyance and showmanship in his new group, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Davison and Jackson also formed groups of their own but received far less attention than their former band-mate.

Links to Peel

 * In late 1967, Peel was sufficiently impressed by The Nice's first LP, The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack, to record a promotional commercial for the record, which he unearthed and played on his show around twenty-five years later. He seemed to maintain this enthusiasm for the band during 1968, when they appeared in session on Top Gear four times, but in 1969 and 1970 they featured less frequently. Peel was less keen on their later, classically-influenced work - a dislike which was extended to Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
 * Peel defended The Nice's "America" in his column in thumb|320px|right|AmericaInternational Times, describing it as "the first political instrumental in some years" and remarking that despite the advertising for the record being "perhaps a mistake but not one that was made by the group themselves", it expresses what they "had to say about a tragic situation". This refers, of course, to the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, which, together with the Vietnam War, student demonstrations and race riots, gave an impression of the U.S. as a violent and deeply troubled society. Yet The Nice were not known for political activism; indeed, their successors Emerson, Lake and Palmer were disliked by the underground because they appeared to be on a "star trip", motivated by conventional standards of commercial and material success.
 * Peel liked and respected The Nice's bassist and vocalist Lee Jackson, but despite his name he had nothing to do with Python Lee Jackson, the band which gained chart success for Dandelion with the single "In A Broken Dream", featuring Rod Stewart as guest vocalist.

Sessions

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Other Shows Played
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