Classical Composer Reacts to Five Bridges Suite (The Nice) | The Daily Doug (Episode 231)
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- Опубликовано: 10 окт 2024
- #TheNice #KeithEmerson #FiveBridgesSuite
In this episode of #TheDailyDoug, I'm reacting to Five Bridges Suite by The Nice. This band is new to me, but were active in the late sixties. This pioneering prog band was led by Keith Emerson...right before he would leave to form ELP. The Five Bridges Suite is only available via a live recording with orchestra from 1969. It pays homage to the five bridges in Newcastle that span the river Tyne. It's an odd arrangement of instruments, and the composition is quite a fun listen.
Reference Video: • THE NICE - FIVE BRIDGE...
Reference Video: • THE NICE - FIVE BRIDGE...
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What you’re listening to, Doug, is a birthing of progressive rock by its most skilled maestro, Keith Emerson!
And yes Newcaste back in the day , heavy industry , shipbuilding coal mining , dirty air and proud men , our relatives here and gone , some too soon x
Well, not really because "Days of Future Passed" by the Moody Blues was 2 years prior to this. You also can't say that just because Keith Emerson played on this that this was the start of prog. Emerson didn't invent the genre, he was only a Small part
@@davidford3744 If you say the greatest Keyboard player in Rock ever only play'd a small part then? GTFOOH
@@swiftusmaximus5651GTFOOH? LOL! And who would you say is the greatest? Emerson is the greatest keyboard player popular music has ever seen or heard.
Skilled be thy name
Doug, there are many keyboard players who are absolutely brilliant. However, Keith Emerson stands absolutely head and shoulders above the rest. RIP Keith, instil play this LP at least once a month along with the ELP album. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.
I've listened to this on and off for 50 years but always thought it wasn't well known enough for me to ever come across a reference to it, then a few years ago I was watching an episode of the George Gently detective series, set in Newcastle in the late 60s/early 70s, and in one scene the murder victim was walking along singing "Five Bridges cross the Tyne...". My wife didn't get why I was so excited by that.
And now 7 or 8 bridges but I love this album . My home town ( city ) It never grows old
Doug, welcome to the amazing world of Keith Emerson. Sometimes Jazz, sometimes Rock, sometimes Symphonic, sometimes all three! And ALWAYS amazing! RIP, Mr. Emerson!
And also the various ways he applied his hand s to the keys, sometimes aggressive, , sometimes gentle and subtle, sometimes fllowingly beautiful.
He could get every emotion there is from his keyboard. just stunningly good.
The Nice did lots of classical covers if you dig around. I particularly love their take on the Intermezzo from the Karelia suite, by Sibelius. Also Brandenburger, America, Pathetiqe Symphony 3rd movement etc. I think you’ll like them. 👍🏻
In my opinion, Brandeburger is a miracle
Good to keep in mind that Emerson composed this suite at age 24.
Mozart laughs...
@@richardsinger01 Mozart laughs . . . at every composer, yes? :)
@@richardsinger01 What did you do significantly when you were 24 years old?
I grew up in Newcastle Upon Tyne and remember a lot of changes since this was recorded. The bridges are still iconic, the older and newer ones. Listening to this brings back memories it must be about 45 years since I last heard this. It was much more industrial in those days, coal, steel, ship building etc. Most of it gone now if not all. Still it is now a good salmon river once again.
Northumberland Street is one of the main shopping streets. St James Park the football stadium. Grey Street is a nice Georgian street where the Theatre Royal is, my mother sang in a number of operas there.
it is an iconic piece i was born and brought up in Newcastle there were 5 bridges now i think 7 all with their own character . The recording is far from perfect but it has its own charm and t began to show what Keith Emerson could do and would do in the future . And of course Lee Jackson was a native
And might I add the High Level Fugue , he High Level Bridge is on two levels the railway above and the cars below thats the counterpoint
@@johnp5351 Wow. Now we know
Keith Emerson è stato il più grande tastierista quando suonava nei mitici the Nice.
Thank you Doug for another enlightened review of music of the '60s/'70s and what was happening in rock (ex. Moody Blues) and all the adventuring that came out in 70s music. KEmerson was one amazing orchestrator and composer and you can already hear just how good he was, not just as a keyboard player (one of the, if not the best). The diversity and music talent of Emerson will be missed forevermore.
Atomic Rooster - "Death Walks Behind You", "The Devil's Answer", "Sleeping for Years", "Tomorrow Night".
Nice picks.😀
Yes please!
My first introduction to Keith Emerson. Totally hooked me.
You NEED Emerson's Concerto No. 1. Side 1 of ELP's "Works Volume 1".
Doug. I know it has been mentioned in the past, and didn't do well in your Patreon poll, but Deep Purple's Concerto For Group And Orchestra is exactly what you are describing. Written in 1969 by Jon Lord (DP's keyboardist, classically trained) it is 51 minutes long and a true concerto, with the rock band as the "solo" instrument. I think you would be really impressed by ut.
The score was lost for decades, and a man whose name escapes me right now recreated it from scratch by listening and watching the existing video to determine what all notes were played. He got together with Jon Lord, and the then incarnation of DP rerecorded it with the LSO, which is a remarkable recording and video. It is a full concert, and you can definitely see the change in orchestral musicians' attitudes compared to the 60s and 70s. Rather than being "snooty" every bass instrument in the orchestra joins in on "Smoke On The Water" to play that classic bass line (yes, it is played on guitar, but it is still a bass line.)
Agree the Concerto for a group and Orchestra is a tremendous piece of music. I think that the Gemini Suite by Jon Lord is well worth a listen to as well.
@@peterminihane3977, I've always found Gemini Suite kind of meh....
Oh well, each to their own.
Marco de Goeij was the person who did the initial recreation of the score.
Viva la 1969! Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Yes... rock bands playing with orchestras were all the rage back then. And yeah, Five Bridges is all over the place. IMO Emerson was coming into his full powers at 25 years old. I'm sure he was enthralled by the idea of collaborating with orchestras, but knew it wasn't sustainable. It was around this time that he heard the Moog synthesizer for the first time and his attention went that way to add new colors to his compositions (plus he went to find a better singer!) And the rest is history.
Yes a great time for music - I saw all the aforementioned and early King Crimson, Atomic Rooster, Egg, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - all extraordinary!
Uriah Heep as well with their Salisbury Suite!
Hi Doug, there's also Days of Future Passed from Moody Blues which was a bit earlier from 1967 and Yes also made an album including orchestra on their second album Time and a Word from 1970 and Deep Purple's Concert for Group and Orchestra in 1969.
I forgot how great that piece is! You should listen to it a few times and let it grow on you! Emerson's skills as both a composer, innovater and piano and keyboard player are all very much on show.
In Germany, Eberhard Schöner was one of the few who (from the late 1960s) wanted to bring together classical orchestral music, rock, pop, electronic- and world music. He has worked with Jon Lord, Procul Harum, Tangerine Dream, Alan Parsons, and Sting / The Police, among others.
The five bridges theme was devised by keith and written on an airline barf bag... according to keith in his book
There's everything that then became ELP, especially I hear a lot of Karn Evil and other of their later stuff.
Keith Emerson was, and forever will be, one of the greatest musicians of modern era.
When I was younger I sold musical instruments and hi-fi in a shop on Grey Street (JG Windows). The St James’s Park for those who don’t get the reference is the home of Newcastle United Football (soccer) Club
What a coincidence, not only my 15th birthday, but the release date of King Crimson’s In the court of the Crimson King featuring Greg Lake!
You should reach out to Aaron Emerson for a chat.
I bought this on tape decades ago. I MUST get this on CD. I have the other The Nice albums on CD, but somehow missed this one.
Five Bridges is such an underrated album in my opinion, shows the genius of The Nice and especially Emerson
Criminal how the Nice was never appreciated by U.S. audiences. People who love Emerson, Lake and Palmer still don't know the Nice existed. They made five albums and created amazing progressive music. Saw them perform in 1969. They were mind-blowing.
As a young kid (maybe 11 years old) the FM station in NY city WNEW would play The Nice and I picked up on songs like "Little Arabella" "Country Pie/Brandenburg Concerto" but I was the exception to the rule. Crap!! Most of my 6th grade classmates were still listening to The Monkees (not that theres anything wrong with that!)
I beg your pardon? I've been an avid fan of the brilliance the Nice displayed...and I'm a passionate fan of ELP since 1972. Out of this world groups, both of them!
I think the main problem was Keith burning the American flag, with the Nice...
Here in Belgium, they were great. I have 3 elpees from The Nice. The live elpee still proves how good they were
You will love the CD called, Emerson plays Emerson all solo stuff Keith wrote, really I love it. And a small.piece from a recording he did at 11 years of age.
One of my favourite albums - well done for the guy who put you onto them.
That’s nice, going back to the Nice! Always had a soft spot for this somewhat ambitious young naive suite and the live recording that didn’t work out as well as it could have been. If you want to explore some more combined orchestra/rock compositions from this period…
1) deep purple concerto for group & orchestra 1969
2) Jon Lord (from deep purple ;-)) and his Gemini Suite 1970 or his I think best work ‘Sarabande’ from 1975
3) Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother 1970
And thanx for all your good work! Always a pleasure to see your live reactions.
Pun intended...🤣🤣
Still got the Deep Purple vinyl with the Philharmic Orchestra. Jon Lord composition I believe. Gillan gets about half a dozen lines. Also got the original Jesus Christ Superstar double album with Gillan on Jesus' vocals.
I was just going to mention Gemini Suite by John Lord.
While I was well aware of Keith Emerson and The Nice, but I don't remember ever hearing this song. Very nice!
Wonderful video!
I only got to know The Nice after having listened to ELP albums, when I got wind of Mr. Emerson's previous work. However, I hadn't listened to it for well over 40 years and finding this on your channel brings back the memory.
Listen to Keith's "Fugue" from Trilogy, by ELP. That was three (?) albums later for Keith, I believe. The entire album is great.
5 if you count Elegy and then Pictures :-)
@@peteh7966 Tath´s exactly what I recommended a few weeks ago: Endless Enigma incl The Fugue. Amazing composition, wonderful wonderful atmosphere
@@AndyHeimerl Agreed, Trilogy is certainly their most atmospheric album, Tarkus is full of urgency and BSS is just absolute mayhem.
Love 'em all in their own way!
Yeah, well said. Brilliant, brilliant albums. Always felt the same moods you mentioned. And those great compositions: Karn Evil 9 Part 3 - still one of my favs, From the beginning, Endless enigma, Tarkus, Trilogy, Toccata ...Back in the early 70s everything was possible and beautifully realised...
I had to do an essay on the Five Bridges at school in my music class aged 15 in 1970.
So this is a hubby/wife team commenting. After Keith Emerson went on to ELP, the rhythm section from The Nice (Brian Davison & Lee Jackson) joined with Patrick Moraz in the early 70's to form Refugee. We would LOVE it if you would comment on "The Grand Canyon Suite" (don't think it relates to the classical piece) which is 16:40 long (RUclips has different sections / lengths). Refugee only had one album before Yes pinched Moraz for the Relayer (Gates of Delirium) album. This album is a one-off thing of wonder.
Then Moraz joined moddy blues after mike pinder moved to the US
Doug. You’ve got to listen to their version of Leonard Bernstein’s America. He apparently hated it but I think it is absolutely brilliant and definitely a taste of things to come with ELP.
@Chris G not saying you're wrong - I'm always ready to learn something new, but have to admit, I've never heard that before and, as well as being a Nice fan at the time, I've read Emerson's autobiography and he appeared to be proud of it.
It's one of the stand out classic tracks of all time. Maybe you're thinking of the fact that he refused to play it in the early days of ELP, but that was wholly about him not wanting people to think of ELP as Nice mk II and, what he hated was people doing that, at later dates, he did start to add it to the repertoire.
I meant that Bernstein apparently hated the version of America by the Nice.
@@ch1ppie2167 oh yes, that's definitely true!
@angelosubrosa that doesn't surprise me. I think Keith's view was that, once you've put your music out to the world, it belongs to the world, you've relinquished your rights (regardless of the legalities of copyright/ intellectual property law).
Let's face it, regardless of the popularity of West Side Story, the Nice's version of America afforded it a much wider popular audience than that of the original.
Keith's viewpoint has become far more prevalent in the contemporary music world with many artists openly acknowledging that, once they release their material to the world, it becomes the 'property' of the world.
In honesty, if you are a writer of worth, you acknowledge that every cover version or variant of your work is a celebration of/ tribute to your work. Furthermore, it brings your work to a whole new audience that wouldn't otherwise have existed for your work. This is the position taken by the Beatles whose works have probably had more covers/ variations than anybody else in history. It was also Leonard Cohen''s view on the heavily covered Hallelujah.
Emerson did this regularly firstly with The Nice, bringing works by Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Sibelius to an audience who would otherwise have never encountered this work and then, with ELP, Aaron Copeland, Blake/Perry (Jerusalem) and the South American composer Ginastera.
Should have got a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale to go with the 5 Bridges 🙂
"It's like if a canon grew up and took steroids" 😆 I knew Doug would go for the Fugue-section.
Happy to have this piece included here on the channel. Yes the orchestra messed up in a few spots and I agree, the one weakness of The Nice always were the vocals. Nonetheless, I think this one's brilliant.
Saying Doug's comments were interesting would be a blatant understatement.
For musique concrete in rock, you'll have to return to Zappa!
Bought the Nice album in a two dollar rack at a local grocery store. Great album.
Thanks for bringing back the memories.
I was introduced to this fantastic piece by my older brother when I was 10 years old. Loved it then and I still listen to it a couple of times a year. Thank you your analysis of it.
FYI St James’ Park is the football ( soccer) ground. That make more sense of the lyrical content around that part. That’s the way football was 50 years ago. Mainly men and alcohol available in the stadium.
A great contemporary band of The Nice was Colosseum featuring Jon Hiseman and the Atomic Rooster vocalist Chris Farlowe - tracks such as "Take Me Back To Doomsday" or the Hammond organ piece "Bring Out Your Dead". You could also compare their late 60's early 70's work with their 1994 and 2003 reunions on the German Rockpalast TV program.
There was also the "Colosseum II" version featuring Gary Moore and Don Airey with albums such as "Strange New Flesh" and "Wardance", and who can be seen live in the "BBC Sight and Sound in Concert 1978"
Dave greenslade 😊
Colosseum were another extraordinary jazz tinged band of the period - we were gifted with some amazing musicians - I think even Woolworth records which were EPs of the top hits had as session musicians ROD STEWART, ELTON JOHN, RICK WAKEMAN (who I run into frequently here in Suffolk!) JEFF BECK!
Yes Doug, please have a listen to “Valentyne Suite” by Colosseum. An absolute masterpiece.
Educating Doug Keith Emerson the finest most versatile key board player ever R.I.P.
Keith did some interesting reaches into classical. One being his piano concerto #1. But one piece I like is off of ELP's first album; a piece called The Three Fates. It has some beautiful piano in it. Keith also had a jazz trio when he was 18.
love the three fates, the organ is sublime!!!
Oh my gosh! When you said you can “ just picture a classic cartoon I was thinking the same thing!!!” Music is just as much as a feeling as it is a hearing!!! Thanks I am so glad that I have stumbled onto your channel! I LOVE THIS STUFF!!! I finally got to witness how amazing a symphony orchestra is!!! Beautiful stuff! Thanks man!
To answer your question Doug, pre-1980's the predominant industries in the Newcastle area were ship building and coal. Coal was used to fuel heating, cooking and water in homes, it was used to make steel and powerstations used it to produce electricity. Home fires were open and nothing was done to contain the soot and smoke from them or where it was used in heavy industry. Newcastle is fairly low lying so the pollutants tended to hang around and the air was generally pretty filthy in all the industrial cities. Certainly an interesting piece, thank you (PS, please do Topographic Oceans)
As a very small child in Newcastle in 1969, I am ashamed to say I was unaware of this piece. Even though I knew of The Nice.
Thank you for filling a gap in my musical knowledge
Hi Chris, The Nice were one of the first live concerts I ever got to see at Newcastle City Hall - unfortunately I was not aware of when this (Five Bridges Suite) was actually premiered in the North East, I am presuming it was at the City Hall itself. One of my greatest wishes was to see The Nice perform this again in more recent years as The Nice performed together on several tours with Keith Emerson. My Dream Concert would have been at the Sage Gateshead, featuring The Five Bridges Suite, and of course one of the encores would have to be Rondo ....
This is a wonderful piece, I love it and I'm impressed that you like it also. You need to do more . Thanks
Thanks, Doug. That was interesting. I heard so much about the Nice but have never stopped to listen. Cheers!
I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know of this piece, despite being a massive Emerson and ELP fan. I never much cared for The Nice, since what I heard was so often 60's psychedelic schlock to my ears. But this is, well, mostly amazing and an obvious harbinger of what was to come from ELP, Refugee and Emerson's own classical work.
Same here. Oh well, live and learn.
The Nice live album is worthy of your time with the sublime version of Dylan HANG ON TO A DREAM and the beginnings of Keith’s virtuoso soloing.
@@grahamhowes6904 it is not a Dylan song i believe it,s from Tim Hardin, and the arrangements come from Duncan Browne who had some solo succes with 2 terrific albums
@@hanssipkes8179 you are 100% correct! I had forgotten and I didn’t know they had an arranger - assuming that the band had probably done their own arrangement - I must seek out Duncan Browne - do you recall the album titles?
I always preferred the Nice to elp.
so great you dug up this underrated prog gem - you should check out a band which the two guys from The Nice formed with Patrick Moraz after Emerson went to ELP: Refugee
Great band ! Would love to have heard another album by them 🤔
Fantastic band and album!
This week was the 50’th year anniversary of Jon Lord’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra. Performances 1969 and 1999 live and 2012 studio recording
Another great piece to give attention to the channel.
Philharmonic orchestra combined with rock
Jon Lord has recorded in that same year (1970) another classical music rock combined fusion masterpiece
Gemini Suite with the London Symphony Orchestra
So these two parts have to been listened for your own orchestra anniversary.
Those music is now just over 50 years old
And in my opinion the pieces that are most interesting for live performance during celebration of your orchestra
Sarabande also...
Indeed and that is also an incredible album to give attention to. Bach / Brubeck inspired “classical’ based music.
What would be your suggestion on that album. Mine is Gigue or Sarabande
@@AJ_NL_1963 Hard choice! Sarabande is more of a slow burn, but Gigue gets going from the start!
I only play the whole album when listening to it (and all my other music), for the full experience, so I don't have to make those tough choices 😃
@@peteh7966
Totally agree with you.
One of those albums that need to be listened from start to end.
But for a reaction one the channel way to long.
Good for you, you found Keith Emerson and The NICE! WOOHOO
I wonder if Keith Emerson ever met Aaron Copland, I bet he wanted to. The Nice were great, this was a very pleasant surprise.
I don't know if they ever actually met, but Copeland liked ELP's rendition of "Fanfare for the Common Man" and specifically told the record label he approved it for their album. (The album execs didn't want to include it for fear of copyright)
Greg Lake says in his autobiography that when they were to send their version of Fanfare for tcm to Coopland for approval Keith was afraid the composer could dislike the long improvisation so he asked to send Copland an edited version. After receiving the version without improvisation Coopland replyed: "Whats the point of this? It is identical to my version, only with a rock'roll drum and bass behind. It is a no" So they send him the long version of the piece and Coopland liked it and gave his ok to publish it.
Might have met Aaron's son Stewart (of The Police)... 😎
@@ZENmud Aaron Copland didn't have any children. He was gay. Their names are spelled differently (no "e" in Aaron Copland's last name).
My goodness you are taking me back. As a huge ELP fan back in the day I had all the albums from their ancestry. I have not heard this in years. Thank you.
Such an ambitious piece so early in Prog/Rock/Fusion era. We can definitely hear Emerson's chords, jazzy feel and rhythms we would hear later in EL&P. Some have said Genesis 'The Knife' title was a nod to The Nice. This was a band they listened to and admired (along with Led Zeppelin). Fun to realize how all this music fits together and developed.
I can see Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull being influenced by this song to make Thick as a Brick: the epic nature, the disparate musical elements stitched together and the chutzpah of it all. Basically, prog is all about breaking as many rules as you can but still have a song that's interesting to listen to.
@@tullfan2560 Like your take on 'prog'. As the genre developed, it roots were always a protest against convention. It seems a natural progression coming out as they did from the turbulent '60s. Hold on to the essence of music but throw out the musty, old thinking that can hold back creativity and honesty. Didn't always work, but they tried. Genesis certainly was not above 'stitching' songs together. It is just that they (and Ian Anderson) were so danged good at doing it. The line between 'pompous' and 'authentic' is thin. The best knew (or felt) the difference and their music will live on.
Yes, writing good prog is just a skill you either have or haven't got, like telling good jokes. There are two types of prog artists: those who are born with it in their DNA (like Robert Fripp appears to) and the self-taught like Ian Anderson. It feels like Fripp just dredges a fully-formed song idea from somewhere in his his mind, while Ian wings it and then feels and develops it while willing a good song to form. This was helped by him being active in the heady and creative days of the late 60s and early 70s.
@@tullfan2560 Saw King Crimson with Fripp this August for the first time. Amazing. Stunning music. Saw Genesis only once in 1978, equally stunning.
It seems to me the two types of prog (actually, music in general). One leans towards the heart (emotional) while the other towards the mind (intellectual). Fripp seems to be the latter. Phil Collins the former. With Peter Gabriel somewhere in the middle. That seems to be the most difficult perch. I think Tull is on that same branch, combining emotion and technical prowess with a grounded message. Of course this is a generalization, but I think it holds for many bands. I think the guys in Genesis were very much focused with keeping both minds in the center of their work and were mostly successful.
@@rk41gator Yep - agree. Fripp has a detached feel about him and whose energy goes into making music that's as perfect as possible.
Vincent Crane led Atomic Rooster- classic song was "Death Walks Behind Me.":
11:24 Doug pops his collar to be one of the cool kids. 20:10 Doug realizes he's not cool when talking about fugues. lol
You can’t take me anywhere…
Doug, thanks a bunch for showcasing this. I so appreciate your composer's ear. I am amazed at how much you took out of this. In case you haven't heard, Keith only had a limited amount of piano training as a teenager. The rest was entirely self taught. He loved classical music. Among his main influences were Gershwin (you nailed this one), Bernstein and Copland. (In fact, he named his first child Aaron in honor of Aaron Copland). So, being self-taught and composing a fugue is rather an amazing accomplishment. As far as Copland, see ELP's Fanfare for the Common Man (On "Works Vol. 2" I believe). Keith did one more classical piece on "Works" volume 1 which is a concerto. You might want to check it out. Keith was definitely a unique, untamed composer. Joseph Eger is responsible for all the orchestration. Thanks again for tripping with The Nice!
Intermezzo the last track on the five Bridges album made me a life long Keith Emerson fan. Very uplifting! lol
Nice were 1 of the seminal early prog bands. It would still be awhile before they would be able to mesh the rock band playing with the orchestra at the same time. This was more orchestral section-Nice section-orchestral-Nice, etc. Still one of my all time favorite songs. Lee Jacksons vocals were pretty rough and one of the reasons Emerson formed ELP with Greg Lake, a much stronger vocalist. The Intermezzo from Sibelius "Karelia Suite" and 3rd Movement of Tchaikovsy's 6th Symphony were also performed with the orchestra on this album
Summer of '68 and I'm 17 and on my first independent vacation in Bournemouth, south of England. The day that the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia, I went to my first NICE gig not knowing whether we would be in WW3 in the next days. You can believe I lived for the moment and was blown away by the Nice. Especially remember the version of Bernstein's America and Sibelius's Karelia. In reminding myself of the events and the band I found a quote from the late John Peel, who had been pushing the Nice on his Perfumed Garden radio show. Compared to the Nice, "ELP was a waste of talent and electricity".
Fully agree with John Peel - why the XYZk would Greg Lake want to leave King Crimson too after they had made two of the most incredible albums of all time ...... !!!
"There are spots here where the orchestra isn't entirely together." A less kind way of expressing this thought is to say that there are no spots where the orchestra IS entirely together! Great piece though ... it needs a fresh recording. And it's nice to see someone reacting to this comparatively obscure gem.
Thank you for this, from a long-time fan of Keith Emerson (RIP)...he was an amazing human being and a monster player and composer. You should check out Ars Longa Vita Brevis by The Nice as well...there's even a Brandenburg Concerto hat-tip in that one....
I was pleased to see you have reviewed a Nice album, having loved the Nice since the late 60s , I bought this when I was 14 years old in 1970.
I often don the headphones and listen to them. On a number of their compositions, Keith would inject a piece from some of the great composers Ito his music.
With The Nice Keith Emerson was at his creative best, Lee Jackson, and Brian Davis were an incredible blend together.
You should check out what they produced after David O List left them. Like Rondo, America and the Bob Dylan songs they covered were something els a nd also their incredible album Elegy. I promise you good times ahead if you do. 😉
p. s. Forgot to mention that The Nice were my first rock concert, at the age of 13, my friends bother and his mate took us along.
MIND WAS BLOWN,!
This definitely sounds like a less fully formed ELP. Interesting for music history purposes.
Ok now I want to hear what Doug thinks about "Tubular Bells"
There's a great 25-minute version recorded for the BBC right here on YT. Who's with me?
Piano Concerto num I from Keith Emerson, piece featured in the ELP album Works Vol. I. That is the pice for the 50th aniversary. It was released in 1977 but within the decade 🤩
There are quotations throughout. The tritones in the beginning is a quotation as well I believe, before the piano starts. It sounds like 'cartoon music' because a lot of those old cartoons used scores from American composers. It sounds "very American" to my ears. Something from Gershwin's era & the sound of Copland. Which is weird because Keith is British...
You want to get more of Keith Emerson's compositional brilliance, react to his Piano Concerto No 1 from the ELP "Works" album. In fact there is an amazing video of his performance of it with an orchestra.
The third movement is very much my favourite, and one of my favourite pieces on any ELP album
Yes, although not the live version, but do this one with the full score: ruclips.net/video/A8ztO9bYtX0/видео.html
@@adriangoodrich4306 According to my liner notes on the CD, Keith's house burned down, and that's what inspired the Toccata con fuoco.
@@lisagulick4144 Yup, indeed. I remember, at the time, reading interviews which expanded on that, and explained this was why the third movement has much more "menace" and has a different feel and atmosphere to the first two movements. I DO love how it resolves to the climax with the tubular bells.
@@adriangoodrich4306 Oh, yeah!!! And that final string section...wow, it's making me tear up just thinking about it!
The _Washington Post_ wrote a review of _Works Vol. 1_ that really hammered the Piano Concerto for what they called Keith's inability to score strings (plus the usual "this is sooo derivative" gripe). I had to blink a few times, because I was quite sure that the reviewer did not listen to the Toccata section. Or, if he did, he's got a lump of bituminous coal for a heart.
The Nice were responsible for much good stuff in the mid to late 60's. Many examples of crossed and mixed genres. I believe they didn't exactly shy away from stepping outside the boundaries! Interesting that you mention Lee Jackson's vocal delivery, Doug. I think Keith Emerson was aware of its limitations too - especially once he'd heard Greg Lake's angelic pipes!
Brian Davidson and Lee Jackson had careers after The Nice. Brian started a group called "Every Which Way" who recorded (I think) on Vertigo, only had 1-2 albums, more jazz oriented. Lee Jackson stared "Jackson Heights" who did three albums on (I think) Charisma Records. The second one had a re-record of the Choral section on the "Ragamuffin's Fool" album, which was a smoother recording than this one. After these two groups folded, both Davidson and Lee teamed up with Patrick Moraz and started "Refugee" who did one album I think. before Moraz went to Yes to replace Wakeman (If my memory serves me well). The original "The Nice" reformed in 2002 with a guitarist (originally The Nice had Davey O'List on guitar) and did a short tour with a recording coming out of it. They parted ways again. Davidson died in 2008 and it seems Jackson is still doing gigs sporadically.
Jackson Heights actually released four albums. The first one, King Progress, included a rerecording of The Cry of Eugene from The Nice's debut album. The music is very different from The Nice, more song-oriented, with Jackson mostly playing acoustic 12-string. The subsequent three albums were recorded by a totally different line-up, with only Jackson remaining. The sound is softer, and the two new members are technically better singers, but I'm glad Jackson's harsh voice is added. The sound would have been too sweet otherwise.
Love to see you react to Atomic Rooster ... to my mind the best of the 3 ELP precursors, but they are just as different from the Nice as King Crimson are
For something more classical and dramatic, listen to Renaissance Mother Russia. Great orchestrations and musicianship with the most beautiful female voice of rock history, Annie Haslam.
Yesss Renaissance 👏🏽❤️🎤🎶
@@andreatutrani Annie is pretty damn good on Scheherazade, especially the live version at Carnegie Hall - gives you goosebumps.
@@peteh7966 Doug did a video on that piece as well as having a nearly 1 hour convo with Annie herself! Check it out!
@@ScienceTalkwithJimMassa Thanks, I most certainly will.
@@peteh7966 DEFINITELY !! Actually Scheherazade is my favorite ! She is phenomenal in everything she sings
Heard this for the first time in almost fifty years, and it sounds better than ever.
Also the St. James Park lines are referencing Newcastle United Football Club. They play there home games at St. James Park on Saturday afternoons.
St James is the soccer stadium of Newcastle where fans gather on a Saturday.
Perhaps also look at Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra
I used to listen to this all the time. Cartoons introduced me to music and a love of classical music. I have been a stage performer all my life.
The work was commissioned for the Newcastle Arts Festival and premiered with a full orchestra conducted by Joseph Eger on 10 October 1969 (the recorded version is from 17 October in Croydon's Fairfield Halls). The title refers to the city's five bridges spanning the River Tyne (two more have since been built over the river, including the Gateshead Millennium Bridge), and the album cover, by Hipgnosis, features an image of the Tyne Bridge.
The five movements are:
"Fantasia" - orchestra with solo piano interludes by Keith Emerson
"Second Bridge" - trio without orchestra
"Chorale" - Lee Jackson's vocals with orchestra, alternating with piano trio interludes
"High Level Fugue" - piano with accompanying cymbals
"Finale" - a restating of the Second Bridge with additional jazz horn players.
Emerson used Walter Piston's well-known textbook on orchestration for the work.[6] Emerson credits Friedrich Gulda for inspiring the High Level Fugue, which uses jazz figures in the strict classical form.
Also included on the Five Bridges album were live performances from the same Fairfield Hall concert of the Sibelius Intermezzo and a movement from Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony. Both involved the orchestra playing the "straight" music juxtaposed with the trio's interpretations. Newly discovered material from this concert was later issued as part of a 3-CD set entitled Here Come The Nice.
The Five Bridges album also included a blending of Bob Dylan's "Country Pie" with Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto No. 6" (with a quote of Coleman Hawkins' jazz line "Rifftide" as well) and a studio recording of the original "One of Those People".
First time listening to it. Loved it!
I saw these guys live at The Rockpile in Toronto back in the 60's. Pretty wild.
I haven't heard that for decades. Thanks for the reminder. At the beginning of the song I had to think of Emerson's "Piano Concerto No. 1" (album Works). In case you don't know this yet; I don't think it's outstanding, but I enjoy listening to it from time to time. It is definitely worth listening to the concert once (whether privately or on the channel)
Waiting for Rick Wakeman's Journey to The Centre of The Earth.
Me too!
My first vinyl LP (the live version). A masterpiece by the good old Rick
@@TheFoxtrotDuke, Journey was my gateway to the world of prog rock.
Peak prog bombast was Wakeman's King Arthur & the knights of the round table - on ice
Excellent! Been a Keith Emerson fan for as long as I can remember! Would love to see your reaction to Amarok by Mike Oldfield. I think it’s the best thing he’s done so far.
Cheers Doug! The first work of The Nice I heard was their take on the Intermezzo from The Karelia Suite, back in the day! Although other parts of the suite snuck in as well. Lee Jackson playing his bass guitar with a bow was...interesting! Keith Emerson, sounding very much like his subsequent Hammond organ work with ELP, but without the stupid excesses. Hard to believe how long ago it was!
You should ceck out their version of Pictures at an exibition live
It is amazing 3 guys live
St James Park is Newcastle United’s ground (that’s Newcastle’s football team), which is why people rest their feet their on a Saturday afternoon and are clutching bottles (because football spectating tends to go hand in hand with drinking!)
And Atomic Rooster are another good band - led by Vincent Crane (who co-wrote Arthur Brown’s signature song, Fire) - try Time Take My Life, Breakthrough, Stand By Me or Winter.
Very much a piece of its time, when it was still OK to be experimental and edgy. I fondly remember this having this album circa 1971 as a junior high school student. I haven't heard this in over 45 years. THANKS!
Yes, I didn't even think about suggesting the Nice. Of course, Keithie!
The fugue here is actually an attempt at one, unlike the "fugue" in the Scheherazade piece by Renaissance.
Scheherazade is a masterpiece 👌🏽❤️🎶🎤
@@andreatutrani I agree. Heck, Rennaissance is awesome no matter what they play!
@@lisagulick4144 Without a doubt !!
I remember the old Emerlistdavjack days.
Doug... Take an Amazing Journey to the Moon. Billy Cobham's Total Eclipse. The Tune: "Sea of Tranquility - suite". I promise you have never heard anything like it before.
Yes, please!
Thank you for making these videos dude you have a really cool understanding of music and melodies. I'm a Megadeth fan and was a little bummed with the Holy Wars video, you explained how it stays in the same chord basically the whole song but back then it was all about speed, attitude and with that song the lyrical content. Also Dave is not a trained singer he fired the band's singer before recording the first album and just did it himself which is pretty cool too. Their first song Last Rites/Loved to Deth I think has a cool change of melody and has more if the raw thrash feeling that's impossible not to headbanging to, and it's a lot of fun! Lol can you do that song for a metal Monday?
I always enjoyed this work by The Nice, thanks for listening and analyzing it! A very eclectic piece, no doubt. The bits and pieces with the western movie soundtrack flair might have some Aaron Copland influence, because Emerson would later cover his work with ELP. Another album side of original classical music by Keith Emerson I know of is his "Piano Concerto No. 1". During the recording of this, the story goes that Leonard Bernstein visited the studio where the musicians were rehearsing or recording. After a while, Leonard became agitated, and was heard to exclaim "Grandma Moses" over and over before he left.
5 Bridges was the first album I bought with my own money. Has great memories.
Wonderful. I also loved their version of America (West Side Story). Those were interesting times, late sixties and early seventies, with classical schooled pop musicians arriving on the scene. Jon Lord of Deep Purple composed Concerto for Group and Orchestra, there was Moody Blues with a concept album with orchestra (Days of Future Passed), Ekseption from Netherlands had great international success with popjazz versions of classic compositions, Aphrodites Child from Greece (Vangelis, Demis Roussos on bass and vocals) lent classical themes (Rain and Tears makes me think of canon by Pachelbel), and there is ELP with a live album dedicated to Moussorgky, Pictures at an Exhibition. And of course the one hit wonders, like Eric Carmen (All by myself), Apolly 100 (Joy, or Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring), Sky (Toccata). Plenty of versions that desire year critical ear ;-)
NICE!! ;-) The next to try from that same recording is "Intermezzo: Karelia Suite" as well as "Pathetique (Symphony No. 6, 3rd Movement)". Another 'nice' mix of orchestral & band playing.
This was recorded at the Fairfield Hall in Croydon. I was there with friends in the middle of the front row. The odd break in the middle occurred when Keith managed to pull out some of the leads from the Hammond. While it was being sorted, Lee tossed us some woodblocks and that is the rhythm you can hear. The break was somewhat longer than in the recording and has been shortened for the recording. If my memory serves me, King Crimson was the support, or I may be confused - it was a long time ago.
Another great choice for a video might be “April”by Deep Purple,one of their greatest compositions.
An instrumental with a medieval flair and a orchestral middle section .
Doug, you should react to Keith's "Piano Concerto #1" from ELP's _Works Vol. 1._ That one gives me goose bumps every time.
I love The Five Bridges. Check out the version from the Fillmore East Live album.
Was at this concert. Encore was Khatchaturian's sleigh ride, of which I have never found a recording. Also a popular piece of theirs I discovered to be based on Lalo's symphony espagnole
I remember buy this album when it first came out. I was overwhelmed. It was a game changer, for me. I’ve since bought it on CD and now digital download. Still one of my favourite Nice albums, after Ars longa, vita brevis❤
Doug need DEEP PURPLE CONCERTO FOR GROUP AND ORCHESTRA LIVE 1969...!!
Indeed, this piece is inspired on the concerto for Group and Orchestra
A three piece masterpiece
Movement 1 classical and rock contradiction
Movement 2 classical and rock more cooperative
Movement 3 where orchestra and band come together
Thank You Doug !