THE NICE Live 1968 (1/4)

[9Iamthewalrus]

I get porn in better quality. But porn doesn't give me eargasms!

[selfwilly]

Well... nice to happen on this. I think the Nice were more inventive and interesting overall than ELP, if less of a high-powered virtuosic combo with arena rock potential. I'm a great deal less impressed by arena rock potential than I probably was 35-40 years ago. As far as showmanship, I thought Lester Bangs said it best: he's like Liberace on amphetemines.

[dougherj]

Is there a video of the Nice doing "She Belongs To Me" at the Fillmore East?

[cutis1000]

There's just so much organ playing coming from Emo, plus his theatrics, there was really no point in having a guitarist in this band!

[psyckonaut]

As far as showmanship goes,Keith Enerson was the Jerry Lee Lewis of the organ!

[caravaneriam]

I saw them in Dundee in 1968 or thereabouts.I wonder if the band remember the concert.The place was bouncing.A concert and a half.I've never forgotten that night.

[leonakita]

Why is Keith hopping about like his panties are full of jiggers?

[annikee59]

Holy crap! Thank you!

[michaelloveguitar]

super :-))

[decapitatespammers]

So this was what the Nice was?! I'm a deep devotee of ELP, but I never bothered to look at them because they seemed to have a dumb name!!

[vachalia]

After 3:00 it seems like the L-100 went dead because of a loose cable and tube and Emo is apparently fixing the problem on the spot - try that with a modern digital keyboard. Emerson is the true master of Hammonds and no one is to touch him ever.

[DDSeever]

@vachalia Surely anybody who sticks knives in the keyboard needs to know a bit about repair. :)

[simonguitarman]

Keith Emerson what an idiot, I'll try and compete with Jimi Hendrix by smashing my organ. I don't mind anybody smashing a fender strat but an hammond organ! Idiot. Oh by the way I own a hammond l-100 what a keith is abusing here and fender strat I play both organ and guitar.

[smartlamppost]

@simonguitarman Yeah, let's compare an organ player with a guitar player! We both know that those two instruments are incredibly similar! What next, compare the best archer with the worlds fastest cook? Seriously, though, there wasn't even any rivalry between Emerson and Hendrix. Hendrix almost joined ELP! PLus, Hendrix is mediocre.

[smartlamppost]

@simonguitarman Seriously, his music is so bland, simple sounding, and easy to reproduce, he might as well be Slash's brother! Plus, his entire career was based on hype; he's basically the 60s equivalent of Lady Gaga. I rest my case and will not read any replies.

[radicalsystems]

RIP Brian 'blinky' davison

[exitpoll]

The smartest dumbest thing done since Kieth Moon threw a T.V. out of a hotel room wondow.... I am exactly old enough to love this stuff..... :)

[vecdor]

I saw the Nice live at the Bath festival also I guess in 1968, yes they were as great as this video suggests... Wish I could remember who else was on the bill!~)

Emersons biography is a worthy read b.t.w.

[haruwebshots]

thanks for posting

[juulbrie]

Point taken! :)

[juulbrie]

They were not ahead of their time, the made the time... for ever new, for ever experimental...

(just trying to say something intelligent:))

[magicmike618]

no, just keith emerson :)_

[thatmuse76]

On the interview disc on the reunion album, Emerson mentions how he fell off the stage because of his stunts on the Hammond organ. It's a wonder he did not end up electrocuted. Great video, by the way.

[Pirlinetor]

Funny when the Hammond organ stops working and Brian Davison looks petrified Keith Emerson... Looks like he was going to say "Oh no, not now, not now!" :D

[871185]

Stunning performance... What can I say? Thanks so much for posting this. I have been and ELP fan since 1974 yet this shows where the seed was sown.

[beeroosterm]

Avoid this idiot like the plague. Ahahahahahahahahahaha......Get vaccinated.

[humerus1987]

No, man....he's right...this brand new vaccines are potentially dangerous cause of its side-effects, and the vaccine wasn't properly examinated...

[lavallee1963]

My God!

You´re a mine of information , Never had read all this information you mention .The program with giles , giles and fripp is the holy grail to much fans of this rare band like me...thank you for share all this information.

[RogerMurdock]

God I cant stop watching this stuff. Too bad Davy didnt work out. Either the cameraman didnt know what a guitar player was or Davy wanted not to be near the forefront because he is hardly seen.

Thanks KE and thanks for posting this

[whiskeynale69]

Awesome to find footage on here of the pioneers of this genre! If it wasn't for the NICE we wouldn't have Le Orme and such =)

[fabrikk60]

.... I also don't know if these different versions are just different edits, or are entirely different takes. It would be interesting to know if there were mono and stereo versions as well.

[captainsoul1953]

I think they are edits..theres a stereo version on the latest cd of Ars Longa Vita Brevis which sounds a bit different but i think thats due to the mixing

Jim

[fabrikk60]

Does anybody know about the different studio versions of "America" that were released? I've heard versions with the child's voice (P.P.Arnold's toddler son, according to Emerson's bio), and without the voice, but with other differences as well. I've heard a version with the guy "being whipped" (that was Andrew Loog Oldham) and without that voice too. I think there may be more than two versions; whether one's a single and another meant for the album, I'm unsure. (continued...)

[hbdavew]

I wonder if a correlation could be found between the increasing size of drum kits (small here, uncountably large 10 years later) and the rise of punk rock?

[bldali]

Thank you!!! Do you have any more footage of this Olympop event? The Nice are so often overlooked and underrated, in the U.S. at least.

[FarOutSydney]

David O'List was and maybe still is an incredible guitarist (I haven't heard his more recent stuff), but not with this outfit, not with the insufferable and overbearing hack Keith Emerson on keys. Check O'List out on "The In Crowd" on Ferry's second solo album, and "Chance Meeting" on Ferry's third. Amazing stuff.

[billyconnearly]

Sorry mate - Keith was the most innovative - if studied - keyboardists of the era if you want overbearing hack watch Rick Wakeman (although he is such a nice guy!) Keith did it First!!!

[davcar23]

Why am I watching this here? I have it on VHS and in better quality... Oh, because i can't find the damn video cassette. ;-)

[studioRAF]

Please, search more and find it.

[heraldojesus21]

excellent !

have never seen such early footage thanks for posting !

[Enossnr]

Thank you for this. I was at this brilliant event. It was called "Olympop" in aid of the British Olympic Fund compared by John Peel - Jethro Tull, Eclection, David Ackles, Alan Price Set, Spooky Tooth, The Nice, Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger and the Trinity produced nearly four hours of mind-blowing, ear-shattering music.

[Cascabel40]

Ars longa Vita brevis...

[wojjerone]

I am SO happy to see this.

I was fortunate to see The Nice three times, the first being at Fairfield Halls for the Five Bridges concert then again at The Festival Hall for another Syphony Orchestra gig (I remember he played the theme from 2001 a Space Odessey, then for the evening performance of their farewell gig again at the Festival Hall with Yes as support, Unbelievable to see Ars Longa Vita Brevis played on this video. Many thanks StudioRAF!!!

[DRGasMoney]

he straight up murdered that organ!

[NEntv58]

Studio RAF -

PLEASE tell me you have more from Ars Longa Vita Brevis.

Specifically "Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite" or "Daddy, Where did I Come From?"

I travel 150k miles a year and this is some of the most treasured stuff on my ipod.

Seeing in on video from the day would be an honor.

[studioRAF]

I would like to !

Keith Emerson surely got that !

Just ask him ;-)

[raccoonlord]

@studioRAF yeah, I hear he's not a complete ass.

[juulbrie]

Striking, modern, timeless!!

[Anaben11]

haha modern AND timless? What are people going to say in 100 years?

[juulbrie]

As timeless as Beethoven... van Gogh...name a few :)

[perulondan]

fuck! i got tears in my eyes

[54spiritedwill54]

I didn't think there were any videso of The Nice in existence. These are superb!!!

[Avebury]

Yeah! This is staggeringly awesome!!!

[earthriffs]

Excellent/great clips.

Thanks

[buffalo123456789]

Man who hides in shadow of his amplifier, knows he hasn't got to much longer in the band!

[cjjaxxon]

You must be talkin' about the guitar player. I have a live version of The Nice recorded in New York in 1971 I believe and I didn't here no guitar player. I have that on cassette I bought in one of them $1.99 tape bins back in the mid 1990s at a truckstop when I was driving over the road then . I found a lot of good music that way. I had heard of The Nice but I never heard any of their music and didn't know Keith was part of the group.

[buffalo123456789]

The Nice broke up in mid 1970,the album your talking about is probably "Elergy" released in 1971 after the band broke up

Davy O'list the guitarist left the band or was sacked depending on what story you want to believe in 1968.

We all know what happended to Emerson,sadly the rest of the band didn't do too much although Lee Jacksons next project Jacksons Heights was a fine band and the albums are worth trying to find

Brian Davison the bands drummer died a few months ago,he will be sadly missed

[cjjaxxon]

Thanks for that info. That cassette I have was actually manufactured somewhere over seas and the concert was recorded at the Fillmore East in New York (in 1971). My personal favorite is "Intermezzo 'Karelia Suite'". It was recorded along with an orchestra!!?? And I don't know what kinda bass he was useing on that record but you can here him loud and clear.

[Stratman78]

Lee Jackson was using a Vox V248 Bass Guitar (made famous by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones) and he ran them through the Marshall Super Bass 100 Amp heads with 4 Marshall cabinets (1x18s, but I could be wrong).

[projektor4]

@ buffalo1-2-9,cjjaxxon & Sratman78, have y´all checked out Lee Jackson & Brian (blinky) Davison´s band "Refugee" ?

[garygomesg]

Wonderful post! Wonderful group! I wrote a tribute to Brian Davison on the Perfect Sound Forever website. Check it if you like. What a great and under rated drummer he was.

Gary

[BMWLDRider]

I saw these guys at the Rockpile in Toronto in 68. Pretty wild. Chuck Berry was the opening act. I also remember the Byrds as the opening act for Wilson Pickett at the Filmore East in NYC, if you can believe that!

[thewordofgord]

Hey, me too! the show i saw they were opening for Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger. Then a few months later they were at the Hawk's Nest, a tiny place on Yonge Street above a store. Also Love Sculpture same place.

Amazing times to be alive and 16.

the word of gord

[prospero555]

Dear StudioRAF Thansk for posting, it brings back many memories as I was actually there, one of the first rock gigs I ever went to. I was sitting in what the Fairfield Halls called the 'choir stalls' which meant sitting at the back of the stage. It gave a pretty close up view of Emo's antics. Needless to say I was completely blown away by what I saw.

[CadillacL]

I've heard of The Nice, being an ELP fan, but this is my first time to see them play. Thanks youtube.

[VDGG94ki]

I love how the organ goes quiet by accident in the middle, so Emerson fiddles with what looks a lot like a metal-capped valve. You go for it Emerson, its not like that thing is a) hot, and b) contains a fatal ammount of electricity.

[PAULLONDEN]

Good call man....I didn't even notice,

(Thought it was part of the act),

but then ,I would protest too if I

got knives stuck in me./

[frontiera]

what a great performance! it should be one of the masterpiece of all time prog rock, thanks a lot!

[PAULLONDEN]

This is just as captivating (or even more)

as what Hendrix did with his guitars./

Brilliant!

[Stratman78]

Now somewhere in this world, there is a performance broadcast (or could be kinescope or film for all I know) of the Nice playing on some television show IN COLOUR!!!! I'm not sure where in Europe this happened (around 1968-early 1969), but this is according to the book "THE NICE - Hanging on to a Dream."

I'll have to get that book back for my goofball friend has it (for over a year now).

[anbreatnach]

What a brilliant clip. Been a fan for decades but have never seen any live footage. They were such a powerful act live, visually and musically.

Given the problems of the era, "America" was a real socio-political statement which landed them in hot water on more than one occasion. Seeing Keith whacking the reverb spring on the open back of his Hammond at the songs finale makes me wonder how he survived to later form ELP!

[tacomadc]

They are playing "America" from Westside Story - by Lenny Bernstein. Keith loved American composers.

[leemcuk1]

Wow, I didn't know any concert footage of The Nice existed! Thanks very much for posting, it's great to see them in full flight. RIP Brian.

[vachalia]

I personally prefer The Nice over ELP because they were more Avant-Garde and Emersons playing was already at its full bloom in The Nice anyway. I don't think that the Moog made Emo's music more interesting or beautiful. Listen to "Country Pie" by The Nice and there is no doubt that this group was one of the best British live acts ever.

[mtopper66]

I like Greg Lake's voice better than Jackson's, but The Nice did have more of the punk edge, and more experimental...but I wonder what the Nice could've been like w/the Moog...I like what he did with it on most occassions but I hear ya on the Nice! There's something special about them.

[garygomesg]

He actually did use a Moog (Mick Vickers') a vew times with the Nice. I agree with Vachalia's comments as well. No doubt Greg has a better voice than Lee, but the Nice had a magic that ELP lacked, much as I valued ELP's talent. The Nice were more experimental, and Country Pie is phenomenal--listen to that drumming--amazing! Brian RIP! Gary Gomes

[USAGlobalVideoCorp]

@vachalia too bad jackson, davidson, and o'list could keep up with keith huh?

I wish Steve Howe would have joined The Nice when he had the offer. Steve and Keith could have played rag-time together.

Just saw Asia a couple weeks ago in a very small theater. These are the times we live in now.

[MisterAmazed]

Atmospheric and truly catching the electrifying sound,out of this world.Thanks for posting from a Nice fan.

[PAULLONDEN]

Nice thoughts of EmerList DavJack

[¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬=]

[pyrotect]

rest in peace "blinky".

He was a good drummer

[Stratman78]

There were 53 episodes on BBC 2's "Colour Me Pop." Unfortunately, the majority of the episodes are believed to be lost or erased.

The only surviving material that's in existance

[Stratman78]

The only surviving material that's in existance is The Small Faces, The Moody Blues, The Move, The Mothers of Invention and Trapeze which are in the BBC Archives.

3 songs from the Bonzo Dog Band editions survive, plus film inserts from the Clodagh Rodgers/Honeybus edition.

The soundtracks to Giles Giles and Fripp, Family and Bonzo Dog Band editions and off-monitor screenshots from the Timebox and Toast editions survive in private hands.

[Stratman78]

Also existing: the Chambers Brothers that never aired (the final episode). An audio of The Kinks' performance is also in circulation.

This video of the Nice is on the collector's circuit.

[mtopper66]

Wish the Family clip survived! Oh well, at least we have these...is this Color Me Pop?

[Stratman78]

This is Colour Me Pop.

[VDGG94ki]

Which explains why it is in b/w... lol

[Stratman78]

But what I don't get is why was the Nice's performance on Colour Me Pop (19th episode) in black & white while the other ones, The Small Faces (2nd episode), The Moody Blues (12th episode), Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention (16th episode), the three songs from The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (24th episode), The Move (25th episode) were in color? That's what I want to know.

[VDGG94ki]

This is such a high-gen version that it is either washed out, or just transfered into black and white. Led Zeppelin's Tous en Scene footage from 1969 used to circulate in black and white. A colour version of this does exist, as the master footage is in the hands of a collector in America (no pun), who once loaded up his 35mm projector and filmed the footage off his wall. However that isn't in common circulation though I have been offered it myself.

[lavallee1963]

My God!

You´re a mine of information , Never had read all this information you mention .The program with giles , giles and fripp is the holy grail to much fans of this rare band like me...thank you for share all this information.

Pepe , From Spain.

[HoorayTV21]

because BBC intended to junk the tape a 16mm film copy was made (probably by some private party). I hope the BBC can get their hands on the master film copy as their might be a chance of restoring the colour ala the restored Dads Army episode they recently aired. They 'd film an episode of (BLANK) from a colour TV and because the colour info was not filtered out the master copy should have small dots that represent the original colour, the computer can reload the colour by deciphering the dots.

[HoorayTV21]

This should really be renamed so that the "Colour Me Pop" fans can find it easier.

[kissvideofan]

Sorry to hear of Brian Davison's passing - you were a great guy. great drummer

[theundisputed7]

this is cracked out! I love it

[puddypuss]

really good to see this as it brings back memories of the nice live at this time and the great impression it made on me, I wonder what the dedicated people who used to follow them around, like rondo dave, eve, stella, and a few others are doing now?

[Bluesmen88]

Emerson is so great in the way he can just pull out pieces from other classical and modern works and add them to his work, so awesome.

[BIOCIDEXYZ]

Agreed !

Why did he form the " horror " that was ELP ?

[studioRAF]

Thank you very much stratman78.

[Stratman78]

The Show: BBC-2's "Colour Me Pop"

The Place: The Fairfield Hall (Croydon)

The Date: September 29, 1968

A couple days after this performance, O'List would be fired from the Nice.

Coincidently, just over a year later, the Nice would return to the Fairfield Hall again On October 17, 1969. Three of the songs that were recorded from that concert would be released on their fourth album, "The Five Bridges Suite" in June 1970 (by that time, the Nice no longer existed).

[studioRAF]

Thanks for your comments John, I've never seen any other concert (not TV shows) video of The Nice even on ELP stories (maybe Keith don't know those vids).

I wish I know exacltly the day and the place of that gig, if someone knows...........

[JohnWhapshott]

THANK YOU!!!! I didn't think there were any videso of The Nice in existence. These are superb!!! THANK YOU AGAIN!!