Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Nice, The
Label: Immediate Records
Released: 1968
Length: 39:27
Rating: 3.5/5
The insatiable ego of legendary keyboard grandmaster Keith Emerson never knew any limits, and that goes for his early creative days too, long before he tasted worldwide fame as a member of the unforgettable supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Soon after The Nice’s debut »The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack« (1967), a pioneering piece of progressive rock, Keith decided to kick guitarist, singer and occasional woodwind player David O’List out of the band. Already during the recording of the second Nice album, which he gave, in typically artsy fashion, the Latin title »Ars Longa Vita Brevis« (art is long, life is short), borrowed from Hippocrates’ famous aphorism, it was clear that O’List’s days in the band were numbered. Keith accused him of being unserious and lazy, so he had to pack his bags, and from then on The Nice operated as a trio with an ever greater emphasis on Emerson’s keyboard empire.
More as a joke than anything, they did hold auditions for a new guitarist, and even though future Yes guitarist Steve Howe was among the candidates, Emerson thanked all the would-be guitarists for coming and steered The Nice into a new era, one where he always had the last word. On »Ars Longa Vita Brevis« that showed in a noticeably more ambitious and distinctly symphonic direction, where Keith’s organ and piano wizardry, especially on the title suite, got so dominant that from here on you can already talk about The Nice as Emerson’s solo band, even though bassist Lee Jackson and the sadly late drummer Brian ‘Blinky’ Davison were top-notch musicians too.
But Emerson was already ‘in a class of his own’ back then when it came to mastering keyboard instruments, and one of the leading geniuses at fusing rock, classical and jazz, with a musical vision that knew no bounds, even though as a composer he got the most kick out of putting his own spin on the arrangements of classical pieces. »Ars Longa Vita Brevis« also featured a few vocal contributions from him, usually teamed up with Jackson, who became the main Nice vocalist after O’List’s departure. Luckily, there weren’t many of Keith’s vocal exploits, mostly annoying, on the second Nice album, even though compared to someone like Tony Banks (Genesis), who is truly beyond help in that department, he was still a pretty decent singer.
The first half of the album is noticeably less interesting than the mostly instrumental second half, and it has also aged worse, since the first three tracks are packed with goofy, psychedelic elements that were pretty popular among the musical trends of 1968, but nowadays come across as way too archaic. A prime example of this psychedelic clowning around is the opener »Daddy, Where Did I Come From«, with its burlesque vocal outbursts, scatterbrained tempo on jazzy piano, and distinctive, ‘spacey’ improvisations on Hammond organ. The whole thing sounds almost as if Emerson had run into the original members of The Mothers Of Invention, only without the presence of the genius Frank Zappa.
»Little Arabella« features playful, almost danceable piano motifs, as if Emerson were sitting in some smoky jazz bar, while Jackson’s psychedelically spiced-up vocal mannerisms tell a sarcastic story about some capricious girl. You can also hear orchestral arrangements here, under the baton of special guest, arranger and conductor Robert Stewart. This cheeky number is quite reminiscent of some future ELP burlesques in the vein of »Are You Ready Eddy«.
»Happy Freuds«, the most commercial piece on the album, is marked by pompous symphonic arrangements and a cheerful, goofy chorus that sounds like a bad Beach Boys parody. The chorus is spiced up with fun vocal harmonies between Emerson and Jackson. Things get serious right away with Emerson’s relatively interesting adaptation of the classic Karelia Suite (originally by Jean Sibelius), titled »Intermezzo From The Karelia Suite«. Even though Emerson plays the great dominator here, bending the key motif of Sibelius’ suite his own way and adding numerous unpredictable organ improvisations, Jackson’s bass is unusually pushed to the front in the production and at times almost drowns out the keyboard maestro.
That was only a sort of overture, if not a warm-up, for the most ambitious piece on the album, the 19-minute title suite, split into five parts and dominated by wild orchestral arrangements. Here Emerson’s genius and ego shine in full light, as he lets loose in the opening section, »Awakening«, with scattered organ improvisations, while the versatile drummer Davison shows off a few breakneck rhythmic turns. That first section actually belongs to his fantastic solo spot, which really is a chapter of its own.
On the next section, »Realisation««, which O’List also co-wrote, you can hear a few electric guitar passages courtesy of guest guitarist Malcolm Langstaff, while Jackson briefly steps back in as lead vocalist. Emerson then ‘loses it’ again, and his piano ‘orgasming’ in the middle of this section quickly overshadows the rest of the musicians. The next section, »Denial«, has a whirlwind organ motif that, teamed up with string-and-baroque orchestral inserts, makes for an unexpected turn in the cheerful atmosphere. The fourth section, »Acceptance ”Brandenburger”«, is Emerson’s closing improvisational triumph on Hammond organ, the kind he would pull off countless more times later in his career, although back then his ‘supersonic’ organ playing, and above all his willful adaptations of classics, came as a big shock and almost a provocation to all the lovers of so-called serious music.
»Ars Longa Vita Brevis« was an important album for the development of early (symphonic) progressive rock, even if it was far from a masterpiece. The only piece on the album that rightfully deserves that title is the title suite, which remains one of the most ambitious achievements in the entire Nice story, while Emerson liked playing his adaptation of the aforementioned Sibelius suite live even when he was already in ELP. The Nice didn’t rest on their laurels, but kept busily making new music right up to the end of the sixties. Although nobody stayed indifferent at their shows, they never managed to break through to bigger commercial success, which started to frustrate Emerson immensely and gradually sealed The Nice’s fate.
Line-up
Keith Emerson – keyboards, vocals (except on “Ars Longa Vita Brevis”)
Lee Jackson – bass guitar, vocals
Brian Davison – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Malcolm Langstaff – guitar (on “2nd Movement – Realisation”)
Robert Stewart – orchestral arranger and conductor
Production
The Nice
Track list
1. Daddy, Where Did I Come From (3:44)
2. Little Arabella (4:18)
3. Happy Freuds (3:25)
4. Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite (8:57)
5. Don Edito el Gruva (0:13)
6. Ars Longa Vita Brevis (19:20)
a. Prelude / 1st Movement – Awakening (5:50)
b. 2nd Movement – Realisation (4:54)
c. 3rd Movement – Acceptance “Brandenburger” (4:23)
d. 4th Movement – Denial (3:23)
e. Coda – Extension to the Big Note (0:46)
