P.P. Arnold's backing band was thrown together piecemeal by her manager Andrew Loog Oldham just in time for her to tour the UK. The backing band would take on a life of its own as the group members ended up forming their own band and naming themselves (presumably) after a Small Faces song. The Nice would go from a backing band to a band capable of making waves in the progression of rock and roll.
As The Nice were thrown together by Oldham, they already had the benefit of Immediate Records ready to release their work. The Nice originally consisted of wandering musicians Keith Emerson (keyboards), Lee Jackson (bass and vocals), and David O'List (guitar). The original drummer from Arnold's backing group, Ian Hague, was replaced by Brian Davison to round out the quartet. The names of the members would provide the title of the group's first single and album in 1967: The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack.
The Nice had big Jimi Hendrix inspired, psychedelic guitar riffs and bigger, progressive musical ideas. They were able to play any which style of music so they made good use of their skills by throwing them together to see what coalesced. They could play short, power pop songs or variations on classical or jazz. On their debut, they tackled covers of Dave Brubeck and musical quotations of composer Leoš Janáček. Their second single "America" released in 1968, The Nice covered Leonard Bernstein while adding quotations from Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony. The song's historical context, ad posters for the album that featured John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., its original title "America (Second Amendment)", and its spoken word conclusion: "America is pregnant with promise and anticipation, but is murdered by the hand of the inevitable" helps it fall into an odd place as an "instrumental protest song" as described by Keith Emerson. With O'List's guitars, they had a tinge of psychedlia laced through every song, but their grandiose musical ideas separated them from the pack as their debut album is often considered the first progressive rock album.
Here is the discography surrounding The Nice's debut album:
Blow My Blues Away (1965 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Portland Town (1965 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Follow Me (1966 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Forbidden Fruit (1966 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Elbow Baby (1966 single by The Habits)
Hi-Ho Silver Lining (1966 single by The Attack)
Created by Clive (1967 single by The Attack)
Try It (1967 single by The Attack)
The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1967 single)
The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack
America (1968 single)
Neville Thumbcatch (1968 single by The Attack)
Autumn '67-Spring '68 (1972 live album)
Magic in the Air (1990 compilation album by The Attack)
Memorial Album (1991 compilation album by The Mark Leeman Five)
The Complete Recordings from 1967-68 (1999 compilation album by The Attack)
Final Daze (2001 compilation album by The Attack)
About Time! (2006 compilation album by The Attack)
"America" by The Nice
Pass the Headphones!!
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