Elegy (The Nice album)

Elegy
Studio album by The Nice
Released April 1971
Recorded 1969 - 1970
Genre Progressive rock
Length 39:27 [1]
Label UK: Charisma CAS 1030
US: Mercury SR 61324
France, Germany: Philips
Producer The Nice
The Nice chronology
Five Bridges
(1970)		 Elegy
(1971)		 Vivacitas
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
Discogs [1]
TopTenReviews [3]

Elegy was the final official album release by The Nice, Keith Emerson having moved on to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Lee Jackson to Jackson Heights and Brian Davison to Every Which Way. It consists of live versions of songs from earlier releases and a cover of "My Back Pages". Released after The Nice had disbanded, the album achieved number 5 in the UK album chart.[4]

"Hang On To A Dream" and "America" were recorded live at Fillmore East, New York during the group's 1969 tour.

Contents

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Hang On To A Dream" (Live) (Tim Hardin) – 12:43
  2. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 9:12

Side two

  1. "Third Movement, Pathetique" (Group Only) (Tchaikovsky arr by The Nice) – 7.05
  2. "America" (Live) (Bernstein/Sondheim/The Nice)  – 10:27

CD-release 1990

The CD release 1990 contains six additional bonus tracks and the length of the original four tracks is slightly different.[5]

  1. "Hang On To A Dream" (Live) (Tim Hardin) – 12:42
  2. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 9:10
  3. "Third Movement, Pathetique" (Group Only) (Tchaikovsky arr by The Nice) – 7;05
  4. "America" (Live) (Bernstein/Sondheim/The Nice)  – 10:17
  5. "Diamond-Hard Blue Apples Of The Moon" (Emerson, Jackson) – 2:46
  6. "Dawn" (Davison, Emerson, Jackson) – 5:05
  7. "Tantalising Maggie" (O'List, Jackson) – 4:19
  8. "Cry Of Eugene" (O'List, Emerson, Jackson) – 4:30
  9. "Daddy Where Did I Come From?" (Emerson, Jackson) – 2:46
  10. "Azrial" (Emerson, Jackson) – 3:46

"Azrial" had been the B-side of the single release "The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack," and "Diamond-Hard Blue Apples Of The Moon" that of "America."

The arrangement of "My Back Pages" was inspired by Keith Jarrett's 1968 Atlantic recording of the song but the majority is Emerson's creation. The performance is in two parts with the first featuring piano and the second featuring Hammond organ.

2009 Digital Remaster

The 2009 Digital Remastered CD contains only two additional bonus tracks and the length of the original four tracks is slightly different.

  1. "Hang On To A Dream" (Live) (Tim Hardin) – 12:41
  2. "My Back Pages" (Bob Dylan) – 9:12
  3. "Third Movement, Pathetique" (Group Only) (Tchaikovsky arr by The Nice) – 7;07
  4. "America" (Live) (Bernstein/Sondheim/The Nice)  – 10:22
  5. "Country Pie" (BBC Radio 1's "Sounds Of The Seventies") (Bob Dylan) - 4:57
  6. "Pathetique (Symphony No. 6, 3rd Movement)" (BBC Radio 1's Sounds Of The Seventies) (Tchaikovsky arr by The Nice) - 6:59

Cover art

The UK edition came in a gatefold sleeve. It was designed by Hipgnosis (Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell), well-known as designers of album covers for Pink Floyd and other progressive rock bands. The front and back covers show a Sahara desert scene with a line of fifty red footballs (credited to Mettoy Playcraft) receding towards a distant dune. The inside of the cover shows, in the distance, a mesa or plateau; in front is a gravelly landscape strewn with memorabilia of The Nice such as older album covers, publicity shots, press releases and a scrapbook of press cuttings.

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b "Nice, The - Elegy (LP) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Nice-Elegy/release/496172. Retrieved 2009-10-03. 
  2. ^ "allmusic ((( Elegy > Overview )))". www.allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r45608. Retrieved 2009-10-03. 
  3. ^ "TopTenReviews - External Link". www.toptenreviews.com. http://www.toptenreviews.com/scripts/eframe/url.htm?u=http%3A%2F%2Fstarling.rinet.ru%2Fmusic%2Fnice.htm%23Elegy. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  4. ^ "Chart Stats - The Nice - Elergy". www.chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=2823. Retrieved 2009-10-03. 
  5. ^ "Nice, The — Elegy (CD, Album, RE, RM) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Nice-Elegy/release/1803733. Retrieved 2009-10-03. 
The Nice
Studio Albums
Live Albums

Five Bridges (1970)  · Elegy (1971) America - The BBC Sessions (1996)  · The Swedish Radio Sessions (2001)  · BBC Sessions (2002)  · Vivacitas (2004)  · Live At The Fillmore East December 1969 (2009)