Nice (The Nice album)

Nice was the third album by The Nice; it was titled Everything As Nice As Mother Makes It in the US after Immediate broke their distribution deal with Columbia. Nice had been initially released in the US with a slightly longer version of "Rondo 69" not available on the UK or on the independently distributed US versions. The first US version of Nice was briefly reissued in 1973 by Columbia Special Products.

Songs and Recording
Continuing The Nice's pioneering fusion of jazz, classical, and rock, the album consists of studio (1–4) and live (5–6) tracks. The studio side was largely recorded at Trident Studios in London, with the horn section on "For Example" recorded in New York. The opening "Azrael Revisited" is a remake of the 1967 B-side "Azrial (Angel of Death)", adapted to the new keyboard-led trio format. Their cover of Tim Hardin's "Hang On to a Dream" featured a ghostly choral arrangement by Duncan Browne and became a popular live number which showcased Emerson's idiosyncratic jazz piano skills, including manual striking of the interior strings. "Diary of an Empty Day" is a shorter composition based around Lalo's Symphonie espagnole which features the only guitar work on the album, an acoustic strummed at the close. "For Example" is a multi-sectional original piece moving through R&B, classical and lounge jazz that briefly quotes The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)".

The material on the second side was taped live at Fillmore East and engineered by Eddie Kramer. "Rondo '69" was taken from the group's debut album, having become Emerson's signature piece by that time. "She Belongs To Me" was a Bob Dylan cover transformed into a 12-minute progressive rock jam featuring several extended quotes from Bach, a snippet of Bernstein's theme from The Magnificent Seven and Copeland's "Hoedown" from Rodeo (ballet), the last of which Emerson would return to with Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Title and Album Cover
The original idea for the cover was to make it look like a family photo album with various snapshots of the group interspersed with handwritten letters in a gatefold sleeve, but Emerson was highly displeased with the results. When told it was too late to change the artwork, the group asked to be released from their contract with Immediate Records; however, they were able to arrange for the American cover to feature a different title and artwork, with the phrase "everything nice as mother makes it" stemming from an old Victorian poster hanging in the Baker Street restaurant where they were meeting. Immediate went into voluntary liquidation shortly afterward.

Reception
The album was a great success, reaching number 3 in the UK Album charts and solidifying the band's status as one of the most influential progressive rock groups in the country. It failed to chart in the US, where The Nice remained obscure in spite of touring hip American venues like The Fillmore West and East that year and receiving rave reviews.

Critical reception at the time was largely positive, with New Musical Express enthusing that "no group had done more to advance the musical side of pop in recent years." Don Heckman of The New York Times also gave a glowing review, while Lloyd Grossman of Fusion noted the group "use jazz and classical elements with an ease and brilliance that few bands can equal." On the other hand, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice quickly established himself as one of Emerson's harshest critics when he admitted the keyboardist's technical virtuosity but bemoaned a lack of taste, concluding that The Nice were "the most overrated group this side of The Moody Blues." More recently, Bruce Eder of AllMusic claimed it was a "rich mixture of psychedelic rock, jazz and classical that did a lot to map the format for progressive rock."

Side one

 * 1) "Azrael Revisited" (Keith Emerson, Lee Jackson) – 5:52
 * 2) "Hang on to a Dream" (Tim Hardin) – 4:46
 * 3) "Diary of an Empty Day" (Music: Edouard Lalo arr. by Emerson, lyrics: Jackson) – 3:54
 * 4) "For Example" (Emerson, Jackson) – 8:51

Side two

 * 1) "Rondo '69'" (Brubeck, Emerson, Jackson, Davison) – 7:53 (8:27 on the first US version)
 * 2) "She Belongs to Me" (Bob Dylan) – 12:15

Personnel

 * The Nice
 * Keith Emerson – Hammond organ, pianos
 * Lee Jackson – bass guitar, vocals
 * Brian Davison – drums, percussion