Guide to British Music of the 1960s
March 2003
Book Review
Hang on to a Dream- The Story of the Nice by Martyn Hanson
The late 1960s was the birth of many of the sounds that became popularised during the 1970s. The Nice was one of the most innovative groups of this time, creating sounds and textures unlike anyone else around. Originally formed as PP Arnold's backing band, the members of the Nice soon expanded with a highly distinctive style driven by the Hammond organ sound of Keith Emerson. He was complemented by the other members of the band and together they made sounds quite unlike anyone else, effectively kick-starting what became known later as progressive rock.
Martyn Hanson's excellent work traces the history of the Nice through the feeder groups such as the VIPS and Gary Farr and the T-Bones for Keith Emerson and The Attack for Davy O'List. Not surprisingly, the main focus is on Keith Emerson although the contributions made by O'List, Brian Davison and Lee Jackson are certainly acknowledged. The importance of the other band members is highlighted by the fact the recent reunions are well-covered, illustrating how essential Davison and Jackson were to the band's sound. Despite the phenomenal success of Emerson Lake & Palmer, it was the Nice that was the most innovative band and, with hindsight, the most important in musical history.
The Nice were important because they used the freedom given to them by immediate to break out of the mainstream and fuse together different styles of music such as rock, pop, jazz, classical and musical. Their best-known track is surely America from West Side Story. This was one of the highlights of the stage where Emerson would experiment with feedback or find long, sustained notes through placing knives into the Hammond. it wasn't just a stage gimmick but a way of achieving the sustain. During America the stars and stripes was once defaced on stage, causing controversy for the group and also generating a certain notoriety.
Hang on a to Dream is an excellent introduction to the group and a useful link from the better-known artists, at least for me, of PP Arnold and the Attack. One chapter is given over to PP Arnold and the time that the Nice spent as her support band. They must have been a truly superb act live. I was far too young. The book gives the impression that every show was very different with Emerson leading extended and improvised work-outs of different tracks, especially on America and the jazz standard Blue Rondo a la Turk, renamed Rondo. The book also includes a highly detailed discography, not just of the Nice but also ELP, PP Arnold and the outfits populated by the other band members. The gig guide notes that the first gig without PP Arnold was around the corner from where I now live.
ISBN: 1-900924-43-9
First published 1996 by Helter Skelter Publishing