BY REQUEST - THE NICE - Ars Longa Vita Brevis 1968 -

THE NICE \ ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS 1968.
Bio.
The band was formed in May 1967 by Andrew Loog Oldham and they were an amazingly freewheeling outfit, in keeping with the times. Although Jackson handled most of the singing, O'List also took a lead vocal on occasion, and even Emerson would end up on the microphone.
They played a strange mix of psychedelic blues, heavily laced with cadenza-like solos on the piano or organ, and dressed up in ornate, flashy guitar, reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix -- amid the pop flourishes and heavy piano and guitar riffs, one could hear influences of classical, soul, and jazz.
Perhaps as a foil for the highbrow aspects of their music, the stage performances were bold and violent, with Emerson incorporating feedback and distortion. He manhandled his Hammond L-100 organ, wrestling it and attacking it with daggers (which he used to hold down keys and sustain notes during these escapades).
This was inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Don Shin, an obscure English organist, as well as earlier figures such as pianist Jerry Lee Lewis.
Motörhead frontman Lemmy was a roadie for The Nice in their early days, and gave Keith Emerson his trademark knife that he uses to sustain organ keys.
This album which is The Nice's second album and their first as a trio, was a genuinely groundbreaking effort, and now it sounds the way it was always supposed to any LP.
VERY GOOD

Line-up

* Keith Emerson: Organ, piano, vocals — (born 2 November 1944 in Todmorden, Yorkshire)
* Keith "Lee" Jackson: Bass, guitar, vocals — (born 8 January 1943, in Newcastle upon Tyne)
* David "Davy" O'List: Guitar, vocals (1967–68) — (born 13 December 1948, in Chiswick, London)
* Brian "Blinky" Davison: Drums, percussion — (born 25 May 1942, in Leicester, Leicestershire - died 15 April 2008)

Link : ALVB