For some random prog rock band, the Nice are sure getting some great representation on TBTV. Truth is: the Nice aren’t that random, there’s just a serious disconnect between my generation and progressive rock. Maybe it’s too cerebral. Maybe it’s too boring. Maybe it’s got too many alien references. Despite all that, progressive rock (and I’ve probably said this before) is home territory for truly talented musicians in a world of popular music. Keith Emerson is one of them. Before there was Emerson, Lake & Palmer, there was the Nice — and if you’re familiar with ELP, this live track will show you where all the talent originated. I’d even go so far as to say that Emerson’s piano performance in “Hang On to a Dream” tops most of the stuff he ever wrote with ELP.
“Hang On” for the first minute or so: Emerson begins with an elegant display of piano mastery but doesn’t offer much excitement for the easily distracted. A change: Emerson reaches up for those chords (you know the ones) and brings the bass with him as the song descends into a dark mess of jazz. The bass always gets me. Emerson (and remember, this is live) demonstrates that he is a master of anything with keys in any namable genre. I’m hard-pressed to identify jazz pianists of the same era who could best Emerson’s ability. The song breaks down in the middle as the bass mutes and Emerson stands up to aggressively tug at his piano strings; it then starts sounding a lot like ELP’s “Hoedown.” Think about this again: in one song, Emerson covers classical, jazz, contemporary and Western music. Unbelievable.
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