Biography
The group was formed in 1967 by Emerson, Lee Jackson, David O’List and Ian Hague to back soul singer P. P. Arnold. After replacing Hague with Brian Davison, the group set out on their own, quickly developing a strong live following. The group’s sound was centred on Emerson’s Hammond organ showmanship and abuse of the instrument, and their radical rearrangements of classical music themes and Bob Dylan songs. The band achieved commercial success with an instrumental rearrangement of Leonard Bernstein’s “America”, following which O’List left the group. The remaining members carried on as a trio, releasing several albums, before Emerson decided to split the band in early 1970 to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nice
Album & Cover
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. “Hang on to a Dream” and “America” were recorded live at Fillmore East, New York during the group’s 1969 tour.
The UK edition came in a gatefold sleeve. 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. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elegy
In the book ‘Walk Away Rene’ both Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell tell a great story behind the photography of the album cover, the escapades in Morocco, with no mobile phones and in 1971.
Cover Location: Fort Mamid, Sahara Desert, Morocco.
Who Did What: Photography – A. Powell/S. Thorgerson. Cover Design – S. Thorgerson
Label: Mercury SR61324(US), Charisma CAS1030(UK)
Source: Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art, The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue: Aubrey Powell
Tracklist
| Side One Hang On To A Dream My Back Pages |
Side Two 3rd Movement Pathetique Symphony America |
Credits
Bass, Vocals – Lee Jackson
Drums, Percussion – Brian Davison
Engineer – Dave Henshaw, Malcolm Toft
Keyboards – Keith Emerson
Producer – The Nice
