Customer Reviews

Five Bridges

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been waiting for this on CD since I wore out the tapes. The sound is much cleaner than the records or cassette tapes. Unlike Keith Emerson with the Nice it includes Country Pie/Brandenburg Concerto No.6, plus 5 bonus tracks. Recorded live in Oct of 1969 it's the next best thing to having been there. If you liked the orchestration on ELP Works Live Tour then this one will take you back to the early days of Emerson and the Nice.

After not hearing this album for quite a few years, it was very enjoyable to listen again. I was surprised how some moments of it are as inculcated in my memory as any Beatle song or other item of the era. Lee and Brian play with authority, Emerson is amazing--this was my first exposure to his stuff. Over time, I acquired the 3 Immediate albums and Elegy besides this (LPs long gone now). For me, this remains the high point of the Nice; I did go on to follow ELP for awhile and saw them once in Atlanta in 1971. It struck me at one moment that the Nice were better rehearsed than the orchestra! Naturally, rehearsing an orchestra is a far more complicated and expensive proposition. And no doubt Emerson and Eger would make some changes or corrections in that process, which would hinder polishing things. That said, the orchestra plays quite well. An energized and joyous live performance. Absolutely recommended.

Only 24 years old at the time, Keith Emerson writes a Concerto and this is the live premier caught on tape at the Fairfield hall. If ever their was a time when reefer smoke was in the same hall as a tuxedoed stuffy orchestra, this is it. THis is also the first time this was done anywhere, before Deep Purples Concerto a year later, the Moody Blues did it, bu tonly in the studio and Yes tried to play live their Time and a Word record with an orchestra with disasterous results, But Keith, Lee and Brian pull it off here, what an amazing record.
As a bonus, they included in this long awaited release, side one of the record "Autuum to Spring"

Okay, true I don't know much about The Nice except for their reputation and Keith Emerson. I like ELP and I also like Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony, so I gave a listen to this album. While it's an interesting idea, I just don't see the point to it, and a lot of it comes off as bloated and ridiculous. If I want to hear the classical parts that were already available, I would just go play the classical versions recorded by classical groups. If I want to hear cool Keith Emerson parts and great rock drums, I'd play my ELP records.

This may have been influential at the time, and I could see where it may still have its fans from back in the day, but it hasn't dated well, and it doesn't seem to work when listened to now. Perhaps it's been overshadowed by music that has come after it which it helped to inspire. If so, I'm grateful. But I don't plan to deliberately listen to this again as I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. For a more accessible but stylistically similar album, listen to ELP's Emerson Lake & Palmer instead.

I finally got this album following a bout of nostalgia for my native land and in particular for an area of the country where I frequented my youth.

Thirty seven or so years later, the album does not generate as much enthusiasm as it did in my younger days. While the expanded edition is a most welcome addition to the growing repetoire of the available music of the Nice, it really has not stood the test of time too well.

All the trademarks of the band are there in their glorious splendour while Keith Emerson towers as a colossus virtuoso against the others in the band who are no novices in the rock game themselves. However there is a gnawing sense of doubt against the project of group and orchestra in the Fairfield Hall. The music of the time stands as empty as a Tyneside shipyard today despite all of Emerson's skills as a musician. I find that the commissioned work is not a real reflection of the city either then or now. The city which has undergone a major renovation and has been transformed into a city of culture from a city of deindustrialisation and now presents a bold new face to the future.

In retrospect it seems to me that this is a vainglorious attempt at a novel approach for the arts in bringing a progressive rock band together with an orchestra via the mechanism of Emerson who clearly is a talented and gifted musician but who lacks the rquisite skills of composition to do a significant portrayal of the city of Newcastle.

Having said all of that the musicianship of this album is no doubt exceptional and certainly portrays the power and intensity of the Nice and the orchestra. It is a real pity that a DVD does not exist which would transform the aural experience to the multi-media event that a Nice performance was. One can almost see the daggers fly into the Hammond organ as one writes.

As another reviewer commented the additional tracks are a real treat. As I drove through a northern city in New Jersey the other day with America blasting out into the 86 degree sunny atmosphere, a driver called out to me at a traffic light that he had never heard such a rendition with so much life and gusto. As the lights changed I explained that this was music by a sixties English band called the Nice whom he had never heard of.

A very satisfying acclamation from a musical innocent. A good album no doubt, a grand project no doubt, the best album by the band? No I must say I prefer the three disc compilation with the live version of Rondo at Newcastle City Hall, but the Nice are always better live than in the studio which cannot be said to have captured their true essence.

"Five Bridges" is the final proper album by the Nice (they would release one after this called "Elegy", but it was assembled and released posthumously) in which they perform a piece commissioned by the Newcastle Arts Festival with the Sinfonia of London under the direction of Joseph Eger. While any early collaboration between and orchestra and a live rock band is interesting, it only works about half of the time and due to the differences in amplification between a rock band and orchestra it usually sounds clumsy and awkward live (especially in the late 60's). This album is certainly no exception. The first movement of "The Five Bridges Suite" is almost entirely an orchestral piece and while it is a commendable attempt at the classics, Keith Emerson is certainly not giving any serious composer of the era a run for the money. The rest of the piece is a mixture of jazz and rock, bringing in a horn section towards the end. It bears a certain similarity to, and possibly inspired, the series of live fusion jazz and orchestra albums released by Chuck Mangione in the early 70's (and recorded just as poorly).

This album also includes Jean Sibelus' "Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite" with the orchestra and Emerson's noisy abuse of his Hammond organ at times resembling a chainsaw being run through a motorcycle (or is that a motorcycle running over a chainsaw?) and a clumsy orchestral collaboration of Tchiakovsky's "Pathetique No. 6" in which drummer Brian Davision is so far down in the mix, he sounds like he is playing pie tins. The album rounds out with a particularly good rendition of Bob Dylan's "Country Pie" merged with J.S. Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto No.6" and one lousy studio track, "One Of Those People" which sounds like a song about incest, thuggery or both.

All in all an interesting period piece and certainly much more successful than Deep Purple's orchestral collaboration from the same time period. Recommended for early progressive rock devotees and established fans of the Nice.

The battle to determine the best rock band ever (certainly of the progressive rock era) was settled many years ago. However, very few people knew about the outcome. I count myself among those unfortunates who were left out of the loop by an uncommunicative rock label that had THE NICE under contract. This album may very well be the equivalent of the super weapon that ended W.W.II. Again, an example of when very few people knew what had happened. It took a large communication effort to let the world know. To convert the barbarian hordes of singleminded drones that adore the tired gods of progressive rock is my life's work.

I feel the daunting task of what looms before. Even now I can feel the massing of gigantic armies to divert (nay prevent) me from my righteous quest to communicate to the world the good words: "THE NICE are the masters of the Progressive Rock universe". One listen to the FIVE BRIDGES album could be all that is needed but it is a sneeky opus. My task with this expanded edition CD is made even easier. But I would still wholeheartedly accept the commission if given only the original vinyl pressing. My favorite song of the last year is contained herein. "Country Pie/Brandenburg Concierto No. 5". I can't imagine live without it. And yet, with those words, I am only increasing the array of enemies that will form an axis against my undertaking. Their very worst complaint does no harm against the magnificent armor that protects my enterprise. The voice of bassist/vocalist Lee Jackson, so often maligned by those who have no inkling of what it's like being the first at the beginning of a movement, a style, a new creation. Certainly there are more pleasant voices. But are there perfectly balanced vocals with the subject and the content? The rough edges are an actual advantage, not a hinderance to this music.

Nation building (in this case actual world construction on a planetary scale) has never been an easy task. With regards to THE NICE the job is not made any easier by the tools at hand. A label that was more of a handicap than a promotional tool. Production values that were handled by peers more accustomed to the Bee Gees than to Beethoven.

If you have never heard a single note by THE NICE, you are in for a treat of a lifetime. I know that each new listener will join my small, ragtag group and will happily accompany us to the fires of Mt. Doom, to throw in the old script: "that of the tired dinosaur bands ruling the progressive universe". Specially when I bring out another arrow from my quiver, "High Level Fugue 4th Bridge". Lesser songs have sent men off to war. With this song you will feel the need to leave your job and family, or school and your girl and take off on a quest to make new converts.

I still have not used some of the powerful arsenal, "Pathetique (Symphony No. 6. 3rd Movement)" nor other secret weapons. Best to save them for the final battle. The forces aligning against us are very large. Let us only use the charming "One Of Those People", or one of the other "Bridge" sections against any large host of anit-Nice storm troopers. Or we can still use the awesome "intermezzo "Karelia Suite" and have smooth sailing until the final conflict.

I have left my comfortable home at bag end and set out on my ultimate objective of having THE NICE rule them all.
Five Bridges (2009 Digital Remaster + Bonus Tracks)

I bought the original LP on vinyl in 69 or 70 when I was in Europe. I loved it, particularly the cover of Dylan's Country Pie. That song has run in and out of my head for 40 years. I didn't think I'd ever find the recording again after losing it when relocating back to the states. Amazing. It's here and better than ever with the remastering.

Over those past 40 years, my passion for music expanded to include classical as well as rock and other genres. This album was part of that expansion, particularly Tchaikovsky's Pathetique. I thank Keith Emerson (and the other classically-trained rock musicians) for helping me investigate new areas.

Although I'll never play as well as Emerson or Greg Lake (I play bass and Hammond organ) they, along with those others, have been inspiration to me.

I'd recommend this remaster to anyone who heard The Nice or ELP in the 60s/70s, particularly those who heard the 5 Bridges Suite. It never sounded sweeter. (Bad pun...sorry.) Anyway, it's a great album, a great job of remastering and a steal at the mp3 download price.

The reissue with all the extra tracks is a bargain and shouldn't be missed - I will say right here and now that Lee Jackson was and is amazing. As a bass player and a singer. He was the first (I think) to get away from that murky deep bass tone and he used a Rick bass first (again, I think). If it weren't for Lee Jackson - everybody would still sound like Paul McCartney!!!
Back to the "Five Bridges" album - amazing sound quality - five stars for sure!

What you get here is a suite composed by Keith Emerson of Nice and backed by a symphony orchestra. I played this album 3 times after I recently got it. Then I played about 5 other art rock bands. I was trying to decide on material for an art rock theme show for a radio program that I do. Only the first track from this album made it into my show. I found myself enjoying the other 5 bands much better. Although this has some innovative and sometimes stunning music in it, there are some songs or transitions of songs that don't do well for me. The main drawback for me is the singing on this album. a good singer would have put this to five stars no problem. I'm sure this is a great buy for Nice fans. For others, such as myself who are just checking them out, it is in the second tier of art rock bands. I would suggest Kevin Deyoung's 2004 album live with symphony orchestra, ultimate Yes, and any number of Renaissance or Moody Blues albums for a first tier experience. You might want to check out some of the newer Night Wish or Within Temptation music as well.