THE PRETTY THINGS

Review Nº 735

The Pretty Things is a British rock band formed in London in the earliest of the 60's. They seemed like rivals to The Rolling Stones at the time. Their guitarist Dick Taylor played bass in the first incarnation of The Rolling Stones, not long before he teamed up with Phil May to form The Pretty Things in 1963. But Taylor tired of bass, left it to concentrate on art. Soon, he was convinced by fellow Sidcup Art School student May to form The Pretty Things. The duo brought in the bassist John Stax, guitarist Brian Pendleton and drummer Pete Kitley. The latter would soon be replaced by Viv Prince.

The Pretty Things was one of the pioneer bands of what became known, in the 60's, as the British Rock Invasion. But, The Pretty Things was a band that never got the recognition that they deserved like many contemporary countrymen such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who. However, despite this lack of recognition, they were never quite ignored. They were able of cultivating a passionate following cult of fans that stuck with them through the decades, a cult that was drawn to either their early albums, especially their great masterwork "S.F. Sorrow". The Pretty Things shifted a bit with the times but despite these changes in style, they rarely racked up hits on either side of the Atlantic.

The Pretty Things is the band responsible for the first rock opera album, which was "S.F. Sorrow" and not "Tommy" of The Who. "S.F. Sorrow" was recorded on the legendary Abbey Road studios, six months after "Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band" of The Beatles and "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" of Pink Floyd. It was highly acclaimed by the public and critics. It's been said that Pete Townshend was influenced by "S.F. Sorrow" to write "Tommy" one year later.

"S.F. Sorrow" is a conceptual album. It tells the story of Sebastian F. Sorrow, a sort of a British common man from cradle to grave, whose beleaguered life is mired in tragedy and misfortune. The tale and the songs are a bit downbeat and no amount of scrutiny can disguise the fact that the rock opera "S.F. Sorrow" is, ultimately, a bit confusing effort. But if it helped to inspire "Tommy", it was already worth it, although Townshend has claimed it had no influence on his writing. The narrative of "S.F. Sorrow" is different from others in the rock opera concept genre. While "Tommy" and "The Wall" relay their concept through the lyrics of their songs, the Pretty Things tell the bulk of the story through small paragraph-like chapters which were printed in the liner notes of the LP and the CD, alternating with the song's lyrics.

"S.F. Sorrow" isn't an album with a great load of melodies as we can see on others and there isn't a single instantly memorable riff or a single smashing vocal melody on the album. But, it's the incredible and exciting atmosphere all over the album that one just has to soak in. In a certain way, "S.F. Sorrow" takes a little bit of everything Britain was living on at the time, pop, psychedelia, hard rock, magic and mystery, illusions and naiveness, beauty and ugliness. In the songs, we can feel everything that the band raised on, the Beatlesque harmonies, Rolling Stones grittiness, Kinks humbleness, Hendrix guitars, and early Pink Floyd schizophrenia, and, what's more, lots of things that would follow on.

"S.F. Sorrow Is Born" features intricate acoustic bending, driving rhythm, and vibrant flourishes. "Bracelets of Fingers" begins with a vocal harmony and precedes a standard rock format. "She Says Good Morning" livens up the mood and carries a rich sound. "Private Sorrow" is a march-like psychedelic beat. It has nice vocals and is quite complex. "Balloon Burning" is a hard-rock upbeat. It has great guitar and nice vocals. "Death" has a harrowing, eerie and melancholic atmosphere thanks to the doom-like blues riff. It's a dark instrumental. "Baron Saturday" is an eccentric track with quality. "The Journey" starts with its weave of acoustic and electric guitars before going out with an acid trip in the ending. "I See You" enhances the mood with its slow, lumbering rhythm augmented by haunting vocals and a scathing lead guitar. "Well Of Destiny" disturbs the brooding effect of the previous tracks and transitions into the piano song, "Trust". "Old Man Going" is a true high point with a touch of glam-rock. It has great guitar work and gentle choral work. "Loneliest Person" is the ballad-like closer that uses a pretty acoustic arrangement. It's nice, simple and mellow.

Conclusion: It's usual to think that "Tommy" was the first rock opera, but actually, "S.F. Sorrow" was the first one. I'm not getting into the discussion if "S.F. Sorrow" is most important than "Tommy" is. But, it's clear to me that, since "S.F. Sorrow" came out first, Townshend was influenced by the storyline and the concept. If you think that "S.F. Sorrow" has no pretensions and no bombast as opposed to Townshend's project, don't believe it. This is an equally mystical and convoluted story with a plot that's even harder to guess. While the subject matter of "S.F. Sorrow" be a wee bit more grounded, the overall message is even less clear than of "Tommy". It's a pity that "S.F Sorrow" be an underrated work. I really think that took a lot of guts for The Pretty Things make an album so out of sync with the times, and the collective imagination that went into its creation. It's really hard to deny the validity of its message and the strength of its music.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 705

After more than forty five years of continuous service, The Pretty Things remains a significant challenging force in rock and roll. Despite their veteran status, their contemporary relevance, unchanged energy and inspirational commitment, they inspire emerging generations of new artists and young fans, whilst retaining their devoted fanatical core fan base.

The Pretty Things were one of the toughest and most celebrated bands to rise from the so called British Rock Invasion era. They're among the very best British R&B bands of the 60's. Despite this lack of public recognition, they were never quite ignored, cultivating a passionate following that stuck with them through the decades till our days as a cult band. Still, they never achieved the status of their contemporary countrymen, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

"Parachute" was an album made and about the large transitions in the culture of the Western society and in the popular music itself in general between the end of the 60's and the beginning of the 70's. The music reflected the transitions that were taking place in that popular culture. Those transitions made that music fans listened to all kinds of music. Rock splintered into its various sub-genres during the 70's. And somehow, we can say that in the music of The Pretty Things we can see that transition between "S.F. Sorrow" and "Parachute". While "Parachute" is surely less innovative than its predecessor "S.F. Sorrow" is, maybe it shows The Pretty Things at their most mature, lyrically and musically.

At the time of the release of "Parachute" the reviews about it were positive and the album was a most successful album than its predecessor "S.F. Sorrow" was. But, despite the critical validation, "Parachute" didn't exactly turn The Pretty Things into household names or boost them to the forefront of those emerging from The Beatle shadow. Though, I can't think of another album that captured the transition from the 60's to the 70's as well as "Parachute". The album features some of the best melodic rock, while integrating the heavier riff-based guitar rock that would dominate the early 70's.

"Parachute" is similar to "S.F. Sorrow" in its ambition. It's divided into two sides, and each one is different. The first side is a suite comprising of short pop rock songs and the second is longer bluesy material. The band shows their presumably hard rock roots having some gruff sound. There's also some psychedelic influence too. The album can also sound tender and tuneful as well. While the album has a pretty similar sound, this aspect keeps it from getting boring.

The first side, the suite, captures a lot of moods and a story line. The songs are catchy and stand out individually, though they're all pretty short. "Scene One" is a tense number guided by harmony vocals, rumbling bass and a bluesy wiry guitar line. "The Good Mr. Square" follows and relieves the tension with a pleasant acoustic guitar shuffle and catchy, amiable bass guitar, with psychedelic harmony vocals and an ornate horn. "She Was Tall, She Was High" follows right after and is just tremendously catchy, with guitars imitating sitars, a punchy blues-pop riff and a horn. "In The Square" contrasts with its melancholic tune containing harmony vocals and a stately, clean electric guitar line, with a mourning sitar coming in, sounding kind of bluesy. "The Letter" is a cheery sounding song with a nice keyboard line and the guitar line is catchy with fun drumming as well and plaintive vocals. "Rain" is a gripping blues rocker with catchy background vocals and passionate guitar playing. It's the conclusion of the suite even with clapping at the end.

"Miss Fay Regrets" opens up the second side, which are just songs. It features bass, drums and guitar as the vocals join in this up tempo tune. "Cries From The Midnight Circus" is a nervous blues rocker with a great vibe with its bass line running throughout the song. "Grass" is a melancholic bluesy with gruff yet pretty vocals and a guitar line which is almost funky with a depressive solo. "Sickle Clowns" is another six minute song, but it's pretty similar to "Midnight Circus", maybe a bit poppier. "She's A Lover" is a neat song with some nice almost falsetto vocals and an aggressive acoustic guitar riff going throughout. "What's The Use" is a short song which sounds almost ambient with its piano playing. "Parachute" is a bluesy majestic melancholic piece, a fine way to end the album with its soaring guitar work.

Conclusion: "Parachute" is a wonderful multi-layered listening experience filled with excellent musicianship, superb vocals and lyrics that teem with meaning. It's a great rock album where the sound quality is fantastic. It's not as adventurous and psychedelic as "S.F. Sorrow" is, but it's interesting in its own genre too. In my opinion, "Parachute" is probably their best album behind "S.F.Sorrow". It's their hardest rocking album and their best produced album, has some of their best songs, great harmonies. good segues into each song and fantastic musicianship and lead vocals. All combined together, make of it a really super solid album, a very memorable album. "Parachute" along with "S.F. Sorrow" are undoubtedly two of the most underrated and forgotten albums in the history of popular rock music. How bold and creative these two albums were at the time and how unknown they are even today. It blows my mind, indeed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The second studio album by London near-Beat, Rhythm-n-Blues-meets-Garage-Rock darlings, The Pretty Things, Get The Picture? is still very much of their earlier era, bluesy, yet clearly set in Garage Rock England. We are yet to see even hints of clear Psychedelia (perfected for them in S. F. Sorrow, 1968).

"You Don't Believe Me" is our opener, a good 'Picture' into this band's earlier sound: well-performed, earworm, R'n'B-inflected Garage Rock. This song was actually co-written with would-be Zeppelin guitarist and would-be Yardbird, Jimmy Page. "Buzz the Jerk" is a pretty standard groovy, bluesy Garage Rock song, comparable, I find, to contemporaries The Small Faces. Sure there's some lowlight material on here, too, like the head-boppin', but ultimately static number, and title track, "Get The Picture?".

"Can't Stand the Pain" feels like it has elements from an Ennio Morricone-penned soundtrack for classic Spaghetti Westerns, like A Fistful of Dollars, mixed with a garagey post-Rockabilly feel. Reverb-soaked and twangy is "Rainin' In My Heart", a blues number.

Back into the groovy, this time maybe most reminiscent of the Stones, is "We'll Play House". There's not a whole lot to say here, as these songs are pretty straightforward and only differentiate themselves by tone and specific composition. Clearly a highlight in comparison, though, is "You'll Never Do It Baby" [What is this? That "You won't" meme? hahahaha... Anyways...]. Real great Rock number with a sweet beat and an awesome guitar solo from the great Dick Taylor.

Back to the straight n' boring Blues with "I Had A Dream"... "I Want Your Love" on the other hand has a good rhythm and some fun group vocals. Would fit real nice in the canon of '60s Pop Rock, for sure. "London Town" is back to the low and slow, with a sort of stripped back Folk Rock. We're back into R'n'B territory then on "Cry To Me". Decent song, just static. I guess we can say that what sets this apart from Merseybeat of the same period (and just before) is its lo-fi nature: It's very clearly categorized into 'Garage Rock' overall. This is clear, too, in our next track, "Gonna Find Me A Substitute". Pretty good, groovin' track. Decent guitar solo here. And this here is where the original LP ended (2.5/5.0). Onto the Bonus Tracks!

"Get A Buzz" is another rocker. I guess now that I'm thinkin' about it, as we keep goin', Garage Beat could ultimately be a thing haha; this would fit the bill. "Sittin' All Alone" is slow but groovin', as they sometimes do. A bit of boogie-woogie then on "Midnight to Six Man", a decent rock track. Good a time as ever to praise the drummer here and on, Twink. Killer performer. "Me Needing You" isn't much to sneeze at... We're back in the garage with the heavier "Come See Me". Pretty boring though, to me. Finally, we have "L.S.D." It was also just alright. And so that's it.

True Rate: 2.5/5.0 | Even in their earlier years, I feel they've done better. If anything, the LP proper, pre-bonus tracks, was a hair better.

It's no Revolver, but it's certainly on the level, to me, of other classic Psychedelic and Art Rock masterworks, such as Odessey and Oracle (The Zombies, 1968) and The Who Sell Out (The Who, 1967), so... it's still a damn essential if you have any self-respect (I kid... I think). No image of perfection itself, but possessing some perfect, must-hear tracks from the greatest Freak minds around--a lot of these are or should be in my regular circulation: "She Says Good Morning", "Baron Saturday", "Trust" and "Walking Through My Dreams". Likely my fifth time listening all the way through this album (a rarity at this point in my life), I find new things to love and appreciate each time. It's so rich and I hope you enjoy it as I have.

Our most early, true-blue concept album here begins with the fun, celebratory and nearly regal "S.F. Sorrow Is Born": sweet, classic orchestration, memorable verses and an awesome acoustic guitar solo. The stereo split of voice and all else nearing the close of the track is a classic Psychedelic trope, and here I honestly feel it fits really well. This is followed by the beautiful group vocals of "Bracelets Of Fingers" amidst some more bizarro, psychedelic mixing. It rolls in low and slow and anticipatory... Then the verse comes in with wonderfully memorable melody and still that sparse, off mix: voices on the right, instrumentation on the left. I really really like this effect, but I'm sure it's not for everyone; on an individual level, I'm trying to keep this in mind for my rating (still 'Excellent' to me).

One of my all-time favorite tracks and, most recently, back in my regular circulation of favorites is the more straight, yet still Psych-soaked Power Pop number, "She Says Good Morning". Awesome melodies, group harmonies and instrumentation, this is our first example that, to me, is a Guitar Pop 101 course. It pretty nicely also fits the bill to place them among the best of Freakbeat, too (The Creation, The Action, The Attack, Fleur De Lys). We get our first taste of what I would consider true Proto-Prog in the minimal, reeds-forward "Private Sorrow". Despite that consideration, it's never been a favorite of mine. It is still a forward-driving, well constructed and well produced track. Trying not to let my bias to love all of these songs get in the way: still, very nearly excellent [This is one of two glaringly weaker tracks in the grand scheme]. It is at the end of this song that we get an alphabetical spoken list of those 'Missing In Action', before we get to hear whether or not "Private Sorrow" is among their ranks... Spooky, honestly. Fitting in this sort of creep is the very heavy and intense "Balloon Burning"... Awesome guitar riffage and simple vocal melody here. Not one of the most interesting compositionally, but will definitely keep your attention with its perpetual 'burning'. Amazing, really, how much has occurred compositionally in just these first 5 tracks.

Then, we get a different sort of creeping track with the low and dark "Death", the narrator singing eerily distant and muffled. Great effect. Great psychedelic dirge. You just don't hear much of anything like this one... And then we're back to some light of day on the impeccable must-hear "Baron Saturday". You have that classic, by then likely cliché Edwardian sort of introductory verse. The vocals on the refrain are just excellent, especially Phil May's strong and brutal delivery. Following the second chorus we get a bizarre, rolling and vigorous percussion section. It's so driving and lasts perfectly long (ya know how these sort of solo sections can drag on). Twink is good like that. Likely also on percussion here is John Povey, the organist (who really shines here on that instrument as well); Povey is also their sitarist.

Not quite as infectious, but delicious still, is "The Journey", with impeccable group vocal harmonies. Fantastic in this case. All atop simple acoustic guitar and wavering, occasioned bass. In the second half is this sweet build with distant voices and crashing drums and electric guitar. Huge and wild. Wonderfully juxtaposed is the soft, descriptive "I See You", a solo vocal over 'Ringo drag' and otherwise steady accompaniment. A more straightforward number, this honestly has quite a lot to offer. The mix here and there, as when all instruments do in fact come in, is wild and fittingly unnerving, especially at the end as it builds and builds with a haunting, demented vocal. It crashes into nothingness as "Well of Destiny" follows. Very eerie echoes... This is years before Pink Floyd, for instance, did anything quite like it.

I would say 'finally', but here we are at probably my absolute favorite track from the whole affair, the most excellent "Trust". Despite being a Pop Rock song, it texturally has so much to offer, such as the flute-like mellotron that hangs there in space during the verses and Twink's rolling drums and other percussive persuasions. And then wooooof.... The bridge is just so satisfying. Unreal. I'm a real sucker for a well-constructed and earwormy bridge section... "Old Man Going" has a classic Psychedelic feel. But then, before minute 1 breaks, the verse comes in and it's basically early Heavy Metal, which is saying a lot for the time. I certainly don't recall picking up on that before this listen. So heavy. So cool. It builds and swells nearing the middle to a fairly straight, fuzz'd out solo from Taylor. In comparison, I don't think they could have come up with a more stark pairing than they had with "Loneliest Person" to follow. Pretty, but very melancholic, as one should assume ("Yes, you might be the loneliest person in the world. / You'd never be as lonely as me."). What's most depressing is that this is how the original LP ends... on this demoralized note. What do you think? haha.

It's back into the Psychedelic swing of things with the trance-inducing "Defecting Grey". This feel does not last, as the Proto-Metal returns. So heavy and intense. The vocals are great too. I really don't remember anything this heavy being on this album, as already stated. I think that should be hard to forget after this time... Maybe. The harmony vocals on the second verse are so tasty. I have always enjoyed this song. Following that second verse, definitely pay attention to the instrumentation, like the keys. Refrain, half a third verse, heavy wildness, second half of that third verse and then it's a drunken pub song, or something haha. Very entertaining. Definitely check it out.

We are truly on the backend now. A bit more straightforward but still nicely psychedelic is "Mr. Evasion", with sort of Doors-esque organ. And then back to two of my favorites from the album, starting with "Talkin' About the Good Times", and it's just amazing they had all this great to fantastic material that was originally left off... Truly amazing... This one is perhaps a bit more straight than some of what we had heard before, but a great Psychedelic Rock track with a great refrain. The final chorus ends with these sweet but spacy Beach Boys-type group harmonies. And then Ringo-drag galore! I'm in love hahaha. Finally-finally, we have another, as I mentioned at the start, of my all-time favorites: "Walking Through My Dreams". This song is another Psych-Pop-Rock number that must be heard. Fantastic melodies and fun, straight-ahead musicianship. It's a way of life haha.

And that's it: that is one of my all-time favorite Psychedelic, Proto-Prog releases. Check 'er on out!

True Rate: 4.5/5.0 [Another rare exception to round up from a half-star rating.]

Of all the outstanding British pop rock bands that took the world by storm, it's always surprising when you discover that there were a great number of absolutely brilliant bands that never found much success at all despite crafting some of the best music of all time! THE PRETTY THINGS is one such band from the greater London (Sidcup to be specific) area that never got their just dessert in their day. While the band formed in 1963 and crafted a familiar sounding British rhythm & blues garage rock sound laced with the more psychedelic aspects of a small genre called freakbeat, the band was sort of labeled as a Rolling Stones clone due to the similarity in catchy melodies and a vocal style from lead singer Phil May that did indeed sound a bit like Mick Jagger but to my ears THE PRETTY THINGS were a much superior band in crafting excellent pop rock albums that were consistent all the way through instead of the lopsided ones of the Stones. Who says life is fair?

While not finding a larger audience during their 60s peak, THE PRETTY THINGS have become best known for their fourth album S.F. SORROW which is credited as being one of the very first rock opera albums although it wasn't billed as such upon its release. While it seems the first true rock opera was from the one shot band The Family Tree which released "Miss Butters" in May 1968, that album still remains somewhat of an obscurity whereas S.F. SORROW has gained much more respect over the decades since its initial release. This album that was released in December 1968 seems to have been the primary influence behind The Who's "Tommy" which emerged the very next year although the band has denied any such influences and it is true that "Tommy" was indeed the very first album that was actually released as a rock opera. Nevertheless, S.F. SORROW to my ears is a far superior album as far as unrelenting perfection with one infectious melodic hook after another graced with some of the coolest grooviliscious psychedelic effects.

The story was concocted by lead singer Phil May and the album is structured as a song cycle with the main character Sebastian F. Sorrow experiencing the trials and tribulations of life from birth to death. S.F. SORROW was also quite different from other rock operas that followed in that other albums that followed narrated a tale through the song lyrics whereas this one told much of the story through small paragraphs-sized chapters where appeared in the liner notes of the vinyl LP and later on the CD which alternated with the lyrics of the actual songs. That means this was a true multi-media experience where the visual artwork of the album operated in tandem with the audio performances. While The Beatles upped the art rock ante with 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club," a legion of new artists quickly adapted an artier approach to their music with THE PRETTY THINGS being one of the more inventive of the era.

The original album consisted of 13 tracks with the opening "S.F. Sorrow Is Born" which immediately sets the stage for an entirely new direction for the band that as recently as the prior 1967 release "Emotions" still found the band to be a decent but still somewhat derivative Stones pop rock band but on S.F. SORROW all those failures of the past had simply transmogrified into sheer musical perfection with a concept that added an entirely new dimension to the music's depth, something fairly new in the world of rock music. Instead of cranking up the volume ever louder, THE PRETTY THINGS learned the art of dynamics and how to alternate softer passages with louder ones for greater effect. Added to that a stellar production job from Norman Smith who had been responsible for The Beatles albums up until 1965 and then moved on to get his feet wet in the burgeoning world of psychedelic rock with Pink Floyd's earliest works.

S.F. SORROW is one of those albums that you hit play and simply cannot opt out until the entire album runs its course. For newer releases on CD this includes the bonus tracks such as "Deflecting Grey" and "Talkin' About The Good Times" which were released as non-album singles, an annoying but common record label policy back in those days. As S.F. SORROW progresses from one track to others, there is an incessant parade of varying percussive beats, infectious melodic grooves directed by the bass playing skills of Wally Waller and interesting guitar leads that break out of nowhere making this one of the first albums i'm aware of that seriously focused on alternating styles, rhythms and dynamics to bring out a tidal wave of emotive reactions. Added to the overall storyline and the instantly addictive melodies, S.F. SORROW also strategically breaks out the psychedelic big guns with trippy organ parts as well as atmospheric extras generated through the mellotron and raga rock appearances of the sitar.

Melodically THE PRETTY THINGS dropped the Stones comparisons and focused more on the rich pop-infused hooks and harmonies of The Beatles coupled with the spacier layers of sound from Pink Floyd. This combo effect was triumphant and the album is literally flawless in its execution both sounding like it was spawned in the late 60s from whence it came yet exudes a timelessness that makes this sound fresh and relevant even in a world when such sugary melodies and easy listening pop music has been tainted with atonality and experimental avant-garde touches. Although i've heard of this album for years i didn't really get into until recently and once i gave it a spin a couple times i was utterly hooked. The album has catapulted up to my top albums of all time due to its irresistible hooks laced with psychedelic brilliance. While THE PRETTY THINGS have many great albums, this is where they hit sheer perfection with the perfect marriage of lyrical content, seductive mellifluousness and psychedelic inventiveness. A true masterpiece of the ages that has finally gotten the recognition it deserves.

A very good one by the Things, even when not peaking at the high end of the "progresiveness" scale. But this isn't a merely pop affair either. There's a fine band interplay permeating the whole album, with the possible exception of the 2nd track "Havana Bound", mostly a simple-minded rock'n'roll workout.

Already with the opener you have sensible and expert managing of pace and signature, involving a rythm section wanting to be much more than a simple back up base for the rest of the band. Then comes 03 Peter, an accoustic gem with exquisitely idiosyncratic vocal harmonies and nice chello counterpoint. From there, it segues directly into 04 Rip Off Train, going up to a more lively mid-tempo over an enjoyable accoustic strumming. Track 05 Over The Moon is probably the most identifiable, and surely the most prog-tinged piece of music here, showing strong vocals, fair melody, and excellent classical strings arrangement towering up to the end.

From that point on, just skip 06 Religion's Dead and 09 Onion Soup, and you'll be OK (or don't skip anything, if you sign in for some tasty & serious rock'n'roll guitar playing).

S.F. Sorrow is a unique album and is in my top 10 favourite 60's albums, if I don't count the Beatles ;-) I don't care about the fact if it's the first rock opera or not, I am focused on the music only and ignore lyrics or concept themes. After the previous efforts, especially the R&B, which I regard pretty standard, this was a 180-degree turn and the music is pretty ambitious, serious and inventive. You may think of Sgtpepper's hearts club band and there are indeed parallels - Lennon's-like singing, similar psychedelic trickery, piano/drums/bass that shares similarities to those by the Beatles. However, Pretty Things, not being under pressure to delivery commercially friendly music, could expand the territory and experimentation further than the Beatles. The producing engineer was George Martin's affiliate and he learnt many great things.

I like Sgtpepper's hearts club band a lot but it may sound overproduced sometimes in expense of sounding live. Pretty Things still put major focus on playing and psychedelic effects.

Apart from the usual rock instruments, you can hear Mellotron, organ, sitar, also overdubbed violins - the same way Beatles did.

The first track is rather conventional but good get used to the new shape of things. "Bracelets of fingers" has Lennon- similar vocal, inventive bass motive in the 3/4 pattern. Band also presents good mastery of vocal harmonies, sitar playing. A fantastic psychedelic track. "She said good morning" is in the same manner - you will notice also rhythm changes and the bass guitar very audible in the mix. "Private Sorrow" has Tremeloes vocal harmonies and quite complex semi-progressive rhythm pattern - watch out for sitar and flute enhancements! One of the most progressive tracks on the album. "Balloon burning" is a hard-rock upbeat great and more straightforward number. Highlighted can be semi-jazz rhythm guitar and a nice guitar solo. "Death" is a creepy dark mainly instrumental song with percussions - it sounds like a tribal song, outside of western world. "Baron Saturday" is one of my favourites with the typical psychedelia rhythm section, Beatles-like piano and Lennon singing. Pay attention to the middle nice and intensive drum solo. "Journey" is a break from heavy stuff - a mix between folk and psychedelia style.

"I see you" has a haunting melody, Ringo Starr's like drumming. Could it be considered a rock ballad? Due to mellotron and atmosphere, I see links to the Moody Blues.

"Trust" is one of the closest clones to Beatles by Pretty Things. "Loneliest person" is a nice mellow reflective track, the simplest on the album as it consists of acoustic guitar and vocal. "Defecting Grey" brings us back to the psychedelia world, this time it's quite a dream world, piano and sitar are nice additions to the sound. "Mr. Evasion" is a rocking number with psychedelia vocals. "Talking 'bout good times" is with "I see you" the most haunting songs augmented with mellotron - excellent vocals and melody. The extended instrumental section is worth exploring too. The swang song of this area is again a Beatlesque song on a positive note: "Walking through my dreams" - some part of vocals remind of Ozzy Osbourne, although he would come to the stage later on ;)

Great achievement of the experimental British psychedelia and the recommended one to explore for a prog- man/woman but Beatles fans of their 66-68 era will find enough pleasure, too.

In a 1998 New York Times article, Neil Strauss said that S.F. Sorrow 'is generally acknowledged as the first rock opera.' Maybe things were different twenty years ago, but unfortunately, I don't really think S.F. Sorrow is 'generally acknowledged.'

In some ways, S.F. Sorrow sounds exactly like an album from 1968. I don't have the technical vocabulary to explain this other to say that the soundscape feels confined, as if the technology limited the band's ability to realize their vision - - but at the same time, we have a pretty good idea of what that vision must've been. On the other hand, S.F. Sorrow had to have seemed a little ambitious and risky for what had theretofore been a blues-based pop/rock band.

At least at the time it was released, S.F. Sorrow must've invited comparisons to the Beatles, and by extension, the Beach Boys. It may have been 'the first rock opera,' but it wasn't the first rock concept album, and there are definitely echoes of 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' here. But there must've been a lot of cross-pollination, as there's a lot in common with contemporaneous recordings by the Moody Blues and Tommy James and the Shondells, and on the poppier material here, the vocals aren't all that different from, say, the Lovin' Spoonful or the Buckinghams.

But a lot of the material here is not especially poppy. A fair chunk of S.F. Sorrow is more experimental than Sgt. Pepper or Pet Sounds. For example, there's genuine musique concr'te throughout, in substantial quality and quantity. Tape manipulation is used to achieve pitch changes and synchronized delay effects long before digital techniques made these common. And the mixing is creative: often, the vocals are almost buried, challenging the listener to pay closer attention. This unorthodoxy is especially clear when the songs recorded for S.F. Sorrow are compared to those drawn from the same pool, but recorded for release as singles or for radio airplay. (On remastered reissues of S.F. Sorrow, several of these are appended to the original album.) A notable exception to this is the album's closing track, 'Loneliest Person,' which - - probably intentionally - - sounds completely different from the foregoing. Gone are the layered instruments and vocals, the heavy audio effects, and the edgy rock atmosphere which prefigured Black Sabbath more than once. 'Loneliest Person' is performed in what sounds like one take, featuring just an acoustic guitar and dry vocals. This starkness seems to fit with the album's storyline; in the end, the protagonist is, as the song goes, 'the loneliest person in the world.'

The material is strong throughout the album. This work is intended to be experienced more as an album than a compilation of songs - - after all, the standalone songs were recorded separately. But a few numbers stand out: 'S.F. Sorrow is Born,' 'Private Sorrow,' and 'Baron Saturday,' the latter reminding me of the Moody Blues' 'Legend of a Mind' reinterpreted as. John Lennon song. But the real standout here, and a good representation of S.F. Sorrow as a whole, is 'Balloon Burning,' a detached reminiscence of observing the destruction of the Hindenburg and the fiery death of one of its passengers.

S.F. Sorrow meets the definition of "proto-prog," but it's also heavily psychedelic; and while it's not at all a heavy-metal album, it has passages whose heaviness goes beyond that typical of Vanilla Fudge or Iron Butterfly. Like the music of those early heavy-metal bands, these passages aren't particularly slow or blues-based. And S.F. Sorrow also represents a transition from the Sgt. Pepper era to what is now regarded as 1970s progressive rock - - thus, much of what made S.F. Sorrow groundbreaking also makes it sound dated. Whereas the Beatles may have had to temper their technological ambitions to ensure a high-quality sound, the Pretty Things were willing to sacrifice sound quality to create a work which wasn't quite achievable at the time.

Nonetheless, S.F. Sorrow is an excellent album which, despite its practical shortcomings, is worthy of four stars for its concept, composition, and creativity.

With Dick Taylor jumping ship, Twink departing to kick off Pink Fairies, and S.F. Sorrow performing dismally as far as sales went, The Pretty Things had plenty of reason to be demoralised. One more Electric Banana album of library music to re-charge the band's coffers later, and they got back in the saddle with Parachute. Slightly less ambitious than S.F. Sorrow, Parachute opens with a dazzling side-long suite about subjects ranging from social conformity to romantic failure to rainy-day misery and beyond, whilst the second side offers a range of different songs in a remarkable range of styles. Moving beyond the Beatles influence which the previous album had show, Parachute finds the Pretty Things on absolutely top form and doesn't deserve to be neglected in the shadow of its more famous predecessor.

Ranking amongst the first narrative concept albums, S.F. Sorrow might not have a very well- explained plot, but musically it's downright fantastic, taking the most psychedelic moments of the Beatles (think Tomorrow Never Knows and the like) and bringing them to the next level. At some points the pulsating percussion on the album seems to offer a precedent for later drum and bass, whilst the acoustic closer Loneliest Person is downright haunting. At points a Kinks- and-Beatles-inspired product of its time, at other point years ahead of the rest of the pack, it's a fascinating musical trip and deserves its reputation as one of the keystone psychedelic albums of its era.