PARACHUTE

3.5 stars. After the disappointing sales for their previous album "S.F. Sorrow" the drummer left to join the PINK FAIRIES and the guitarist / vocalist and founder Dick Taylor also left. The latter was a significant blow to the band but 2 years after "S.F. Sorrow" they released "Parachute" in 1970. That BEATLES flavour is still strong but thankfully there is less of a commercial flavour, and for three straight songs (8-10) they sound like nobody but themselves and that section is the highlight for me.

The songs on the first side of the album all blend into one another. "Scene One" opens with an orchestral flavour then strummed guitar takes over with drums and vocals to follow. "The Good Mr. Square" is BEATLES-like especially the harmonies then a laid back soundscape with vocals takes over and blends into "She Was Tall, She Was High". What a great title. More passion on this one. "The Square" has acoustic guitar, piano and reserved vocals while "The Letter" is relaxed as well but gets fuller late with guitar. "Rain" is just that while "Miss Fay Regrets" features bass, drums and guitar as the vocals join in in this uptempo tune.

The next three tracks impress me simply because they don't sound like any other band. Okay "Cries from The Midnight Circus" does remind me of THE DOORS at times but this is darker and there's some nice guitar after 4 minutes as they seem to jam. "Grass" sounds like "Animals" era PINK FLOYD which of course was in the future at this point. A feel good but melancholic tune. "Sickle Clowns" has a great sounding rhythm as the vocals join in. I like the guitar late to end it as well. "She's A Lover" puts the focus on the vocals to start then it turns BEATLES-like after a minute then back to that earlier sound. "What's The Use" is very BEATLES-like while "Parachute" is the closer that sounds surprisingly like THE BEATLES.

If anything I like this better than "S.F. Sorrow" but it's still not very original sounding considering it's only 1970.

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.

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*)