S.F. SORROW

3.5 stars. This is a very significant and influencial album that was released in 1968. Regarded as the first Rock Opera, it's a concept album about one S.F. Sorrow and his life from the cradle to the grave. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and produced by Norman Smith who by then was working with PINK FLOYD but previously was with THE BEATLES. The music has a Psychedelic flavour but is often quite poppy as well, or maybe commercial sounding is a better way to put it. The songs I like the least are the commercial ones which sound way too much like THE BEATLES. In fact after just a few listens of this cd I was skipping certain tracks because I was already tired of them. Too bad because there's a lot on here that I do enjoy.

"SF Sorrow Is Born" opens with strummed guitar then it settles in with vocals quickly. Backing vocals on the chorus. Not a fan of this one. "Bracelets Of Fingers" is very BEATLES-like just before a minute. I do like the short instrumental section a minute later. An okay tune. "She Says Good Morning" is a catchy BEATLES-like song. Quite poppy and a real toe-tapper. Some nice distorted guitar before 2 minutes. "Private Sorrow" is different. Acid soaked psychedelia. A calm with spoken words after 3 minutes with marching styled drums. "Balloon Buring" is my favourite. I like the repeated guitar line with those dreamy vocals. It becomes an uptempo burner.

"Death" is mealncholic with vocals and an interesting soundscape. "Baron Saturday" is maybe my least favourite. Catchy and very BEATLES-like. "The Journey" is laid back but it then picks up. It's more aggressive before 2 minutes to the end. "I See You" is my other favourite tune. It's that Psychedelic flavour including the lyrics and I love the guitar late to end it. Great track. "Well Of Destiny" is a short piece that builds to the end. "Trust" is a vocal track with harmonies. "Old Man Going" has some excellent guitar and the vocals are softer in the chorus. "Loneliest Person" is the ballad-like closer.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a slew of 5 star reviews for this one. There's something about Proto-Prog and concept albums that I generally don't like. Combine the two and it's a tough sell. Still I recognize the influence of this release.

Glad to see this album finally added, a concept album of epic proportions, at times better than even Tommy whom it is said gained alot of influence from good ol' S.F. Sorrow.

The Pretty Things truly but the rock in rock opera and made the practice a regularity in rock music. While some look down upon this album because "Sgt Pepper was the first rock opera" (puhlease, it's hardly got a concept) S.F. Sorrow is an emotional journey that absolutely stuns the listener, psychedelic greatness with a story behind it. Isn't that pretty progressive?

Either way, Sorrow's tale of losing everything and eventually become the "Loneliest Person" is one of those where you know there's a personal metaphor and it makes the listener have to make up his own, for me, that's one of the best things a rock opera can do. Each song is well crafted and song transitions (you have no idea how important those are to me) are flawless. After maybe three listens every song on this record will be stuck in your head. No exaggeration, it happened to me.

I think I'll give this five stars because, honestly, it started something great when it itself was an amazing record that had a large part in starting the progressive rock era of music.

The live version they did awhile later with David Gilmour is also a top notch record with story interludes to further explain the action of the rock opera. Very cool stuff.

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.

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.

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.

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.]

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*)