The Pretty Things was preceded by Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys which consisted of Dick Taylor, fellow Sidcup Art College student Keith Richards, and Mick Jagger. When Brian Jones joined Little Boy Blue and the Blues Boys as guitarist, Taylor was pushed from playing guitar to bass and the Rolling Stones were formed.
Several months later Dick Taylor (born Richard Clifford Taylor, 28 January 1943, in Dartford, Kent) quit the newly formed Rolling Stones to pursue his schooling when he was accepted at London Central School of Art, where he met up with Phil May (born Phillip Arthur Dennis Kattner, on 9 November 1944, in Dartford, Kent: died 15 May 2020) and they formed Pretty Things.
Taylor was once again playing his preferred guitar with May singing and playing harmonica. They recruited Brian Pendleton (born 13 April 1944 in Wolverhampton–died 16 May 2001 in Maidstone, Kent) on rhythm guitar; John Stax (born John Edward Lee Fullegar, 6 April 1944 in Crayford, Kent) on bass; and, after trying a couple of different drummers, including Pete Kitley and Viv Andrews, stuck with Viv Prince (born Vivian St John Prince, 9 August 1944, in Loughborough, Leices).
Early career
They caused a sensation in England, and their first three singles — "Rosalyn" #41, "Don't Bring Me Down" #10, and the self-penned "Honey I Need" at #13 — appeared in the UK singles chart in 1964-1965. They never had a hit in the United States, but had considerable success in their native United Kingdom and in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands in the middle of the decade. However, in the U.S. they, along with The Yardbirds and Van Morrison's Them, were a huge influence on hundreds of garage bands, including the MC5 and The Seeds.
Their early material was hard-edged blues-rock influenced by Bo Diddley (they took their name from Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" in humorous contrast to their unkempt long-haired appearance) and Jimmy Reed, much like that of their contemporaries The Stones and The Yardbirds. They were known for wild "rock and roll" behaviour and shocking the establishment; their song "Midnight to Six Man" defined the mod lifestyle. Around this time, the first of what would be many personnel changes over the years also began, with Prince the first to go late in 1965. He was replaced by Skip Alan. Pendleton left late in 1966, and was not initially replaced. Then, Stax quit early in 1967 and Jon Povey and Wally Waller joined to make the band a five piece once again.
After an uncomfortable flirtation with mainstream pop on the Emotions album in 1967, they embraced psychedelia, producing the groundbreaking concept album S.F. Sorrow during 1967-68. This album, released in late 1968, is arguably one of the first rock operas, preceding The Who's Tommy by about a year. It was recorded in the legendary Abbey Road Studios six months after The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Each album shares a similar forward-thinking late-1960s psychedelic sound (as well as sharing the same record producer, Norman Smith, as the Floyd). S.F. Sorrow was followed by the highly-acclaimed record album Parachute, which continued the psychedelic sound and was named "Album of the Year" in 1970 by Rolling Stone Magazine. During this period they also recorded an album for a young French millionaire, Philippe DeBarge, which was intended only to be circulated among the man's social circle. The acetate has since been bootlegged.
Later career
From this point on, the group enjoyed less in the way of commercial success, but the devotion of a strong cult following, especially with critics and other rock musicians. Their material in the early 1970s tended towards more the hard rock and early heavy metal end of the spectrum, although still blues-based, on albums like Silk Torpedo. 1980's Cross Talk saw them incorporating influences of punk and New Wave into their hard rock sound; like most of their records, it was an artistic but not a commercial success.
With a new manager, Mark St John, they gigged sporadically during the 1980s. By the end of the decade their profile had almost disappeared, when founder members Phil May and Dick Taylor reformed the band for a successful European blues tour in late 1990 with Stan Webb's Chicken Shack and Luther Allison. This gigging outfit included drummer Hans Waterman (formerly of Dutch rock group Solution), bassist Roelf ter Velt and guitarist/keyboardist Barkley McKay (Waco Brothers and Pine Valley Cosmonaut's with Jon Langford of Mekon Fame). This line up regularly toured the European mainland playing a revitalised set that show cased their earlier, rootsy blues and r'n'b materiel, until late 1994. By 1995, they reformed the Cross Talk line-up and added Frank Holland on guitar in place of Peter Tolson. Their label, Snapper Music, issued remastered CDs with many bonus tracks, plus a DVD of a re-recording of S.F. Sorrow at Abbey Road Studios (with Dave Gilmour & Arthur Brown guesting). They toured more frequently, including a tour of the U.S. for the first time in decades
Original rhythm guitarist Brian Pendleton died of lung cancer on May 16, 2001.
In the early 2000's, they released new recordings, including a live album and the studio album Rage Before Beauty.
In 2003, Alan Lakey's biography of the band, Growing Old Disgracefully, was published by Firefly. The book dealt with the long and involved history of the band, and paid special attention to the legal proceedings issued against EMI in the 1990s.
The band did their final tour in 2018.
Baron Saturday
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sorrow, he'll show you games to play
He bends his mouth up to your ear
The words won't disappear
He'll take your eyes out for a ride
Through an eyeglass of tears it's not clear.
Oh! baron Saturday
'Neath a sky of milk
You're drinking silk
You've fast the runcible spoon
On satin plates
Young maidens wait
To be devoured in the glare of the moon.
Except for baron Saturday
Your life was cool
Good senses rule
Throw your life away.
Oh! baron Saturday
Let him steal your mind away
He'll show you the grave
Of someone who was saved
From living their life in a year
He'll show you the grave.
Of someone who was saved
From taking his life with a knife.
Except for baron Saturday
Your life was cool
Good senses rule
Throw your life away.
The Pretty Things's song Baron Saturday is a haunting and eerie depiction of the titular character, who is portrayed as a figure of death and decay. The song begins with a description of Baron Saturday as a malevolent being who offers "games to play" that are filled with sorrow and despair. The lyrics suggest that when one engages with Baron Saturday, they become lost in a surreal world where reality is distorted and unclear. The imagery of "an eyeglass of tears" and "white visions black, mister malady" reinforces the idea that the world Baron Saturday inhabits is filled with darkness, confusion, and pain.
The chorus of the song then introduces the idea that Baron Saturday is a purveyor of death and misery, and that his influence can lead one to throw their life away. The lyrics "except for Baron Saturday, your life was cool, good senses rule" suggest that once one has encountered the Baron, they are forever changed and their old way of life seems distant and unimportant. The second verse continues this theme, evoking the image of young maidens awaiting to be devoured in the light of the moon. The final lines of the song, "He'll show you the grave of someone who was saved from living their life in a year, he'll show you the grave of someone who was saved from taking his life with a knife" are perhaps the most chilling, as they suggest that Baron Saturday's influence can lead to both a life unlived or a life ended.
Overall, The Pretty Things's song Baron Saturday is a dark and ominous portrayal of death and decay, and the power that these concepts hold over us. The lyrics conjure up vivid imagery and offer a thought-provoking commentary on the nature of mortality and the fear that we all have of the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! baron Saturday
The song talks about Baron Saturday, who is the central character of the song, and addresses him directly.
Sorrow, he'll show you games to play
Baron Saturday can show you activities that are a lot of fun, but which may bring sorrow later.
He bends his mouth up to your ear
Baron Saturday speaks directly to you in a whisper.
The words won't disappear
Baron Saturday's words will stay with you.
He'll take your eyes out for a ride
Baron Saturday will show you things that will challenge what you thought you knew.
Through an eyeglass of tears it's not clear.
The things Baron Saturday will show you might be difficult to see or understand initially.
White visions black, mister malady
Baron Saturday can make you experience things in a way you have never experienced before.
'Neath a sky of milk
The sky is a milky-white color and represents a surreal environment.
You're drinking silk
This line conveys the idea of luxury and indulgence.
You've fast the runcible spoon
The use of 'runcible spoon' is meant to represent something odd or strange, and that by using such a spoon, you are engaging in strange behavior.
On satin plates
This is another symbol of luxury and indulgence.
Young maidens wait
This is a reference to something taboo or forbidden.
To be devoured in the glare of the moon.
This line only adds to the previous one's taboo implications, indicating that the young maidens will be eaten by someone or something under the moonlight's glare.
Except for baron Saturday
The song implies that without Baron Saturday, life would be dull or less exciting.
Your life was cool
The singer acknowledges that their life before they met Baron Saturday was ordinary.
Good senses rule
This line uses a rhyme to emphasize the importance of using good judgment when making decisions.
Throw your life away.
This line suggests that the listener should take risks or live life to the fullest, even if it means making mistakes.
Let him steal your mind away
This line again emphasizes that Baron Saturday can show you new ways of thinking and being.
He'll show you the grave
Baron Saturday can show you death or the consequences of your choices.
Of someone who was saved
This person might have made different choices or had Baron Saturday as their guide.
From living their life in a year
This person lived their life to the fullest in a short amount of time.
He'll show you the grave.
This line repeats from earlier, continuing to emphasize the point that Baron Saturday can show you the consequences of your choices.
Of someone who was saved
Again, this line suggests that this person might have led a different life or had Baron Saturday as their guide.
From taking his life with a knife.
This person might have committed suicide, and Baron Saturday might have helped them avoid that fate.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ALAN EDWARD WALLER, JOHN CHARLES ALDER, PHILIP ARTHUR DENNIS MAY, RICHARD CLIFFORD TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sam Waylen
For me,there are one or two things about this that intrigue me.
There are instrumental sounds coming out of my speakers that do not correspond to anything that the players on screen
appear to have been creating.
TWO SIMPLE EXAMPLES ARE THE TAMBOURINE AND THE FLUTE TOWARDS THE END OF THE SONG.
Does anyone out there know of anyone who was there who might have known enough about the likes of lip-syncing and that to
verify that this truly WAS a live performance ?
Javier Bermúdez Méndez
A masterpiece from one of the most brilliant and underrated psychedelic albums of all time. 'SF Sorrow' is obligatory for any lover of good music. A piece of art.
Lupo de' Lupis
A group that should get more recognitions. They were a cornerstone of psychedelic rock.
Ty Nosille
That album is every bit as good as any of the others of that time that got lots of air time. Don't understand why we were cheated here in America of hearing this one
Ty Nosille
I only discovered this album thru Spotify and can't get enough of it wow!
Daniel Nieto Ureña
I discovered the album S.F. Sorrow in the 1970s in a trip to London. A masterpiece that still I enjoy. I got surprised that many other people less talented than The Pretty Things were more famous.
Ty Nosille
I thought I knew about all the great albums from that period until recently finding this one on Spotify. Its all I'm listening too currently. Love the whole album how this slipped past my radar I don't know. I had parachute which I loved but this one is on another level!
Dylan Robertson
Truly great!! Nice to hear some rock n roll backbone. Just solid innovative music.
Marc Fedak
Thanks Ina Chansons for posting this video of one of my favourite PrettyThings songs. I especially like Dick Taylor's lead vocals (which reminds me of some cartoon character from the late 60s, Snidely Whiplash or Dick Dastardly) and the backing vocals, the Paul McCartney style piano playing, the psychedelicized drumming, and of course the weird mellotron.
alex
Thanks for uploading this. It's brilliant.
Elish
this band would've made it big in America.