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.
Come Home Momma
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Enters doctor pessimism, no one called him.
He sips his tea, demands his fee,
Offers not one word of comfort to those grieving.
Come home momma
You know the old man is dying.
Brothers, sisters,
He takes his hat, snaps it back
On the empty head old lester
Thought might save him.
He snaps his purse, sends for the hearse,
Then he's off to dance beneath
Bright mirrored ceilings.
Come home momma.
It's such a bitch, when the ditch
That they're digging is for your old man to lie in.
It grows so cold, when you're told
That old lester's house is sold;
The mortgage closing.
Come home momma.
The Pretty Things's song "Come Home Moma" talks about Doctor Pessimism, a doctor who offers no comfort to those grieving. He enters the room with a stiffened back, dressed in black, and sips his tea while demanding his fee. Despite the grieving family members surrounding him, he doesn't offer any words of comfort. The chorus talks about the old man's dying and urges the mother to come home.
The second verse delves deeper into the situation. Doctor Pessimism takes his hat and snaps it back while looking at an empty-headed Lester, who he thought might save him. He snaps his purse and sends for the hearse, then dances beneath bright mirrored ceilings. The verse is an obvious reference to the doctor's indifference to the situation and how he's more concerned with making money than conveying compassion.
The final verse talks about the bitter reality of the situation. The ditch they're digging is for the old man to lie in, and it grows cold when they're told that Lester's house is sold, and the mortgage is closing. The chorus repeats the call for the mother to come home, and the song ends.
Line by Line Meaning
With stiffened back, dressed in black
A pessimistic doctor arrives with a formal attire, giving off an unwelcoming and cold aura.
Enters doctor pessimism, no one called him.
No one asked for the doctor's pessimistic viewpoint yet he enters the scene anyway.
He sips his tea, demands his fee,
The doctor takes his time leisurely, only to demand payment later on.
Offers not one word of comfort to those grieving.
Despite the situation, the doctor does not offer any form of empathy to the grieving family.
Come home momma
You know the old man is dying.
Brothers, sisters,
They stand around and they are crying.
The family pleads for their mother to come home as their father is on the brink of death, causing everyone to feel emotional.
He takes his hat, snaps it back
On the empty head old lester
Thought might save him.
The doctor gives up and leaves while Lester, who they hoped would save their father, returns empty-handed.
He snaps his purse, sends for the hearse,
Then he's off to dance beneath
Bright mirrored ceilings.
The doctor calls for a hearse and proceeds to celebrate while the family still mourns.
Come home momma.
The family's only wish is for their mother to return home and comfort them during this rough moment.
It's such a bitch, when the ditch
That they're digging is for your old man to lie in.
It's terrible to realize that the hole being dug is for their father's grave.
It grows so cold, when you're told
That old lester's house is sold;
The mortgage closing.
The temperature drops as the family discovers that Lester's house is being sold due to financial reasons.
Come home momma.
The repeated plea for their mother to come home emphasizes the family's desire for comfort during this stressful and emotional time.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PHILIP MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind