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.
Cry to Me
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fontana 26 471 TF
When your baby leaves you all alone
And nobody call you on the phone
Don't you feel like crying
Don't you feel like crying like crying like crying
Come on baby, cry to me
When you're all alone in your lonely room
And there's nothing but the smell of her perfume
Don't you feel like crying
Don't you feel like crying like crying like crying
Come on baby, (come on) cry to me
Nothing could be sadder than a glass of wine alone
Loneliness loneliness, it just a waste of your time
But you don't ever you don't ever have to walk alone
You see, so come on take my hand
Come on walk with me
When you're waiting for a voice to come
In the night there is no one
Don't you feel like crying
Don't you feel like crying like crying like crying
Come on baby, cry to me
Come on baby, that's right cry to me
Yes, I want you to come on baby
Come on come on cry to me
I want you to come on baby
Come on come on and cry to me
Yeah come on baby come on I want you to cry cry cry to me
Yeah I want you to cry cry cry cry cry cry cry
I want you to cry cry cry cry cry cry cry cry
The lyrics to The Pretty Things's song Cry to Me convey a message of comfort and support during times of loneliness and longing for companionship. The song starts off with the scenario of being left alone without anyone to call, which can lead to feelings of sadness and tears. However, the lyrics suggest that crying is a natural response to such situations and encourages the listener to cry to the singer for comfort. The next verse paints a picture of being in a room filled with the scent of the loved one's perfume but still feeling lonely. The chorus repeats the invitation to cry to the singer, emphasizing that loneliness is a waste of time and that the singer is willing to walk with the listener and provide support.
The song's bridge introduces the idea that nothing is sadder than drinking wine alone, highlighting the importance of human connection. The singer then reassures the listener that they will never have to walk alone and invites them to take his hand and walk together. The final verse paints a picture of waiting for a voice to come in the night but finding no one, emphasizing the need for companionship and understanding. The song ultimately ends with a repeated invitation to cry to the singer, emphasizing the message of support and comfort.
Overall, the lyrics to Cry to Me are an empathetic and supportive message for anyone who is feeling lonely or alone. The song recognizes the universality of these feelings and encourages listeners to seek out support and not be afraid to cry.
Line by Line Meaning
When your baby leaves you all alone
When your significant other abandons you and you're left by yourself
And nobody call you on the phone
Nobody attempts to contact or check up on you in your time of need
Don't you feel like crying
Do not suppress your feelings of sadness
Don't you feel like crying like crying like crying
You feel an overwhelming desire to express your sadness
Come on baby, cry to me
Reach out to me and confide in me about your pain
When you're all alone in your lonely room
When you're in a solitary space and there's no one around
And there's nothing but the smell of her perfume
All that remains is the lingering scent of your loved one's fragrance
Don't you feel like crying
You can't help but feel overcome with grief
Don't you feel like crying like crying like crying
You're consumed with sadness and can't hold it in any longer
Come on baby, (come on) cry to me
Come and open up to me and let me comfort you
Nothing could be sadder than a glass of wine alone
Drinking alone with no one to share your feelings is one of the most sorrowful experiences
Loneliness loneliness, it just a waste of your time
Being lonely is not a productive use of your time or energy
But you don't ever you don't ever have to walk alone
You don't have to endure your hardships and emotions by yourself
You see, so come on take my hand
I'm offering my assistance and companionship to help you through this tough time
Come on walk with me
Join me on this journey through life and allow me to be there for you
When you're waiting for a voice to come
When you're waiting on someone to reach out to you
In the night there is no one
During the nighttime hours, there's no one to talk to or share your feelings with
Don't you feel like crying
You can't help but feel the need to cry
Don't you feel like crying like crying like crying
You feel absolutely distraught and need to let out your emotions
Come on baby, cry to me
Come to me and unburden yourself by telling me all about your grief
Come on baby, that's right cry to me
That's it, let it all out and talk to me about what's troubling you
Yes, I want you to come on baby
I'm here for you and want you to approach me for help
Come on come on cry to me
Reach out and share your emotions with me
I want you to come on baby
I'm waiting for you to come to me with your problems
Come on come on and cry to me
Please don't hesitate to express your feelings and cry in front of me
Yeah come on baby come on I want you to cry cry cry to me
Don't be afraid to break down and cry, I'm here to listen and support you
Yeah I want you to cry cry cry cry cry cry cry
It's okay to cry as much as you need to, I'll be here for you every step of the way
I want you to cry cry cry cry cry cry cry cry
Once again, I urge you to let your emotions show and cry, knowing that I am here to listen and lend an ear
Contributed by Scarlett H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@uselessdogs6443
RIP Phil May, the best.
@Jamesyboy1808
prefer this version
@captainsoul1953
Different from the 45...where is this from ?
@timcarriker9615
remastered album
@anneian1
Love this, drumming fabulous...,
@bolleborstelmann4926
Musik die einem sein ganzes Leben lang nicht aus dem Kopf geht.
@pablocaira8240
@Bolle Borstelmann 👍👍👍👍💪💪💪💪
@kennethtaylor4608
From Get the Picture their version of Solomun Burke song is superb try it.