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.
Drowned Man
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's like dancing on glass.
You and your razor blade assistant,
Carved the lies right from the past.
But they offered you such miracles,
You who have been handling straws.
Then you're swallowed by the applause.
Give'em, take'em, paint a face and I
Live'em, make'em, make'em laugh and cry.
I am waiting here, your memory still holds,
I am waiting here, but I am growing so cold.
Chorus
Take what you need,
Give the rest back,
Give it to the drowned man beneath the water,
He was a friend, till they stole him back,
Hope they get, hope he had, what they're after.
Take what you need.
Give the rest back,
Give it to the drowned man beneath the water,
He was a friend, till they stole him back,
Now he plays all his days with the master.
All the nameless, motherless, helpless,
Crouching figures in the park,
Warm to songs that sing of freedom,
Then with loneliness they dance.
Long ago there was a friendship,
Now there's wreckage on some greek beach,
Down at the gate they still remember,
It's in the diaries they keep.
Chorus
The Pretty Things's song Drowned Man is a haunting and introspective piece that delves deep into themes of loss, betrayal, and the dangers of fame. The opening verse sets a melancholic tone, with the gentle rain outside contrasting sharply with the glass-like quality of the dancing. The reference to a "razor blade assistant" implies a dangerous partnership that has led to the uncovering of past lies - perhaps the singer has been misguided or manipulated by someone close to them. The line "handling straws" suggests a precarious situation or a reliance on something flimsy, that has led to the offer of miraculous assistance.
The focus then shifts to the dangers of fame, with the singer being deafened by the noise and eventually swallowed by the praise of the crowd. The chorus introduces the titular drowned man, who was once a friend until he was "stolen back". There's a sense of tragedy and injustice in his fate, with the hope that he had what they're after suggesting a potentially lucrative and ultimately destructive industry. The verse about the nameless and helpless individuals in the park implies a sense of solidarity in the struggle against oppression, with the freedom songs inspiring both hope and loneliness. The final line about the diaries suggests that the memory of the friendship and the wreckage it led to is etched in history.
In summary, The Pretty Things's Drowned Man is a complex and introspective song that blends soulful melodies with poignant lyrics. The themes of loss, betrayal, and the dangers of fame are all intertwined, making for a powerful and emotionally resonant piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Out in the street it's gently raining,
The gentle rain outside is comparable to dancing on glass.
It's like dancing on glass.
The rain is very light and gentle. It is like walking on thin and delicate glass.
You and your razor blade assistant,
You and your accomplice have used sharp weapons to cut through the lies of the past.
Carved the lies right from the past.
You have removed lies from the past with your sharp knives in order to uncover the truth.
But they offered you such miracles,
People promised you incredible things.
You who have been handling straws.
You are someone who has no power or influence at all.
Soon you're deafened by the decibels.
Abruptly, you are surrounded by loud sounds.
Then you're swallowed by the applause.
You immediately receive exuberant reaction after performing.
Give'em, take'em, paint a face and I
I can provide people with what they want.
Live'em, make'em, make'em laugh and cry.
I enjoy making people happy and emotional through performances.
I am waiting here, your memory still holds,
I am still waiting for you, and your images are still clear in my mind.
I am waiting here, but I am growing so cold.
Waiting for you is making me feel very cold and isolated.
Take what you need,
Take what you must have.
Give the rest back,
Return the superfluous items.
Give it to the drowned man beneath the water,
The extra items can be given to the drowned man below the water.
He was a friend, till they stole him back,
He used to be a friend until he was taken away.
Hope they get, hope he had, what they're after.
Let’s hope they got what they wanted and he had what they were looking for.
Take what you need.
Take what you have to have.
Give the rest back,
Return what you do not require.
Give it to the drowned man beneath the water,
Give back the unnecessary things to the drowned man under the water.
He was a friend, till they stole him back,
He was considered a friend before he was kidnapped.
Now he plays all his days with the master.
He spends his whole life working for his captor.
All the nameless, motherless, helpless,
Individuals without identities, mothers or any help,
Crouching figures in the park,
People huddling in the park.
Warm to songs that sing of freedom,
They respond positively to songs about freedom.
Then with loneliness they dance.
Afterward, they dance out of loneliness.
Long ago there was a friendship,
There was a relationship in the past.
Now there's wreckage on some greek beach,
Now it is in ruins on a beach in Greece.
Down at the gate they still remember,
People at the gate still hold the memories of what happened.
It's in the diaries they keep.
It is recorded in the diaries they hold.
Chorus
Repeats the previous lines.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JONATHAN POVEY, PHILIP MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@foxee101
i remember them doing this live at the Birmingham University. The bass guitarist used a very large speaker set up and the result can be heard in the version of Drowned man from Savage Eye album. The album is very heavy in parts and underrated,Some Pretty things music should be included in there present repertoire. It is never heard by the younger fans. i suppose the guys want to forget some of there albums though?.
@holly807311
@bongrocker ---yes this was in or around 1972---found memories
@bongrocker
Oh hell yes.
@bongrocker
@foxee101 You saw them live?
@bongrocker
@holly807311 Willing to pay good money for a Vulcan mind meld or a memory transplant. I picked up this album on LP a few years back..