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.
Judgement Day
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time runs out, baby, and you can't stay
Screamin' and cryin', you got to go,
hey St.Peter, won't you open the door
Yes, I'm coming, Yes, I'm coming
Yes, I'm coming, and it's like my time ain't long
When I die you can bury me dead,
Fold my arms across my chest,
And tell my friends that I'm gone to rest
Yes, I'm coming, Yes, I'm coming
Yes, I'm coming, and I know my time ain't long
Now, when I'm dead, drafted in my grave
You gonna be sorry that you treat me like a slave
And there's no one to take my place
And you gonna cry your blues away
Yes, I'm coming, Yes, I'm coming
Yes, I'm coming, and it's like my time ain't long
The Pretty Things's song Judgement Day is a tale of impending consequences and the realization of one's mortality. The first verse talks about the inevitability of time running out and the fear of facing judgement. The singer pleads with St. Peter to open the door, signifying that they understand that their time has come and they must face the consequences of their actions. The repetition of "Yes, I'm coming" shows acceptance and resignation to one's fate.
The second verse speaks about the singer's impending death, where they instruct their loved ones on how to handle their passing. The line "bury me dead" is an interesting choice of words, as it emphasizes the finality of death. The singer seems to have made peace with their own mortality and wants their friends to know that they have gone to rest. The final verse is a warning to those who have mistreated the singer during their lifetime. The singer states that once they are gone, there will be no one to take their place and those who have wronged them will be left with regret and sorrow.
Overall, The Pretty Things's song Judgement Day is a cautionary tale that reminds us to acknowledge our mortality and to live our lives with kindness and compassion towards others.
Line by Line Meaning
What you gonna do on judgement day
Have you thought about what you will do on the day of judgment?
Time runs out, baby, and you can't stay
Time is short and we can't stay in this world forever.
Screamin' and cryin', you got to go,
At the time of death, we can't escape from the pain and suffering.
hey St.Peter, won't you open the door
Asking Saint Peter to open the gate of heaven for the deceased.
Yes, I'm coming, Yes, I'm coming
Assuring that the person is coming to the afterlife.
Yes, I'm coming, and it's like my time ain't long
Acknowledging that the time in this world is limited and soon the person will be gone forever.
When I die you can bury me dead,
Instructing to bury the person when they are dead.
the tombstone-women set my face and head,
Asking the women at the tombstone to fix the face and head of the deceased.
Fold my arms across my chest,
Requesting to have the arms crossed over the chest.
And tell my friends that I'm gone to rest
Asking to inform the friends that the person has passed away and is resting in peace.
Now, when I'm dead, drafted in my grave
Referring to the burial of the person in the grave after death.
You gonna be sorry that you treat me like a slave
The ones who mistreated or abused the deceased will regret their actions.
And there's no one to take my place
Realizing that no one can replace the deceased.
And you gonna cry your blues away
The ones who are left behind will cry and grieve for the loss of the deceased.
Yes, I'm coming, Yes, I'm coming
Still assuring that the person is coming to the afterlife.
Yes, I'm coming, and it's like my time ain't long
Accepting that the time in this world is short and the person will soon leave this world.
Contributed by Riley K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.