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.
Love is Good
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I didn't know if I should try
She was just a lonely girl
But I didn't know just which way she'd fly
Over by the corner now she stands
Cornered by the angels of her many plans
From that sad old American town
Staring at the empty stage
To see some ego tripping rock 'n' roll band
Over by the corner now she stands
Cornered by the angels of her many plans
[Chorus:]
Love is good love is sweet
Lover hold my hand
Love is good love is sweet
Lover hold my hand
Solo
She was just a lonely girl
But I didn't know if I should try
She was just a lonely girl
But I didn't know just which way she'd fly
[Chorus:]
The lyrics to The Pretty Things's song Love is Good seem to be about a lonely girl who is searching for love and happiness. The singer is intrigued by her but unsure whether to approach her or not, as he is uncertain which way she might go. She is depicted as being from a sad old American town and spending her time staring at an empty stage, hoping for a rock 'n' roll band to come along and lift her spirits. She is obviously searching for some kind of excitement or escape from her mundane life.
The lyrics then bring in a repeated refrain: "Love is good, love is sweet, lover hold my hand." The suggestion is that love is the answer to this lonely girl's problems - that finding someone to hold her hand and share her woes with will bring her happiness. The imagery of being "cornered by the angels of her many plans" suggests that she has dreams and aspirations, but is perhaps struggling to make them a reality.
Overall, the lyrics to Love is Good present a melancholic portrait of a girl who is struggling to find her place in the world, but who still holds onto a sense of hope that love will eventually find her and bring her the happiness she craves.
Line by Line Meaning
She was just a lonely girl
The girl was living her life alone without company and affection
But I didn't know if I should try
The person singing the song was unsure whether to approach and help the lonely girl
But I didn't know just which way she'd fly
The person didn't know how the girl would react if approached or assisted
Over by the corner now she stands
The girl is currently situated near the corner of a room or environment
Cornered by the angels of her many plans
The girl feels trapped or restricted by the many aspirations she has for her life
She was just the saddest girl
The girl was the most unhappy person in her town, which was already known for being gloomy
From that sad old American town
The town in which she lived was somber and melancholic, emphasizing her sadness
Staring at the empty stage
The girl was looking at a vacant performance area, hoping to see a self-important rock and roll band play
To see some ego tripping rock 'n' roll band
The girl was seeking to witness a band that was excessively focused on their own self-importance
Love is good love is sweet
The person performing the song believes that love is valuable, rewarding, and pleasurable
Lover hold my hand
This line is a plea for the singer's romantic partner to offer support and comfort
Solo
This line indicates a musical interlude or a moment for the musicians to perform an instrumental solo
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN POVEY, PHIL MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brian Coleman
incredible music from the futuristic Pretty Things. These guys are phenomenal in the past and are from a different planet, giving us fabulous lyrics and rhythm that set them apart from any other band. Still going strong today thanks to there dedication to real music. There are hardly recognised as a super group but simply are one. Watch out for the Pretties (Old ex members) in 2011 and elofan567 thank you very much for the posting.
Paul Epstein
Love this! One of the most under-regarded and underrated bands of their era----along with the likes of: Family, Procol Harum, Strawbs, Argent, Manfred Mann's Earth Band and Spooky Tooth. Saw the Pretty Things in 2000 and they were fabulous! And Dick Taylor looked like a Guitar God who happened to look well over 70!
GuyWithNoName67
It's amazing how they went from dirty R&B to smart pop, to proto-progressive/psycho-folk rock, and then to ... this undescribably good sound. Kinda like Queen, huh? Long live the Pretties.
Tom Spinks
Phil May absolutely wonderful on this LP. My favorite is S.F. Sorrow.
Tom Spinks
@Magnetron33 Yeah, been listening to the P.T. since 1972. All the great bands, we're just getting naturally older (physically)
Magnetron33
RIP Phil May
Vernon Allen
R.I.P. Pete Tolson, Talented guy, a great shame. This is a great song by the way, stills sounds so fresh.
Geoffrey Harrington
One of my fav bands of all time...remember seeing them many years ago..great album too..thanks!
Brookie Storer
even better on the BBC recordings, more than one live recording of Love is Good...Pretty Things always had a talented, creative lineup...Povey created a masterpiece!
Dan Bartko
Always with the wind to their face
And never to their back,
Tell me did they ever
make a bad album?