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.
Onion Soup / Another Bowl
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got zebra in my zoo
I've got airplanes in my sky
Without you I will die
[Chorus: x2]
Everybody says you're leaving
If you do you know it'll surely break my heart
I've got shepherd's pie red sky warning
I've got pictures on my wall
Without you I'm so small
Everybody says your leaving
If you do you know you'll surely break my heart
Foolishly I still go on believing
As the sun paints crazy patterns on the park
I've got onions in my soup
I've got tobbies up my snoop
I've got airplanes in my sky
Without you I will die
[Chorus]
The lyrics to The Pretty Things's song Onion Soup / Another Bowl seem to be fragmented thoughts that do not have any clear connection. In the first verse, the singer talks about having onions in their soup, zebras in their zoo, and airplanes in their sky. These things could represent various things in the singer's life that they rely on, but they all pale in comparison to the importance of the person they are addressing. The chorus reveals that everyone is saying that this person is leaving, and the singer declares that without them, they will die. The second verse describes more random objects in the singer's life, like bad breath in the morning and pictures on the wall, and emphasizes that they still feel small and incomplete without this person.
Overall, the song seems to be about someone who is desperately clinging to a person and feeling lost without them. The objects in the verses might represent things that could potentially bring the singer happiness, but they are secondary to the connection they have with this person. The repetition of the line "Without you I will die" emphasizes how crucial this relationship is to the singer's well-being. The chorus also highlights the fear of this person leaving and the heartbreak it would cause the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got onions in my soup
There are onions in my soup, which is a metaphor for all the mixed emotions and unresolved feelings I have.
I've got zebra in my zoo
My life is like a zoo, full of diverse and unpredictable things, including zebras. It's never boring.
I've got airplanes in my sky
My world is vast and full of possibilities, like the sky that's filled with airplanes. But without you, it loses its meaning.
Without you I will die
You are the vital force that keeps me alive, without you I feel lost and incomplete.
Everybody says you're leaving
People are talking about you leaving me, and this thought is haunting me all the time.
If you do you know it'll surely break my heart
Your leaving would cause me immense pain and heartache, and you know it because we have a history together.
I've got bad breath in the morning
This is a metaphor for my flaws and weaknesses. I'm not perfect, but I want you to love me, despite all my imperfections.
I've got shepherd's pie red sky warning
This is another way of saying that life is unpredictable, like the weather that can turn red and give a warning sign. Like a shepherd's pie, life is savory and sweet, but also has its sharp edges.
I've got pictures on my wall
These pictures are from our shared past, memories that I cherish and want to hold onto, even if you decide to leave.
Without you I'm so small
You make me feel complete and significant. Without you, I feel lost and insignificant.
Foolishly I still go on believing
Despite the doubts and rumors of your leaving, I still hold onto the hope that you'll stay. Maybe, it's foolish, but love can make us do crazy things.
As the sun paints crazy patterns on the park
The sun is unpredictable, and it paints the park with colors and patterns that are unique, just like our love. Even in the midst of uncertainty, there's beauty and wonder.
I've got tobbies up my snoop
This is an obscure reference that might mean I have some secrets or hidden talents that you're not aware of yet.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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