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.
Private Sorrow
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Faces of the children who look skyward.
Twisting metal through the air,
Scars and screams
So you might know his fury.
[Chorus]
See shells whistle,
See shells whistle,
Let yourself hide away.
Men walking tall
Looking so small.
Green trees of life disappearing.
Mouthing the sounds.
Face clowning the frowns
Black the lips of command.
Torn in the heart.
You're playing the part
Courage it is so demanding
Loud brass in bands.
Marching through lands.
Life snatching hand is near.
Heaven's army falls upon.
The skirts of mother earth and then flies skywards.
Twisting wings through the air
Lift the souls,
So you might know his fury.
[Chorus]
Dressed in white silk of rain
You marry the pain.
As you kneel in a church of bright steel
A new morning arrives.
You share the same skies.
Umbrella-ring a land full of peace
As the memory fades
On the edge of a blade.
You'll return you 're sure that you will.
From the frame in your hand
A smile expands.
Hangs from a thread of glass tears.
The Pretty Things's song Private Sorrow is a hauntingly poignant anti-war anthem that explores the devastating effects of war and the destruction that it causes to human life and the environment. The song begins with the image of heavens raining down upon the faces of children who are reaching out to the sky, and goes on to depict the horrors of war, including twisted metal through the air, scars, and screams that are meant to make you feel God's fury. The chorus encourages listeners to see shells whistle and let their minds drift away, an invitation to escape the gruesome reality of war that surrounds them.
The song then delves into the vulnerable state of the soldiers who are marching into battle, feeling small and insignificant despite their towering heights. The once-green trees of life are disappearing as men mouth the sounds and clown their frowns, with the lips of command painted black. The heart is torn with the realization that courage is demanding, and the marching brass bands are accompanied by the life-snatching hand that is always near.
In the latter part of the song, the imagery changes to that of the aftermath of war, with heaven's army falling upon the skirts of mother earth and then flying skywards, twisting wings through the air that lift the souls so that they too can know God's fury. The song ends with the image of rain-painted white silk, pain, and steel, with a new morning arriving that shares the same sky as the war-torn world. There is hope here, with an umbrella-ring land full of peace, even as the memory fades on the edge of a blade, with a smile that promises to return from the frame in hand, hanging from a thread of glass tears.
Line by Line Meaning
Heaven's rain falls upon
Divine precipitation descends upon
Faces of the children who look skyward.
People's young, innocent expressions of wonder are met by droplets from the heavens.
Twisting metal through the air,
The war machines used to kill twist and turn in midair.
Scars and screams
Injuries and agonized yells of pain.
So you might know his fury.
To make you acquainted with God's wrath.
See shells whistle,
Hear the sound of enemy shells flying.
Let your mind drift away.
Allow your consciousness to wander elsewhere.
Men walking tall
The soldiers, seemingly brave and courageous
Looking so small.
Appear dwarfed and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Green trees of life disappearing.
Foliage that symbolize hope and living things are vanishing.
Mouthing the sounds.
Making the motions of what someone is saying but without any audible words escaping their mouth.
Face clowning the frowns
Putting on a smiling expression that masks inner turmoil and sadness.
Black the lips of command.
Those who give orders have darkened mouths, indicating their role in bringing about death and destruction.
Torn in the heart.
Feeling agonizing heartbreak and turmoil.
You're playing the part
Fulfilling a designated role, whether they want to or not.
Courage it is so demanding.
Being brave requires extreme effort and resources.
Loud brass in bands.
Instruments made of brass play at a high volume in musical groups.
Marching through lands.
Walking with determination through various territories.
Life snatching hand is near.
Hands of death are close by.
Heaven's army falls upon.
The ranks of religious figures drop out of the sky to earth.
The skirts of mother earth and then flies skywards.
The land's lower region is brushed as they ascend to the heavens.
Twisting wings through the air
Birds' wings twist and turn in midair.
Lift the souls,
Carry the spirits and consciousness upward.
So you might know his fury.
To acquaint oneself with God's wrath through this experience.
Dressed in white silk of rain
Wearing rain-soaked clothing made of fine white fabric.
You marry the pain.
Joining with or becoming one with the agony.
As you kneel in a church of bright steel
Taking a reverent posture in a place of worship constructed from a luminous metal.
A new morning arrives.
The dawn of a new day has come.
You share the same skies.
Under the same umbrella, with mutual cover from precipitation.
Umbrella-ring a land full of peace
Creating a border of peace through shelter from the rain under one large umbrella.
As the memory fades
As the ability to remember things diminishes over time.
On the edge of a blade.
Teetering on the brink of danger or calamity.
You'll return you're sure that you will.
You're confident you'll come back.
From the frame in your hand
Inside the object's frame you're holding.
A smile expands.
A grin spreads across someone's face.
Hangs from a thread of glass tears.
It's loosely strung on a nerve that is fraught with emotion.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ALAN EDWARD WALLER, JOHN CHARLES ALDER, PHILIP ARTHUR DENNIS MAY, RICHARD CLIFFORD TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tommaso Guarducci
Heaven's rain falls upon
Faces of the children who look skyward
Twisting metal through the air
Scars and screams so you might know his fury
See shells whistle
Let your mind drift away
See shells whistle
Let yourself hide away
Men walking tall, looking so small
Green trees of life disappearing
Mouthing the sounds, face clowning the frowns
Black the lips of command
Torn in the heart, you're playing the part
Courage, it is so demanding
Loud brass in bands, marching through lands
Life snatching hand is near
Heaven's army falls upon
The skirts of Mother Earth and then flies skywards
Twisting wings through the air
Lift the souls so you might know his fury
See shells whistle
Let your mind drift away
See shells whistle
Let yourself hide away
Dressed in white silk of rain, you marry the pain
As you kneel in a church of bright steel
A new morning arrives, you share the same skies
Umbrella ring a land full of peace
As the memory fades on the edge of a blade
You'll return you 're sure that you will
From the frame in your hand, a smile expands
Hangs from a thread of glass tears
greg.i
One of the greatest albums of all time every track is a keeper just goes to show without proper financial backing and good promotion even the greatest music can be lost to obscurity
This is useless
Yes. Amazing album. And yet it will never truly be acknowledged. And that’s unfortunate. It operates in a similar niche to forever changes except to even greater extent.
John Krug
For those who don't know or remember, "SF Sorrow" is considered to be the first rock opera album as it was released for some time before the Who came out with "Tommy" A little history that didn't happen in the SF/Bay Area...Led Zeppelin cancelled a tour around 1975, they were to perform at the Oakland Stadium .....The Pretty Things were one of the opening bands ....Ah, what coulda been!..... :)!
sw3210
a total gem...........which i discovered just today. fantastic sounds
Ned D.
The flute riff is great.
A Serban
fascinating! I just love the '60s!
manchild3479
a much underrated band.they deserve better.....................
neil taylor
great album,...so underated at the time....i bought it and its slill in mint condition..also parachute album as well....kevin
trodas5
underated masterpiece from an underated band
Jessica Schubert
the first rock opera in history!!!! i love it.......