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.
Rip Off Train
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Searching through the wet streets
Looking for a rock 'n' roll band
Caught the rip off train to freedom
A line of agents holding out their hand
Work your asses off forever
Midnight highways really bring you down
But you're there and you're working
Chorus
Find a sound lay it down
They say it's underground
Starts to sell do it well
But you never can tell
Now the young man's star shines brightly
Breaking hearts his records in the charts
Finds it hard to freak twice nightly
Falls in love the hardest fall of all
Chorus
He was just a lonely boy
A very well known clown
He was just a lonely boy and down
Chorus
The Pretty Things's song "Rip Off Train" is a narrative about a young man who ventures into the city to find a rock and roll band. The lyrics describe his journey through the wet streets, and the challenges he faces to make it as a musician. We see him boarding the so-called "rip off train to freedom," where a line of agents hold out their hands, perhaps in search of the next big thing. Despite the challenges of the industry, the young man perseveres, "working his ass off forever," even in the face of the inevitable disappointment of the "midnight highways."
The chorus of the song encourages artists to "find a sound, lay it down," and to never give up. The road to success is paved with uncertainty and unpredictability, as “you never can tell." The singer eventually becomes successful, with his star shining brightly and his records in the charts, finding love but experiencing the hardest fall of all. The song presents an insightful reflection on the challenges and pitfalls of the music industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Young man made it to the city
A young man arrived in the city in search of something.
Searching through the wet streets
He scoured the rainy streets for what he was looking for.
Looking for a rock 'n' roll band
His mission in the city was to find a rock 'n' roll band.
Caught the rip off train to freedom
He joined the music industry, which he saw as a way to free himself.
A line of agents holding out their hand
He met a group of agents who promised to advance his career and offered him a contract.
Work your asses off forever
The agents expected him to work very hard, indefinitely.
Midnight highways really bring you down
The late-night drives and gigs took a toll on him.
But you're there and you're working
Despite the challenges, he was present and making an effort.
So don't complain so many miss the train
He was told not to complain because many others miss similar opportunities.
Chorus
Refrain of the song.
Find a sound lay it down
He discovered his unique style and recorded it.
They say it's underground
Many said his music was too alternative to be mainstream.
Starts to sell do it well
But he persisted and executed his craft powerfully as his music started gaining attention.
But you never can tell
Success in the music industry is never certain.
Now the young man's star shines brightly
Eventually, the young man's success was visible to all.
Breaking hearts his records in the charts
His emotional music resonated with listeners and caused heartbreak among some.
Finds it hard to freak twice nightly
As the pressure mounted, he struggled to maintain his artistic edge.
Falls in love the hardest fall of all
He fell in love, which was the most impactful thing to ever happen to him.
Chorus
Refrain of the song.
He was just a lonely boy
Despite his fame and success, he remained a lonely person underneath it all.
A very well known clown
He was very popular and successful, but still felt like a clown pretending to be someone else.
He was just a lonely boy and down
Ultimately, despite his success, he still felt lonely and unfulfilled.
Chorus
Refrain of the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PETER TOLSON, PHIL MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind