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.
Sad Eye
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel like changing your mind,
Don't think twice just take it easy,
Anything you do will please me.
Just as long as you see me.
And if you ever baby,
Feel like starting again,
There is nothing you need show me.
Just as long as you know me.
Well I knocked on every door,
Looked on every sea and shore.
Just to find that you had left me.
You were a special one,
Like the setting of the sun,
Now it's too late to help me.
The Pretty Things's song Sad Eye is a classic sad love song with a desperate undertone. The lyrics tell a story of someone who has been left by their lover and can't seem to get over the pain. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer is still hoping that their lover may change their mind and come back to them. The line "anything you do will please me" indicates that they're willing to accept their lover back unconditionally without any questions asked. However, they do want to be acknowledged and seen by their ex-partner.
As the song continues, the singer realizes that their lover is not coming back, and the feeling of desperation begins to boil over. The lines "Well I knocked on every door, looked on every sea and shore. Just to find that you had left me" show the lengths they have gone to find their lover, but to no avail. The stanzas are repetitive, but the repetition adds to the song's desolate and lonely feeling.
The final two lines of the song are particularly poignant. "You were a special one, like the setting of the sun. Now it's too late to help me" mean that the singer knows that their lover was a unique and essential part of their life, but that they are now gone, and there is no way to bring them back. The use of the simile "like the setting of the sun" is as beautiful as it is somber, and it gives the last few seconds of the song the feeling of a world without light.
Line by Line Meaning
Well if you ever baby,
If you ever feel like it, my dear
Feel like changing your mind,
Want to change your opinion
Don't think twice just take it easy,
Don't worry, take it easy
Anything you do will please me.
I'll be pleased with anything you do
Just as long as you see me.
As long as you acknowledge me
And if you ever baby,
If you ever, dear
Feel like starting again,
Want to start over
All you gotta do is phone me,
Just call me
There is nothing you need show me.
No need to show me anything
Just as long as you know me.
As long as you know who I am
Well I knocked on every door,
I looked everywhere
Looked on every sea and shore.
Searched every sea and shoreline
Just to find that you had left me.
But you left me in the end
You were a special one,
You were unique
Like the setting of the sun,
Like a beautiful sunset
Now it's too late to help me.
Now it's too late to help me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER TOLSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
陳威廷
Well if you ever baby,
Feel like changing your mind,
Don't think twice just take it easy,
Anything you do will please me.
Just as long as you see me.
And if you ever baby,
Feel like starting again,
All you gotta do is phone me,
There is nothing you need show me.
Just as long as you know me.
Well I knocked on every door,
Looked on every sea and shore.
Just to find that you had left me.
You were a special one,
Like the setting of the sun,
Now it's too late to help me.
Christoffer Sjöheim
They sure continued to produce great songs in the 70’s, but their period between 1968-1970 is insanely underrated.
Bert
A beautifully sad song from another very under rated British band.
Stationario
Phil May can stretch his voice from ballads to 'raunchy rock' with ease. One of the reasons why they are still going strong. Great band who deserve far better than being a Stones contemporary. The Stones? Who are they? Ah yes, they are a Pretty Things contemporary!!!
GamesABlazin
i have this record it is one of my favorite the words are so real
Why a Duck
Just beautiful. Nothing more. And that's more than enough.
stevie stewart
love this song
areyoufreeonsaturday
Great vocals by Jack Green
陳威廷
Well if you ever baby,
Feel like changing your mind,
Don't think twice just take it easy,
Anything you do will please me.
Just as long as you see me.
And if you ever baby,
Feel like starting again,
All you gotta do is phone me,
There is nothing you need show me.
Just as long as you know me.
Well I knocked on every door,
Looked on every sea and shore.
Just to find that you had left me.
You were a special one,
Like the setting of the sun,
Now it's too late to help me.
kate hayward-suury
Love it...
kate hayward-suury
Beautiful song