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.
Singapore Silk Torpedo
The Pretty Things Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tattooed on my chest, is the girl I love best.
Back in 1954, on leave in old singapore
I was soaking in gin, when miss foxy walked in.
She's my singapore silk torpedo,
Wearing high satin non stick lip glow,
I fell a victim to this female hipno,
She drives a mercedes, she's queen of the ladies,
My china seas sweetheart, she tears me apart.
She's my singapore silk torpedo.
You speak of love to her, a smile cracks her face,
She doesn't believe in rules, to her it's just a race.
She's seen both black and white,
You shouldn't go out tonight
Unless you me in to play it mean.
She's like a spike in the head,
I'd be better off dead,
Just can't shake her loose.
Now I'm hooked on this juice
We'll build a house on the cliff,
A small navy our gift,
Passing ships in the night,
Anchored safe we're alright.
She's my singapore silk torpedo.
The song "Singapore Silk Torpedo" by The Pretty Things tells the story of a sailor who falls under the spell of a seductive woman in Singapore. With his chest tattooed with the name of his true love, the sailor finds himself drawn to the mysterious and alluring Miss Foxy. She's described as a "silk torpedo," a metaphor for a weapon or explosive that is sleek, powerful, and deadly. The sailor is helpless against her charms, and he describes her as his own personal torpedo that he can't seem to shake loose.
The lyrics suggest that Miss Foxy is a dangerous woman, one who doesn't believe in rules and is always looking for the next thrill. She's seen both black and white, which could imply that she's had experiences with people from all walks of life. The sailor knows that he's playing with fire by getting involved with her, but he can't help himself. He's hooked on her "juice," a reference to her intoxicating presence.
The song paints a vivid picture of Singapore, with references to gin-soaked nights and passing ships in the night. It's a tale of love, danger, and adventure, with the sailor caught up in a whirlwind romance that he knows can only end in disaster.
Line by Line Meaning
I've sailed the seas, a hard sea dog to please.
I have traveled far and wide, with a demanding nature.
Tattooed on my chest, is the girl I love best.
I have a permanent symbol of my love for someone on my chest.
Back in 1954, on leave in old singapore
During my time off in 1954, I was in Singapore.
I was soaking in gin, when miss foxy walked in.
While enjoying some gin, a woman named Miss Foxy came into the room.
She's my singapore silk torpedo,
This woman I met is my attractive and seductive love interest.
Wearing high satin non stick lip glow,
She takes great care in her appearance and wears a shiny lip gloss.
I fell a victim to this female hipno,
I quickly fell under her seductive spell.
She drives a mercedes, she's queen of the ladies,
She is wealthy and popular, and is highly regarded by other women.
My china seas sweetheart, she tears me apart.
She is my sweetheart from the China seas, but she causes me emotional pain.
You speak of love to her, a smile cracks her face,
When someone mentions love to her, she reacts with a sarcastic smile.
She doesn't believe in rules, to her it's just a race.
She isn't one to follow rules, and sees life as a competition.
She's seen both black and white,
She has experience with both good and bad situations.
You shouldn't go out tonight
It's not wise to go out tonight.
Unless you me in to play it mean.
Unless you're prepared to be tough or ruthless.
She's like a spike in the head,
She is like a painful and annoying thought that won't leave my mind.
I'd be better off dead,
I would be better off dead than dealing with the pain she causes me.
Just can't shake her loose.
I can't get rid of her or forget about her.
Now I'm hooked on this juice
Now I'm addicted to her and the excitement she brings.
We'll build a house on the cliff,
We plan to build a house on a bluff.
A small navy our gift,
We hope to receive or acquire a small navy of ships as a present.
Passing ships in the night,
We watch ships pass by in the darkness.
Anchored safe we're alright.
We're content and safe as long as we're anchored.
She's my singapore silk torpedo.
She is my seductive and unstoppable love interest.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER TOLSON, PHILIP MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pbaker1957
R.I.P. Phil May,...a great talent who with the Pretty Things inspired many musicians,..including Bowie!
@cloudymccloud00
RIP pretty well all of them in this compilation. They nearly all died young ...
@caesarsmith4711
Bowie is awful
@todlevandoski1157
The best most underrated band of all tie love the prettiest
@davidgarione2206
RIP Great Phil May! Capo!
@jackpenworthy7931
Great song. Great band. Hugely underappreciated. Should have been even more influential than they already are.
@1369vmsmith
Discovered these guys in 75 while I was in the Air Force. Blasted this album in the barracks at all hours.
@petertate5741
Loved this band ..May the ultimate front man.
@guspowell9185
How good is that? The definition of 70s classic rock. If I could have written one song in my life, this would be it.
@NAHAJI133
I was working at Peaches Records and Tapes at the time this album arrived in our bins. This is when I really got into Pretty Things which are still alive an well today.