Formed in the later stages of 1963, the Pretty Things
arrived on the Londoner scene playing Berry/Diddley/Reed influenced raw
rhythm and blues. The driving force behind the ‘Pretties’ were
vocalist Brian May and Dick Taylor. (Taylor had left a version of the
embryonic Rolling Stones with Brian Jones, Keith Richards, and Mick
Jagger because the three wanted him to play bass guitar while he was
born to play lead guitar.)
The Pretty Things were contemporaries of ‘The
Rolling Stones’ and ‘The Kinks’. Of course there was also that
little band with that funny name from Liverpool, the Beatles. This dog
always had a soft spot for the ‘Pretties’ as the Beatles were a
little bit goody two shoes to be considered cool. I mean your parents
liked them! The Rolling Stones were great, but always seemed to want to
be Americans, denying their Dartford, Kent roots, and the Kinks could
get a little whimsical at times.
The ‘Pretties’ had no image; music was their
thing and hard edged rhythm and blues was the starting point. Their
first seven singles all went top 50 in the U.K. (they did not mean a
light in the U.S. of A., no image, nothing to promote). The sight of the
‘Pretties’ standing on Top of the Pops, trying to hide their
embarrassment as they mimed their way through their latest single, was a
wonder to behold. Unlike most of their contemporaries their lineup was
quite liquid, revolving around the main duo, the drum seat, revolving
faster than Spinal Tap’s.
In the late sixties the Pretty Things plunged head
first, along with everybody else, into the psychedelic culture. Gone was
all the straight ahead music and in came sitars, thousands of overdubs
on all guitar parts, and kaftans and beads. Although huge on the
underground scene, this did not exactly get the till bells ringing over,
and in a state of confusion Dick Taylor left the band to settle down
into production work. Away from the chaos of life on the road, Taylor
produced the first albums from Hawkwind and Cochise.
Taylor was quickly replaced in the band, which
imploded within the year.
But famous rocking’s roll manager Bill Shepherd,
upon hearing of the ‘Pretties’ demise, tried to persuade them to
reform, telling them that the ‘Pretties’ were too good a band to
lose. How right he was. With a new dual lead guitar partnership in
place, the mercurial Peter Tolson and Gordon Edwards, they were ready to
roar again. After six weeks rehearsal they went into the studio to
record the seminal ‘Freeway Madness’. The ‘Pretties’ had now put
the entire wishy-washy psychedelic behind them and come back with a new
hard-edged sound, combining their love of American harmony vocals and
crunchy guitar licks with screaming solos.
This gained them enough attention to get them to be
the first signing to the newly formed Swansong label, the brainchild of
Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant. Two wonderful albums were released
over the next two years, but, although critically acknowledged, both
failed to dent the charts. Once more the band fell apart in 1976, when
Phil May decided enough was enough.
The band came together again in the late nineties,
including old running mate Dick Taylor on lead guitar, and in 1999 they
released ‘Rage Before Beauty’, an apt title if you consider what had
gone before. The band still plays gigs to this day.
This collection of work from the B.B.C. Sessions
gives you an overall view of the ‘Pretties’ career from 1964 to
1976. All the early singles are here. (The Pretty Things had a surge of
popularity stateside when David Bowie covered their first two singles
‘Rosalyn’ and ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ on his album Pin Ups. To
many Americans, this was the first time they ever heard of the ‘Pretty
Things’.)
It all goes a bit pear shaped in their psychedelic
era, but then it did for a lot of people (remember the Stones? Or Their
Satanic Majesties Request?), but on their return to hard edged rock
‘n’ roll, like on the Radio One ‘In Concert’ show to promote
‘Freeway Madness’, the band is so hot, it is incendiary. Nobody can
throw caution to the wind with such abandon and still nail a song down
like the ‘Pretties’ like ‘Onion Soup’ and especially ‘Route
66’. The live sessions for the following two albums are a little more
controlled, but equally as exciting.
This album is not only a good overview of the Pretty
Things’ career, but also a good overview of British rock in this era.
If you are not familiar with the Pretty Things, this album would be an
excellent way to find out.
Dan
Brown (The Da Vinci Code and the re-released Angels and Demons) has
certainly caught the public’s imagination. Word seems to have spread
that Brown has become the new guru for the faithful, or the faithless,
depending upon which side of the Vatican you stand.
Mott’s CD review: The Pretty Things –
The B.B.C. Sessions (complete)
Thinged
by Mott The Dog