The Pretty Things & Phil May overview (1964-2020) "invented everything, credited with nothing." *

I think that sums up my own issue with the 70's Pretties nicely. Definitely agree the soul is missing! There are times when they end up sounding rather anonymous as in just another rock band. I think Phil reached that conclusion in 1976 when he quit.

 

If I want to have fun with catchy, well-written rock n' roll I usually look for The Pretty Things from 1971 to 1980. I find it amusing that folks (other than you Phil) here glowed about Pete Tolson but dislike the era right after he gets on board. I get that this approaching era may seem like a comedown compared to S.F. Sorrow and Parachute, but considering how dark those albums are lyrically, maybe it was a comeup. Plus some of my favorite Phil May vocals and just a general loosening up when it comes to lyrics and subject matter, not to mention some of the widest variety this band has ever had on a single album. The 2 tracks the band recorded as Metropolis before getting the hook are so generic that it retroactively shows how not anonymous The Pretty Things were in this period, although I do have issues of my own coming up, one being Wally himself. But before we shake off Vic:

Blue Serge Blues - B side 1970



Lyrically an affront to law enforcement, this song is certainly keeping with the sound of Parachute. That psych sound combined with acoustic guitars, a Vic solo, great piano playing and those harmonies. Such a good song that didn't find it on the album but fit under the Good Mr. Square single. This isn't the last gasp of the Parachute sound though, I reckon at least 3 more songs coming up carry on that tradition.

 

Blue Serge Blues is a goodie though best served as a B side plus it wasn't really part of the Parachute concept pretty much written and recorded quickly in response to Jon Povey suffering a drug bust so this song was an outlet for their anger against the police. To make matters worse, Povey was busted in broad daylight down some street in London where he aroused police suspicion, they stopped and searched him and found a lump of hash in his pocket... it didn't help that he was wearing brightly coloured garb and with his long fuzzy curly hair, to say he stood out would be putting it mildly!

 

This all above brings up an interesting point. What a record means to an individual vs a group. What is known, unknown, given, and left to then imaginations....

I'm all for exploring deeper into an artists album or song, searching for meanings etc. But once you hear others opinions or insights into a track or record it changes your perspective ( or at least has the potential to) and you might never look at it the same way again. This experience had been exponentially exacerbated by the advent of Cds and bonus tracks with left overs and outtakes and demos and, most dramatically by videos. Before you bought a record when it came out. Enjoyed it mostly alone but with friends too (remember when mates used to come round for a smoke and listen to the latest new record and you were actually in the same room together, enjoying the same record and the same time? Listening, debating, tripping, spacing out, you no, bonding over a record.

Then MTV came along and videos gave us visuals, some to guide us, some to titillate us, but all gifting us their visuals over our own. This goes back to the comments on Parachute. I, like all of us, had one view of this PT Long Player, but now, or say if it had come out in 1983, the early video era, we would have a different view of it, based not only on our own perceptions of the record but the group views and the visual clues, and now, with internet, others views on the internet, or in this case, a minute, deep dive discussion of the very notes and instrumentalist and player and themes and such. So, rambling here a bit, but summersetting or sum think like it is lost and something is gained in the deep dive. I liken it to the innocence lost when you look behind the curtain and see the machinations of the great and powerful Oz actually making the magical illusion happen.

Long story short, I had one view of Parachute before this deep dive discussion (which loved and learned much from and am a more informed proper PT listener (is that an oxymoron?) but, I like a poster above, had one view, visual idea, vision of what this record was all about, but not necessarily the once laid out here. Now that has changed, again, something (of the personal) is lost and something (of the communal) is gained in the exchange, or ideas, of insights in the work, of the whole of the Art taking in, individually and collectively. Anyhow, not to too deeply engage in a PHIL-osophical debate on the pros and cons of music dissection, but I have fore decades wrestled with the ideas and ideals of enjoying a work of art in and of its own self and not bisecting it too much. Ignorance is bliss and or innocence is lost.

I know this is fuzzy, but one more example, using this tossers, the Beatles--whom I love. Strawberry Fields Forever is an amazing song. Nothing quite like it (like Defecting Grey...hum...)Your here SSF and it immerses you--transports you. But once you know it is two takes, and where the edit is, you hear it differently. Once you know how they got all those magical sounds at Abbey Road, you hear it differently, once you know the "whole story" of SFF you never hear it nor see the magick of its mysteries quite the same, as you have unraveled sum of the mysteries and or looked behind the curtain.

Not sure my point here, but might of made some sense. I like discussing and leaning about these songs, albums, but something is lost and something is gained.

I used to have one vague idea about the mysterious "Cries From The Midnight Circus" but now I thing about prostitutes and such, and it makes it take on new meanings.

Oh never-mind, i'll suss it out for myself.

Cheers!

 

Damn, ran out of my half hour editing time... Tata!

 

I LOVE this trilogy, and have a hard time dissecting its Arts, preferring to ingest it as the holy triptych it is. Each piece complements the piece before and builds on it, to where it just blows my mind. Pure Pretties Perfection.

"Miss Fay Regrets" is a great rocker, one made moreso by knowing the Judy Garlands Origins story. (Side note, listening to Parachute now--"COTMC"-- with my daughter working in the room and somewheres in the trilogies' harmonies she popped her head up; "Who is This?" I smiled... well there is this thread about this band...)

"Cries/Circus" has been much discussed, and I may swing round back to it at sum points but suffice it to say, easily arguably the Pretty Things High Water Mark. Or at least their "Stairway to Heaven"--high a claim as Zeppelin are my favorite rock band form in Albion.

Side two will half two wait om me later, as I ingest the rest of this musical meal maiden haired up by past ass-sorted passers byes, head juicers and the raggle~taggle gypsies which swam in the shogun late night Soho scene in '69, sprawled out on the flour of the 1970s, spread-eagled, smiling at the rising sun, and blissfully unawares of the "Grass" growing slowing around Zem....

The Coda to "Midnight Cries" inspired that!

 

October 26 - single Nov. 20th 1970 #35 NL

Spoiler: Lyrics

So
If we meet again
Then maybe
(Revolution)
(That's all that it can be)
(If you find your own solution)
(Then that's alright with me)

If I wanted to
Could I depend on you
My friend

So
If we dream again
Then maybe
(Revolution)
(That's all that it can be)
(If you find your own solution)
(Then that's alright with me)

If I wanted to
Could I depend on you
My friend

So
If we'd hope again
Then maybe
(Revolution)
(That's all that it can be)
(If you find your own solution)
(Then that's alright with me)

(Revolution),
(Can't you be revolution),
(That's all that it can be)

(Revolution)

Moving on from Parachute, which hit #43 in the UK but failed to sell much. An album whose main controversy seems to be the reiteration that it won Rolling Stones album of the year in 1970 (would have been rightly) despite that award not being a thing at the time and being something mentioned erroneously in hindsight.

Exit Victor Unitt, to go on to rejoin The Edgar Broughton Band and later become a shoe salesman (?) and almost completely disregarded between Dick Taylor and Pete Tolson. How is this possible considering he played all the guitars on Parachute? Enter Pete Tolson who was briefly in Eire Apparent. So we have a brief amount of time with this lineup, although later it would briefly be the same plus Dick Taylor.

Phil May:

People in this band all have a life first. I don't disagree with that. Life is more important than being in the band. Parachute wouldn't have changed, because that was already up and running. But after that, the next big change was getting Pete Tolson in. That was quite an ingredient. And really helped change the direction of the band again. Not the direction, but added another element. Pete's rhythmical guitar playing, he was one of the most rhythmic soloists I've ever heard. One of the greatest guitarists I've ever heard. Some of his solos, you know.​

And what's interesting is, these people like Jimmy Page, Dave Gilmour think he's probably one of the best unsung guitarists ever. And the sad thing is, he doesn't play the guitar anymore. He was invited back into this lineup, and he rehearsed with us for about six, eight weeks, and couldn't handle the pressure. I suppose if Dick had stayed, Peter wouldn't have come in. So it's very hard to say. Peter was very much about the next phase, the Freeway Madness, Silk Torpedo, Savage Eye.​

Phil mentions that the first recorded song with Pete was October 26, how phenomenal is that? This song is a deceptively waltz timed song that kicks into gear after a rising buildup, has a smooth fake vibrato by Phil May, a calm feel, references to seemingly the most passive revolution ever, and those guitar stings. The song is almost 5 minutes and certainly not your typical single A side, but if anything sells it it is those solos courtesy of melodic string bender Pete Tolson. The stoner vibe is thick here, you can just picture someone singing this while buried into a couch. I agree with an earlier statement that this could have been the closer of Parachute, a fond farewell and a hope to hope again. Sort of seeing the 60's pass and anticipating a time when those ideals would come back. This song is hard to deny as a classic, but its status as a single always raised an eyebrow. However it would be their last chart placement of a single, reaching #35 in the Dutch top 40. So what do I know?

 

A true Pretties misfire which is unfortunate as it's a good song, very laid back but not single A side material being too long, broody, a little on the ploddy side and try as hard as I have, I just can't see how it would have grabbed single buying punters during that time. The sides of the single should have been reversed as the song on the B side I think would have stood a much better chance and given some heavier sounds were hits during that time (All Right Now, Black Night and Paranoid to name three) the Pretties missed the boat big time. Even John Peel thought they boobed, declaring Cold Stone as the better side. Such is life... and the Pretty Things' life had more than a few bad decisions and misfortunes.

Something we've barely mentioned so far which was a big part of the band's history and lifestyle is their recreational activities... from the earliest days they were renowned dope smokers and got "turned on" to LSD earlier than most. Phil May and Jon Povey admitted taking plenty of trips and Dick Taylor said it all influenced the music. It's somewhere around this period when cocaine entered the picture and sure enough, it was Phil and Jon who along with Tolson took to it like ducks to water and I think that might also account for the change in style that was coming as it gave them a different mindset... their cocaine excesses would spiral wildly out of control over time.

It was also around this time that manager Bryan Morrison sold his management agency to another company who quickly regretted the investment as they didn't like having longhaired musicians loitering around their offices wanting payment. This was a big wrench for the band, especially Phil as Bryan had been there since the beginning. The band ended up recruiting Derek Boltwood as manager who had championed and reviewed them in the music press. Unfortunately this spelt disaster as Boltwood had an accident and whilst recuperating, his girfriend and Wally Waller got very acquainted which caused much bad feeling and distrust. Worse still, gig takings were growing ever lower as Boltwood didn't really have a clue how to deal with promoters and management in general... more problems which sank the band's morale, especially Wally's.

 

I like both sides of the single but the sleeve is a bit odd. Not sure if it hurt the sales or not.

I actually like the seventies albums well enough. The period from Parachute through Savage Eye is the favorite of some people in one of the Pretty Things Facebook groups.

 

See post 701, top of page 29!

I rank ¨October 26¨ as a top five PT track for me, up there with: ¨Defecting Grey¨, all of S.F. Sorrow, ¨Cried/Circus¨ and ¨Summertime.¨ My core PT collection. Pete was a great addition to the band, although that did not necessarily translate to better PT albums in the near term. But I love his wah-wah herein and on ¨Summertime¨ he takes it to the next level. Iĺl be damned if the Prettys didn´t pioneer another Rock Right of Passage.... the Revolving Door of members coming and going, and sometimes returning...

 

Yeah, now that I look at it the sleeves appears to be a picture of 4 men intently watching an oblivious man peeing into a urinal. Lol.

Believe it or not, your "well enough" is maybe the best I will muster here beyond myself.

Dagnabit, I was going to say this when we got to Cold Stone!!! However, I do have something a tad more epic to say about their singles for the rest of the seventies, but I'll wait.

 

Truth be told, I can count on five fingers (see cover) the number of times I have spun side two of Parachute. Side one was the killer side for me, if I ever even flipped it over I must not of paid much attention (probably still reeling from ¨Cries From The Midnight Circus¨ to it because all these side two songs are like first time heard it exp. to me.

¨Grass¨ is a plesant enough mid-tempo rocker, good lyrics and vocals, and the first guitar solo is nice and tasty, seemingly subdude, but the second one has more bite. Good song, but nothing to get me too excited, but, and a BIG BUTT, I could see this one being a real sleeper/grower on me...

Funny how this band can shine without even trying. The Abbey Road/Norman Smith combo on this record (and song), and the last album, was a very special thing addition to the Pretty Things soundscapes and vibes in their (too brief) EMI/Harvest years!

 

You two covered this track ¨pretty¨ well. And sorry, Finslaw, I have to go with Phillip on this one--and as you writ, viva la difference, in bestest PT tradition we´ll gift two fingers up the backside of anyone tells us what to think.

A decent rocker, bit long in the tooth and doesn´t really go anywhere nor surprise much in its 6 minute, unlike say: ¨Cries/Circus¨. Yes, I´d say this one suffers a bit for being the shadow of ¨Cried/Circus.¨ I would gladly switch this out with October 26 to make a better Parachute!

 

I like this one more. I true grit rocker, great guitar interplay in the midsection, and I DO like the vocals. I´d not realized that Phil was so generous in gifting others in the band lead vocals on this record--could this go back my theory that Phil was in a deep/dark hole at this time? IIRC, nobody commented on that theory with objections nor insights. Perhaps I am flogging a dead horse...

This is my favorite song on side two so far. And I love your fever dream interpretation of it finslaw! And having the lyrics to accompany the song is very helpful. Top Notch Thread Mind Her--She´s a Lover and She Waits Behind the Hill for You!

 

I like this song a lot! Well, really, only a song fragment, but a very well presented one. Great vocals (again, Norman Smith, Abbey Road Studios and The Beatles Harmonies all playing a major role in this little gem). Seems it just fades away, ¨what´s the use... indeed. A very nice song, I like the guitar interplay and the vocals, but obviously not a ¨Biggy!

 

Unitt was magnificent on Parachute. He had a real feel for the songs and didn't overdo it. It's a pity that he didn't stay in the band for long.

In addition to Parachute his playing on the Edgar Broughton Band albums, which I've not listened to for years, struck a chord with me as a guitar beginner. Shoe salesman apart, does anyone know what he did with himself after he left EBB for the second time as there's not much on him on the internet?

 

Actually Wally sings lead on this one.

 

This highlights a very curious fact - Phil May would not be heard as lead vocalist on any single A sides again until 1974. Wally would be lead singer of the next 2 A sides as well, the second in spite of him no longer being an actual member of the band!

 

Love hearing the reviews of these songs, positive or negative. Without them this thread is just my opinion, and I've been stuck with that for decades. I think I'll do song for song until the band breaks up but I am all for doing things different once we get to Freeway Madness, if anyone has any ideas.

I should know better than to automatically assume with this band.

Cold Stone - B side 1970

Spoiler: Lyrics

In the sky you're runnin'
White liquid at your feet
Mesmerized through the darkness
Look so obsolete
Now the walls are falling
Now that you are free
Will you pin your hopes on lies
Don't pin them on me
We're goin' down slow
We're in a hole
To beg a please
No rest for me
Beneath the sky you're runnin'
White mucous in your throat
Chase out a bloodstained weasel
Just might be a stow
Through the velvet forest
White witnesses at hand
Oh brave soldier what's so sad
Don't you understand
We're goin' down slow
We're in a hole
To beg a please
No rest for me
This world is just cold stone
This world is just cold stone
This world is just cold stone
We're in a hole
We're goin' down slow
To beg a please
No rest for me

So full confession, I've sorta already done this kind of thread elsewhere, but nowhere as ambitious. On RYM where Radiohead threads mirror the Beatles ones here, I was the first to post a thread about The Pretty Things's career: The Pretty Things are the backbone of rock n roll. - Rate Your Music In that thread, after laying down the gauntlet, the next reply asked if they did metal and someone's reply to that was that Cold Stone was as close as they got. Hmmmm, maybe.

This song kicks in from go and manages to catch your attention with the tick tock opener. I remember reading that they practiced the song at home with an ashtray for that part, went to the studio and couldn't get the right sound from anything they had there so they went back home and grabbed the ashtray. The song seems to mirror 12 bar progression for most of the length and lyrically seems to detail getting out of a tight spot with some great visuals: White mucous in your throat, chase out a bloodstained weasel as well as some great attitude: Now the walls are falling, now that you are free, will you pin your hopes on lies, don't pin them on me.

My gut wants to say that this song had the better chance of placing on the charts, but I'm not sure. October 26 (why that date?) is a fantastic song IMO, and I prefer it to Cold Stone, but Cold Stone has a succinct length. However, I dare say one reason why this song wouldn't have hit is that The Pretty Things during this period seem almost incapable of writing straight forward songs about sex ala All Right Now. Think back to any of the most recent singles and they are not the most easily consumed by the oblivious public: Defecting Grey, Talkin About the Good Times, Private Sorrow, Good Mr. Square and October 26.

Coming up is an era of the B-side IMO being a better choice than the A-side. This includes 7 singles from now till the single that broke the camel's back and headed Phil packing, this is not including an A-side that was previously a B-side. Other than this single and one more, I also prefer the B sides as songs, so maybe I am just biased.

 

Cold Stone! One of THOSE Pretties moments which gets one thinking "why the HELL weren't these guys big?" A superb potent riffy rocker, very fitting for the era and for me, way more commercial than October 26. Sadly we'll never know what might had been had it been the A side but I like to think it would have gotten more radio play than the A side did. Lets put it this way - over many years I would try and get friends into the Pretties and play them various tracks and a complete album here and there and the most popular track was Cold Stone - it was the one track a fair few would ask to listen to again and admit it was pretty good.

 

My stepson made a mixtape for his girlfriend's father (?) and since he doesn't know old school rock much he used a lot of band's I listen to, and it was Cold Stone that made the cut.

 

Cold Stone is in my top 5 Pretties tracks. I was really glad they chose to play it both at the Coney Island High soundcheck and at the concert. It definitely should have been the A-side. I like October 26 just fine but it was a poor choice for a single. People wanted records that rocked at the time.

 

And yet the only true rocker A side I can see from 1967 - 1976 (not counting bridesmaid turned bride Joey) is the one coming up. Otherwise, the band tended to put their awesome rockers on the B-side. I don't get it, was it because Cry to Me was their last top 40?

 

finslaw said: "My gut wants to say that this song had the better chance of placing on the charts, but I'm not sure. October 26 (why that date?)"

I assume October 26 has something to do with the October Revolution in Russia?


Likewise, Roy Harper has a song called October 12th, which is the day Columbus "discovered" India/America/Caribbean.