The Pretty Things: The Ep Collection (UK, 1965/67)

Their first two albums were basically R&B but Emotions was an unconvincing attempt to come to terms with the heady days of 1967. The album contained all original compositions, mainly credited to Taylor and May. Children is arguably the strongest track on the album, others like Tripping and Growing In My Mind were lyrically an attempt to come to terms with the changing times, although musically they lacked the imagination and creativity that characterised the better bands of this era. The band later claimed that they knew they had to complete the album to leave the label but had no control over the end product, which the producers laced with strings and brass. Stax and Pendleton quit the band soon after the album's release. Stax emigrated to Australia and Pendleton simply vanished. Taylor and May made drastic changes bringing in Wally Allen and John Povey from Bern Elliott and The Fenmen and drummer TwinkThe Fairies. This new line-up recorded S.F. Sorrow which was based on a short story by Phil May and is generally acknowledged to be the first rock opera giving Pete Townshend the inspiration to write Tommy. S. F. Sorrow was certainly one of the best things The Pretties did - an innovative and imaginative account of the life of an imaginary character - 'S. F. Sorrow'. Musically it represented a significant advance for The Pretties. It also may have influenced other artists of that era - for example, one of its tracks Private Sorrow sounded similar to subsequent Jethro Tull compositions on Aqualung. Despite its influence, it was largely unheralded at the time and did not sell well.

Around the time of S.F. Sorrow, the band recorded an album in France. The Philippe De Barge

The result was only transferred to one acetate and never pressed because he died shortly after. The album has subsequently been pirated on CDR, with some of the songs being different versions of titles which they also recorded as Electric Banana. (alias John Alder) from album, as it has become known, came into being when French millionaire Philippe De Barge wanted to finance something to do with swinging sixties London and he persuaded the Pretties to come over to his Chateau to record an LP.

something lovely, take a look.

BUZZ THE JERK