S.F. Sorrow (The Pretty Things, 1968)

As previously mentioned, the British blues boom of the late 1960's sent bands off in all musical directions in the following years. The preceding "R&B" movement that emerged from bands following the standard of the Rolling Stones wasn't all that different. The Pretty Things started life as a R&B outfit with Dick Taylor on lead guitar, and making it clear this was his true calling, not playing bass for the Rolling Stones (his old job). The band played grittier and truer than most of their peers, so it seems weird that just a few years later they had transformed into an expansively psychedelic band.

The move wasn't overnight. Their first two albums were firmly entrenched in R&B territory and even the third album was more psych in its choice of album cover than musically. However each album expanded on the previous and the addition of Beach Boys inspired new members John Povey and Wally Waller added a sweetness to Phil May's raw vocals. With the last minute addition of new drummer Twink (who's past and future resume is very impressive), the band was about to take it to the next level.

S.F. Sorrow is not just a sonically advanced album in vocals and instrumentation, but it is also one of the very first concept albums in rock history. It's a little difficult to follow because there is some narration that never made it to the recorded album. It's one of the saddest stories you'll ever experience, dealing with death, loneliness, and despair. Nevertheless the band pours their collective heart into the album, putting forth the best work of their career. Between the ambitious singles "Defecting Grey" and "Walking Through My Dreams (usually found as bonus tracks) and the album itself, this would surely put the Pretty Things in the rock pantheon of the Stones, Beatles, Who and Kinks...

It didn't. To do all of this and fail commercially was just too much for the band's ability to continue and with Taylor's departure the band fell apart. Yet, various band members were able to rebuild a couple years later to release another fantastic album, Parachute, before promptly re-disbanding. The Pretty Things weren't done, however. The band reassembled yet again and released a trio of hard rock albums, but when May quit the band and the number of original members went to zero, it looked like they really had reached the end. Inexplicably, the band reunited again in the early 80's, this time bringing back Taylor and a strangely new wave sound. Since then the band has come and gone, touring and releasing albums sporadically, and still missing their breakthrough album, although time has been very kind to their early material, making them one of the most respected bands of the 1960's. I heartily recommend any of their album up to and including Parachute, but if you want a good starting point, this is it.