The Pretty Things - Live at The BBC - 2021
In the golden age of the British R&B revival, few groups created as much excitement and controversy as the Pretty Things. They came up alongside the Rolling Stones in the early 1960s, but were deemed by critics and fans as wilder and bluesier than even Mick Jagger & co.
When long-haired Phil May sang and shook his maracas with manic intensity, audiences and record buyers knew they were in for a wild ride. But the Pretty Things took their music seriously and developed into one of the more innovative rock bands of the 70s, much admired by groups and artists from Led Zeppelin to David Bowie. As well as recording hit singles and albums, the Pretties were also heard live in action on BBC radio shows that captured their dynamic performances with remarkable clarity and presence.
We are fortunate that this audio heritage has been carefully preserved and has now been digitally restored for future generations to enjoy. Repertoire is proud to present this comprehensive 6 CD collection that provides over seven hours of non-stop R&B, original songs and new concepts. Such seminal BBC shows as Saturday Club presented by DJ Brian Matthew and Top Gear by John Peel, who also hosted his own regular Sunday Concert, welcomed the band to their studios where they’d romp into everything from Pretty Thing favourites like ‘Big Boss Man’, ‘Road Runner’ and ‘Buzz The Jerk’ to the experimental ‘Defecting Grey’. Check out 1968’s ‘SF Sorrow Is Born’, an hypnotic and mysterious ri! that might well have infuenced today’s groups like Kula Shaker.
There is more broadcast material from the 1970s and even into the 2000s with BBC shows hosted by Mark Lamarr and Marc Riley that bring the band’s history up to date with vibrant versions of ‘Belfast Cowboys’, ‘Singapore Silk Torpedo’ and even a revival of their #rst hit single ‘Rosalyn’. This superb boxed set has informative liner notes by Richard Morton Jack, progressive rock historian and editor of Flashback magazine, and includes an interview with Phil May discussing the recordings. Repertoire’s Chris Welch also interviews founder member guitarist Dick Taylor, who reminisces about the early days of the Pretty Things and pays tribute to his old friend Phil May who sadly passed away in 2020.
CD 1
01. Big Boss Man [Saturday Club, 10/64]
02. Interview: Brian Matthew [Saturday Club, 10/64]
03. Don't Bring Me Down [Saturday Club, 10/64]
04. Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut [Saturday Club, 10/64]
05. Road Runner [Saturday Club, 10/64]
06. Big City [Saturday Club, 10/64]
07. Don't Bring Me Down [Beat Room, 24/12/64]
08. Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut [Beat Room, 24/12/64]
09. Johnny B. Goode [Beat Room, 24/12/64]
10. We'll Be Together [Saturday Club, 9/2/65]
11. Interview With Phil May
12. Sitting All Alone [Saturday Club, 10/10/65]
13. Big City [Saturday Club, 10/10/65]
14. Buzz the Jerk [Saturday Club, 10/10/65]
15. Raining in My Heart [Saturday Club, 10/10/65]
16. LSD [Saturday Club, 5/66]
17. Interview: Brian Matthew [Saturday Club, 5/66]
18. Midnight to Six Man [Saturday Club, 5/66]
19. Buzz the Jerk [Saturday Club, 5/66]
20. Midnight to Six Man [A Whole Scene Going, 12/1/66]
21. Turn My Head [Top Gear, 3/12/67]
22. Walking Through My Dreams [Top Gear, 3/12/67]
23. Defecting Grey [Top Gear, 3/12/67 - Unabridged]
24. Talking About the Good Times [Top Gear, 3/12/67]
25. SF Sorrow Is Born [Top Gear, 7/11/68]
26. She Says Good Morning [Top Gear, 7/11/68]
27. Balloon Burning [Top Gear, 7/11/68]
28. Old Man Going [Top Gear, 7/11/68]
CD 2
29. Spring [Top Gear, 25/5/69]
30. Send You with Loving [Top Gear, 25/5/69 - Unabridged]
31. Loneliest Person [Top Gear, 25/5/69]
32. Alexander [Top Gear, 25/5/69]
33. Marilyn [Top Gear, 25/5/69]
34. Blue Serge Blues [John Peel Sunday Concert, 14/6/70]
35. She's a Lover [John Peel Sunday Concert, 14/6/70]
36. In the Square [John Peel Sunday Concert, 14/6/70]
37. The Letter [John Peel Sunday Concert, 14/6/70]
38. Rain [John Peel Sunday Concert, 14/6/70]
39. Sickle Clowns [John Peel Sunday Concert, 14/6/70]
40. Old Man Going [John Peel Sunday Concert, 14/6/70]
41. She's a Lover [Sounds of the 70S, 6/7/70]
42. Sickle Clowns [Sounds of the 70S, 6/7/70]
43. Trailer for Sounds of the 70S [Sounds of the 70S, 11/8/70]
44. Cries from the Midnight Circus [Sounds of the 70S, 11/9/70]
45. Sickle Clowns [Sounds of the 70S, 11/9/70]
46. Cries from the Midnight Circus [Sounds of the 70S, 11/9/70]
CD 3
47. Cold Stone [Top Gear, 15/5/71]
48. Stone Hearted Mama [Top Gear, 15/5/71]
49. Summertime [Sounds of the 70S, 29/6/71]
50. Cries from the Midnight Circus [Sounds of the 70S, 29/6/71]
51. Slow Beginnings [Sounds of the 70S, 29/6/71]
52. Summertime [Radio Flashes, 14/8/71]
53. Slow Beginnings [Radio Flashes, 14/8/71]
54. Stone Hearted Mama [Radio Flashes, 14/8/71]
55. Cold Stone [Radio Flashes, 14/8/71]
56. Circus Mind [Radio Flashes, 14/8/71]
57. Onion Soup [Top Gear, 25/7/72]
58. Love Is Good [Top Gear, 25/7/72]
59. Spider Woman [Top Gear, 15/8/72]
60. Rosalyn [Top Gear, 15/8/72]
61. All Night Sailor [Top Gear, 15/8/72]
62. Havana Bound [Sounds of the 70S, 30/10/72]
63. Religion's Dead [Sounds of the 70S, 30/10/72]
CD 4
64. Road Runner [Sounds of the 70S, 30/10/72]
65. Peter / Rip Off Train [Sounds of the 70S, 30/10/72]
66. Sweet Orphan Lady [Radio 1 Session 1972]
67. Love Is Good [Radio 1 Session 1972]
68. Religion's Dead [In Concert, 15/2/73]
69. Havana Bound [In Concert, 15/2/73]
70. Love Is Good [In Concert, 15/2/73]
71. Onion Soup [In Concert, 15/2/73]
72. Route 66 [In Concert, 15/2/73]
73. Peter / Rip Off Train [Sounds of the 70S, 27/8/73]
74. Atlanta [Sounds of the 70S, 27/8/73]
75. Onion Soup / Another Bowl [Sounds of the 70S, 27/8/73]
76. Route 66 [Sounds of the 70S, 27/8/73]
77. Singapore Silk Torpedo [John Pee
CD 5
78. Religion's Dead [In Concert, 9/8/73]
79. Havana Bound [In Concert, 9/8/73]
80. Love Is Good [In Concert, 9/8/73]
81. Onion Soup [In Concert, 9/8/73]
82. Route 66 [In Concert, 9/8/73]
83. Old Man Going [In Concert, 12/74]
84. Living Without You [In Concert, 12/74]
85. Joey [In Concert, 12/74]
86. Belfast Cowboys [In Concert, 12/74]
87. It's Been So Long [In Concert, 12/74]
88. Bridge of God [In Concert, 12/74]
89. Come Home Momma [In Concert, 12/74]
90. Singapore Silk Torpedo [In Concert, 12/74]
91. Not Only But Also [John Peel, 24/7/75]
CD 6
92. Big City [John Peel, 24/7/75]
93. Belfast Cowboys / Bruise in the Sky [John Peel, 24/7/75]
94. Dream / Joey [John Peel, 24/7/75]
95. Interview with Phil May & Dick Taylor 28/3/09]
96. Come See Me [Mark Lamarr, Radio 2, 28/3/09]
97. The Beat Goes on [Mark Lamarr Radio 2,28/3/09]
98. Rosalyn [Mark Lamarr, Radio 2, 28/3/09]
99. SF Sorrow Is Born [Mark Lamarr, Radio 2, 28/3/09]
100. LSD / Old Man Going [Mark Lamarr, Radio 2, 28/3/09]
101. Can't Judge a Book By Looking at the Cover [Marc Riley, BBC6 17/7/18]
102. Mr Evasion [Marc Riley, BBC6 17/7/18]
103. Rosalyn [Marc Riley, BBC6 17/7/18]
104. The Same Sun [Marc Riley, BBC6 17/7/18]
105. She Says Good Morning [Marc Riley, BBC6 17/7/18]
106. Defecting Grey [Top Gear, 3/12/67]
107. Send You with Loving [Top Gear, 25/5/69]
108. Cries from the Midnight Circus [Sounds of the 70S, 21/6/70]
109. In the Square [Sounds of the 70S, 6/7/70]
110. The Letter [Sounds of the 70S, 6/7/70]
111. Rain [Sounds of the 70S, 6/7/70]