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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZPRETTY THINGS, TheUK R&B band formed at Sidcup art college in Kent '63 by original Rolling Stones bassist Dick Taylor and singer Phil May (b Philip Dennis Arthur Wadey, 9 November 1944, Dartford, Kent; d 15 May 2020, Norfolk, of complications following hip surgery). Taylor switched to lead to accomodate bassist John Stax; rhythm guitarist Brian Pendleton, drummers Peter Kitley, Viv Andrews, then Viv Prince completed the lineup. Very much in the Stones mould, from their image to covers of USA R&B material and their name from a Bo Diddley lyric, buy May said in an interview that 'Er just took what we wanted and made it our own." His obituary said that they were ancestors of punk rock. Initially they had top 40 hits and near misses; after three LPs drummer since '65 Skip Alan (b Alan Skipper, 11 June 1948, London) was replaced by John 'Twink' Adler, Wally Allen replaced Stax on bass and John Povey (b 20 August 1944, London) replaced Pendelton on keyboards; they switched from Fontana to the progressive new EMI Harvest label with SF Sorrow '68, a concept LP written by May and Taylor, seen as the first rock opera, inspiring Pete Townshend's more successful Tommy for the Who. Taylor left; Alan returned to form a two-drummer arrangement with Twink; more changes followed. Parachute '69 was acclaimed by Rolling Stone magazine but a commercial failure; Freeway Madness '72 included new members Pete Tolson on guitar (b 10 September 1951, Bishops Stortford), Gordon Edwards on keyboards (b 26 December 1946, Southport). Signed to Led Zeppelin Swan Song label for polished AOR albums Silk Torpedo and Savage Eye '74-5, the only ones to chart in USA, but May's departure '76 was the end. He formed Fallen Angels with Alan; others formed Metropolis with ex-T-Rex bassist Jack Green (b 12 March 1951, Glasgow), who'd sung on last LP, but they split again, Edwards joining the Kinks. In 1985 May was playing pubs with young musicians as Pretty Things; Taylor played with former Leeds punks the Mekons. First two LPs were The Pretty Things and Get The Picture; Let Me Hear The Choir Sing '84 on Edsel anthologised early singles; Closed Restaurant Blues '85 on Bam Caruso portrayed them emerging from blues period and lent weight to the theory that they were several bands, with May as the only constant factor; Cries From The Midnight Circus '86 on Harvest included tracks from SF Sorrow and Parachute; other compilations included two as 'Electric Banana' on Butt. May kept performing until diagnosed with emphysema, but continued recording; the last Pretty Things album, Bare As Bone, Bright As Blood, was due to be released in 2020. Constant change had kept them from a bigger breakthrough. |