An equal love for rock ?n? roll and rhythm & blues is what guided The Pretty Things in 1963 when they first formed. Guitarist Dick Taylor, previously a member of Little Boy Blue & The Blue Boys with pals Mick Jagge... more »r and Keith Richards, met Phil May at art school and quickly joined forces. They recruited the rest of the original Things over the next year and went on to sign a record deal with Fontana. While U.S. audiences didn?t embrace these British invaders, European audiences did. In fact, it was David Bowie who first enlightened America about the Pretty Things phenomenon with covers of both "Rosalyn" and "Don?t Bring Me Down" in 1973. Another milestone for the band was 1968?s S. F. Sorrow. The first rock opera was a huge influence for Pete Townshend, who went on to create Tommy a year later. Long overdue, Come See Me: The Very Best Of The Pretty Things is the band?s first comprehensive best-of package in the U.S. It focuses on the band?s initial decade, starting with a heavily R&B-influenced garage sound, passing through their late-?60s conceptual operetta and into psychedelia and standard classic ?70s rock. Its 25 tracks include the hits "Don?t Bring Me Down," "Defecting Grey" and "Honey, I Need." The Pretties reunited a few years back to re-record their operetta and continue to record and tour sporadically. ? This is The Pretty Things? first comprehensive "Best-of," packed with 25 tracks. ? The contemporary garage rock movement, led by The White Stripes, The Vines, The Strokes...has brought renewed interest to The Pretty Things, one of the pioneering groups of the genre. ? Sixties garage rock?s popularity is evidenced by the strong sales of Rhino?s Nuggets boxed sets (which featured The Pretty Things). ? The Pretty Things? Parachutes was Rolling Stone magazine?s 1970 Album of the Year.« less
An equal love for rock ?n? roll and rhythm & blues is what guided The Pretty Things in 1963 when they first formed. Guitarist Dick Taylor, previously a member of Little Boy Blue & The Blue Boys with pals Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, met Phil May at art school and quickly joined forces. They recruited the rest of the original Things over the next year and went on to sign a record deal with Fontana. While U.S. audiences didn?t embrace these British invaders, European audiences did. In fact, it was David Bowie who first enlightened America about the Pretty Things phenomenon with covers of both "Rosalyn" and "Don?t Bring Me Down" in 1973. Another milestone for the band was 1968?s S. F. Sorrow. The first rock opera was a huge influence for Pete Townshend, who went on to create Tommy a year later. Long overdue, Come See Me: The Very Best Of The Pretty Things is the band?s first comprehensive best-of package in the U.S. It focuses on the band?s initial decade, starting with a heavily R&B-influenced garage sound, passing through their late-?60s conceptual operetta and into psychedelia and standard classic ?70s rock. Its 25 tracks include the hits "Don?t Bring Me Down," "Defecting Grey" and "Honey, I Need." The Pretties reunited a few years back to re-record their operetta and continue to record and tour sporadically. ? This is The Pretty Things? first comprehensive "Best-of," packed with 25 tracks. ? The contemporary garage rock movement, led by The White Stripes, The Vines, The Strokes...has brought renewed interest to The Pretty Things, one of the pioneering groups of the genre. ? Sixties garage rock?s popularity is evidenced by the strong sales of Rhino?s Nuggets boxed sets (which featured The Pretty Things). ? The Pretty Things? Parachutes was Rolling Stone magazine?s 1970 Album of the Year.
"This amazing collection covers all phases of the Pretty Things' overlooked (in the US) career: from raw R&B to garage to psych to hard rock, it's all here. If you love the Stones, Kinks, Them, and Small Faces and want to explore raw British rock even further, then this collection is essential! Get it now!"
The Pretty Things - A Rock 'n' Roll Jewel
M. Soc | Windsor, ON Canada | 07/24/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This band is an important part of rock 'n roll history. Do yourself a favour and go out and buy this (if you don't have PT CD's from sixties already). Then, check out PT masterpiece 'Parachute' - one of the best records ever made (Rolling Stone album of the year 1970).
"
Absolutely essential British Invasion/garage rock!
David Mandau | Takoma Park, MD | 04/27/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Pretty Things never had much impact in the States, but they were huge in the UK. Before getting this CD, I only knew a couple of songs from comps. This set really delivers the goods, though. In their early R&B phase, they outrocked the early Stones. Seriously. As they moved into psychedelia, they stayed away from the dippy sentiments that plagued acts like the Hollies, coming across more like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. This CD covers both eras well, and even goes into their '70s hard rock phase, when they recorded for Zeppelin's Swan Song label. If you're a fan of British Invasion rock or garage rock of any era, you'll love the Pretty Things."
Uglier and more wicked than mick and stones
matt tan canada | montreal, quebec, CANADA | 06/20/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"pretty things to me, was always badder than mick and the stones.
mick is pretty compared to phil may and company.
their music started to sound a bit like the stones , at the beginning; but why not? they were both plagiarizing from bo diddley, chuck berry and all the great black rnb premiers.
however, as soon as you reach "come see me" (the title track , track 11) you have to concede the "wicked-est" bass in rock history has to be from this tune. even the mighty "donald" duck dunn's bass would sound "quacky" (lol) compared to this bad-arse mother of all bass sound.
venture further and pretty things abruptedly sounds pretty on track 15,
making you think someone switched albums... barclay james harvest??? colin blunstone with argent???
but no, this is still pretty thing, and really ...
sounding quite pretty... um, pretty impressive. more than ever before, this is really pretty things living up to their monicker.
can a band so wicked and ugly , span the other extreme of the spectrum to sound pretty. well, ""the sun", "death of a socialite",etc... prove that this group is more than just a bunch of "ugly faces" making "ugly noise". hang on tight,mate ... as track 17 "defecting grey" takes you on a magic carpet ride with a little traffic-ky "paper sun" , then the byrds "8 miles high" and you hear everything from the move, who,etc... and awaaaaayyyyy youuuuu goooooo...
this album keeps getting better as you float along with the sonic-evolution of the pretty things. surprise, surprise, ... and even more surprise; it's really quite nice. excellent anthology of a group that should have been credited for their talent alongside who, stones and move.
as always, those who (excuse the pun) came first, never got the credit. this time, pretty things should be something worth listening... 37 years after. it's amazing, when you come to think of it, the members of the garage bands of today were not even fetuses when the tunes on this album first saw light."
More than their greatest hits
matt tan canada | 04/29/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Come See Me exemplifies the true meaning of a greatest hits package. For the first time as a Pretty Things fan, I am happy to see all their hits on one compilation. WOW! This greatest hits release focuses on the band's initial decade, starting with a heavily R&B-influenced garage sound. Hits such as "Don't Bring Me Down," "Defecting Gray" and "Honey, I Need," define this classic collection. The band who was a major influence on David Bowie shines in this compilation. A must have for any Pretty Things fan!"