Product Info
3LP on white vinyl / 6CD boxset
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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 3LP/6CD collection comprising dozens of tracks which provide 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 in"uenced 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 'LSD', 'Mr Evasion', 'She Says Good Morning' and even a revival of their #rst hit single ‘Rosalyn’. This superb 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
Tracklist
CD Tracklist
Saturday Club, 10/64
1-1 Big Boss Man
1-2 Interview With Phil May & Dick Taylor
1-3 Don’t Bring Me Down
1-4 Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
1-5 Road Runner
1-6 Big City
Beat Room, 24/12/64
1-7 Don’t Bring Me Down
1-8 Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
1-9 Johnny B. Goode
Saturday Club, 9/2/65
1-10 We’ll Be Together
Saturday Club, 10/10/65
1-11 Interview With Phil May
1-12 Sitting All Alone
1-13 Big City
1-14 Buzz The Jerk
1-15 Rainin’ In My Heart
Saturday Club, 5/66
1-16 LSD
1-17 Interview With Phil May
1-18 Midnight To Six Man
1-19 Buzz The Jerk
A Whole Scene Going, 12/1/66
1-20 Midnight To Six Man
Top Gear, 3/12/67
1-21 Turn My Head
1-22 Introduction: Brian Matthew
1-23 Walking Through My Dreams
1-24 Defecting Grey [Unabridged]
1-25 Talking About The Good Times
Top Gear, 7/11/68
1-26 SF Sorrow Is Born
1-27 She Says Good Morning
1-28 Balloon Burning
1-29 Old Man Going
Top Gear, 25/5/69
2-1 Spring
2-2 Send You With Loving [Unabridged]
2-3 Loneliest Perso
2-4 Alexander
2-5 Marilyn
John Peel Sunday Concert, 14/6/70
2-6 Blue Serge Blues
2-7 Introduction: John Peel
2-8 She’s A Lover
2-9 Introduction: John Peel
2-10 In The Square
2-11 The Letter
2-12 Rain
2-13 Introduction: John Peel
2-14 Sickle Clowns
2-15 Old Man Going
Sounds Of The 70s, 6/7/70
2-16 She’s A Lover
2-17 Sickle Clowns
2-18 Trailer For Sounds Of The 70s
Sounds Of The 70s, 11/9/70
2-19 Cries From The Midnight Circus
2-20 Sickle Clowns
2-21 Cries From The Midnight Circus
Top Gear, 15/5/71
3-1 Cold Stone
3-2 Stone-Hearted Mama
Sounds Of The 70s, 29/6/71
3-3 Summertime
3-4 Cries From The Midnight Circus
3-5 Slow Beginnings
Radio Flashes, 14/8/71
3-6 Summertime
3-7 Slow Beginnings
3-8 Stone-Hearted Mama
3-9 Cold Stone
3-10 Circus Mind
Top Gear, 25/7/72
3-11 Onion Soup
3-12 Love Is Good
Top Gear, 15/8/72
3-13 Spider Woman
3-14 Rosalyn
3-15 All Night Sailor
Sounds Of The 70s, 30/10/72
3-16 Havana Bound
3-17 Religion’s Dead
4-1 Road Runner
4-2 Peter / Rip Off Train
Radio 1 Session 1972
4-3 Sweet Orphan Lady
4-4 Love Is Good
In Concert, 9/8/73
4-5 Religion’s Dead
4-6 Havana Bound
4-7 Love Is Good
4-8 Onion Soup
4-9 Route 66
Sounds Of The 70s, 27/8/73
4-10 Peter / Rip Off Train
4-11 Atlanta
4-12 Onion Soup / Another Bowl
4-13 Route 66
John Peel Show, 17/12/74
4-14 Singapore Silk Torpedo
In Concert, 9/8/73
5-1 Introduction: Alan Black
5-2 Religion’s Dead [Alt Edit]
5-3 Havana Bound [Alt Edit]
5-4 Love Is Good [Alt Edit]
5-5 Onion Soup [Alt Edit]
5-6 Route 66 [Alt Edit]
In Concert, 12/74
5-7 Old Man Going
5-8 Living Without You
5-9 Joey
5-10 Belfast Cowboys / Bruise In The Sky
5-11 It’s Been So Long
5-12 Bridge Of God
5-13 Come Home Momma
5-14 Singapore Silk Torpedo
John Peel, 24/7/75
5-15 Not Only But Also
6-1 Big City
6-2 Belfast Cowboys / Bruise In The Sky
6-3 Introduction: Brian Matthew
6-4 Dream / Joey
Mark Lamarr Show Radio 2, 28/3/09
6-5 Interview With Phil May & Dick Taylor
6-6 Come See Me
6-6 The Beat Goes On
6-8 Rosalyn
6-9 SF Sorrow Is Born
6-10 LSD / Old Man Going
Marc Riley, BBC 6 Music 17/7/18
6-11 Can’t Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover
6-12 Mr Evasion
6-13 Rosalyn
6-14 The Same Sun
6-15 She Says Good Morning
Bonus Tracks
Top Gear, 3/12/67
6-16 Defecting Grey
Top Gear, 25/5/69
6-17 Send You With Loving
Sounds Of The 70s, 21/6/70
6-18 Cries From The Midnight Circus
Sounds Of The 70s, 6/7/70
6-19 Introduction: Dave Symonds
6-20 In The Square
6-21 The Letter
6-22 Rain
LP Tracklist
Saturday Club Presented By Brian Matthew, October 1964
A1 Big Boss Man
A2 Don't Bring Me Down [Edit]
A3 Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
A4 Road Runner
A5 Big City
Beat Room Presented By Pat Campbell, 24 December 1964
A6 Don't Bring Me Down
A7 Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
A8 Johnny B. Goode
Saturday Club Presented By Brian Matthew, 9 February 1965
B1 We'll Be Together
Saturday Club Presented By Brian Matthew, 10 October 1965
B2 Sitting All Alone
B3 Big City
B4 Buzz The Jerk
B5 Raining In My Heart
Saturday Club Presented By Brian Matthew, May 1966
B6 LSD
B7 Midnight To Six Man
B8 Buzz The Jerk
Mark Lamarr Radio 2, 28 March 2009
B9 Rosalyn
Top Gear, 3 December 1967 (Presented By Brian Matthew)
C1 Turn My Head
C2 Walking Through My Dreams
C3 Defecting Grey
Top Gear, 17 November 1968 ( Presented By Brian Matthew)
C4 SF Sorrow Is Born
C5 She Says Good Morning
C6 Balloon Burning
Top Gear, 17 November 1968
D1 Old Man Going
Top Gear, 25 May 1969 (Presented By Brian Matthew)
D2 The Loneliest Person
D3 Spring
Mark Lamarr Radio 2, 28 March 2009
D4 LSD / Old Man Going [Edit]
Mark Riley BBC 6 Music, 17 July 2018
D5 Mr Evasion
D6 She Says Good Morning
Sounds Of The 70s, 6 July 1970 (Presented By Brian Matthew)
E1 She's A Lover
E2 Sickle Clowns
Sounds Of The 70s Presented By Alan Black, 11 September 1970
E3 Cries From The Midnight Circus
John Peel Sunday Concert, 14 June 1970
E4 Blue Serge Blues
Sounds Of The 70s, 29 June 1971 (Presented By Brian Matthew)
E5 Summertime
Top Gear, 15 May 1971 (Presented By Brian Matthew)
F1 Cold Stone
F2 Stone-Hearted Mama
Top Gear, 15 August 1972 (Presented By Brian Matthew)
F3 Spider Woman
Sounds Of The 70s Presented By Bob Harris, 30 October 1972
F4 Religion's Dead [Edit]
Radio Flashes Presented By Viv Stanshall, 14 August 1971
F5 Circus Mind