By request: PRETTY THINGS - S.F. Sorrow + Live @ Paradiso

Who could ever have thought, going back to the Pretty Things' first recording session in 1965 — which started out so disastrously that their original producer quit in frustration — that it would come to this? The Pretty Things' early history in the studio featured the band with its amps seemingly turned up to 11, but for much of S.F. Sorrow the band is turned down to 7 or 4, or even 2, or not amplified at all (except for Wally Allen's bass — natch); and they're doing all kinds of folkish things here that are still bluesy enough so you never forget who they are, amid weird little digressions on percussion and chorus, and harmony vocals that are spooky, trippy, strange, and delightful, and sitars included in the array of stringed instruments, plus an organ trying hard to sound like a Mellotron. Sometimes one gets an echo of Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn or A Saucerful of Secrets, and it all straddles the worlds of British blues and British psychedelia better than almost any record you can name. The album, for those unfamiliar, tells the story of "S.F. Sorrow," a sort of British Everyman — think of a working-class, luckless equivalent to the Kinks' Arthur, from cradle to grave. The tale and the songs are a bit downbeat and no amount of scrutiny can disguise the fact that the rock opera S.F. Sorrow is ultimately a bit of a confusing effort — these boys were musicians, not authors or dramatists. Although it may have helped inspire Tommy, it is, simply, not nearly as good. That said, it was first and has quite a few nifty ideas and production touches. And it does show a pathway between blues and psychedelia that the Rolling Stones, somewhere between Satanic Majesties, "We Love You," "Child of the Moon," and Beggars Banquet, missed entirely. [The CD reissue on Snapper adds four valuable songs from their 1967-1968 singles ("Defecting Grey," "Mr. Evasion," "Talkin' About the Good Times," and "Walking Through My Dreams"). This version of "Defecting Grey" is the original, long, uncut five-minute rendition, and not of trivial importance; it's superior to the shorter one used on the official single.]

Tracks

1. S.F. Sorrow Is Born

2. Bracelets Of Fingers

3. She Says Goood Morning

4. Private Sorrow

5. Balloon Burning

6. Death

7. Baron Saturday

8. The Journey

9. I See You

10. Well Of Destiny

11. Trust

12. Old Man Going

13. Loneliest Person

14. Defecting Grey

15. Mr. Evasion

16. Talkin' About The Good Times

17. Walking Through My Dreams

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+ Surprise...

Pretty Things - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL) March 29, 1969

Tracks
1. Instro (fade in)

2. Talking about the good times, part 1

3. Talking about the good times, part 2

4. Alexander

5. Renaissance Fair

6. SF sorrow is born

7. She says good morning

8. Mr. Evasion (cuts off)
Time: 34:21

Source: Soundboard -> Reel-To-Reel Master -> CDR (#2) -> EAC -> Flac (level 8) -> Dime
Sound quality: A++

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Line up:
Phil May: Lead Vocals

Dick Taylor: Lead guitar, Vocals

Wally Allen: Bass, Vocals

John Povey: Keyboards, Vocals

John 'Twink' Alder : Drums

Prof. Stoned sez:
This has been available much longer on various boots in inferior quality.But the difference in soundquality of the old source and this new one couldnot be bigger. From D- to A++.The old source was taken from a 37 year old broadcast, which was probably recorded with a mic in front of a transistor radio.This one is a digital copy of the original pre-fm VPRO mastertape. An amazing discovery that will fill many hearts with joy, I'm sure.
But it's not just the recording quality that makes this so outstanding.The pretties were rawking like the devil was on their heels~~!This recording makes the Stones live album "Get yer ya-ya's out" sound like a tea party (sorry stonesfans!).What an awesome rockband this was. And what a shame they got so little recognition.
I maintained the titles that the original seed provided.I'm not sure whether Tr. 1 is correctly titled.The "Hyde and Psych" boot named this track "Why?", but then that boot also incorrectly listed Tr.8 as "I see you".
Anyway, dig this!
And many many thanks to the man who -with a lot of patience- managed to unearth this great piece of history. And also to the one I downloaded this from (I do not remember from where)!!!

LINKS:

S.F. Sorrow

h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=HKA4YU91

Live At Paradiso (FLAC)

h!!p://www.megaupload.com/?d=1G9FYBM7

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