Pretty Sorrow

S.F. Sorrow is the title of a 1968 LP by the British rock group The Pretty Things. One of the first rock concept albums, S.F. Sorrow was based on a short story by singer-guitarist Phil May. The album is structured as a song cycle, telling the story of the main character, Sebastian F. Sorrow, from birth through love, war, tragedy, madness, and the disillusionment of old age.

Although the album is also a Rock Opera, it has been stated by The Who that it had no major influence on Pete Townshend and his writing of their album Tommy (1969). The songs were recorded over several months during 1967 at EMI's famous Abbey Road Studios in London, during the same period when The Beatles and Pink Floyd were recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Piper Gates of Dawn respectively.

Working with noted EMI staff producer Norman "Hurricane" Smith (who had engineered the earlier Beatles recordings) and house engineer Peter Mew, the group experimented with the latest sound technology, including the Mellotron and early electronic tone generators, often employing gadgets and techniques devised on the spot by Abbey Road's technicians. (Peppermint Store Blogspot)

That being said I was a fan of The Pretty Things early on. I picked up this box set that had all kinds of Psychedelic music on it. I was about sixteen years old and I picked up this boxed set called The Psychedelic Years. It was the same boxed set that got me into Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Love, Tim Buckley, Spirit, Buffalo Springfield and so many others. I was on disc three of the box checking out the British Psychedelic Years and came across The Pretty Things. I mean there was a lot on disc three, but this was one that stuck with me. I looked them up in music books, but there was very general info about them. They mentioned they formed in 1964 as an R&B group and found some kind of idea to make a concept album and the rest was history.

This Pretty Things stuck with me for a while. I mean I would ask people who knew music better then myself about them and not many people heard of them. I was wondering if this was a one hit wonder that just escaped many people's ears. After a while I kind of forgot about them and then one day I asked my friend at the record store who was into Progressive Rock and Psychedelia about them. He was like quite impressed that I heard them. He told me that fans of British music love them and sadly here in the United States it's hard to find. He did have a nice mix at home that he would make for me of their whole career. I was excited to hear what else they had to say. Good thing I asked, because their music is quite amazing.

When I got home to listen to the tape I looked at the titles of the songs and just was in awe that most of this music was neglected by American critics or press. I mean why was this or was this what it really was a band that was lost in the shuffle of the Kinks, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Small Faces, and others. After I finished the tape I realized they were just as important as all them and maybe more. The Pretty Things were just like other bands of the time, taking American R&B and putting their spin on it. At some points they were piers to The Animals in their early years. Once they heard (like all bands) the Beatles, they changed with the time and created something different.

I am glad they did because they are extremely influential in what they did. I mean Pete Townshead took their concept even though he won't admit to it. It is really a great piece of work. I asked a friend from my concert going last year about them and he told me that they were a huge cult band in America, but they never talked to much about them only because there were so many other bands at the time that everyone wanted to hear and talk about. It was a flood of so much stuff that they were quickly forgotten.

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 seven or four, or even two, or not amplified at all, 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; harmony vocals that are spooky, trippy, strange, and delightful; sitars included in the array of stringed instruments; and an organ trying hard to sound like a Mellotron. (AM) That means really is get the album and enjoy! Impress all your music friends with this album. There are a few re-issues out there. The one with the four bonus tracks is great. If you can download the Mono mix even better. The one I own is a Japanese mini LP edition with seven extra tracks and that is awesome. I still love the mono colors so I am partial to that one.