S.F. SORROW AND PARACHUTE

The Pretty Things is an English rock band formed in 1963 in Sidcup, Kent, England. The guitarist Dick Taylor made part of the Rolling Stones' first line up before founding the band with vocalist Phil May. They were a pure rhythm and blues band in their earlier years. Later, they embraced other genres such as psychedelic rock in the late 60's and hard rock in the early 70's. They never achieved the success of their countrymen, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

The band's early works were influenced by Bo Diddley, including they took the band's name from his 1955 song "Pretty Thing", and Jimmy Reed, the same inspirers of many bands at the time. Their eponymous debut studio album was released in 1965 soon followed by their second album "Get The Picture?". In 1967 they released their third studio album "Emotions", the album that preceded one of the most influential albums, their next studio album "S.F. Sorrow" of 1968. However, at the time "S.F. Sorrow" was commercially an unsuccessful album. Due to the failure of "S.F. Sorrow", Taylor left the group. In 1970 with guitarist Victor Unitt of Edgar Broughton Band they released their fifth album "Parachute".

So, "S.F. Sorrow And Parachute" is a very special compilation of The Pretty Things and was released in 1975. This is an economic package that includes their fourth studio album "S. F. Sorrow" released in 1968 and their fifth studio album "Parachute" released in 1970, on one only package. This is a good and interesting compilation from the band because it includes two of their best studio works at a cheap price. It would be a great purchase if you could get a vinyl copy of it.

As I've already reviewed these two albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my both reviews. However, in here, I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of both albums.

"S.F. Sorrow": "S.F. Sorrow" isn't an album with a great load of melodies as we can see on others, and there isn't a single instantly memorable riff or a single smashing vocal melody on the album. But, it's the incredible and exciting atmosphere all over the album that one just has to soak in. It's usual to think that "Tommy" was the first rock opera, but actually, it was really "S.F. Sorrow" the first one, indeed. It's perfect clear to me that, since "S.F. Sorrow" came out first, Townshend was influenced by the storyline and the concept. If you think that "S.F. Sorrow" has no pretensions and no bombast as opposed to Townshend's project, don't believe it. This is an equally mystical and convoluted story with a plot that's even harder to guess. While the subject matter of "S.F. Sorrow" be a wee bit more grounded, the overall message is even less clear than of "Tommy". It's a pity that "S.F Sorrow" be an underrated work. I really think that took a lot of guts for The Pretty Things make an album so out of sync with the times, and the collective imagination that went into its creation. It's hard to deny the validity of its message and the strength of its music. It remains valid even today.

"Parachute": "Parachute" is an album that shows their hard rock roots having some gruff sound. There's also some psychedelic influences on it too. The album can also sound tender and tuneful as well. These aspects keep it from getting boring. "Parachute" is a wonderful multi-layered listening experience filled with excellent musicianship, superb vocals and lyrics that teem with meaning. It's a great rock album where the sound quality is fantastic. It's not as adventurous and psychedelic as "S.F. Sorrow" is, but it's interesting in its own genre too. In my opinion, "Parachute" is probably their best album behind "S.F.Sorrow". It's their hardest rocking album and their best produced album, has some of their best songs, great harmonies and good segues into each song and fantastic musicianship and lead vocals. All combined together, make of it a really super solid and a very memorable album. "Parachute" along with "S.F. Sorrow" are undoubtedly two of the most underrated and forgotten albums in the history of popular rock music. How bold and creative these two albums were at the time and how unknown they are even today, blows my mind, indeed.

Conclusion: "S.F Sorrow" and "Parachute" are two great albums. You should check out if you haven't them yet. If you have checked already "S.F. Sorrow" and you assumed that the rest of their works would be boring hard rock and think that you have already everything you need from this band, you're wrong. Why? Because if you listen to "Parachute" you realize that it was a mistake. It's true that the "concept" on "Parachute" feels a bit looser than on "S.F. Sorrow", but it's certainly musically just as accomplished as the previous concept is with smooth harmonies, taut rockers, and dark psychedelic, all combined here to a good effect. Both albums are definitely worth checking out. It's a tragedy that "S.F. Sorrow" and "Parachute" wound up as chart failures. Both albums should be heard, enjoyed, and played frequently to fully enjoy them. However, if you already have the two individual studio albums, you don't need to buy this compilation.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)