Ulysses

I never know what to think of the Pretty Things. On the one hand I think they get too much credit, particularly for S.F. Sorrow but, at the same time, I don't think they get enough credit! I think that comes from the fact that even in England they seem to be a band that is only known by 'afficiandos' or people who have picked-up S.F. Sorrow from yet another band name-checking it - even though none of those bands actually sound like S.F. Sorrow made an impression on them in the first place.

As you say yourself, they beat the early Stones at their own game on their early records and yet how many people who were around during the 1960s are that familiar with them. It seems history really is written by the victors and big-lipped Dartford boys.

I wonder whether they should be filed away with Les Fleur de Lys as one of those bands that perhaps ultimately suffered because of various line-up changes? Both bands created great music at every change they went through but perhaps they were never able to create enough traction for anything to really stick before they'd changed yet again?

Whilst Taylor's guitar playing always gets mentioned on anything about the Pretty Things, for me, some of the musical highlights on the early material actually come from Viv Prince's occasionally ferocious drums.