TheCellarTapes

The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow
(1968)



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The beginnings of The Pretty Things is quite interesting, initially formed by Richard Taylor, Phil May, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, they were really an early version of The Rolling Stones. After going their separate ways and with a more stable line-up, The Pretty Things released their first two albums in 1965; "The Pretty Things" and the follow up "Get The Picture", were nothing short of being high octane R&B, making them sound a lot rawer, and some would say more pleasurable, then their counterparts The Rolling Stones.

Whilst The Rolling Stones had conquered America and successfully back filled for the now touring retired Beatles, The Pretty Things were marginalised to a more niche European audience. With that in mind, in 1968 the band released an album which was far removed from their initial first two freakishly R&B albums; "S.F. Sorrow" was a first class example of the Psychedelic concept album which littered the 67-68 music scene within the UK.

Recorded at Abbey Road and produced by Norman "Hurricane" Smith (producer of Piper at The Gates at Dawn), the album tells the story of a British man named Sebastian F Sorrow, from his birth right through to his eventual death, morbid stuff I grant you. But The Pretty Things with this release have successfully combined their raw bluesy roots with a new found need for experimentation with some quite marvellous results.



It's also worth mentioning, that with the CD reissue of this album, we have the delights of some cracking singles and B-Sides which the band released in 1967-68 also, making this album nothing short of an essential purchase.

This release in my view is on par with any concept album created during the period. Maybe it is not as polished as Sgt Pepper and maybe it is not as well structured as Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, but with all things considered with the inclusion of the singles and with the initial album itself, SF Sorrow is a beautiful thing. From gorgeous songs such as "Trust" and "I See You", through to the highly addictive "Talkin' About The Good Times" and "Mr Evasion", to the marvellously experimental "Defecting Grey".

SF Sorrow stands shoulder to shoulder with the heavy weights of the period, but remains a very much forgotten masterpiece which I reckon deserves your attention today.

TheCellarTapes

Turquoise - The Further Adventures of Flossie Fillett
(2006)



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When I set out to discover the wonders of the 1960's, looking beyond household names like The Beatles, The Who and The Kinks, delving beyond the bands that my Gran has never heard of like The Velvet Underground and The Standells, I learnt, sometimes with complete dismay, that there was a whole host of acts from the Sixties which for whatever reason were not as big as they should have been.

In my later reviews I will cover the works of such criminally neglected bands, bands like The Sonics and The Monks, such bands are even more obscure to the general public then The Velvet Underground, and yet you could argue had similar impacts on popular music. But in this review I would like to share with you all another band who I believe should be re-examined by the NMEs of this world and that band is Turquoise.

In 2006, Rev-Ola Records released an album of demos, unreleased recordings and two released singles from a London band called Turquoise. The Further Adventures of Flossie Fillett for the first time captures the work of this shockingly overlooked band when they were under the Decca umbrella and previous to that when they were unsigned and known as The Brood.

Formed in 1966 in the Muswell Hill area of London, The Brood/Turquoise had close associations with both The Kinks and The Who, in fact so close were the links to these bands that both Dave Davies and The Who's Keith Moon and John Entwistle had all been on producing duty at some point for The Brood in their early career. Sometimes good connections are all you needed to make it, but The Brood had much more then just influential mates.



It was all looking good in 1968 when The Brood signed a publishing deal with Decca through Apple Corp, changed their name to Turquoise, had backing from The Rolling Stones management team, and began work on their first single. 53 Summer Street / The Tales of Flossie Fillet was a release which bizarrely never kicked in with the public, despite both songs on the release being rather strong. I'm particularly fond of the flip side Flossie Fillet; a song which I find staggering never launched the band into a long successful career.

The follow up was even better; however Woodstock / Saynia had a similar low impact with the record buying public, which troubles me no end. How can a song as wonderful as Woodstock not register even a one hit wonder in 1968? Of all the songs covered in this fabulous compilation, Woodstock is by far my favourite and is possibly one of my favourite songs from the 1960s, is that a bit over the top? Well I think ultimately after one listen, a few of you might agree with my raving ways, I'm not even going to attempt to review this song's structure, Bob Dylan impersonated chorus or lyrical content, I would simply state my feeling when I first heard it, "this is outstanding"

Woodstock shouldn't detract from the fact that throughout this compilation there are yet even more cracking songs and criminal acts of neglect, Sister Saxophone and Sunday Best for example, didn't even get to the printers back in 1968, how that happened I have no idea. I guess what this compilation shows, other then good on you Rev-Ola Records, is that sometimes ultimately being in the right place at the right time, can be the difference between the bands we know and love and the bands you just have to go out and discover to know and love.

In 1969, Turquoise called it a day, vanishing into thin air, all we have are two cracking forgotten singles and a collection of marvellous tapes, all here on this fantastic compilation. If you like anything remotely Kinkish/Small Facerish or Brit Poppy, you should discover this band and help start to re-evaluate their career, you'd be foolish not to.

TheCellarTapes

The Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
(1968)



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Released in 1968 on the ill fated Immediate Record Label, Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake was The Small Faces developing from their RnB routes, merging it with their new found Psychedelic side (as seen with songs like Itchycoo Park and That Man), entering the world of the concept album and producing their finest collection of songs to date, which left the band number one in the UK Charts for six continuous weeks yet ultimately cast an undeniable shadow over the band's future.

Side 1 of Ogdens Nut Gone Flake contains songs which would later become the measure for what defies a Small Faces song. Songs like Rene; a song about a London Docklands prostitute, and Lazy Sunday Afternoon; about feuding neighbours, were classic Marriott/Lane cheeky chappy, bringing through influences for old London Music Halls from Marriott's childhood and merging it with the modern RnB Psychedelic influences they'd both picked up along the way to create what many people would term to be the unmistakable Small Faces sound.

There is also the other side of the Small Faces and in particular Marriott's soulful voice, this can be heard in all its glory on Track 2, Afterglow (of Your Love) is nothing short of brilliant, a love song with powerful soulful vocals from Marriott, matched as always by Ian McLagan's irresistible organ, underpinned by pounding rhythm from Ronnie Lane's Bass and Kenny Jones' Drums, classic Small Faces. Not only that but Side 1 begins with the title track, an instrumental, which it has to be said sounds remarkably fresh even for today's standards, so back then it must have been quite the tune with allsorts going on with it. Side 1 to summarise has everything you want from noise and in itself would make for a quality album, but what of side 2 and the concept behind that.



Well Side 2 is the story of Happiness Stan, a boy who one evening looks up at the night's sky to see that one half of the moon is missing. Told by comedic wordsmith Stanley Unwin who fills his narration with bizarrely structured sentences, backed by songs from The Small Faces, combined together they create an unusual yet fun journey. Far from being a boring 20 minute tale about lunar cycles, it's entertaining and most certainly trippy, Side 2 contains yet more quality from The Small Faces, the beefy Rollin Over, the knees up Happy Day Toy Town and the almost folk like Mad John all help make this album an unbelievable release, an audacious attempt to create an album that anyone who hears will treasure, something The Small Faces succeed with.

But it could have been much more then that, the band had plans to take the album on the road, to have it played in theatres across the land, just think Queen: The Musical but much, much better. However because the band had created what was a studio masterpiece, it was pretty difficult to try and recreate that sound live. Alas though the band didn't have that much longer together to fulfil this idea. Marriott's lust to be taken seriously and to take the band away from their pop persona, boiled over in early 1969, he soon left the band and formed Humble Pie with the fear in the back of his mind that The Small Faces would never be able to top Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake.

A sad end to the story of this album, but not one that should detract from what this album is, the work of pure genius and the highlight to a band's career for which we should all be thankful happened.

4ZZZ

Top thread. I am looking forward to reading this at it grows.

The Sonics. I have never heard any of their music so will be intrigued to read about them.

I have The Monks and considering it's place and time of recording deserves a look at and understanding by a new generation. Looking forward to your review on that.