The Pretty Things – Bouquets From A Cloudy Sky – The Complete Pretty Things – 13 CD – 2 DVD – 1 10″ Vinyl Replica Acetate – Madfish/Snapper
E’ uscito in questi giorni un ulteriore mirabile (e costoso) manufatto dedicato ad un altro dei gruppi storici del rock inglese che festeggia il suo 50° Anniversario di attività, i Pretty Things. Anche per Dick Taylor, Phil May e soci il nome è preso da un celebre brano blues composto da Willie Dixon nel 1955 , Pretty Thing, e come per gli amici Jagger & Richards con cui Taylor aveva mosso i primi passi, l’inizio dell’attività live risale al 1963, ma discograficamente esordiscono nel 1964 e il primo album esce nel 1965, per cui, per una volta, ci siamo con i tempi. Il gruppo è tuttora in attività ed insieme agli Stones possono essere considerati una delle band più longeve della storia del rock mondiale, anche se il successo non è sicuramente stato lo stesso. Però pure i Pretty Things hanno attraversato tutti i periodi della musica rock: il proto-blues misto a R&R degli esordi, il beat di metà anni ’60, la psichedelia, le opere rock, S.F. Sorrow, uscita nel dicembre 1968, fu la prima, precedendo Tommy degli Who di qualche mese. E ancora il rock classico degli album pubblicati per la Swan Song, l’etichetta degli Zeppelin, e poi un lento ed inesorabile declino, con vari sussulti di dignità, soprattutto dal vivo, che ce li consegnano ancora oggi tra i vessilliferi del cosiddetto classic rock.
In questo cofanetto trovate più o meno tutto, esclusi i live, ma compresi due DVD (anche dal vivo) che ne tracciano la storia dal 1964 ai giorni nostri. Il box esce in una tiratura limitata di 2.000 copie, tipa quella di Here Come Nice degli Small Faces, e quindi in teoria dovrebbe andare esaurito celermente (ma quello degli Small Faces si trova ancora, costoso, ma pure questo dei Pretty Things non scherza). Per i completisti il motivo di interesse dovrebbero essere soprattutto i due CD di Rarities posti in apertura del cofanetto, comunque, se avete più o meno 200 euro che vi crescono, che questa è lista completa dei contenuti:
Rarities CD 1:
1 Don’t Bring Me Down (Live On The Beat Room 1964) [2:16]
2 Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut (Live On The Beat Room 1964) [3:26]
3 Johnny B. Goode (Live On The Beat Room 1964) [1:42]
4 Cry To Me (Alternate Version) [2:44]
5 Photographer (Rough Mix From Acetate) [2:12]
6 Bright Lights Of The City (Demo) [3:00]
7 Out In The Night (Demo) [2:39]
8 One Long Glance (Demo) [2:55]
9 Children (Alternate Version) [3:02]
10 Defecting Grey (Alternate Mix) [3:12]
11 Why (Live In Hyde Park) [6:16]
12 She Says Good Morning (Live At The Paradiso, Amsterdam) [3:41]
13 Alexander (Live At The Paradiso, Amsterdam) [3:29]
14 Renaissance Fair (Live At The Paradiso, Amsterdam) [2:13]
15 S.F. Sorrow Is Born (Live At The Paradiso, Amsterdam) [3:34]
16 You Might Even Say (Philippe Debarge Sessions) [4:01]
17 Eagle’s Son (Philippe Debarge Sessions) [3:00]
18 Graves Of Grey (Philippe Debarge Sessions) [0:50]
19 It`ll Never Be (Philippe Debarge Sessions) [04:33]
20 Scene One (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [01:15]
21 The Good Mr. Square (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [04:33]
22 She Was Tall, She Was High (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [00:56]
23 In The Square/The Letter (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [03:41]
24 Rain (Westbourbe Terrace Demo) [03:20]
25 Cries From The Midnight Circus (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [03:53]
Rarities CD 2:
1 I’d Love Her If I Knew What To Do (Version 1 – Westbourne Terrace Demo) [2:16]
2 Seen Her Face Before (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [1:24]
3 Everything You Do Is Fine (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [4:07]
4 Cold Stone (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [3:28]
5 You Never Told Me Lies (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [2:04]
6 Take A Look At Me (Westbourne Terrace Demo) [4:12]
7 Wild And Free (Demo) [3:42]
8 I’d Love Her If I Knew What To Do (Version 2 – Demo) [1:39]
9 Spider Woman (BBC Radio Session) [4:32]
10 Route 66 (Live At The Hippodrome) [2:52]
11 Joey (Mono US Single Mix) [3:02]
12 Monster Club [3:51]
13 Cause And Effect [3:09]
14 Holding Onto Love (Outtake) [6:07]
15 You Can`t Judge A Book [3:01]
16 Chain Of Fools [4:53]
17 No Questions [4:20]
18 It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (Outtake) [4:04]
19 Hoochie Coochie Man (Outtake) [5:44]
20 Look Away Now (Outtake) [5:15]
21 Helter Skelter [4:54]
DVD 1:
Midnight To Six, The Pretty Things 1965-70, produced by Reelin’ in the Years [2 hours duration]
Bonus Material:
The Pretty Things. On Film [13:00]
Rosalyn (Promo Video) [2:20]
Eve Of Destruction (Promo Video) [3:03]
DVD 2:
S.F. Sorrow – Live At Abbey Road [1 hour]
10″ ‘Replica Acetate’:
Side 1:
1 Defecting Grey (Full Length Demo from acetate) (5:10)
2 Turn My Head (Demo) (2:34)
Side 2:
1 Don’t Bring Me Down (Previously Unreleased Version) (1:40)
2 I Can Never Say (1:58)
Studio albums on CD:
The Pretty Things (1965):
1 Roadrunner [3:12]
2 Judgement Day [2:46]
3 13 Chester Street [2:22]
4 Big City [2:01]
5 Unknown Blues [3:48]
6 Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut [3:23]
7 Honey, I Need [1:59]
8 Oh Baby Doll [3:01]
9 She`s Fine She’s Mine [4:24]
10 Don’t Lie To Me [3:53]
11 The Moon Is Rising [2:33]
12 Pretty Thing [1:38]
Bonus Tracks:
13 Rosalyn [2:18]
14 Big Boss Man [2:36 ]
15 Don’t Bring Me Down [02:08 ]
16 We’ll Be Together [2:08 ]
17 I Can Never Say [3:36 ]
18 Get Yourself Home [2:18 ]
Get The Picture? (1965):
1 You Don’t Believe Me [2:22]
2 Buzz The Jerk [1:54]
3 Get The Picture? [1:55]
4 Can’t Stand The Pain [2:41]
5 Rainin’ In My Heart [2:30]
6 We’ll Play House [2:33]
7 You`ll Never Do It Baby [2:26]
8 I Had A Dream [2:58]
9 I Want Your Love [2:16]
10 London Town [2:26]
11 Cry To Me [2:51]
12 Gonna Find Me A Substitute [2:57]
Bonus Tracks:
13 Get A Buzz [4:01]
14 Sittin’ All Alone [2:47]
15 Midnight To Six Man [2:19]
16 Me Needing You [1:58]
17 Come See Me [2:39]
18 L. S. D. [02:24]
Emotions (1967):
1 Death Of A Socialite [2:41]
2 Children [3:01]
3 The Sun [3:04]
4 There Will Never Be Another Day [2:19]
5 House Of Ten [2:49]
6 Out In The Night [2:40]
7 One Long Glance [2:52]
8 Growing In My Mind [2:19]
9 Photographer [02:07]
10 Bright Lights Of The City [3:02]
11 Tripping [3:22]
12 My Time [3:05]
Bonus Tracks:
13 A House In The Country [3:01]
14 Progress [2:58]
15 Photographer [2:15]
16 There Will Never Be Another Day [2:26]
17 My Time [3:11]
18 The Sun [3:04]
19 Progress [2:42]
S.F.Sorrow (1968):
1 S.F. Sorrow Is Born [3:15]
2 Bracelets Of Fingers [3:38]
3 She Says Good Morning [3:30]
4 Private Sorrow [3:50]
5 Balloon Burning [3:49]
6 Death [3:11]
7 Baron Saturday [4:02]
8 The Journey [2:42]
9 I See You [3:53]
10 Well Of Destiny [1:46]
11 Trust [2:47]
12 Old Man Going [3:07]
13 Loneliest Person [1:27]
Bonus Tracks:
14 Defecting Grey [4:33]
15 Mr. Evasion [3:30]
16 Talkin’ About The Good Times [3:46]
17 Walking Through My Dreams [3:37]
Parachute (1970):
1 Scene One [1:51]
2 The Good Mr. Square [1:27]
3 She Was Tall, She Was High [1:36]
4 In The Square [1:55]
5 The Letter [1:39]
6 Rain [2:29]
7 Miss Fay Regrets [3:28]
8 Cries From The Midnight Circus [6:28]
9 Grass [4:20]
10 Sickle Clowns [6:36]
11 She`s A Lover [3:32]
12 What`s The Use [1:45]
13 Parachute [3:52]
Bonus Tracks:
14 Blue Serge Blues [3:58]
15 October 26 [5:00]
16 Cold Stone [3:15]
17 Stone-Hearted Mama [3:52]
18 Summer Time [4:32]
19 Circus Mind [2:03]
Freeway Madness (1970):
1 Love Is Good [6:53]
2 Havana Bound [3:57]
3 Peter [1:27]
4 Rip Off Train [3:18]
5 Over The Moon [4:31]
6 Religion’s Dead [4:14]
7 Country Road [4:48]
8 Allnight Sailor [1:57]
9 Onion Soup [3:49]
10 Another Bowl? [2:54]
Bonus Tracks:
11 Religion’s Dead (Live Lyceum 1973) [4:48]
12 Havana Bound (Live Lyceum 1973) [4:20]
13 Love Is Good (Live Lyceum 1973) [6:43]
14 Onion Soup (Live Lyceum 1973) [8:28]
Silk Torpedo (1974):
1 Dream / Joey [6:46]
2 Maybe You Tried [4:20]
3 Atlanta [2:41]
4 L. A. N. T. A. [2:24]
5 Is It Only Love [5:05]
6 Come Home Momma [3:41]
7 Bridge Of God [4:57]
8 Singapore Silk Torpedo [5:12]
9 Belfast Cowboys [6:55]
Bonus Tracks:
10 Singapore Silk Torpedo (Live Santa Monica 1974) [7:06]
11 Dream / Joey (Live Santa Monica 1974) [7:21]
Savage Eye (1976):
1 Under The Volcano [6:02]
2 My Song [5:09]
3 Sad Eye [4:29]
4 Remember That Boy [5:02]
5 It Isn’t Rock ‘n’ Roll [3:58]
6 I’m Keeping [3:58]
7 It’s Been So Long [5:04]
8 Drowned Man [4:23]
9 Theme For Michelle [1:46]
Bonus Tracks:
10 Tonight [3:06]
11 Love Me A Little [3:11]
12 Dance All Night [2:54]
Cross Talk (1980):
1 I’m Calling [4:07]
2 Edge Of The Night [3:20]
3 Sea Of Blue [3:14]
4 Lost That Girl [2:50]
5 Bitter End [3:17]
6 Office Love [4:12]
7 Falling Again [0:20]
8 It’s So Hard [3:15]
9 She Don’t [4:08]
10 No Future [4:29]
11 Wish Fulfillment [3:06]
12 Sea About Me [3:23]
13 The Young Pretenders [4:06]
Rage Before Beauty (1999):
1 Passion Of Love [3:22]
2 Vivian Prince [5:15]
3 Everlasting Flame [3:46]
4 Love Keeps Hanging On [8:55]
5 Eve Of Destruction [3:03]
6 Not Givin’ In [4:02]
7 Pure Cold Stone [5:47]
8 Blue Turns To Red [4:01]
9 Goodbye, Goodbye [2:45]
10 Goin’ Downhill [4:12]
11 Play With Fire [4:07]
12 Fly Away [4:31]
13 Mony Mony [4:45]
14 God Give Me The Strength (To Carry On) [6:03]
Balboa Island (2007):
1 The Beat Goes On [4:10]
2 Buried Alive [3:35]
3 Livin’ In My Skin [3:59]
4 (Blues For) Robert Johnson [8:01]
5 Pretty Beat [2:52]
6 In The Beginning [4:42]
7 Mimi [2:34]
8 Feel Like Goin’ Home [2:43]
9 The Ballad Of Hollis Brown [6:28]
10 Freedom Song [4:46]
11 Dearly Beloved [4:59]
12 All Light Up [4:30]
13 Balboa Island [4:42]