Wednesday, September 2, 2020

The Pretty Things - BBC Sessions, Volume 4: 1971-1975

It's been a while since I posted anything from the Pretty Things, but I'm still at it. I've posted four stray tracks collections, one alternate version of an album ("Emotions"), and then two collections of BBC performances. Here's the third BBC collection.

This is also the last BBC album from the band that I'm planning on posting. In opinion, their best years were the 1960s into the early 1970s. Around 1972 or 1973, with drastic changes in the music world, they switched to more of a hard rock style. In my opinion, they did some good things in this new style, but were much more hit or miss. Then in the mid-1970s, the band fell apart for a few years, only to reunite again in the late 1970s, after changing styles again. So I'm only including some songs here, the ones I like. Also, the band's appearances at the BBC petered out after 1975, so this is the last of the BBC stuff I plan on posting from them.

Now, let me get to the music. As I said above, the band still had plenty of good new songs in this time period. Oftentimes in these years, the band had trouble with the production of its studio albums. In my opinion, the BBC performances are better, since its closer to the band in their natural element, performing live on stage. Most of the songs are from their new albums at the time, but they also played the classic "Route 66" and one of their earliest hits, "Rosalyn."

All but one of the songs here have been officially released. That one song is the first one.

01 In the Square - The Letter - Rain (Pretty Things)
02 Stone-Hearted Mama [Edit] (Pretty Things)
03 Cold Stone (Pretty Things)
04 Summertime (Pretty Things)
05 All Night Sailor (Pretty Things)
06 Rosalyn (Pretty Things)
07 [Get Your Kicks On] Route 66 (Pretty Things)
08 Religion's Dead (Pretty Things)
09 Havana Bound (Pretty Things)
10 Old Man Going (Pretty Things)
11 Bridge of God (Pretty Things)
12 Dream-Joey (Pretty Things)
13 Not Only but Also [Instrumental] (Pretty Things)

https://www.upload.ee/files/16700886/TPRETTYTHGS1971-1975_BBSessonsVolum4_atse.zip.html

The cover art photo is of the band playing in concert in 1974 in London. I cut off the organ player because he was way off to the side, and I would have had to make everything else much smaller to include him.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Paul,Any Pretty Things effort is worthy of my attention & they have several BBC officals- & perhaps youve heard their Ultrasonic Studios show from the same time era. Of course its your creation here but in my opinion - for their whole post Viv career they had this thing I always hated...most bands rise to the event to end the show with a florish...be it an encore, or a saved for last treat. Well these guys were done when they were done & to the best of my knowledge always ended the show with Skip vocalizing Route 66.....I dont think it helped them in my opinion

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm not fan of these seventies Pretties. For me, their best period lasts with the LP "Emotions" of 1967.
    Curiously, four titles are in their sixties style : Stone Hearted Mama, Rosalyn, Route 66 and Havana Bound.
    The rest, to be forgotten.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree this isn't their best period, but I like more songs than the ones you mentioned.

      Delete
  3. Repertoire already has an excellent two disc Pretty Things set 1964 -1975.

    ReplyDelete