The Pretty Things Live At The BBC White Vinyl Edition

In the golden age of the British R&B revival, few groups created as much excitement and controversy as the Pretty Things. They came up alongside the Rolling Stones in the early 1960s, but were deemed by critics and fans as wilder and bluesier than even Mick Jagger & co. When long-haired Phil May sang and shook his maracas with manic intensity, audiences and record buyers knew they were in for a wild ride.

But the Pretty Things took their music seriously and developed into one of the more innovative rock bands of the 70s, much admired by groups and artists from Led Zeppelin to David Bowie. As well as recording hit singles and albums, the Pretties were also heard live in action on BBC radio shows that captured their dynamic performances with remarkable clarity and presence.

We are fortunate that this audio heritage has been carefully preserved and has now been digitally restored for future generations to enjoy. Repertoire is proud to present this comprehensive 6 CD collection that provides over seven hours of non-stop R&B, original songs and new concepts.

Such seminal BBC shows as Saturday Club presented by DJ Brian Matthew and Top Gear by John Peel, who also hosted his own regular Sunday Concert, welcomed the band to their studios where they’d romp into everything from Pretty Thing favourites like ‘Big Boss Man’, ‘Road Runner’ and ‘Buzz The Jerk’ to the experimental ‘Defecting Grey’. Check out 1968’s ‘SF Sorrow Is Born’, an hypnotic and mysterious ri! that might well have infuenced today’s groups like Kula Shaker.

There is more broadcast material from the 1970s and even into the 2000s with BBC shows hosted by Mark Lamarr and Marc Riley that bring the band’s history up to date with vibrant versions of ‘Belfast Cowboys’, ‘Singapore Silk Torpedo’ and even a revival of their first hit single ‘Rosalyn’.

This superb box set has informative liner notes by Richard Morton Jack, progressive rock historian and editor of Flashback magazine, and includes an interview with Phil May discussing the recordings. Repertoire’s Chris Welch also interviews founder member guitarist Dick Taylor, who reminisces about the early days of the Pretty Things and pays tribute to his old friend Phil May who sadly passed away in 2020.