The Pretty Things Announce Career Spanning Thirteen-Album Set

Seminal British Rock and Roll Band to Release Exclusive 

Retrospective Vinyl Collection Over Five Decades of Music

 

Madfish are proud to present, for the first time in one set, the complete studio album recordings of The Pretty Things.

Led by founding vocalist and guitarist Phil May & Dick Taylor, The Pretty Things, iconic first wave R&B cult heroes, created some of the most exciting and innovative records of the sixties, early seventies and beyond. Winners of the very first Mojo Hero Award, the band have been a massive success and an immeasurable influence on decades of artists as diverse as David Bowie, Aerosmith, The Ramones, Bob Dylan, The Sex Pistols, The White Stripes, Kasabian and so many more.

Housed inside a deluxe, slipcase style box; every album has been remastered especially for vinyl release with the original artwork faithfully recreated throughout. Each album within the set comes with an individual, record specific four-page insert with rare photographs, original single sleeves and words from Dick Taylor, Mike Stax and Mark St. John. Fans will also find an exclusive, high quality pull-out print of the band in their prime.

From the chaotic beginnings of the band’s self-titled debut in 1965 through the experimental, turbulent times of the rock opera masterpiece ‘S.F. Sorrow’ to their more reflective, contemplative latter day output in ‘Bare as Bone, Bright as Blood’; this deluxe, thirteen LP box set contains every studio album  the iconic band released over five decades.

Invaluable to the development of British music as we know it, The Pretty Things’ outrageous behaviour and incandescent stage performances were fundamental to their ground-breaking songwriting with the band’s extensive and eclectic musical archive now a cultural and creative touchstone for generations to come. Still recording music until the passing of frontman Phil May two years ago; this box set, limited to just 1,000 copies worldwide, follows the bands’ whole astonishing journey until those final, formidable recordings in 2020.

Pre-Order | The Pretty Things - The Complete Studio Albums: 1965-2020 / Release Date 31st March, 2023

The Pretty Things: Last Shot at America

Pretty Things - Cross Talk - Warner Bros. 12" Vinyl LP - 1980 - NM-

UK Music Legends The Pretty Things Share New Single "Bright As Blood"

The Pretty Things have shared new single "Bright As Blood" from their upcoming album ‘Bare As Bone, Bright As Blood’ out on the 25th September through Madfish Music. 

Taken from the new, entirely acoustic album, which the band had been working on right up until the sudden and tragic passing of Phil May in May 2020. The band, led by guitarist Dick Taylor, is sharing this new music in tribute to their iconic, fearless and trailblazing front man.

New single "Bright As Blood" see’s Phil May and Dick Taylor embrace moving new folk,  Americana and bluegrass overtones, coupled with Jon Wigg’s rootsy fiddle and Sam Brother’s hillbilly banjo that sit alongside writer, George Woosey’s hypnotic, driving guitar and a vocal performance from May that is as open and vulnerable as we ever heard from him. 

Dick Taylor, The Pretty Things 
“Bright As Blood” was written by the band’s long-time bass player – George Woosey - and it’s typical of his incredible work, it captures his fascination with Roots and Americana music perfectly and was a perfect fit with the album and even gave us our title…”  

‘Bare As Bone, Bright As Blood’ is the culmination of the work the band had been doing, following lengthy discussions about whether they could actually create meaningful new music in a stripped back, acoustic-driven format following their retirement from electric performances on health grounds that saw them bow out with an incredible three hour, sold-out performance at The 02 Indigo in London in December 2018 with guests David Gilmour and Van Morrison. 

Deciding that they could, Phil May and Dick Taylor, together with long time manager and producer Mark St. John, began work on this new album, their first in an entirely acoustic format and set about laying the foundation of what The Pretty Things would be next.

The new album, the product of these sessions, is the sound of authenticity, hard experience and the pain and longing of two artists in the unknown territory of old age. The sound of two long, long lives, lived in art and music that have always lived at the cutting edge, and that have always worked as they did at the very start, in their teenage years, with absolute honesty and total integrity…

 The new album ‘Bare As Bone, Bright As Blood’ will be released on CD, gatefold 2xLP on red vinyl and digitally and is available to pre-order now.

Pretty Things singer Phil May dead at 75

Pretty Things singer Phil May dead at 75

The Pretty Things Retire from Electric Performances by the End of 2018

After 55 years of performing, The Pretty Things - the iconic, 1st wave, R&B cult heroes, formed by Ex Rolling Stone Dick Taylor, and singer, Phil May, will retire from electric performances at the end of this year.

Serial under-achievers, and the greatest band you have never heard of, The Pretty Things have been a massive success and a huge influence on artists as diverse as David Bowie, Aerosmith, The Ramones, Bob Dylan, The Sex Pistols, The White Stripes, Kasabian and many, many more. All who site the band's outrageous behaviour, incandescent stage performances and astonishing catalogue of remarkable recordings as fundamental in the creation of their own work.

With a huge catalogue of musical and cultural "firsts" at their core - longest hair in the world, first ever rock and roll drugs bust, most arrests of any band, first ever "garage" single, first ever rock opera, first U.K. band to win Rolling Stone record of the year, arrested for discharging a sawn off shotgun, first band to regain control of its entire recorded catalogue and on and on... they are an indelible part of the fabric of popular music and the social influence that it has created.

Still making significant front-line records and with such influential work including their ground-breaking masterpiece and world's first rock opera - "S. F. Sorrow" - which celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year, The Pretty Things remain a hugely significant artistic and creative force. With no artist from the 1st wave but The Stones outselling their frontline recordings and probably no artist at all out-performing them.

It should be compulsory for anyone with the slightest interest in popular music and the social revolution of the 1960's to see The Pretty Things before they retire at the end of this year. They will be back in the groove until that point, hitting every working room on the circuit and finishing up with a huge farewell show in London at the end of the year, with guest appearances from some significant old friends and old school gunslingers to make sure they go out like they came in - with fiery riffs and vocals to boot.

The Pretty Things are waving goodbye. Be there to wave back... 

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