The Pretty Things

The Pretty Things were an English R&B and rock band formed in September 1963 in Sidcup, Kent, taking their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song “Pretty Thing”, and active in their first incarnation until 1971. They released five studio albums, including the debut The Pretty Things and S. F. Sorrow (often considered the first rock opera), four EPs and 15 UK singles, including the Top 20 UK Singles Chart “Don't Bring Me Down” and “Honey I Need”. They reformed later in 1971 and continued through to 1976 issuing three more studio albums, and reformed once again from 1979 to 2020 releasing another five studio albums, the last of which was Bare as Bone, Bright as Blood.

The group were formed by vocalist Phil May, who was a constant presence until his death in 2020, and guitarist Dick Taylor – who left before the end of their first incarnation but rejoined for the entirety of the third – along with John Stax (bass), Brian Pendleton (guitar), and Pete Kitley, who was replaced on drums by Viv Prince before any recording began. There have been many personnel changes with Peter Tolson (guitar), Jon Povey (keyboards), and Skip Alan (drums) being involved in all three incarnations, while bassist Wally Waller was involved in the first and third.

The Pretty Things recorded stock music for film soundtracks which were issued as the Electric Banana series of albums, and collaborated with other artists and bands in the 1990s, such as Pretty Things & the Yardbird Blues Band, and Pretty Things 'N Mates.