S.F. Sorrow

It’s like if Tommy was a little more grounded and less ambitious. Like Arthur if it wasn’t quite as musically tight. I liked it. This is one I probably would not have heard of otherwise. Favorites were Bracelets Of Fingers, She Says Good Morning, Baron Saturday, and Old Man Going.

The Pretty Things make music that is rougher, tougher and more robust than the more psychedelic elements of The Beatles or early Pink Floyd. Balloon Burning has a little bit of proto-punk bubbling away inside it. I actually had to check that this album was from 1968 on hearing Baron Saturday based on how ahead of its time it is. And (to keep the annoying comparisons going) it's the first time I’ve heard an artist who I’m pretty sure inspired The Fall. Very cool!

Some pretty interesting production ideas on here, even though the overall products quality is really rough. Couple of good songs, but very often sounds derivative of the Beatles. Didn't hate it as much as some of the other early psychedelia on this list.

I’m at a 5.

I don’t know that I’d call this a “rock opera”, at least not by the standards that something like “Tommy” or “The Wall” would set in the years to come, but this is a pretty damn good first crack at a concept album that at least resembles those albums. This is just a big character study about the life & death of one S.F. Sorrow, & how irrevocably his life changes for the lonelier and drearier following his wife’s death in a blimp accident (presumably the Hindenburg).

Admittedly, it’s very easy to go through this album without necessarily realizing there’s a plot here, because each track doesn’t flow into the next as gracefully as later concept albums would, but I like the general arc here; he’s born, he finds the beauty in everything as a kid, he meets his future wife, survives a war that kinda shatters his childlike wonder, gets married, and then has to watch his wife die. The funeral happens, and he goes on a sort of spiritual journey to try and find peace for himself, only to discover that he cannot get his wife out of his mind, and that this “well of destiny” truly is just emptiness. After that, his worldview is fully broken, and he becomes a bitter, sad, lonely old man. It’s a sad arc, but I think it makes for a compelling album.

So, how about the music itself then? I’ll give you a hint: it sounds a lot like another band who recorded at Abbey Road Studios. It is truly impossible to ignore any comparisons to the Beatles here, because there’s a multitude of production tricks pretty much taken wholesale from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Is that a bad thing? Honestly, I don’t think so – while the production is similar enough, it’s not close enough to say these guys are “ripping off” the Beatles, at least not to my ears. Mileage may vary on that, but I’m of the mind that “Sgt. Pepper’s” gave a lot of bands the greenlight to experiment as much as they wanted, & The Pretty Things simply took advantage of riding that wave. This album also leans far more into the psychedelic side of things on a number of tracks, & I generally just thought the whole album sounded great, especially in the guitar work. There’s a couple of panning quirks, but I chalk that up to the 60s more than anything.

Ultimately, I enjoyed it – it’s not as good as its later contemporaries would be, but this does feel like a pretty nice runway for a Tommy-sized plane to take off from. I don’t think there’s a bad track here, & it’s a pretty breezy 40 minutes. It’s a 5 for me, but I can see how it’s as low as a 3 for other people. If nothing else, “Old Man Going” kinda rules.

These guys don't look very pretty to me

Well that was fun and interesting. It was doing some strange things in the beginning with the music and lyrics split between my two earbuds, but overall I thought it was a cool concept and would love to come back to it sometime.

Day 26 Lovely sound but no real hook 3/5 #musicsky #albumsky

Very British invasion pilled

There was a film that came out a few years ago about a songwriter bloke who had a road accident. When he woke up nobody knew who the Beatles were, and so he ripped off all their songs. A pretty lame chick flick notable only because Lily James was in it playing a rather hot girl-next-door type.

Anyway in another universe substitute The Beatles for The Pretty Things. Nobody knows who the Pretty Things are, and after the accident they are as big as the Fab Four or the Stones. That is the universe we re living in. Why weren't they huge? Their paths even crossed with Mick and Keef at Art College, but they seemed to go unnoticed and unpromoted by their record company. They were 'difficult' and did their own thing.

So of course I didn’t know anything about them and don’t recall ever hearing any of their stuff. But this is an amazing album. I’m currently on my third listen and it will stay on my playlist (and I thought I hated the 60s - I’ve rated both this and the zombies as 5*). 



Oh what might have been.

If you took The Beatles and gave them The Who's penchant for rock operas?

Half the songs on this album I expected the chorus of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds to break out. It's very Sgt. Peppers.

Great album. Balloon Burning weirdly sounds a bit like a late 2000's, early 2010's indie rock song.

Don't think I'll ever go back to it or playlist anything on it, but its very good.

Feels like an interesting bridge between the 1960s psychedelic era and prog rock of the 70's. No idea how influenced they are, but it's a nice little musical detour. Gotta say it was a bit dull, but makes me a bit more interested in the band which I've never heard of before..

Pretty nice sounding music.

Standout tracks: Balloon Burning, I See You, Trust

Honestly, S.F. Sorrow was actually a really good album and quite a bit better than i was expecting. From what i have heard, The Who allegedly was influenced by this album when they made Tommy (Something which Pete Townshend denies). I can see how that album could have been influenced by this one considering that the two hit fairly similar music beats however i like this album more due to it having less iffy songs and being generally produced better. I was going into this album not expecting to like it very much but now that i listened to it, i do like it very much.
Best Song: Baron Saturday
Worst Song: Death

3 < x < 4

I liked some of this - the particular standout for me was Balloon Burning. But other aspects of it were a little too meanderingly psychedelic for my tastes. A mixed bag - low three.

A bit too long, a lot of the songs mixes together. The style was pretty cool though

Das Album ist eine faszinierende musikalische Reise durch die späten 60er Jahre. Es beginnt mit dem Track „Private Sorrow“, der durch seine Folk-Elemente einen sanften Einstieg bietet. Dieser ruhige Anfang wird bald durch experimentelle Klänge abgelöst, die das Album in eine neue Richtung lenken.
Ein Höhepunkt ist der Song „Old Man Going“, der mit härteren Tönen und intensiver Energie überzeugt. Zum Ende hin taucht das Album in den Beatkeller-Sound der Doors ein, was einen interessanten Kontrast zu den vorherigen Tracks bildet.
Insgesamt ist das Album konzeptionell gut arrangiert und zeigt die Vielseitigkeit der Band. Es ist eine spannende musikalische Reise, die die verschiedenen Einflüsse und Stile der späten 60er Jahre gekonnt miteinander verbindet.

Points for creativity but a lot of this was tough to listen to. Reminds me of something I might’ve made in high school before learning that less is more. A few of the tracks are very interesting and cool, though. A very tough album to rate. And one I’ll likely revisit.

A remarkable album. If The Who claim that Tommy was created uninfluenced and completely independently, they must have been living under a rock and unaware of their scene. I didn't know the album until today. The sound reminds me of the early songs by Pink Floyd, perhaps not quite as wacky. A great album.
4/5

With most of the albums in the 1001, giving it just one listen is probably not enough. This album was pretty good, but I didn't feel invested enough to think of it much higher than a 3, though I reckon with several more listens I'd probably warm to it more.