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"...Sebastian Dreams Of
The Moon..."
The devil is always in the
details. Before we get into this 30th Anniversary 1998 Extended Edition CD
reissue from Snapper Records of the MONO mix for the mighty "S.F.
Sorrow" - I want to talk about an unsung hero.
Londoner and all-round
techno boffin NORMAN SMITH had been a Sound Engineer at Abbey Road Studios for
years - recording every Beatles track up to "Rubber Soul" with Fabs
Producer George Martin - a steep learning curve if ever there was one. As if
that wasn't enough, in 1966 and 1967 Smith’s stay with EMI then included the
first two Pink Floyd albums whilst flicking back to The Pretties and their
pre-Tommy concept LP "S.F. Sorrow" (issued in both MONO and STEREO in
early December 1968 – this didn't-do-well-at-the-time story LP is now name-checked
as one of the great 60ts records – up there with the likes of Peppers and
Pipers et al).
So why the moniker of
musical heroism for Mr. Smith? With the 'Sorrow' album recorded on four-track
valve equipment and requiring hundreds of sounds bounced down from one machine
to the next - it needed an accomplished overdubbing soul who knew his flanges
from his faders - a sound guy had been at the very epicentre of Britain's
'Summer Of Love' and Psychedelia Sound. Norman Smith was that guy. Then of
course he did something very un-British and became a Pop Star himself. Morphing
into HURRICANE SMITH - early 70ts kids like me will remember with a
that's-not-hard-rock chill those terrible yet irritatingly catchy pop hits
"Don't Let It Die" and "Oh Babe, What Would You Say?" in
1971 and 1972 (they achieved No. 2 and No. 4 chart-placing respectively). What
a guy.
And with his recording
prowess all over the original recordings – we now have the album lovingly
remastered by one of my fave Engineers ANDY PEARCE. On this 1998 version
(itself reissued in 2003) - we get the band's preferred version of their 4th LP
- the MONO Mix remastered from original tapes at Abbey Road by both MARK ST.
JOHN (who also provides the liner notes) and ANDY PEARCE. For those who prefer
two channels - Snapper issued the Stereo Version in June 2000 on Snapper
Records/Original Masters SDPCD109 - Barcode 636551610926. Let's get to the Mono
operatic details first...
UK released September 1998 -
"S.F. Sorrow" by THE PRETTY THINGS on Snapper Music SMMCD 565
(Barcode 636551556521) is a 30th Anniversary 'Expanded Edition' of the MONO MIX
of the 1968 UK album with Four Bonus Tracks. It plays out as follows (57:14
minutes):
1. S.F. Sorrow Is Born [Side
1]
2. Bracelets Of Fingers
3. She Says Good Morning
4. Private Sorrow
5. Balloon Burning
6. Death
7. Baron Saturday [Side 2]
8. The Journey
9. I See You
10. Well Of Destiny
11. Trust
12. Old Man Going
13. Loneliest Person
Tracks 1 to 13 are MONO MIX
of their fourth studio album "S.F. Sorrow" - released December 1968
in the UK on Columbia Records SX 6306 and August 1969 in the USA (in completely
different artwork) on Rare Earth RS 506. Produced by NORMAN SMITH - it didn't
chart in either country.
BONUS TRACKS:
14. Defecting Grey
15. Mr. Evasion
16. Talkin' About A Good
Time
17. Walking Through My
Dreams
PRETTY THINGS was:
PHIL MAY - Vocals
DICK TAYLOR - Lead Guitar
and Vocals
WALLY ALLEN - Bass Guitar,
Guitar, Vocals, Wind Instruments and Piano
JOHN POVEY - Organ, Sitar,
Percussion and Vocals
TWINK - Drums and Vocals
The 24-page booklet features
the lyrics originally on the inner gatefold of the British LP, photos of the in
and outside the studio, superb liner notes from MARK ST. JOHN that sets up the
picture from 1965 onwards – how Music and especially British Music – was
dominating and influencing the scene everywhere. There is even a photo of
Winifred Waller (Alan Wally Waller’s Mum) who had passed in late July of 1998 –
the whole reissue project dedicated to her. The words reek of that long Summer
of Love – five guys creating, pushing the boundaries with the band still
together at the time of writing. The Audio is clean and full although I’d say I
had to adjust my ears to the wall of MONO – Pearce keeping it punchy and
powerful (check out "She Says Good Morning" to hear what I mean).
Historically the LP was
ham-stringed with bad luck on both sides of the pond. EMI UK was apparently so
disinterested that they left the artwork to the band (Phil May famously did the
drawing on the front sleeve and Dick Taylor photographed the band for the
flip-back rear sleeve shot), gave it no promotion and didn't release it
Stateside. Motown's Rare Earth label looking to put out white Rock acts issued
the album in the now famous headstone sleeve as late as August 1969 (Rare Earth
RS 506) but The Who's pinball-wizard storybook double-album "Tommy"
on Decca had already been released and sown up the 'first concept album'
marketplace so completely that reviewers seemed to think the band were
pretenders to the crown – or worse – cheats and copyists. As the sessions for
"S.F. Sorrow" had begun in early 1968 and continued to September of
that year – some go as far as saying our lovely Pete half-inched the concept
album idea from May and Co. Whatever is the truth or whatever history chooses
to record - the album all but died - whilst The Who began a renaissance that
would make them one of the biggest Rock bands in the world by 1972 and 1973. In
fact The Pretty Things would have to wait until their excellent "Silk Torpedo" Rock LP on Zeppelin's Swan Song label in 1975 to see chart action Stateside. Let’s
get to the music...
A couple from 'up North'
arrive in No. 3 and soon the house is reverberating with the sounds of
Sebastian F. Sorrow being born (no one knows what the 'F' means).
"Bracelets Of Fingers" sees our lad grow up chasing spoons and moons
in his back garden only to soon join Dad in dead-end work but inbetween find
excitement and love with the girl next door - "She Says Good
Morning". The fantastic "She Says Good Morning" kicks butt and
it always surprised me that Columbia chose the less accessible "Private
Sorrow" as a lead-off single in November 1968 with the equally moody
"Balloon Burning" on the flipside (Columbia DB 8494). Fans will also
know that the Bonus Tracks 16 and 17 contain the Non-Album A&B-sides of
Columbia DB 8353 - a top-notch single that was issued February 1968 prior to
the LP previewing the album's sound and subject-matter - "Talkin' About
The Good Times" with "Walking Through My Dreams" as its B-side.
The Mono doom-boom of drums, treated Sitars and oh-oh voices give the aptly
named "Death" an ethereal melancholy - like being at the bottom of a
particularly deep well (sonnets of life wrapped in a cloak of black).
Side 2 and the album finally
goes full-on Magical Mystery Tour with the wicked "Baron Saturday" -
a song that is both catchy and testing at one and the same time (dig that fade
out where they chant 'you're life was cool...except for Baron Saturday...').
Another mind-shape-shifting winner comes in the form of "The Journey"
- an acoustic strummer that soon descends into phased guitars and voices and
huge amounts of lyrics about opaque windows and thousands of steps. A very-1968
redemption comes with "I See You" - a layered song of drum rolls and
cleverly arranged vocals as they chant 'I see you' over the musical breaks and
cascades. It segues into the decidedly menacing warbling piano notes of
"Well Of Destiny" - a mad little bugger with lyrics about 'heavy
mantles' and the like. We return to melody with the lovely "Trust" -
our hero sitting on top of a white cloud looking around for a body to confide
in - grasping at straws - hoping to see someone Sorrow can trust. The manic
acoustic guitars of "Old Man Going" open like the Pretties have been
listening to too much Moody Blues - but soon morph into Sabbath-like fuzzed-up
guitars echoing Sebastian's increasing madness - (it's heavy and out there
baby). The album ends on the short but acoustic sweet "Loneliest
Person".
The "Defecting
Grey" bonus track is a real prize for aficionados - mastered from an
Acetate but still sounding Sitar-brill - dig those musical breaks and fuzzed-up
rock-out guitars – a worthy Previously Unreleased version that clocks in at an
impressive 5:14 minutes.
I know people rave out this Pretty
Things LP as a masterpiece and undiscovered gem - but I've always felt those
opinions ever so slightly inflated. But man when its good - "S.F.
Sorrow" is brilliant and I like the mastering on this CD a lot. St. John
calls it 'a remarkable record' in his entertaining liner notes - a good call I
think...
