Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

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Matt Wilson
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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby Matt Wilson » 18 Apr 2021, 03:14

Well, I guess not too many of us own the Electric Banana albums then. Too bad as they often contain better songs than some of the lesser ones on the officially released LPs. Up next:
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Savage Eye
It's not too savage, is it? Pretty standard glammy mid-'70s rock still with the Swan Song monied push and over production of Silk Torpedo, except this time they forgot to bring the songs. I'm not saying that Silk Torpedo is a great record, but it's surely better than this. I don't hear a great song, or even that many good ones. Too much coke, exasperation and apathy caused Phil to quit in 1976 while the band soldiered on without him. Peter Grant continued to record the Pretties but didn't release anything because he was loyal to May. This would be their last album under the Pretty Things moniker (there was another Electric Banana LP in '78 reviewed on the previous page) released in the '70s.

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby trans-chigley express » 18 Apr 2021, 15:11

I think Sad Eye is a great song, the highlight of the album

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby trans-chigley express » 18 Apr 2021, 15:12

Matt Wilson wrote:Well, I guess not too many of us own the Electric Banana albums then. Too bad as they often contain better songs than some of the lesser ones on the officially released LPs. .

I don't know them at all. I'd love to hear them but they are not easy to get hold of.

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby Matt Wilson » 18 Apr 2021, 16:09

trans-chigley express wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:Well, I guess not too many of us own the Electric Banana albums then. Too bad as they often contain better songs than some of the lesser ones on the officially released LPs. .

I don't know them at all. I'd love to hear them but they are not easy to get hold of.


Not difficult to obtain at all:

Image Image
Three discs gives you all five LPs with a booklet.

https://www.discogs.com/The-Electric-Ba ... e/14196744

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby robertff » 18 Apr 2021, 16:23

Got this album Matt (Savage Eye) but honestly can’t remember the last time I played it or anything about it, obviously didn’t make much of an impression.


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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby Matt Wilson » 27 Apr 2021, 03:43

Image
Cross Talk

Surprise, surprise - a fine Pretty Things album in 1980! To these ears, easily their best since Parachute. Virtually everything here works, it's almost a new wave album from these middle aged men (with Dick Taylor back in the band playing crisp guitar). Phil is singing like a twenty-something, the band sounds sharp and not tired at all like they did on the Savage Eye LP. There's not one mediocre cut and as usual for these guys, it didn't sell shit.

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby trans-chigley express » 27 Apr 2021, 05:12

Cross Talk has never made any impression on me, but my brother (a big Pretties fan) likes it. I should give it another go

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby Tom Waits For No One » 27 Apr 2021, 12:01

Give a shit or be a shit.

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby Matt Wilson » 27 Apr 2021, 14:30

Already ordered it. Can't decide if I need the 1969 Philippe DeBarge LP too.

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby Matt Wilson » 30 Apr 2021, 16:56

Well, these are the last two official studio Pretty Things albums of new material. They're both average with a few standouts. I had a great time going through the box and my appreciation for the band grew, which is the reason for taking the plunge with a set like this I reckon.

Image
Rage Before Beauty
Their only album of the '90s, with some superfluous '60s covers like "Eve of Destruction," "Play with Fire," and "Mony, Mony," but also some worthwhile cuts like their homage to their previous drummer, "Vivian Prince," and opener "Passion of Love."

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Balboa Island
And lastly we have their only album from the 2000s, which is a bit better actually - at least to these ears. "The Beat Goes On," "Buried Alive," Dick's "Mimi" and a couple others would have been good additions to Pretties albums from decades earlier. As it is this LP will stand as a final testament to a band denied their rightful place among the greats in the minds of many, but cherished by a few of us.

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby robertff » 30 Apr 2021, 19:09

Matt Wilson wrote:Well, these are the last two official studio Pretty Things albums of new material. They're both average with a few standouts. I had a great time going through the box and my appreciation for the band grew, which is the reason for taking the plunge with a set like this I reckon.

Image
Rage Before Beauty
Their only album of the '90s, with some superfluous '60s covers like "Eve of Destruction," "Play with Fire," and "Mony, Mony," but also some worthwhile cuts like their homage to their previous drummer, "Vivian Prince," and opener "Passion of Love."

Image
Balboa Island
And lastly we have their only album from the 2000s, which is a bit better actually - at least to these ears. "The Beat Goes On," "Buried Alive," Dick's "Mimi" and a couple others would have been good additions to Pretties albums from decades earlier. As it is this LP will stand as a final testament to a band denied their rightful place among the greats in the minds of many, but cherished by a few of us.




Right at the beginning of the thread somewhere I think I said that I particularly liked the two last albums. Bought them both when they were first released, still like them and they helped improve and cement their reputation.


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Matt Wilson
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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby Matt Wilson » 30 Apr 2021, 21:45

Yeah, those last two albums were easily as good as contemporary Stones LPs. I'll review the upcoming BBC Sessions box on this thread if I remember.

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Re: Pretty Things - Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky

Postby toomanyhatz » 14 May 2021, 18:30

There is also The Sweet Pretty Things (Are in Bed Now, of Course) from 2015, which is nothing great, but better than expected. Still some unnecessary covers that they don't do much with (the Seeds and Byrds this time), but there are also some good original songs (particularly "In the Soukh," pretty much a moody Yardbirds imitation, but nice and atmospheric).

Then there's this one, which I was unaware of, their final album:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_as_B ... t_as_Blood

All acoustic, and not particularly inspired, but not bad.

I actually wrote a post on all their post-60s albums, but it got lost in transit. Maybe I'll try again. But, nothing I feel a strong need to promote. They are and will always be a top-level 60s band, then a pretty good one thereafter.
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