S.F. Sorrow (studio album) by The Pretty Things

One of the most interesting and boundary pushing albums in Psychedelic music in the 60's that tried to create a unique blend of genres and it works very well on here. The group do so well in fusing the genres of pop, rock and psychedelia which makes this record both so accessible on the surface but also deep and complex when you look beyond that. The quality that we have on display on this record is nothing short of staggering. This record is just oozing class from the vocals to the instrumentation and even to the concept of the record and its lyrics. To start with the vocals are simply sensational and are so unique as they make the sound feel so rich and grand. In terms of rock vocalists Phil May goes completely under the radar even though he is one of the greats. He is backed wonderfully on every instrument on this record with the performances being outstanding. The highlights for me being percussion, lead guitar, piano and the use of the mellotron is fantastic. Song writing wise it is intelligent and thought provoking with me spending several hours pondering the lyrics. Finally, there is the concept which is wild and outlandish but for me it works perfectly. It did take me a few listens to truly get it but with the help of the extra notes you get in the LP you can piece it all together and it is brilliant. Overall, this is a record that created a perfect fusion of what the 60's was all about and in doing so demonstrated the quality and genius of the group.

From IlMala 01/23/2022 21:34

Always a big pleasure to listen; as every concept album/opera rock, it gets more and more points if listened from the beginning till the end no stop.

Got sucked into the album in the first listen. This is a really crazy psychedelic story about some strange guy named SF Sorrow. There are some really trippy songs on here, my favorites being Baron Saturday and Defecting Grey. There’s great guitar playing throughout and this band can really rock. This has become one of my favorite albums ever after a random encounter with it a few days ago. This is a highly under rated album. There’s a dark sort of theme throughout this album that for some reason gives me Courage the Cowardly Dog vibes. SiTtInG aLoNe On A bEnCh WiTh YEW!

pretty things. musical. decent enough

An album that while very much of its time, is never a boring listen. It's often called the first rock opera, but the storyline becomes a bit incoherent lyrically. Interesting to listen to this against some of the albums doing the same thing in the era ("Tommy" and "Arthur" come to mind immediately) and compare/contrast.

From llibnanoon 09/08/2020 13:01

Not sure what to expect going into this. Wasn't half bad. Rating (73.46)

From teague 06/25/2020 23:05

S.F. Sorrow contains a lot of what makes music from the 60s appealing. The Beatles' pop sensibilities and chemistry, The Velvet Underground's willingness to push the boundaries of rock music, The Who's loudness and rock 'n' roll. And to tie it all together, this S.F. Sorrow may very well be the first ever rock opera. I'm glad to see it hasn't been completely forgotten on this website.

RIP Phil May, great singer and the first true long haired rock musician!!

Excellent album. Takes a few listens to get into but once you do you are rewarded time & time again

From salahshoori 01/26/2020 14:19

Pretty much underrated! They are way ahead of their time.