The Pretty Things “The Vintage Years” 1976
In 1976 Sire Records decided to put out a double LP compilation of The Pretty Things 1964 to 1966 output for some reason. It seems like a weird decision because they were never a big seller in the US. In fact they never toured the states during the first few lineups run. At any rate I’m thankful that they did do this compilation (though reissues of the original albums are easy to find now) because the period covered here they across as The Rolling Stones rougher brothers. Blues and what is now known as garage rock is to the fore here. The early singles and first two albums material are a glorious racket! The later material is showing a more sophisticated sound mainly due to interference by producers setting the stage for my favorite period of the Pretties. That is a story for a different post however…. Enjoy the rough sounds of the early Pretty Things!
