BIOGRAPHY
The Pretty Things formed in September 1963 in Sidcup, Kent, built around vocalist Phil May and guitarist Dick Taylor, with John Stax on bass, Brian Pendleton on guitar and, after an early lineup change, Viv Prince on drums. Drawing heavily on Bo Diddley, the band became a defining force in London's blues rock and R&B scene, cutting a hard, garage-leaning sound that stood alongside the era's bigger British Invasion names. From 1967 to 1975 their music shifted into progressive rock and psychedelia, culminating in 1968's S.F. Sorrow, often cited as one of rock's first concept albums. The band released five studio albums, four EPs and fifteen UK singles, including chart entries "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Honey I Need." In 1973 David Bowie recorded both "Rosalyn" and "Don't Bring Me Down" on his Pin Ups album, a nod to the Pretty Things' standing among their peers.