UNIQUE PRETTY THINGS PACKAGE, 1ST LP, 4 RARE EARLY SINGLE AND PRESS CUTTINGS

	£		25
	$		33

UNIQUE PRETTY THINGS PACKAGE, 1ST SELF Titled LP, 4 RARE EARLY SINGLES AND TWO PRESS CUTTINGS
What can I say about the Pretty Things, how can I convey the way they shocked society at a time when the Beatles were a bit risqué and the Stones were the limit? But the Pretty Things were always even further out there, at the forefront of Rock’n’Roll outrage from the day they started. The singer Phil May was said to have the longest hair of any man in Britain; which in 1964 was taken as proof positive that the world was ending! Viv Prince the drummer was so deranged that he became a totally dangerous liability and set the standards for modern rock looniness that even Keith Moon failed to achieve! The driving, blistering powerhouse guitar at the heart of the group was the amazing Dick Taylor, who had previously been an original member of the Rolling Stones, but left, because their brand of R’n’B wasn’t hard enough!

The Album
This is The Pretty Things - Self Titled 1st Album. And YES I KNOW IT’S A Re-ISSUE. Unlike many other sellers out there who didn’t do their research. I don’t need to research, I was there at the time, but couldn’t afford it when it first came out and had to wait a couple of years for Philips to re-issue it on their cheaper Wing label.
Catalogue Number : Wing WL1167
Matrix Side 1: 687341 1L//2       420    Side 2: 687341 2L//2       420     
(NOTE: the label shows the number as 687341 TL)
Originally released 1965 this re-issue 1967
Overall condition is EXCELLENT
(Record Collector grading system used EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.)
Sleeve EXCELLENT
The sleeve is still bright and glossy in very good condition with no tears or splits but there is a slight creasing where the edge of the record sits, especially along the top edge but otherwise is in very good condition with the colours still very bright there isn’t any writing, taping or stickers;
Back is in excellent condition apart from three small discolourations – see photo.
Spine is firm and totally legible but has some slight creasing.
Inner Sleeve  original plain paper sleeve with Patents Applied For Made in Great Britain. I will also include the original plastic outer that I bought with it, it still fits tightly and has successfully kept the dust off for all these years
Record EXCELLENT The record itself is clean and glossy and the disc retains its deep, black vinyl sheen. There are some faint hairline marks on both sides but nothing ugly or deep to affect the sound quality
Labels EXCELLENT The labels show minimal signs of use, have no writing and are clean with minimal spindle marking.
Audio Quality EXCELLENT It plays really well apart from some of the usual vinyl hiss and crackle between tracks and some quieter passages, although deep cleaning would probably remove them, they don’t detract from the overall sound, which is still amazing. It lays flat on the turntable and plays well without the needle sticking or jumping.

If you’re unlikely to ever afford an original 1st pressing, this is near enough and a lot cheaper - it could just be for you.
A1. Road Runner A2. Judgement Day A3. 13 Chester Street A4. Big City A5. Unknown Blues
A6. Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
B1. Honey, I Need B2. Oh Baby Doll B3. She's Fine She's Mine B4. Don't Lie To Me
B5. The Moon Is Rising B6. Pretty Thing

THE SINGLES audio quality fall somewhere between VG and G although deep cleaning would probably improve them
(Record Collector grading system used VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable. GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.)

Rosalyn/Big Boss Man This is their fist single that still sounds as urgent and aggressive today as it did then. Amazingly the original Fontana cover has survived more or lass intact, apart from a couple of small tears. There is a mark on the B side where the price was written – see photo
Don’t Bring Me Down/We’ll Be Together  Their second single, also from 1964 and also with a mark on the B side where the price was written – see photo. In a card cover as the original didn’t survive
Progress/Buzz the Jerk This is from 1966 and is a definite change of style but in similar condition, with the price on the B side and cardboard cover.
Finally a real rarity from 1963, Money by Bern Eliott and the Fenmen, two of whom were John Povey and  Phil May’s school friend, Wally Allen; both joined the Pretty Things a couple of years later and stayed in the band until only a few years ago. So no serious Pretty Things collection should be without a copy of this. It is of lesser quality than the other three singles and I would grade it at the bottom of Good, possibly only Fair but, again I stress, deep cleaning would probably improve it.

PRESS CUTTINGS
I found these two tucked in behind the album. They are both from Melody maker in the early 70’s but cover a lot of the early ground, which is why they’re relevant to these discs. The small one is a review of the Silk Torpedo album, but, as I haven’t got that to sell, I thought this was a suitable place to put it. The bigger piece is more of a retrospective of the band’s career so is equally fascinating. Unfortunately the bottom has been torn, but you can still get the gist of what was being said.. I think these are also very rare, as I’ve never seen them referred to in books or on the web.

Summary: these ICONIC, RAW R’n’B masterworks are a lovely piece of genuine memorabilia from a bygone time that changed the world and would grace any collection. If you haven’t heard it on vinyl this could be for you. They certainly don’t sound 57 years old. I’m not a dealer of any sort, but am just downsizing and having to clear things out and trying to survive on a poxy pension. I’m starting it at a sensible price so a genuine fan or collector can enjoy it without paying rip off prices Good luck with your bidding and feel free to ask any question.

A Word About Payment and Postage
Sorry but I accept Paypal only and it will be posted as soon as payment has cleared, which must be paid within 24hours of the end of the auction. This may seem harsh but I’m fed up with time wasters! I use 12" Vinyl LP Record postal mailers and protect them with an additional layer of bubblewrap. In the UK I use Royal Mail Signed For. If you require some other form of postage/delivery, I’m more than happy providing you meet the extra costs. If you are outside the UK, I will use Ebay’s own service.