The Pretty Things: Parachute CD Track Listing

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The Pretty Things Parachute (1970)
Originally Released 1970\nCD Edition Released June 8, 1999\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: If S.F. Sorrow is the Pretty Things' Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, and Yellow Submarine wrapped in one, then Parachute is their more succinct White Album and Abbey Road. It's not just a time line comparison. The Pretties made this fascinating LP in the same studio as the Fab Four, London's Abbey Road, with Beatles engineer Norman Smith producing. "The Good Mr. Square" replicates the three-part harmony the Beatles were so proud of on "Because." Two songs later, the group assembles a brief, interconnected three-song suite like the famous ones on side two of Abbey Road. Bassist Wally Allen's vocals on tracks such as "Sickle Clowns" have the same throaty, mad anguish that John Lennon exhibited on "Yer Blues" and "Happiness Is a Warm Gun." If S.F. Sorrow is hard rock grandeur, then Parachute is its more bitter twist, the dream dying and the witching hour upon us. Yet, if this isn't as much of a triumph, the creative neurons are still firing throughout a multi-varied, cohesive LP. Like S.F. Sorrow, it's a surprisingly palatable concept LP. This time the topic is a generation caught between the conflicting calls of (rural) peace, love, and boredom, and (urban) sophistication, sex, and squalor in a harsh world. Somehow the departure of the band's main creative force, Dick Taylor, didn't diminish the writing and inspired variety. Allen stepped up big time into the collaborator role with singer Phil May. The harmonies remain a strong point on an otherwise rock-inclined record, and the nasty edge of perfectly balanced bombast in the best songs have been a lost art ever since -- it's not hard to see why Rolling Stone rated Parachute the best LP of 1970. (There are 18 minutes of good stuff tacked on the Snapper edition, taken from singles.) -- Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover\n\nAmazon.com Product Description\nReissue of their critically acclaimed album for Harvest crowned 'Album Of The Year' by Rolling Stone magazine in 1970, and which broke the U.K. top 50 then. Contains all 13 of the cuts that originally appeared on it, plus six bonus tracks, 'Blue Serge Blues', 'October 26', 'Cold Stone', 'Stone-Hearted Mama', 'Summer Time' and 'Circus Mind'. 19 tracks in all. 1999 release. \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nDon't forget to pull the cord, March 8, 2003\nReviewer: greasy "greasy_phizeek" (now here)\nIf only a few albums representing the late 60's/early 70's rock era were to be included in a time capsule, Parachute would be one of my top candidates. With this record, the Pretties managed not only to skillfully synthesize some of the most important musical elements of the time, but also became an important influence in their own rite. The recipe for Parachute includes a generous helping of Abbey Road era Beatles, Moody Blues, Crosby Stills and Nash, and King Crimson. However, the Pretties create this blend within a framework entirely their own which in some ways works better than efforts put forth by the record's sources of inspiration. Moreover, one can distinctly hear elements that would later show up on some of the most important albums of the 70's. I have little doubt that David Bowie was well familiar with Parachute before cutting Ziggy Stardust, or that the boys in Pink Floyd wore down the grooves of at least one copy before making Dark Side of the Moon. I would also venture that Chris Bell gave this one more than a few spins. Anyone interested in a well woven aural tapestry of many different colors and compelling textures reflecting psychedelia, pre-punk, and prog rock will likely dig this one.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAll-Time Favourite, November 28, 2000\nReviewer: R. S. Moore "book maven" (Bloomfield, NJ USA)\n30 years later, this disc still brings tears to the eyes. What dynamic Norman Smith Abbey Road production! "Grass" and "Sickle Clowns" are pure joy...God, I truly miss that era. PARACHUTE is simply essential.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAnother Overlooked Gem, August 25, 2000\nReviewer: Michael Topper (Pacific Palisades, California United States)\nTaken as a whole, The Pretty Things' 1964-1970 catalogue stands as a picture-perfect example of the progression of UK pop music during that period. Beginning with the Stones-inspired, English brand of R&B on the self-titled debut, moving on to the fuzztoned power-pop glory of "Get The Picture", expanding in a transitional, tentative experimental direction with socially conscious lyrics, sound effects and orchestrations on "Emotions", and coalescing that experimentation on the full-blown psych classic "SF Sorrow", "Parachute" stands as an equally representative slice of the state of the UK pop/rock world at the turn of the decade. It also stands as one of their biggest successes: of their previous works, "The Pretty Things" sounded too derivative, "Get The Picture" had its classics but was uneven overall, and "Emotions" was a collection of good songs marred by its suffocating production--only "SF Sorrow" stands equal to "Parachute" in the group's entire career (the later 70s releases being largely devoid of inspiration). The overall sound, like that of the mainstream at the time, returns to an earthier brand of blues-based hard rock replete with classic riffs and jams, and The Pretties do it better than anyone mainly because they have at the same time not lost their knack for great pop songwriting. The vocal harmonies are their best-ever and the playing is remarkably fluid; the epic jam at the end of "Cries From The Midnight Circus" finds a monster groove that propels the soloists into an inspired, unindulgent frenzy. Additionally, there remain lingering production remnants of psychedelia and touches of art-rock which keep the sound surprising and diverse at just the right moments; the sitars on "In The Square", the gorgeous mellotron breaks in "Grass", the massed percussion underlying "She's A Lover" and the final uplifting note which closes the album are all incorporated tastefully into the mix. Although there were many blues-rock and art-rock groups floating around the UK scene at the time, very few bands were able to juggle the mix of elements heard here, which keeps the group from becoming too bland as a hard rock act or too over-the-top as art-rockers. "Parachute" manages the twin feat of serving as a time capsule for the genres of its era, while avoiding all of their indulgences. The CD reissue also adds the A and B sides from the period, all of which are equal in quality to the album.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe best record in rock 'n' roll, ever!, October 14, 1999\nReviewer: A music fan\nLet's imagine The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Beatles in one perfect blend. Astonishing! My favorite of all time. This is one lost, not well known record and that is what is making a mystery which I never understood.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nLost Classic Finally Out On CD., June 10, 1999\nReviewer: A music fan\nThis is one of those brilliant albums of the late '60s that was totally lost in the tidal wave of excellent music from that era. The Pretties' previous album, S.F. Sorrow was one of the best rock operas (and possibly the first rock opera) ever recorded, and unfortunately suffered the same fate - nobody heard it. Parachute, while not necessarilly a concept album, does hold together well with it's unique blend of phsychedelic/heavy metal/progressive styles. One of those special albums that has to be listened to from start to finish, Parachute is an undiscovered gem for anyone into quality late-60s British rock.\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nAlso available in a 3-pack with THE PRETTY THINGS and CROSS TALK.\n\nFollowing the disappointing sales of their ambitious 1968 concept album S.F. SORROW, the Pretty Things lost two of their members--drummer Twink (who went on to join the Pink Fairies) and, more significantly, founder/guitarist Dick Taylor. Remarkably, though, the remaining members, now light years away from their blues-rock beginnings, pressed on in relatively undaunted fashion with PARACHUTE, another bold Beatle-esque outing. Vocalist Phil May and multi-instrumentalist Wally Allen emerged as the British band's driving force, writing eclectic tunes such as the revved-up "Miss Fay Regrets," the melancholy "Grass," and the psychedelic sing-along "She Was Tall, She Was High." Although critically lauded, the record failed to bring the Pretty Things to a wider audience, essentially sealing the ensemble's fate as a perpetually underappreciated act. While the band would record a few more albums during the 1970s in various incarnations, PARACHUTE is, in many ways, its swan song and deserves to be held in high regard along with S.F. SORROW.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n3 stars (out of 5) - ...they constructed an intricate collection that compared their urban environs with hippy idealism....It's quaint and listenable, and angry when it has to be. Weird, in a palatable way...\nQ (09/01/1999)
This misc cd contains 19 tracks and runs 63min 1sec.
Freedb: 020ec313
Buy: from Amazon.com

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