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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
^^^^^^^^^^^Parachute on down to delight in some Pretty Things, October 12, 2006
Like many Americans in the 70's, I somehow never got a good listen to this one (fifth album, recorded at Abby Road studios) back then, but I had seen it before in others record collections (especially when I was in Europe). On the inner cover the inscription reads: "The only Rolling Stone Album of the Year never to sell a million - typical!". How the #$^* did that happen? It is easy to just figure that if it wasn't more popular, there must be a reason ... DON'T MAKE THAT MISTAKE! This is a lost classic!! The lack of sales was a case of badly handled promotion (Motown Rare Earth) and publicity ... at least in America, to our detriment! I'm listening to it AGAIN now (it has been like afternoon tea these days), I just don't get sick of it at all and regularly jam to it on guitar, bass & drums. Yes, I'm a sucker for these old-school acid-rock albums ... they really inspire me for some reason. The artwork and additions are great as well!
For starters, the package on this limited addition import remaster is top
shelf - they really pulled out the stops to give this band and album the
classy presentation they deserve. The original lyrics are included with
many cool pictures (promotional and album art) and a long essay with band
history, thoughts and remembrances. A track by track explanation is added as well, although formal notes would have been helpful for the complete picture.
There is something represented about what I love from the era in just about all of the songs, although it is hard to describe - Kind of an emotional, not intellectual basis in most cases. The songs go all over the place and play on many an emotion, which makes sense considering the disconnected 1970's were just beginning and the intense, idealistic psychedelic 60's were fading fast. That is part of the key - Buffalo Springfield, The Dead, J.Airplane, Moody Blues, Beatles & The Byrds (and many others) seem to have been an influence from the 60's, but there is a walloping dose of a Deep Purplish, Zeppelin, Doors, Floyd, early Chicago & Cream (even Hendrix) feel often too (among others) bringing an underlying heavyish feel. Yes, Parachute is kind of the best of both worlds in a way ... one of those rare albums! Picture it (cover): Love, Peace and mellow thoughts cruising in the '69 Z-28 down the highway with your girlfriend snuggling up close after 2001 Space Odyssey, but anxious to get back to the Marshall amp, Strat & Crybaby (and the latest colorful import - Yes this IS stoner music).
Musicianship shines all over Parachute too! Skip Alan's muscular drum
intro (took over from prior drummer Twink) kicks everything off nicely, you get a sense that you just might be in for a treat. New 18 year old
guitarist Peter Tolson just joined the band and provides the bad-ass,
explosive guitar riffs and chunky chords throughout (often through a
Leslie). This formation of the band has great chemistry and form a
short-lived but excellent combo (with Wally, Phil and Jon). The vocal
harmonies are usually very good and the older members provide a Pretty
Things core formation on the melodic/harmonic side (great bass on here
too). A few eclectic instruments are heard here and there with no notes as to who performed on them.
I hesitate getting into which song I like for whichever reason - There are 13 songs on the original album, most outstanding examples of trippy rock (Mr.Square/She Was Tall, In The Square, Rain, Midnight Circus, Grass, She's a Lover and the Parachute fade are favorites so far). Six GREAT extras are included: Blue Serge Blues is a first rate song making fun of the British police's hippie busting (sounds a bit like the Airplane), if these are throwaways ...? October 26 about the presumably about the Russian revolution but winking at the 60's revolutionaries in general - There are some nice biting and sharp guitar wah leads flowing through the languid atmosphere of the song. Cold Stone is a head slammer 70's anthem style: "This world is just cold stoned" ... presaging many a 70's blues rock band (think Humble Pie). Stonehearted Momma "really make it hard on me" is the classic rock 'n' roll male lament with some totally
pulsating heavy guitar power chords and doubled guitar talkbox/echo eads -
OH YES, no holds are barred with this band! Summer Time is a Youngbloods/Allman's sounding happy-go-lucky rollicking jam that is charming as that tulip on the cover (close your eyes and your there, sun on your face). Circus Mind is a nice closer for this extended version - a parable for the whole scene, I can relate ... go ahead and take his hand (cover). A little over 63 minutes of head-swimming fun, TURN IT UP AND ENJOY OFTEN!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How did I miss this?, April 11, 2006
This was released in 1970 when I was really deep into music and how I missed this is a big unanswered question. I had been exposed to The Pretty Things early on during their R&B period and while I enjoyed those records, I guess I lost track. But I bought this CD several months ago and haven't stopped listening since. In fact I've revised my list of the my 100 favorite albums to place this at #17, right behind Captain Beyond's first album. This is a really terrific record that you should not miss.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another concept, March 2, 2006
Although the Pretties are now belatedly given credit for having conceived and recorded the first rock opera, SF Sorrow, their equally ambitious follow-up of one year later, Parachute, has yet to be reassessed and recognised as the achievement that it is.
When they returned to the Abbey Rd studios after SF Sorrow, with Beatle engineer Norman Smith again in the producer's chair, they were quite a different outfit. Their distinctive lead guitarist Dick Taylor had left the band to become a producer, and Victor Unitt from the Edgar Broughton Band was filling in for him until a permanent replacement was found. Twink, their drummer, had also quit to form the Pink Fairies, and their former drummer Skip Alan had returned after a spell with Sunshine.
Another year of communal living, constant touring, drug taking, partying and song writing (not necessarily in that order) had yielded a burst of creativity resulting in a bunch of songs united by a theme of rural versus urban living, and the contradictions implicit in resolving the differences of each; in other words it was one of the first concept albums. The themes are contrasted by use of harmony and melody set against some occasionally quite heavy rock, using a live sound not unlike White Album-period Beatles, and the whole works well musically as an album.
They allowed themselves to stretch out musically on longer tracks such as Cries From The Midnight Circus and Sickle Clown, which was inspired by the ending to the film Easy Rider. Clearly also influenced by the Beatles album Abbey Road, and using the same legendary studios they were able to achieve the same ethereal harmony sounds, particularly on the closing title track, featuring Jon Povey's multi-tracked vocals.
Although commercially unsuccessful the record did receive some critical acclaim and in 1971 was voted album of the year by Rolling Stone.
The Good Mr Square (incorporating She Was Tall, She Was High) had preceded the album as a single on EMI's new "progressive" label, Harvest, and it also represented the album on the Harvest-label sampler, Picnic, though by the time the next single was due they had been back in the studio recording new material so it remained the only single to be taken from Parachute.
The Good Mr Square's non album B-side and all 5 tracks from their next two singles have been added to this edition. These two singles (October 26 and Stone-Hearted Mama) were recorded after they had found their new guitarist, Peter Tolson from Eire Apparent, and include the excellent Summertime and Circus Mind
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