More than five decades of demos, acetates, rehearsals, live recordings and previously unreleased material are collected across 12 CDs, tracing The Pretty Things from their 1965 recordings through to the final work made by Phil May and Dick Taylor.
by Paul Cashmere
The Pretty Things are opening their archive in extraordinary depth with Pretty Rare, a new 12CD collection that brings together recordings spanning more than five decades, including previously unheard demos, rare acetates, rehearsal tapes, historic live performances and the final recordings made by Phil May and Dick Taylor. The Madfish collection will be released on November 20, 2026.
Rather than another retrospective built around the band’s familiar albums, Pretty Rare concentrates on the recordings made around them. The collection follows songs while they were still being developed, alternate versions that rarely circulated, live performances from pivotal periods and material that remained outside the group’s conventional catalogue.
That makes the set particularly revealing for anyone interested in how The Pretty Things changed from the raw R&B of their early years into psychedelia, progressive rock and harder-edged material. The band formed in 1963 around Phil May and Dick Taylor and went through multiple incarnations before May’s death in 2020.
The earliest material on Pretty Rare includes a 1965 demo of “Get Yourself Home”, Emidisc acetates, alternate recordings and a collection of Emotions-era demos. “Defecting Grey” is represented by both a full-length demo and an EMI acetate, providing an early glimpse of the experimentation that would lead into the band’s psychedelic period.
Disc two moves into live recordings from Paris, London’s Hyde Park and Amsterdam. Among the performances are extended versions of “Talking About The Good Times”, “Why” and a lengthy “Mr. Evasion / I See You / My White Bicycle”, documenting The Pretty Things at a point when their live performances were stretching well beyond the compact R&B singles that had established them in Britain.
One of the collection’s most intriguing sections is devoted to the Philippe Debarge sessions. Recorded in 1969 for French millionaire Philippe Debarge, the material includes 12 recordings plus “Monsieur Rock (Ballad Of Philippe)”. The sessions sit alongside the Westbourne Terrace Revox demos, where songs including “The Good Mr. Square”, “Cries From The Midnight Circus” and “Rain” can be heard in developmental form.
That material is particularly significant because it sits around the period when The Pretty Things were moving from S. F. Sorrow towards Parachute. S. F. Sorrow was recorded at Abbey Road between 1967 and 1968, while Parachute followed in 1970 after further changes to the group’s line-up.
Pretty Rare then moves into the American years with a complete performance from The Lottery in Aurora, Illinois, recorded on April 28, 1973, followed by eight tracks from Cleveland’s Agora Ballroom recorded on March 18, 1975. The performances capture a different phase of the band, with material from Silk Torpedo and the group’s broader early-1970s repertoire.
The 1980s are represented by the Live At Heartbreak Hotel recordings from Easy Studios in London, alongside rare studio material, singles and outtakes. Disc eight is devoted to the 1987 recordings collected as Out Of The Island, while the ninth disc takes an unusual approach, presenting Wally Waller’s rehearsal tapes from 1994 through 2004.
Those rehearsal recordings offer something a conventional live album cannot. “Rosalyn”, “Havana Bound”, “Renaissance Fair”, “Bridge Of God” and “S.F. Sorrow Is Born / Balloon Burning” appear as working performances, allowing listeners to hear the band revisiting and refining songs over a period of years.
The final three discs continue that archival approach. Disc 10 documents the band’s 40th anniversary performance at Brighton’s Pressure Point in 2004. Disc 11 captures the December 2010 100 Club concert where The Pretty Things performed their debut album live in full.
The closing disc is the most poignant. It includes recordings made by Phil May and Dick Taylor around 2017 and 2018, including “Wounded”, “Sandstorm”, “Flatline” and “When The Rain Comes”, alongside later acoustic recordings and performances of “Helter Skelter” and “Mr. Tambourine Man”. May died in 2020, with the stripped-back album Bare As Bone, Bright As Blood subsequently completing part of the band’s recorded story.
The 12 CDs are accompanied by a hardback book containing a 60-page analysis by Mike Stax, alongside liner notes, photographs and memorabilia. The book also draws on recollections from May, Taylor, Waller, Jon Povey and Skip Alan.
The Pretty Things never followed a straight musical path. Their catalogue moved from British R&B into psychedelia and progressive rock, with S. F. Sorrow and Parachute marking one of their most adventurous periods. Pretty Rare now provides an opportunity to hear that evolution from the inside, through the recordings that normally remain between the official albums.
Pretty Rare will be released by Madfish on November 20, 2026.
Pretty Rare Full Tracklist
Disc 1: One Long Glance
Don’t Bring Me Down (True Stereo Mix)
Get Yourself Home (1965 Demo)
I Can Never Say (Emidisc Acetate)
Don’t Bring Me Down (Emidisc Acetate)
Cry To Me (Alternate Version)
Progress (Alternate Take)
One Long Glance (Emotions Demo)
The Sun (Emotions Demo)
There Will Never Be Another Day (Emotions Demo)
My Time (Emotions Demo)
Out In The Night (Emotions Demo)
Bright Lights Of The City (Emotions Demo)
Children (Alternate Version)
Photographer (Rough Mix, From Acetate)
Defecting Grey (Full Length Demo)
Turn My Head (Demo, Advision Acetate)
Defecting Grey No. 3 (EMI Acetate)
Disc 2: Paris, London, Amsterdam
Children (Palais des Sports, Paris, June 1st, 1967)
Reincarnation (Palais des Sports, Paris, June 1st, 1967)
Why (Hyde Park, London, July 27th, 1968)
Talking About The Good Times (Hyde Park, London, July 27th, 1968)
Alexander (Hyde Park, London, July 27th, 1968)
Mr. Evasion / I See You / My White Bicycle (Hyde Park, London, July 27th, 1968)
Why (Paradiso, Amsterdam, March 29th, 1969)
Talking About The Good Times (Paradiso, Amsterdam, March 29th, 1969)
Renaissance Fair (The Paradiso, Amsterdam, March 29th, 1969)
S.F. Sorrow Is Born (The Paradiso, Amsterdam, March 29th, 1969)
She Says Good Morning (The Paradiso, Amsterdam, March 29th, 1969)
Disc 3: Rock St. Trop
Hello, How Do You Do (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
You Might Even Say (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
Alexander (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
Send You With Loving (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
You’re Running You And Me (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
Peace (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
Eagle’s Son (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
Graves Of Grey (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
New Day (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
It’ll Never Be Me (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
I’m Checking Out (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
All Gone Now (Philippe Debarge Sessions)
Monsieur Rock (Ballad Of Philippe)
Disc 4: Cries From Westbourne Terrace
Scene One (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June-September 1969)
The Good Mr. Square (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June-September 1969)
She Was Tall, She Was High (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June-September 1969)
In The Square / The Letter (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June-September 1969)
Rain (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June-September 1969)
Cries From The Midnight Circus (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June-September 1969)
I’d Love Her If I Knew What To Do (Version 1, Westbourne Terrace Demos, June 1970-Early 1971)
Seen Her Face Before (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June 1970-Early 1971)
Everything You Do Is Fine (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June 1970-Early 1971)
Cold Stone (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June 1970-Early 1971)
You Never Told Me Lies (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June 1970-Early 1971)
Take A Look At Me (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June 1970-Early 1971)
Silver Stars (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June 1970-Early 1971)
Lover (Westbourne Terrace Demos, June 1970-Early 1971)
I’d Love Her If I Knew What To Do (Version 2, Home Demos, October/November 1971)
Wild And Free (Home Demos, October/November 1971)
Disc 5: Redemption In Aurora
Religion’s Dead (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Havana Bound (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Love Is Good (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Peter / Rip Off Train (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
All Night Sailor (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
In The Square / The Letter / Rain (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Live With Me (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Onion Soup (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Old Man Going (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Route 66 (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Rosalyn (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Roadrunner (The Lottery, Aurora, Illinois, April 28th, 1973)
Disc 6: It’s Got To Be A Dream
Singapore Silk Torpedo (Live At Agora, Cleveland, 18/3/75)
Dream / Joey (Live At Agora, Cleveland, 18/3/75)
Havana Bound (Live At Agora, Cleveland, 18/3/75)
It’s Been So Long (Live At Agora, Cleveland, 18/3/75)
Bridge Of God (Live At Agora, Cleveland, 18/3/75)
Come Home Momma (Live At Agora, Cleveland, 18/3/75)
Rosalyn (Live At Agora, Cleveland, 18/3/75)
Route 66 (Live At Agora, Cleveland, 18/3/75)
Over The Moon (45 Edit)
Joey (US Promo Mono)
Bridge Of God (45 Edit)
I’m Keeping (45 Edit)
It Isn’t Rock ‘N’ Roll (Mono Promo 45 Edit)
Tonight (Non-LP Single)
Disc 7: Live At Heartbreak Hotel
Big Boss Man (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Midnight To Six Man (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
I’m A King Bee (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Honey, I Need (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Shakin’ All Over (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Rosalyn (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Roadrunner (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Rainin’ In My Heart (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Around And Around (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Don’t Bring Me Down (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Mona (Easy Studios, London, March 13th, 1984)
Monster Club (1981)
Wish Fulfillment (1980-81)
Sea About Me (1980-81)
The Young Pretenders (1980-81)
Eve Of Destruction (Single, 1989)
Goin’ Downhill (Extended 12″ Version)
Holding Onto Love (Rage Before Beauty Outtake, 1989)
Disc 8: Out Of The Island
Cry To Me (1987 Version)
Oh Baby Doll (1987 Version)
She’s Fine, She’s Mine (1987 Version)
Get The Picture? (1987 Version)
Havana Bound (1987 Version)
Can’t Stop (1987 Version)
Loneliest Person / L.S.D. (1987 Version)
Private Sorrow (1987 Version)
The Moon Is Rising (1987 Version)
Big City (1987 Version)
Cause And Effect (1987 Version)
Well Known Blues (1987 Version)
You Don’t Believe Me (1987 Version)
Judgement Day (1987 Version)
Disc 9: A Fly On The Wall (Rehearsals)
Rosalyn (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 1994)
Time Slides Away (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 1995)
Havana Bound (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 1996)
In The Square / The Letter / Rain (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 1996)
Onion Soup (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 1996)
Rainin’ In My Heart (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2002)
Renaissance Fair (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2002)
Buzz The Jerk (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2002)
L.S.D. / Old Man Going (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2002)
Too Much (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2004)
It’s Been So Long (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2004)
Blue Serge Blues (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2004)
Bridge Of God (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2004)
S.F. Sorrow Is Born / Balloon Burning (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 2004)
Alexander (Wally Waller’s Rehearsal Tapes, 1994)
Disc 10: 40th Anniversary
Roadrunner (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Don’t Bring Me Down (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Havana Bound (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
S.F. Sorrow Is Born (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Balloon Burning (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Circus Mind (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Baron Saturday (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Hoochie Coochie Man (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Come See Me (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Cries From The Midnight Circus (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
In The Square / The Letter / Rain (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Goodbye, Goodbye / Goin’ Downhill (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Judgement Day (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
L.S.D. / Old Man Going (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Rosalyn (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Route 66 (The Pressure Point, Brighton, August 30th, 2004)
Disc 11: Debut Album Live At The 100 Club
Roadrunner (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Judgement Day (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
13 Chester Street (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Big City (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Unknown Blues (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Honey, I Need (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Oh Baby Doll (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
She’s Fine She’s Mine (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Don’t Lie To Me (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
The Moon Is Rising (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Pretty Thing (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
S.F. Sorrow Is Born (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
She Says Good Morning (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Baron Saturday (The 100 Club, London, December 17th, 2010)
Disc 12: Seasons Come And Go
Wounded (Phil And Dick ca. 2018)
Sandstorm (Phil And Dick ca. 2018)
Flatline (Phil And Dick ca. 2018)
When The Rain Comes (Phil And Dick ca. 2017)
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Balboa Island Outtake, 2005/6)
Look Away Now (Balboa Island Outtake, 2005/6)
Hoochie Coochie Man (Balboa Island Outtake, 2005/6)
Scene One (Acoustic)
In The Square / The Letter / Rain (Acoustic)
Cries From The Midnight Circus (Acoustic)
Grass (Acoustic)
Sickle Clowns (Acoustic)
She’s A Lover (Acoustic)
What’s The Use (Acoustic)
Helter Skelter (2012)
Mr. Tambourine Man (2016)
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first-Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
