Day 18: The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow

Dear Nathaniel,

Hello again my angel, we brought you a present today to light up your little grave. I hope it lights it up tomorrow night once it's had a full day of sunlight. I don't know how I'd be able to cope with this if we hadn't got all the time we did with you.We were able to spend so many hours together all three of us in the same room, but it really makes me miss being able to hold your hand or kiss your little forehead. I suppose it's far better to miss doing these things than to never have been able to at all.

Today we're listening to a nice little concept album by then psychedelic geniuses The Pretty Things. This is truly an essential album in music history, and a really enjoyable one at that. It's so easy to just get whisked away in the story and psychedelia. There's something quite special about this period in British music, there are so many overtly British bands all making their own interpretation of popular music. From the Yardbirds, to Cream and everything in-between.

It's the Blues Jim, but not as we know it. As the early 60's Blues immitators became the next wave of British innovators the Pretty Things were right in the thick of it. There was a huge shift in the sound of rock in general around this time moving into the 70's and it's just great to hear all the different bands takes on what it should turn out like.

Of course once the 70's actually hit music became even more hugely fragmented and there would never really be another defining sound to an era, only fading fads. In the end it was for the best of music, at least for awhile, and of course the genres set in motion here in the late 60's by guitar heavy bands willing to experiment and make a bit of noise are the only hope of good music still being made today. But that's a point for another day.

While the album's story itself is amazingly depressing it's always cheered me up for some reason. I suppose it's because I tend to shy away from the idea that, with a few notable exceptions, rock musicians are good lyrical storytellers. It's always better to focus on the music itself rather than the lyrics, of course lyrics are still important, they should just always take second place behind the music. That doesn't exactly apply to all genres of music, but it's a general rule of thumb.

I'll have to play you some more psychedelic rock soon, since I can imagine it being really fun for kids too, and it's something that Americans are actually good at too, so we'll get to play some more non-British music. Although the origin of music isn't as significant as the music itself of course, it can be a good gauge of quality.

I probably prefer Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Pink Floyd as the height of British psychedelic rock but for me this album comes in at a close second. Nothing can quite match Syd Barret's whimsy and straight up flair for the genre.

I hope you're not getting into too much trouble my little angel, I predict you'll be getting up to all kinds of mischief if you're not watched closely. I know you'll be having lots of fun and getting lots of love, that's a given since you already have all of ours. Goodnight my sweet angel Nathaniel.

Love from Dad.