The Pretty Things

The Pretty Things are a 1960s and 1970s rock and roll band from London. Guitarist Dick Taylor was an original member of The Rolling Stones before founding the Pretty

The Pretty Things are a 1960s and 1970s rock and roll band from London. Guitarist Dick Taylor was an original member of The Rolling Stones before founding the Pretty Things with singer Phil May at Sidcup Art College in September 1963. They caused a sensation in England and their first three singles -- their first single, "Rosalyn" #41, "Don't Bring Me Down" #10, and the self-penned "Honey I Need" at #13 -- charted in the UK in 1964-65. They never had a hit in the US but had considerable success in their native United Kingdom and in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands in the middle of the decade. In the US they, along with the Yardbirds and Van Morrison's Them, were a huge influence on hundreds of garage bands including the MC5 and the Seeds.

Their early material was hard-edged blues-rock influenced by Bo Diddley (they took their name from Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing") and Jimmy Reed, much like that of their contemporaries the Stones and The Yardbirds. They were known for wild "rock and roll" behavior and shocking the establishment; their song "Midnight to Six Man" defined the Mod lifestyle.