S.F. Sorrow
Encyclopedia
S.F. Sorrow is the title of the fourth LP
by the British rock group The Pretty Things
, released in 1968.
One of the first rock concept album
s, S.F. Sorrow was based on a short story by singer-guitarist Phil May
. The album is structured as a song cycle, telling the story of the main character, Sebastian F. Sorrow, from birth through love, war, tragedy, madness, and the disillusionment of old age.
Although the album is a rock opera
, it has been stated by members of The Who
that the record had no major influence on Pete Townshend
and his writing of Tommy (1969). The Pretty Things, however, have suggested otherwise, as have some critics over the years.
Recording began at Abbey Road Studios
in November 1967 with work on "Bracelets of Fingers." Two tracks that had been earmarked for the album, "Talking About the Good Times" and "Walking Through My Dreams," were instead released as a single in February 1968. In March 1968, drummer Skip Alan suddenly quit the band thanks to a whirlwind romance, and Twink
(born John Charles Alder), whose band Tomorrow
had recently split up, took his place.
Working with noted EMI staff producer Norman "Hurricane" Smith (who had engineered the earlier Beatles recordings and produced Pink Floyd
's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
) and house engineer Peter Mew
, the group experimented with the latest sound technology, including the Mellotron
and early electronic tone generators, often employing gadgets and techniques devised on the spot by Abbey Road's technicians.
Phil May has emphatically stated that Smith was the only person at EMI who was fully supportive of the project, and that his technical expertise was invaluable to the ambitious, experimental sound of the album; May once even referred to Smith as a "sixth member" of the band. This attitude was in marked contrast to Pink Floyd's unhappiness with Smith.
Work on the album concluded in September 1968 with the recording of what would be its closing track, "Loneliest Person." "Private Sorrow" and "Balloon Burning" were extracted for an October 1968 single, and the album was released the following month, in the same week as The Beatles
' "White Album", The Rolling Stones
' Beggars Banquet
and The Kinks
' The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
. EMI did little to promote the album.
S.F. Sorrow was released in two versions, mono and stereo; both have been rereleased on CD by Snapper Records. The band's members have expressed a strong preference for the mono mix.
during The Pretty Things' first of two known live performances of the opera. The second occurred on April 10, 2009 at the 5th annual Le Beat Bespoke Weekender sponsored by Mojo
magazine.
Like Tommy, S.F. Sorrow opens with the birth of the story's protagonist at the turn of the 20th century. Sebastian F. Sorrow is born in a small nameless town to ordinary parents in a house called "Number Three." The town is supported by a factory of some sort, referred to as the "Misery Factory." ("S.F. Sorrow is Born") Sorrow, an imaginative boy, has a relatively normal childhood until it ends abruptly when he needs to get a job. He goes to work with his father at the Misery Factory, from which many men have been laid off. This might make S.F. the object of hate in a sense that he might be a scab in the story, or perhaps the young boy who is taking some older man's job, and he comes into his sexual adolescence during this period. ("Bracelets of Fingers")
Sorrow's life is not yet over, though. Joy still exists for him in the form of a pretty girl across the street. "She says good morning" to him every day, and he thinks about her constantly. This is the factor that keeps him going despite his childhood's abrupt ending. The two fall in love and become engaged, but their marriage plans are cut short when Sorrow is drafted. ("She Says Good Morning")
Sorrow joins a light infantry ("Private Sorrow") and goes off to fight in a war, possibly World War I
. Sorrow sinks into a daze, living out the entire war in a funk. Soon the sounds of gunfire and artillery become the rhythm to his life in a daydream. He survives the war and settles down in a land called "Amerik" (obviously referring to the country America
, because the first words of the song Balloon Burning are "New York
"). Sorrow's fiancée travels by a balloon, The "Windenberg" (Hindenburg
) to join him, but it bursts into flame at arrival ("Balloon Burning"), killing all aboard. Sorrow is left alone, his beloved fiancée dead ("Death").
Sorrow drifts into a state of depression that leads him on an epic journey to the center of his subconscious. When wandering the streets, he encounters the mysterious Baron Saturday. (A character intended to represent Baron Samedi
, a deity in Haitian Voodoo religion.) The black cloaked–Saturday invites Sorrow to take a journey, and then, without waiting for a response, "borrows his eyes" and initiates a trip through the Underworld. ("Baron Saturday")
The trippish quest begins by taking flight into the air, where Sorrow is driven by a whip-cracking Baron Saturday. Sorrow thinks he is flying toward the moon, which would have been lovely as he always had a fascination with it, but instead he sees that it is instead his own face. The Baron pushes him through the mouth of the face and then down the throat where they find a set of oak doors. Saturday throws them open and prompts S.F. Sorrow inside where he finds a room full of mirrors. ("The Journey") Each one of them shows a memory from his childhood, which Baron Saturday suggests that he studies well. After the hall of mirrors comes a long winding staircase which brings him to two opaque mirrors that show him the horrible truths and revelations from his life. ("I See You")
Sorrow is destroyed by his journey; it leads him to understand that no one can be trusted any longer, and that society will only do away with you when you become old and serve it no longer. ("Trust") He is driven into a dark mental seclusion where he suffers from eternal loneliness. Much like The Wall, S.F. Sorrow is the tale of a man who has endured hardships which he uses to build into a mental wall that cuts him off from the rest of the waking world, and leaves them without light. ("Old Man Going") At the end of the album he identifies himself as "the loneliest person in the world." ("Loneliest Person")
in London. It was by all accounts a strange show which featured the band miming to the EMI backing tracks. Each member also played various characters and in the role of Sorrow was Twink, wearing a leotard, white face make up and indulging in his penchant for mime. After that, a handful of songs from the album became part of their typical live set notably "She Says Good Morning", "Balloon Burning" and "Old Man Going."
On September 6, 1998, the line up who recorded the original album - excepting Twink - returned to Abbey Road Studio 2 to perform a fully live version of the album for one of the first netcasts. Joining them were Arthur Brown
who provided the narration, David Gilmour
who added lead guitar parts on a handful of songs, Skip Alan's son Dov on percussion, Frank Holland on guitar and vocals and manager Mark St. John on percussion. The ensemble performed to a specially invited audience of friends and family. The netcast server was quickly overloaded so barely anyone got to see it live as intended. The show was recorded on tape and video. Resurrection was released months later featuring the soundtrack, and a DVD of the show was finally released in 2003.
The same ensemble performed the show again this time to a paying public at The Royal Festival Hall in London on 19 October 2001. Plans to perform the show in Paris and America never came to fruition and neither did a short 40th anniversary tour slated for venues in the UK in January 2009. However, the 2009 incarnation of The Pretty Things featuring May, Taylor, Frank Holland, George Perez, Jack Greenwood and Mark St. John did perform the album onstage at Le Beat Bespoke, a weekend festival at The Venue in London on 10 April 2009. Arthur Brown was absent and Phil May chose to abbreviate the narration between the songs.
To this day, "SF Sorrow Is Born", "Balloon Burning", "Baron Saturday" and "Old Man Going" regularly appear in the band's set list.
Side 2
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
by the British rock group The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things
The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
, released in 1968.
One of the first rock concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
s, S.F. Sorrow was based on a short story by singer-guitarist Phil May
Phil May (singer)
Phil May is the stage name of an English vocalist...
. The album is structured as a song cycle, telling the story of the main character, Sebastian F. Sorrow, from birth through love, war, tragedy, madness, and the disillusionment of old age.
Although the album is a rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
, it has been stated by members of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
that the record had no major influence on Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
and his writing of Tommy (1969). The Pretty Things, however, have suggested otherwise, as have some critics over the years.
Recording began at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in November 1967 with work on "Bracelets of Fingers." Two tracks that had been earmarked for the album, "Talking About the Good Times" and "Walking Through My Dreams," were instead released as a single in February 1968. In March 1968, drummer Skip Alan suddenly quit the band thanks to a whirlwind romance, and Twink
Twink (musician)
John Charles Alder , better known as Twink, is an English drummer, singer and songwriter who was a central figure in the English psychedelic movement, and an actor.-Early life and career:...
(born John Charles Alder), whose band Tomorrow
Tomorrow (band)
Tomorrow were a 1960s psychedelic rock band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd and Soft...
had recently split up, took his place.
Working with noted EMI staff producer Norman "Hurricane" Smith (who had engineered the earlier Beatles recordings and produced Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the debut album by the English rock group Pink Floyd, and the only one made under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership. The album contains whimsical lyrics about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles and fairy tales, along with psychedelic instrumental songs...
) and house engineer Peter Mew
Peter Mew
Peter Mew is a British music audio engineer at Abbey Road Studios where he is now senior mastering engineer. He came to Abbey Road in 1965 as a tape operator and has since worked with many artists at the studio...
, the group experimented with the latest sound technology, including the Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
and early electronic tone generators, often employing gadgets and techniques devised on the spot by Abbey Road's technicians.
Phil May has emphatically stated that Smith was the only person at EMI who was fully supportive of the project, and that his technical expertise was invaluable to the ambitious, experimental sound of the album; May once even referred to Smith as a "sixth member" of the band. This attitude was in marked contrast to Pink Floyd's unhappiness with Smith.
Work on the album concluded in September 1968 with the recording of what would be its closing track, "Loneliest Person." "Private Sorrow" and "Balloon Burning" were extracted for an October 1968 single, and the album was released the following month, in the same week as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "White Album", The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet
- Personnel :The Rolling Stones* Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, harmonica on "Parachute Woman"* Keith Richards – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar on "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Street Fighting Man", backing vocals, lead vocals on opening of "Salt of the Earth"* Brian...
and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth studio album by the English rock group The Kinks, released in November 1968. It was the last album by the original quartet, as bassist Pete Quaife left the group in early 1969...
. EMI did little to promote the album.
S.F. Sorrow was released in two versions, mono and stereo; both have been rereleased on CD by Snapper Records. The band's members have expressed a strong preference for the mono mix.
Story concept
S.F. Sorrows narrative is different than others in the rock opera/concept album genre: while Tommy and Pink Floyd's The Wall relay their concept through the lyrics of their songs, The Pretty Things tell the bulk of the story through small paragraph-like chapters which were printed between each song's lyrics in the liner notes of the LP and the CD. These explanatory notes were read aloud between song performances by Arthur BrownArthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
during The Pretty Things' first of two known live performances of the opera. The second occurred on April 10, 2009 at the 5th annual Le Beat Bespoke Weekender sponsored by Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine.
Like Tommy, S.F. Sorrow opens with the birth of the story's protagonist at the turn of the 20th century. Sebastian F. Sorrow is born in a small nameless town to ordinary parents in a house called "Number Three." The town is supported by a factory of some sort, referred to as the "Misery Factory." ("S.F. Sorrow is Born") Sorrow, an imaginative boy, has a relatively normal childhood until it ends abruptly when he needs to get a job. He goes to work with his father at the Misery Factory, from which many men have been laid off. This might make S.F. the object of hate in a sense that he might be a scab in the story, or perhaps the young boy who is taking some older man's job, and he comes into his sexual adolescence during this period. ("Bracelets of Fingers")
Sorrow's life is not yet over, though. Joy still exists for him in the form of a pretty girl across the street. "She says good morning" to him every day, and he thinks about her constantly. This is the factor that keeps him going despite his childhood's abrupt ending. The two fall in love and become engaged, but their marriage plans are cut short when Sorrow is drafted. ("She Says Good Morning")
Sorrow joins a light infantry ("Private Sorrow") and goes off to fight in a war, possibly World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Sorrow sinks into a daze, living out the entire war in a funk. Soon the sounds of gunfire and artillery become the rhythm to his life in a daydream. He survives the war and settles down in a land called "Amerik" (obviously referring to the country America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, because the first words of the song Balloon Burning are "New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
"). Sorrow's fiancée travels by a balloon, The "Windenberg" (Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume...
) to join him, but it bursts into flame at arrival ("Balloon Burning"), killing all aboard. Sorrow is left alone, his beloved fiancée dead ("Death").
Sorrow drifts into a state of depression that leads him on an epic journey to the center of his subconscious. When wandering the streets, he encounters the mysterious Baron Saturday. (A character intended to represent Baron Samedi
Baron Samedi
Baron Samedi is one of the Loa of Haitian Voodoo. Samedi is a Loa of the dead, along with Baron's numerous other incarnations Baron Cimetière, Baron La Croix, and Baron Kriminel. He is the head of the Guédé family of Loa, or an aspect of them, or possibly their spiritual father...
, a deity in Haitian Voodoo religion.) The black cloaked–Saturday invites Sorrow to take a journey, and then, without waiting for a response, "borrows his eyes" and initiates a trip through the Underworld. ("Baron Saturday")
The trippish quest begins by taking flight into the air, where Sorrow is driven by a whip-cracking Baron Saturday. Sorrow thinks he is flying toward the moon, which would have been lovely as he always had a fascination with it, but instead he sees that it is instead his own face. The Baron pushes him through the mouth of the face and then down the throat where they find a set of oak doors. Saturday throws them open and prompts S.F. Sorrow inside where he finds a room full of mirrors. ("The Journey") Each one of them shows a memory from his childhood, which Baron Saturday suggests that he studies well. After the hall of mirrors comes a long winding staircase which brings him to two opaque mirrors that show him the horrible truths and revelations from his life. ("I See You")
Sorrow is destroyed by his journey; it leads him to understand that no one can be trusted any longer, and that society will only do away with you when you become old and serve it no longer. ("Trust") He is driven into a dark mental seclusion where he suffers from eternal loneliness. Much like The Wall, S.F. Sorrow is the tale of a man who has endured hardships which he uses to build into a mental wall that cuts him off from the rest of the waking world, and leaves them without light. ("Old Man Going") At the end of the album he identifies himself as "the loneliest person in the world." ("Loneliest Person")
Live performances
Shortly after the albums release in 1968, the band attempted to perform the album onstage at Middle Earth ClubMiddle Earth Club
Middle Earth was an influential hippie club in London, UK in the mid to late 1960s, following on from the UFO Club after it was closed down due to police pressure and the imprisonment of its founder John 'Hoppy' Hopkins....
in London. It was by all accounts a strange show which featured the band miming to the EMI backing tracks. Each member also played various characters and in the role of Sorrow was Twink, wearing a leotard, white face make up and indulging in his penchant for mime. After that, a handful of songs from the album became part of their typical live set notably "She Says Good Morning", "Balloon Burning" and "Old Man Going."
On September 6, 1998, the line up who recorded the original album - excepting Twink - returned to Abbey Road Studio 2 to perform a fully live version of the album for one of the first netcasts. Joining them were Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
who provided the narration, David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
who added lead guitar parts on a handful of songs, Skip Alan's son Dov on percussion, Frank Holland on guitar and vocals and manager Mark St. John on percussion. The ensemble performed to a specially invited audience of friends and family. The netcast server was quickly overloaded so barely anyone got to see it live as intended. The show was recorded on tape and video. Resurrection was released months later featuring the soundtrack, and a DVD of the show was finally released in 2003.
The same ensemble performed the show again this time to a paying public at The Royal Festival Hall in London on 19 October 2001. Plans to perform the show in Paris and America never came to fruition and neither did a short 40th anniversary tour slated for venues in the UK in January 2009. However, the 2009 incarnation of The Pretty Things featuring May, Taylor, Frank Holland, George Perez, Jack Greenwood and Mark St. John did perform the album onstage at Le Beat Bespoke, a weekend festival at The Venue in London on 10 April 2009. Arthur Brown was absent and Phil May chose to abbreviate the narration between the songs.
To this day, "SF Sorrow Is Born", "Balloon Burning", "Baron Saturday" and "Old Man Going" regularly appear in the band's set list.
Original 1968 release
Side 1- "S.F. Sorrow is Born" – 3:12
- "Bracelets of Fingers" – 3:41
- "She Says Good Morning" (May, Taylor, Waller, Alder) – 3:23
- "Private Sorrow" (May, Taylor, Waller, Povey) – 3:51
- "Balloon Burning" (May, Taylor, Waller, Povey) – 3:51
- "Death" (May, Taylor, Waller, Alder) – 3:05
Side 2
- "Baron Saturday" – 4:01
- "The Journey" (May, Taylor, Waller, Alder) – 2:46
- "I See You" – 3:56
- "Well of Destiny" (Smith, May, Taylor, Waller, Povey, Alder) – 1:46
- "Trust" – 2:49
- "Old Man Going" (May, Taylor, Waller, Povey, Alder) – 3:09
- "Loneliest Person" (May, Taylor, Waller, Alder) – 1:29
2003 CD re-issue
- "S.F. Sorrow is Born" – 3:13
- "Bracelets of Fingers" – 3:41
- "She Says Good Morning" – 3:24
- "Private Sorrow" – 3:52
- "Balloon Burning" – 3:51
- "Death" – 3:06
- "Baron Saturday" – 4:01
- "The Journey" – 2:46
- "I See You" – 3:56
- "Well of Destiny" – 1:49
- "Trust" – 2:50
- "Old Man Going" – 3:10
- "Loneliest Person" – 1:30
- "Defecting Grey" [Bonus Track] – 4:31
- "Mr. Evasion" [Bonus Track] – 3:31
- "Talkin' About the Good Times" [Bonus Track] – 3:46
- "Walking Through My Dreams" [Bonus Track] (May, Taylor, Waller, Povey) – 3:47
- "Private Sorrow" [Bonus Track, Single version] – 3:52
- "Balloon Burning" [Bonus Track, Single version] – 3:47
- "Defecting Grey" [Bonus Track, Acetate recording] – 5:10
Personnel
- Phil May - vocals
- Dick TaylorDick TaylorRichard Clifford 'Dick' Taylor is an English musician who was an early bass guitarist for The Rolling Stones. He left to become an art student at Sidcup Art College and while there formed The Pretty Things in September 1963...
- lead guitar, vocals - John Povey - organ, sitar, percussion, vocals
- Wally Allen (aka Waller) - bass, guitar, vocals, wind instruments, piano
- Skip Alan - drums
- John Charles Alder (aka TwinkTwink (musician)John Charles Alder , better known as Twink, is an English drummer, singer and songwriter who was a central figure in the English psychedelic movement, and an actor.-Early life and career:...
) - drums