Oh you Pretty Things

There’s probably not much of a crossover between Blur fans and those who remember the Pretty Things, who toured NZ in 1965. But Blur know the Pretty Things, or at least guitarist Graham Coxon does. Here is Blur performing “Death of a Party” from their 1997 album Blur:



And here are the Pretty Things with “Baron Saturday” from their great 1967 album S.F. Sorrow, the first rock opera (it came out a year before the Who’s Tommy). Yes, the two tunes could be related. There are no clips available from the excellent DVD of the Pretty Things' 1998 performance at Abbey Road, so this sound-only clip will have to do:



You can also hear a version of the riff on the Oasis song “Bag it Up” from their 2008 album Dig Out Your Soul. At least they’re listening to more than the Beatles, but talk about diminishing returns.

Speaking of Blur, their bass player Alex James is now a farmer, cheese-maker and columnist for the Spectator. His memoir Bit of a Blur about his time as a rock pig is a hoot.