Emotions – THE PRETTY THINGS***

Death Of A Socialite/Children/The Sun/There Will Never Be Another Day/House Of Ten/Out In The Night/One Long Glance/Growing In My Mind/Photographer/Bright Lights Of The City/Tripping/My Time

Emotions was a transitional album from The Pretty Things between their R & B roots and their later move into psychedelia. It features some commercial pop, plus some orchestration that was not to all fans taste.

“The first side features stellar sixties pop. Most tracks carry an extremely stripped bare sound. The orchestration is a matter of taste, for me not too disturbing, but on most tracks it adds no extra value to the sound in general. Still Emotions is a recommended sixties sleeper for those with an affection for the softer side of beat/pop/R & B.”

“If this wasn't by The Pretty Things it would have been utterly forgotten. Its 60s pop by a band who didn't do pop and weren't suited to it. The lead singer is embarrassing in places - except on Tripping, the only bluesy song.”

“At the time the band got pushed in a direction they didn't want to go. This brief transitional period had its uses though. Rather than the rough R & B at which they were so brilliant, the times dictated the need to craft more sophisticated songs, which came to full fruition on their late 60s stuff. This album reflects that transitional period. At the time, I found it a major disappointment, but now, with hindsight, it's an interesting release.”

“This album is comparatively highly produced, commercial driven pop, featuring some use of horns, and with good period flavour. Though this is not in keeping with the sound the band had been attempting to cultivate, it is enjoyable just the same.”

“Emotions was radically different from the previous two albums, which were more or less typical British R & B. They had already shown that they were very skilled songwriters, but with Emotions their musical ambitions led them into orchestral experiments. The album has often been criticized for being ruined by these strings and brass arrangements.”

"Emotions was unfortunately sandwiched between two classic Pretty Things eras; the early R 'n' B era and the psychedelic era. But the record company overdubbed some dreadful orchestration, and the result is a bit of dog's dinner.”