Side A
The album opens with a cover of Bo Diddley's "Road Runner," which features some great howling vocals and wild guitar work, along with some raw and powerful stuff on harmonica. The band seems ready to tear right through your speakers, delivering a gloriously unhinged performance. "I'm a road runner, honey, but you just can't keep up with me." That line certainly rings true here. That's followed by "Judgement Day," a delicious blues number that has a great energy of its own. It was written by Bryan Morrison, who co-produced the original record with Jimmy Duncan. Sure, the music is familiar, but these guys give it a fresh spin. There is a fiery spirit to the performance. It must have been something to have been around in 1965 to catch this when it first hit the scene. Then we get an original composition by the band, "13 Chester Street," a song inspired by the place where the band lived for a time. This is a fun, kind of loose track with a good rhythm, featuring some interesting use of percussion. "Quit teasing me, baby/Quit teasing me, baby/We'll rock all the while/Yeah, rock all the while."
"Big City" is another fun one. It was written by Jimmy Duncan and Alan Klein. It was covered by other bands, but apparently this version by the Pretty Things is the song's first recording. "Big city, big city/Yeah, you ain't quite big enough for me." There is some delicious stuff on guitar here. They slow things down with "Unknown Blues," an original number that has more of a classic, mean blues vibe, the song driven by voice, guitar and harmonica. There is a bit of percussion, but not any traditional drum kit. According to the notes on the back of the record jacket, Viv Prince is playing a chair. That is part of what makes this track stand out, but it's also just an overall cool tune. The first side concludes as it began, with a cover of a Bo Diddley song, this time "Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut." As you might guess from its title, this track is a whole lot of fun. There is certainly something playful about it. It's a song addressed to the mother of the girl he is dating: "I'm in love with your little girl/And your little girl is in love with me/I'm so happy most all the time/And that's how we are gonna be." These guys let loose here, rocking the place, particularly during that jam in the middle.
Side B
The record's second side opens with "Honey, I Need," a song that was also released as a single. It too has a delicious rhythm and contains some great stuff on lead guitar. It is catchy and sounds like a good time. That's followed by a cover of Chuck Berry's "Oh Baby Doll." This is one of those fast-paced numbers that make you want to get on your feet and cut loose. And lyrics about being in school take us right back to when life seemed simpler, when the most important things were good music and getting together with that special someone. Wait, now that I think about it, that hasn't changed. I am digging the raw energy of this rendition, and wanting some of that energy for myself. "She's Fine She's Mine" is a slower number, a cool blues stroll through the neighborhood, led by that wonderful harmonica work. Yeah, we'll follow that instrument up any avenue, down any alley. "Yeah, I love you, baby/And I'm never gonna let you go." He sounds sincere, and yet almost threatening, at least looking through today's weird lens. But then after a cool instrumental section, he tells us, "You've been running, baby/Running round all over town," so perhaps he has reason to be a little on edge. This song was written by Bo Diddley, the album's third Bo Diddley cover.
The band delivers a cover of Tampa Red's "Don't You Lie To Me," a song that Chuck Berry also recorded, here titled "Don't Lie To Me." These guys deliver an excellent rendition, featuring more good stuff on harmonica. Damn, this music is good. I love how it washes over me like the result of some glorious blues heaven colliding with Earth. That's followed by a cover of Jimmy Reed's "The Moon Is Rising," a seriously cool song, here sounding like a blues number from the darkest hours of night, but still with sparkling light showering us from that guitar. And the harmonica wails from its own proper spot in the night. This track also features a particularly good vocal performance. I wish it did not fade out so soon; that final section seems to be leading us in a different direction. The album concludes with "Pretty Thing," a song that was written by Willie Dixon and Bo Diddley, and which was recorded by Bo Diddley. This one has that wonderful Bo Diddley beat. It is a short track, fading out much too soon. "We thank you, Bo, for the name," they sing here, the band having taken its name from this song.
Side C
The second record, Live At The 100 Club, is a live version of the first record, recorded in 2010. Artists have been doing this quite a bit in recent years, revisiting an album and playing all the songs in order. The first track contains a brief introduction: "Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the irrepressible Pretty Things and their first album." The band delivers a rocking rendition of "Road Runner," featuring some great drumming and a vocal performance with a fantastic no-holds-barred kind of energy. There is also some great stuff on harmonica. The band mentions the name of the venue at the end of song. There is a brief introduction for the next song, "Judgement Day," and the band tears into a seriously good rendition. "What are you gonna do on Judgment Day?" the audience is asked. I love the thought of this music being played at the end of the world, as we all dance our way into oblivion. I hope that's what we'd do if things went that direction. "When I'm dead, bury me deep." Ah yes, otherwise these guys will easily escape the cold arms of the beyond. Just check out that great energy.
Before starting "13 Chester Street," there is a brief introduction about how the song is about a place where the band lived when they were making the original album. Here they are right on the edge, where the blues can take you, and where the blues can save you. "I love your smile, I love your smile." Yes, what is better than a beautiful woman smiling? That can make it all worth it. It seems the band could spiral into chaos, but manages to hold it together, making for an exciting rendition. That's followed by "Big City," the guitar seeming able to create its own city, its own realm, a place I want to dwell. The energy here is fantastic, and that guitar seems to be the key.
"We were very new to the game when we made this album, so we knocked something out, Dick and I," the crowd is told in the introduction to "Unknown Blues," an original composition. That is not a chair that's being played on this live rendition. Still, there is something really special about this song, and it is one of my favorites on this live album as well on the original record. It has a great, raw vibe, and features some wonderful work on harmonica. Then "Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut" is introduced as just "Keep Your Big Mouth Shut." It is great fun, the band clearly having a fantastic time playing it. And the instrumental section takes off with a frantic and glorious energy, before the band returns to the main theme of the song. This is so good. It has a sudden ending.
Side D
There is a great joy to the delivery of "Honey, I Need," particularly in that guitar work, but also in the vocal performance. The band is not holding back. And neither should any of us. "Oh, honey, I need your love/All the time, all the time." This track is another highlight of this concert recording. Then "Oh Baby Doll" drives forward with energy and speed. Nothing can get in the way of the song's progress; anything stepping in front of it will be flattened. "We used to have so much fun/When we were going to school." And the line "Think of things that used to be" stands out to me, for this music has me thinking of how things used to be. Or how they must have been. And it must have been something to be in that audience. "She's Fine She's Mine" has a cool vibe. I love how that harmonica spins its spell before those first lines are sung. There is a raw power to the vocal performance. And there is danger of lunacy for him, for us all, should she leave. This track eases out at end.
"Don't you lie to me," Phil sings in "Don't Lie To Me," and it is a demand. In these days of rampant dishonesty, this recording feels like a dagger in the side of those mendacious con artists in government. And so I love it. This track contains some really nice guitar work. That's followed by "The Moon Is Rising." "The moon is rising/The sun is going down." Oh yes, it feels like the light is disappearing from this world sometimes, except when I'm enjoying music. In music, even music from the past, is the real hope for any sort of future, and we feel it here. "Then the two of us can be married/And go through life hand in hand." This version, being a live performance, does not fade out like the album version did. In the introduction to "Pretty Thing," they talk about the band's debt to Bo Diddley: "It probably wasn't the most appropriate way to end the album, but for us it was important." I think it's a fun way to end things. And here the song is allowed to go on a bit longer than on the studio version.
Record Track List
Side A
- Road Runner
- Judgement Day
- 13 Chester Street
- Big City
- Unknown Blues
- Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
Side B
- Honey, I Need
- Oh Baby Doll
- She's Fine She's Mine
- Don't Lie To Me
- The Moon Is Rising
- Pretty Thing
- Road Rummer
- Judgement Day
- 13 Chester Street
- Big City
- Unknown Blues
- Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut
- Honey, I Need
- Oh Baby Doll
- She's Fine She's Mine
- Don't Lie To Me
- The Moon Is Rising
- Pretty Thing
This special double album version of The Pretty Things/Live At The 100 Club was released on August 1, 2025 through Madfish.
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