May was the only constant member of the Pretty Things over its 45 year history during which it went from blues rock, soul, psychedelia, hard rock and new wave. The Pretty Things most significant contribution to rock was their landmark 1968 album S.F. Sorrow which is considered by many to be the first rock opera based on a short story written by May.
Unfortunately S.F. Sorrow would prove to be a sorrowful experience for the band and would cause founding member Dick Taylor (who played bass in The Rolling Stones before Bill Wyman) to leave the group for seven years. Their label EMI had bigger priorities with The Beatles' White Album and The Kinks Village Green Preservation Society being released the same week with the band left to design its own album cover. S.F. Sorrow would fare even worse in the United States when it was released by Motown's Rare Earth label the following year. S.F. Sorrow had the misfortune of being released after Tommy by The Who and being deemed a ripoff even though it had been recorded first.
However, over the past half century, S.F. Sorrow has gradually been recognized for its merits and its reputation has been enhanced with every passing year. It certainly helped that May was highly respected by other musicians like David Bowie, Arthur Brown and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. Indeed, Gilmour and Van Morrison would join May during the Pretty Things final concert in 2018.
I leave you with May singing "The Loneliest Person", the closing track from S.F. Sorrow. R.I.P.
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