... Rage Before Beauty

... Rage Before Beauty
Studio album by Pretty Things
Released	9 March 1999
Recorded	1998–99
Studio	145 Wardour Street, Soho, London
Genre	Rock
Length	64:27
Label	Snapper Music[1]
Producer	Mark St. John, Dave Garland
Pretty Things chronology
Resurrection (1999) ... Rage Before Beauty (1999) Balboa Island (2007)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
The San Diego Union-Tribune	[5]

... Rage Before Beauty is a studio album by the English rock band Pretty Things, released in 1999.^[6]

Production

Ronnie Spector provided backing vocals on the band's cover of "Mony Mony".^[1] David Gilmour guested on "Love Keeps Hanging On".^[7] The album was produced by Mark St. John and Dave Garland.^[8] ... Rage Before Beauty was recorded by the 1966 lineup of the band.^[9]

Critical reception

Perfect Sound Forever called the album "a testament to the brand of sweaty, guitar-driven, R&B garage rock which never really seems to go out of fashion."^[10] The Boston Globe wrote that "vocalist Phil May's gravelly voice is stupefying on the Pretty's cover of 'Play With Fire', virtually besting Mick Jagger's own icy interpretation."^[7] The Orange County Register thought that "from the rollicking 'Passion of Love' to anthemic, reflective ballads like 'Love Keeps Hanging On' ... the album is a summation of almost every style the Pretties ever attempted, while still retaining some middle-age maturity."^[11]

Record Collector deemed it one of the band's "best ever recordings."^[12]

Track listing

1. "Passion of Love" (Phil May, Mark St. John) – 3:22
2. "Vivian Prince" (May, Frank Holland, Jon Povey) – 5:15
3. "Everlasting Flame" (May, Holland, St. John) – 3:46
4. "Love Keeps Hanging On" (May) – 8:55
5. "Eve of Destruction" (P. F. Sloan) – 3:03
6. "Not Givin' In" (May) – 4:02
7. "Pure Cold Stone" (May, Dick Taylor) – 5:47
8. "Blue Turns to Red" (May, Holland) – 4:01
9. "Goodbye, Goodbye" (May, Povey) – 2:45
10. "Goin' Downhill" (May, Pete Tolson) – 4:12
11. "Play with Fire" (Nanker Phelge) – 4:07
12. "Fly Away" (May) – 4:30
13. "Mony, Mony" (Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, Bobby Bloom) – 4:45
14. "God, Give Me the Strength (To Carry On)" (May, St. John) – 6:03

Personnel

Pretty Things

• Phil May – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
• Dick Taylor – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
• Frank Holland – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Wally Waller – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Jon Povey – keyboards, vocals
• Skip Alan – drums, percussion

Studio musicians

• Mark St. John – drums
• Nick Brockway – Hammond organ
• Steve Browning
• Robert Webb – keyboards
• Nigel Ross-Scott – bass
• David Gilmour – lead guitar on "Love Keeps Hangin' On"
• Ronnie Spector – vocals on "Mony Mony"

References

1. "THE PRETTY THINGS 'Rage Before Beauty' Snapper". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
2. "Rage...Before Beauty – The Pretty Things | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
3. Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
4. Fricke, David (1 April 1999). "Favorite Things". Rolling Stone. No. 809. p. 100.
5. Coddon, David L. (1 April 1999). "RAGE BEFORE BEAUTY THE PRETTY THINGS Snapper Music". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Entertainment. p. 22.
6. "The Pretty Things Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
7. Reed, John (16 September 1999). "Pretty Things RAGE BEFORE BEAUTY". The Boston Globe. Calendar. p. 8.
8. Christman, Ed (13 March 1999). "Pretty Things rage on in new set". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 11. p. 15.
9. Riegel, Richard (6 April 1999). "Die old stay pretty". The Village Voice. 44 (13): 72–73.
10. "Pretty Things interview". Perfect Sound Forever.
11. Wener, Ben (3 September 1999). "POP LIFE – The best band you've never heard". Orange County Register. p. F51.
12. "OH YOU PRETTY THINGS – Record Collector Magazine".