S.F. Sorrow

Sounds like revolver but not as good

Enjoyed it. I gave Tommy a 5, so of course I liked this as well. I do understand the debate about whether this influenced Pete Townsend, but no need to get into all that. Considering the time period, this seems rather groundbreaking.

I'm not a huge lyrics guy, so the whole rock opera thing would have gone completely over my head if I hadn't read the album summary first. I thought this was OK; I haven't really dug a lot of the British rock from around this time period, but most of these songs were pretty listenable.

A lot of comments say this sounds like the Beatles, but it sounds more Rolling Stones to me—bluesy, shabby, gutter rock. I may need to listen more, but this didn’t make a good first impression

They may have been first or second or even third but it’s not good. Reading they were upset that The Who stole their idea for a rock opera and their record company didn’t market as one seems like they didn’t communicate very with record company or the record company figured it would not sell because it’s not very good. I agree with latter. The music doesn’t spark anything in me. It just kind of good music. If it related to the other songs I’m sure I would have to listen more closely. But I don’t care that much. I’m glad I heard it and that it’s on the list. I understand why it’s here.

Overall Rating - 2.69/5 (5.38/10). I can see Pink Floyd and The Who listening to this and saying "Interesting idea putting an overarching storyline to an album. Now let's do it much, MUCH better." A very weird album, but it's foundational to things like Tommy and The Wall.

Its fine i guess.. but boring compared to the big bands of same style

I really liked this album. I am surprised how ahead of its time so many songs sound. I feel it lacks in cohesion, and it sometimes feels aimless and a little too ambitious. That's why I'd give it 4.5 stars but can't seem to bump it up to 5 stars. I would like to revisit this later along with the rest of their discography.

Sounded like the Beatles in places, I guess it was the time. Cool though, some nice music.

There are some albums on the list *merely* out of historical interest, but in the case of this one it’s even more dubious. This is supposedly the first rock opera. As it turns out the record that holds that record is actually The Story of Simon Simopath by Nirvana (no, not that Nirvana) released just a year earlier. The silver lining is that altho S. F. Sorrow is a mediocre Beatles knock-off, Simon Simopath is just terrible. Anyway, there were several prior botched attempts at rock opera, the first by no less than Zappa. It’s just something that was in the air in the 60’s and only by happenstance did Nirvana UK get there first, and The Pretty Things second. Yet another year on the Who properly set the standard for rock operas going forward.

Now this is interesting. I listened to it multiple times but still didn't manage to pay enough attention to really catch the whole narrative/concept album deal (I'm not a lyrics-first listener and never will be...) so I don't really feel qualified to comment on whether that aspect of it works at all but musically I actually quite enjoyed it. You can definitely tell that it was recorded in the immediate wake of Sgt. Pepper's lmao

It's ok, don't really like this sort of 60 psychedelic stuff really. Can't be arsed writing any more.

This album is a great example of the music that lead up to the rock of the 70’s. It has great harmonies and interesting lyrics.

Sounds like some late 60s psychedelic rock. Maybe I’m being unfair but feels like we’ve gotten ALOT of that in this exercise so I’m not sure why this stands out. I also like the Spotify overview: “more talked about that listened too.”

I’m on the side of SF Sorrow inspired The Who’s Tommy. I wish I would have rated immediately after listening cuz I remember liking it but now can’t really recall any standout tracks… prob won’t revisit so sticking with a fair rating. 3.5/5

Least offensive punk album

Weirdly the 1st listen was better than the 2nd. The concept is not very interesting, but the songs are VERY interesting with lots of tone and thematic shifts. Not sure how influential this was on TOMMY as the timelines overlap, but that one recurring motif sure sounds a lot like the opening of Pinball Wizard. I think this influenced bands like Olivia Tremor Control more. Maybe gets to 3.5 for me, but I don't know if I ever need to revisit. It would be a 4 if only based on effort.

In terms of psychedelic rock albums, this is definitely one the better ones. I enjoyed it, didn’t blow me away.

A psychedelic and interesting listen - cool premise for an album, and I thought the production was cool throughout the album (especially on songs like 'Defecting Grey'. Listening with headphones was a mistake though, this album is mixed horrifically and almost hurts your ears with the awful panning. Something that rightfully stayed in the 60s... Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: Private Sorrow

Pretty interesting

Such a confident sound, its amazing to think how artists from this era had such free reign to innovate. No doubt The Pretty Things had their influences, but mainly I'm hearing a sound that contributed to the evolution of popular music at a key time for its development. An original influencer band i guess.

Don't know why everyone spends their time arguing which did it better, this or Tommy? They're both equally crap.

Whatever

This is a horrific stereo mix. Very likely to be the worst I have ever heard. I'm four songs in, and if this album was doing anything at all for me, I'd go download the mono version. Actually, fuck it. I'll grab that and start over. I think most of what I hate about this is how distracting the mix is. BRB Holy shit, what a difference. This went from "unlistenable trash" to "quite enjoyable" instantly. And now that I have this in my personal collection, I think it'll stay there. This deserves a follow-up listen, for sure ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We have Beatles at home, but I like the Beatles soooo...

There are some pretty good songs on here but I can't get past how low quality the recording and production is. It's too distracting.

Belo disco de temas psicodélicos bastante inspirados em Beatles.

Starting with the likes: it's a VERY forward thinking sound. Very ambitious. Got the whole Pink Floyd thing going on before Pink Floyd and it's a pretty big statement to define the Rock Opera that sounds impressively futuristic over a half-cengury later. Some great technical work on all instruments too. But the bad? I checked the other reviews here after listening to make sure I wasn't crazy and yeah, the panning is really weird - and not in a good way. What must have been kind of an interesting novelty at the time is just jarring here. It's a frustrating critique because the music itself beneath it is fine - good, even - but the record itself is genuinely difficult to listen to at times (and not in a subversively aware Einstürzende Neubauten kind of way). It's a pretty fascinating problem to have, because I can't really think of anything that runs into the same sort of strange problem. But otherwise, it's fairly good-not-great UK psych rock. I wouldn't listen to it over, say, The Who or something but I can see this one being an interesting record to pull out of a bargain bin and give a properly fun spin. Fav tracks: Baron Saturday, I See You

Kinda just okay late 70s psychedelia

Very inspiring record. Finally someone bridges the gap from The Beatles to Gong. I really liked this.

Intersting - never even heard of this before. Lot of Beatle-esque stuff going on here. Not a ton of stuff that really grabbed me, but cool album nonetheless.

I really liked this album even if I had trouble following the story. The sound was very good and it flowed into each other really well.

Even though I didn't fully follow the story of S.F Sorrow, I'd like to revisit this album again at some point to really go in deeper. The music was great overall, which is why I'm down to come back to it one more time.

Ahhhhhaaaaa, we are the budget Beatles, ahhhhhaaaaa. It's like they listened to Sgt. Pepper and said, let's do the SAME thing but only crappier and with completely unremarkable songs. Let's even......(ahhhaaaa) use sitars, (ahhhaaaa) use the same John and Paul singing voices, (ahhhhhhaaaahhhh) Ringo drum beats, and (ahhhhaaaaaahhhahahaaaa), even use similar lyrics. It's a bloody disaster.

Amazing first front to back story album even beating the who amd its super good

Pretty dumb. Sounded like worse versions of other songs

Forgettable psychedelic rock.

Annoying and boring music

Not for me. 1/5

An underrated classic from the 60's! It tells a wonderful, yet sad story about a man named Sebastian F. Sorrow. Sounds like Psychedelic Rock and Folk music! Amazing album!

The 60s are my favorite era of music, and this album has all of the elements of a great 60s record, yet none of it sounded that remarkable or even good to me. All of the elements just felt like pastiche or cliché to me. Sgt Pepper if it lost all its flavor and everything that made it special.

As far as rock operas go, the narrative is just not super interesting, but there's some nice moments here. Favorite track: Trust 3.5/5

Man, this just wasn’t good.

Really great, never heard of them but sound like the Beatles and the Stones had an album baby

Was ok but didn't spark joy! Bit Beatles-esque in places but very depressing.

You could really hear the influence from the Beatles, not a bad thing. Was fascinated to learn that they were recording at Abbey Road at the same time. Slows down in the middle, but overall an enjoyable listen

I thought I had heard of most of the major psychedelic bands from the 1960s. This album makes me realize how little I do know. This album was a fun ride into the world of euphoria from a new perspective. There were parts of this that sounded like CCR, other parts that sounded like Syd Barrett-Era Pink Floyd, and others that sounded like Iron Butterfly. Maybe that’s the reason I am unfamiliar with this: it lacked a single consistent sound. defecting Grey could have been on Sgt. Pepper. Even Loneliest Person sounded like CSNY. Key song for me was Old Man Going, which was just a great ride into the unknown. I could definitely listen to this again…maybe even on vinyl if I trip across it.

Random thoughts: * I've never heard of this before. * It sounded a little like The Who (Tommy era), a dash of CSNY, and some of Jesus Christ Superstar. * I guess this is the first rock opera. It's about a guy named Sebastian F Sorrow. Is the F, the same F as in MFP? * I couldn't really follow along but this wasn't terrible but it also wasn't great. * I'd probably listen again but this listen wasn't enticing enough to play it again right away.

Heavy Byrds vibe. Almost folky. It’s a nice listen but nothing outstanding.

Meh. Very sixties.

Never heard of The Pretty Things until today, but this album is great. It definitely feels like it comes right out of that late 60 psychedelic rock era with great vocal harmonies, guitars and unique sounds. Really the only thing I'm having a hard time with is the suspect mixing. Quite a few times the guitar was too heavy in the mix. I wasn't listening to the lyrics closely enough to get that this is a rock opera -- I plan on listening again to try to pick up the storyline.

It’s certainly not this album’s fault that it came later on this list than similar ones from this era. This is a pretty strong late 60’s psychedelic release that I have no qualms with and it’s undoubtedly influential. I just don’t look forward to hearing more of this sound all that much and I don’t return to any of it, really. Still important and still cool. 1 listen Favorite Track: S.F. Sorrow Is Born

This just isn't top shelf for it's time period. If we were trying to divide our ratings evenly 1-5, this is 2-ish.

WHO!? Of course they're British, why wouldn't they be, that's a prerequisite for this list. Apparently 1968 was a seminal year for Top 1001 albums. Here's one no one has ever heard of, not even my dad mentioned these guys when I was exploring "old" music as a kid. I was really surprised to see 3 songs with 1.5M or so listens. Research mentions that "many of their most important albums were never released outside the UK until decades after the fact". I kinda liked "She Says Good Morning", likely because it sounds like a Beatles throwaway. This was not good. It's so dated and has no cornerstone or catchy song. Nothing sets this apart from it's contemporaries. Why's it on the Top 1001? No hits, no influence, zero impact in the US, etc makes this a 2 star album.

Sympa

Kinda has the same sound as The Beatles.

Psychodelic Beatleseque some aspect very good lonley man for example some aspects sound like really bad Beatles Yellow Sub not great weird noices and reverb does work for me. Odd good track rest a hard listen

Pretty cool. Harder rocking than I expected

For an album that got released in 1968, it's a remarkably eclectic album with a lot to get into. Sadly, rock operas are starting to seem like they're not my thing.

That panning of the sound is really an offense to the ear. It combines nuggets of really cool with the totally lame 60's boyband vibe and an obligatory sitar appearance. The more rock opera I experience, the more I start to believe it's a synonym for musical blunderbuss. Listen for the history. But I won't be back.

El verdadero punto de partida de la ópera rock y una joya de la psicodelia británica que ha envejecido bien como un relato trágico de enorme ambición artística, inventiva de estudio y coherencia estética. En el plano de diseño formal, la producción de Norman Smith en Abbey Road alcanza un balance que da claridad absoluta a una narrativa multidimensional, articulando texturas barrocas, pasajes de sitar, coros eclesiásticos y el filo abrasivo de las guitarras con una definición acústica sobresaliente para su época. La ejecución colectiva despliega una fuerza y dramatismo que transmiten una autenticidad incontestable, otorgándole a The Pretty Things una autoridad superior como adelantados indiscutibles del concepto de álbum narrativo continuo. El recorrido por la vida de Sebastian F. Sorrow —marcado por la vivacidad de "S.F. Sorrow Is Born", la combustión volcánica de "Balloon Burning", el laberinto lisérgico de "The Journey" y la desnudez descarnada de "Loneliest Person"— da forma a un documento conmovedor, crudo y real que opera como un lúcido sutil llamado a la conciencia sobre el absurdo de la guerra, el dolor de la pérdida irreparable y la soledad del individuo marginado. Una obra cuya riqueza melódica y transiciones fluidas preservan una constante sensación de paz y fluidez apta para múltiples usos, adaptándose de manera óptima para nutrir el trabajo creativo, acompañar la conducción enérgica o sumergirse en una profunda reflexión solitaria.

New group for me, echoes of an early Pink Floyd sound.

Opening band Beatles-esque

Amazing. Super smooth, poppy, rock. Dead & Beatles-esque

Nothing much to write home about. A lot of B songs with a 60's vibe. Did not hook me.

A pleasant surprise. Although I think I have one of these songs on a compilation somewhere. A satisfying mix of catchy and heavy.

I will probably give this more listens, it didn’t fully grab me but something piqued my interest, this was better in general than some of the other psychedelic bands.

I was pretty not excited to listen to this and was caught by surprise at how much I enjoyed it. I couldn’t give it a 5, because I kept comparing it to the Beatles and wondering how much better it’d have been if the Beatles wrote and recorded this. Probably about a star better.

I’d heard of the Pretty Things but maybe never heard any. I was pleasantly surprised by this, not so much taken by the rock opera’s supposed story, but rather by consistent good quality of the songs and arrangements. After quite a few 60s ‘psychedelic’ albums, this is my favourite: none of it sounds crappy or half-baked, crunchy guitar tones are solid, they show real knock for melody, good harmony vox, good rhythmic variety, and when I look at the words they’re opaque but not at all embarrassing. There’s more than a couple of songs I like (though not sure if any I’m putting onto high rotation), I could definitely listen to this album again. It’s at least Very Good, 8/10.

"Talkin' About the Good Times" was my favorite, but this opera rock is quite good!

Actually pretty cool (no pun intended). You can definitely see how they were influenced, but also the influence they had on other bands.

This is fun to listen to.

Took until Balloons before I could get into this and still don’t really care about the concept album thing, but Death, Defecting, and Evasion made this a pretty great listen

Unexciting psychedelia. It might have improved if I'd paid attention to the story.

Great psychedelic album

Ehhhh this was good but it feels weird to me since rock operas, especially of this time, aren't really my thing. You can feel the influence on Tommy though. Wavering between 3 and 4 stars and may come back

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A bit different. But not too bad

A bit more inventive and engaging than most of the 60s crapfest of “interesting” bands, but too long by 20 minutes and too eye-rolling otherwise

yay

If you're like me, you started this 1001 journey with the expectation that you would be introduced to many interesting and important albums that fill in your knowledge and enjoyment gaps. You expected albums like this one: arguably the first rock opera, circa 1968, a year before "Tommy" and which you never heard of before but why? But alas, gems like this have been too few and far between. And it SOUNDS great, which is of utmost importance. Well-crafted 60s psychedelia with its acoustic/electric blend. I'm not sure it fully deserves 5/5 but I'm rounding right up to that because it's what I came here for.

Pound for pound, you just don’t get so much music per square listening inch that you do out of the mid to late 60s. It is amazing that you can literally discover a band you have never heard of that delivers a solid concept album with excellent production value, storytelling, etc., and stick the landing. Despite a significant drop off from something like Tommy or Sgt. Pepper, you still get a mind-blowingly full musical feast. Gladly adding this to my library of listening! Thank you, recreational drug use. S.F. Sorrow for the win!

Jangly, of its era. Not a re-listen for me

plagio de los beatles con un poco de who

Brilliant album. Musically it’s very diverse, with a lot of sounds that are ahead of its time and quite frankly surprising for 1968. The song structures are very interesting, and the musicianship is at a high level. Lots of styles and influences going on here, but not in an obtrusive way. Sometimes it’s very well composed, sometimes it feels like control chaos. But both forms of expression are done very very well. It’s widely regarded as the first concept album, and conceptually. I will say it’s a little loose. However, the idea is there and I can get where it flows and does tell a story. It’s just the details that are fuzzy sometimes. But I’m sure with subsequent lessons everything will become a lot clearer and eventually things will click. Overall, this was a great experience. I really liked this and I can see how this was highly influential, both stylistically and conceptually for its time.

Something of a combination between Sgt. Pepper's, Tommy, and Piper At The Gates of Dawn. Very much an album's album that rewards repeated listening. A great period psychedelic tour de force.

Quand même cool actually j’ai été surpris ngl

Certainly an album that's in Dimery's cabinet of curiosities more than his carousel of catastrophes, this early rock opera has its naive charms even though its lyrics are too straightforward and hung on a plot too thin (perhaps pulled from some discarded Bunyan or Hesse). There's a haunting garage-psych-rock vibe that's just dark and weird enough to hold my interest — more strychnine than saccharine when shimmering along. Balloon Burning is a fiery example of bright chords being dragged into the dark through major/minor oscillations. If the moments of Beatles pastiche wear on you, it's worth knowing that each side was ~20 minutes and the original release ends with the Loneliest Person, just in case a lesser dose is what's needed to maintain your level of enjoyment or appropriate experience. Somehow the needling guitar threaded through a bad trip works for me today.

Really good for its time.

Ir okay, bet ļoti skaidrs, ka 60os visi bija high gan taisot, gan klausoties mūziku, un varbūt tieši tādēļ man grūti asociēties ar šiem albumiem vai iedot augstāku vērtējumu par 2, kamēr sēžu no rīta ofisā pie excel🦧

ļoti meh, daudzi šim līdzīgi abumi jau šeit ir

Very good (and interesting) album. First rock opera ever? Probably. Nice psychedelic rock. I found this better than I expected. It reminded me of The Beatles at times (without sounding, at least to my ears, as a mere copy). Only for this reason, the album is worth at least 4 stars. Some tracks I enjoyed: "Bracelets of Fingers" (one of the most Beatlesque songs), "She Says Good Morning", "Balloon Burning" (nice...and frantic instrumentation), "Death" (fancy a sitar? why not?), "Baron Saturday" (probably my favourite), "Trust" (probably the most "accessible" track) or "Old Man Going".

I'd never heard any of this music or heard about this band! Liked it...but it also sounds pretty strongly Beatles-derivative (or maybe the Beatles are so ubiquitous that everything from the British Invasion sounds derivative). I dunno. Some interesting songs and sound but got kind of droning and boring to me. Maybe I needed to be smoking up and ranting about vietnam to really connect with this one. But I enjoy hearing, and learning about, new things!

97

Some of these songs are great. Some of them are less than filler. Some, remind me of songs by bands I like more.

"This album sucks!", Tara offered without solicitation. She was right.

S.F Sorrow is born

I don't think this was quite Sgt. Pepper but I did like it quite a bit. How have I never heard of it? You have failed me, internets. Well, at least until yesterday, that is. Nevermind.

Pretty forgettable psychedelic 60s rock that reminds me of the less interesting Beatles output of that period.

I've said it before, this isn't my favorite genre, but this is one of the more interesting '60s psychedelic albums I've heard. It has some catchy tracks, and there were definitely more moments than I expected where I found myself enjoying it.