PRETTY THINGS - Pretty Rare (12-CD box + booklet)

THE PRETTY THINGS - Pretty Rare (Snapper/Madfish) 12-CD box set + hardcover book

Ships on release date: November 20, 2026

Across twelve CDs, Pretty Rare presents the hidden history of one of Britain's greatest rock bands. Following the Pretty Things from their earliest recordings in 1965 through to Phil May and Dick Taylor's final recordings over fifty years later, this extraordinary collection features rare studio recordings, unreleased demos, historic live concerts, rehearsals and outtakes.

Accompanying the music is a beautifully produced hardback book featuring extensive liner notes by Mike Stax, rare photographs and memorabilia, placing every recording in its historical context and drawing on recollections from Phil May, Dick Taylor, Wally Waller, Jon Povey, Skip Alan and many of those who shared the journey. Also, artwork by the legendary British Pop Artist Derek Boshier.

Rather than simply revisiting familiar albums, Pretty Rare captures the moments in between: the songs taking shape on home tape machines, abandoned versions, alternate mixes, legendary lost projects, intimate rehearsals and electrifying live performances that document the band's evolution in real time. The journey begins with extraordinary early studio material, including previously unheard demos, acetates and alternate recordings from the Emotions and S.F. Sorrow era, before moving through stunning concert performances from Paris, Hyde Park and Amsterdam that find the group at the height of their psychedelic powers. The Philippe Debarge sessions finally take their rightful place alongside the remarkable Westbourne Terrace Revox demos, revealing Phil May and Wally Waller building the musical language that would culminate in the masterpiece Parachute.

The archive continues through the band's long-overdue American breakthrough with powerful performances from Aurora, Illinois in 1973 and Cleveland's legendary Agora Ballroom in 1975, before documenting the remarkable rebirth of the 1980s with Live At Heartbreak Hotel, rare studio recordings, singles and long unavailable tracks. Later discs explore Wally Waller's fascinating rehearsal tapes, capturing the band refining classics over more than a decade, alongside anniversary concerts, the acclaimed live recreation of their debut album at London's 100 Club, and the poignant final recordings made by Phil May and Dick Taylor.

Throughout, the collection reveals a different side of the Pretty Things. These recordings capture inspiration in its purest form: songs still evolving, arrangements being tested, musicians rediscovering old favourites, and performances that prove why the band remained one of Britain's most compelling live acts for more than half a century. It is a portrait not simply of a great band, but of a restless one that never stopped searching.

For devoted followers, Pretty Rare gathers together some of the most elusive recordings in the band's history in one definitive collection. For anyone discovering the Pretty Things for the first time, it offers the fullest picture yet of a group whose influence reached far beyond their commercial success and whose reputation has only continued to grow with time.