Q - 9/99, p.134
3 stars (out of 5) - "...they constructed an intricate collection that compared their urban environs with hippy idealism....It's quaint and listenable, and angry when it has to be. Weird, in a palatable way..."
Mojo (Publisher) - p.114
3 stars out of 5 -- "With sophisticated three-part harmonies, and a more grounded, electro-acoustic sound with heavy hints of hard rock, it is quintessentially post-hippy."
Record Collector (magazine) - p.84
5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here's a marked cohesion to it, a gratifying oneness which reveals the band to have still been occupying the same zone of inspiration which made SF SORROW such a hearty repast."
Uncut (magazine) - p.101
4 stars out of 5 -- "[PARACHUTE] saw them wading even deeper into psychedelic waters....The busy musical ideas keep things fresh and surprising."
Also available in a 3-pack with THE PRETTY THINGS and CROSS TALK.
The Japanese special-edition release features a vinyl-inspired design.
CD comes in Jpn LP Sleeve.
Following the disappointing sales of their ambitious 1968 concept album S.F. SORROW, the Pretty Things lost two of their members--drummer Twink (who went on to join the Pink Fairies) and, more significantly, founder/guitarist Dick Taylor. Remarkably, though, the remaining members, now light years away from their blues-rock beginnings, pressed on in relatively undaunted fashion with PARACHUTE, another bold Beatle-esque outing. Vocalist Phil May and multi-instrumentalist Wally Allen emerged as the British band's driving force, writing eclectic tunes such as the revved-up "Miss Fay Regrets," the melancholy "Grass," and the psychedelic sing-along "She Was Tall, She Was High." Although critically lauded, the record failed to bring the Pretty Things to a wider audience, essentially sealing the ensemble's fate as a perpetually underappreciated act. While the band would record a few more albums during the 1970s in various incarnations, PARACHUTE is, in many ways, its swan song and deserves to be held in high regard along with S.F. SORROW.