The Pretty Things - Still Unrepentant (2004)

If there's a band that deserves a good compilation, it's the Pretty Things. Thankfully, Snapper has the rights to the band's entire catalog, and has done an excellent job of remastering individual albums. This best-of is derived from that remastered material and does the Pretty Things proud with an extensive and exhaustive trawl through the group's archives. All three major periods of their career -- R&B band, psychedelic pioneers, and rock & roll outfit -- get a workout, even going into their '80s new wave period with tracks like "Office Love." There are the obvious early high spots like "Rosalyn" and "Midnight to Six Man," but through "L.S.D." and "Defecting Grey" you can trace the rapid development that led to their masterpieces, S.F. Sorrow and the criminally undervalued Parachute. Whether their reinvention as California-inspired rockers was the best move remains debatable, although "Havana Bound" still packs a punch. Phil May, the band's consistent figure throughout, is one of the towering figures of British rock. Considering they began with an image even more outrageous than that of the Rolling Stones, they found their own voice quickly, and kept expanding it in solid ways that mark them as among the greats. As an introduction to a legendary band, this truly cannot be beat.