May 15, 2020 will go down in the long history of Pretty Things as a sad day: That Friday Phil May, who had been the singer and founding member of the band since 1963, passed away. Posthumously, "Bare As Bone, Bright As Blood" has now been released, a purely acoustic album of the Pretties. Guitarist Dick Taylor knows a lot about it.
eclipsed: Dick, do you see "Bare As Bone, Bright As Blood" as Phil's legacy?
Dick Taylor: Absolutely. It was very important for him to work on it. Making music and singing has helped him deal with his health problems and his condition. The album reflects his enthusiasm and hope. I hope that people will recognize his talent and his importance when they listen to it and that they will show him the appropriate appreciation.
eclipsed: You are known as a loud and dirty R&B band. Why a purely acoustic longplayer now?
Taylor: Well, we have done a lot of gigs in the past and we have always liked to include a short acoustic set. In 2018, as you know, we played our last concert as an electric band. It was clear that Phil would never be able to continue as before. That's why we were looking for a way that would allow us to continue on tour. Our little acoustic show was always well received, so we believed and hoped that "Bare As Bone ..." would be a way for us to continue to perform live. Unfortunately it didn't come to that anymore.
eclipsed: This record is actually completely different than anything you have ever released before.
Taylor: Right. We came up with a concept of how we could bring songs to an acoustic concert with as much energy on stage as we always did as an e-band and look for songs that we thought would fit. Everyone came up with suggestions. We discussed them until we were all convinced that it would work.
