... Rage Before Beauty

... Rage Before Beauty is a studio album by the English rock band Pretty Things, released in 1999.^[6]

... Rage Before Beauty
Studio album by Pretty Things
Released	9 March 1999
Recorded	1998–99
Studio	145 Wardour Street, Soho, London
Genre	Rock
Length	64:27
Label	Snapper Music[1]
Producer	Mark St. John, Dave Garland
Pretty Things chronology
Resurrection (1999) ... Rage Before Beauty (1999) Balboa Island (2007)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
The San Diego Union-Tribune	[5]

Production

Ronnie Spector provided backing vocals on the band's cover of "Mony Mony".^[1] David Gilmour guested on "Love Keeps Hanging On".^[7] The album was produced by Mark St. John and Dave Garland.^[8] ... Rage Before Beauty was recorded by the 1966 lineup of the band.^[9]

Critical reception

Perfect Sound Forever called the album "a testament to the brand of sweaty, guitar-driven, R&B garage rock which never really seems to go out of fashion."^[10] The Boston Globe wrote that "vocalist Phil May's gravelly voice is stupefying on the Pretty's cover of 'Play With Fire', virtually besting Mick Jagger's own icy interpretation."^[7] The Orange County Register thought that "from the rollicking 'Passion of Love' to anthemic, reflective ballads like 'Love Keeps Hanging On' ... the album is a summation of almost every style the Pretties ever attempted, while still retaining some middle-age maturity."^[11]

Record Collector deemed it one of the band's "best ever recordings."^[12]

Track listing

1. "Passion of Love" (Phil May, Mark St. John) – 3:22
2. "Vivian Prince" (May, Frank Holland, Jon Povey) – 5:15
3. "Everlasting Flame" (May, Holland, St. John) – 3:46
4. "Love Keeps Hanging On" (May) – 8:55
5. "Eve of Destruction" (P. F. Sloan) – 3:03
6. "Not Givin' In" (May) – 4:02
7. "Pure Cold Stone" (May, Dick Taylor) – 5:47
8. "Blue Turns to Red" (May, Holland) – 4:01
9. "Goodbye, Goodbye" (May, Povey) – 2:45
10. "Goin' Downhill" (May, Pete Tolson) – 4:12
11. "Play with Fire" (Nanker Phelge) – 4:07
12. "Fly Away" (May) – 4:30
13. "Mony, Mony" (Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, Bobby Bloom) – 4:45
14. "God, Give Me the Strength (To Carry On)" (May, St. John) – 6:03

Personnel

Pretty Things

• Phil May – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
• Dick Taylor – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
• Frank Holland – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Wally Waller – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Jon Povey – keyboards, vocals
• Skip Alan – drums, percussion

Studio musicians

• Mark St. John – drums
• Nick Brockway – Hammond organ
• Steve Browning
• Robert Webb – keyboards
• Nigel Ross-Scott – bass
• David Gilmour – lead guitar on "Love Keeps Hangin' On"
• Ronnie Spector – vocals on "Mony Mony"