After raging through R&B early in their career, then exploring the limits of psychedelia,
the Pretty Things changed their direction with
Freeway Madness, which in retrospect seems like the first part of a musical trilogy (along with
Silk Torpedo and
Savage Eye). With a huge change in personnel and the team of
Phil May and
Pete Tolson doing most of the writing, the sound featured
John Povey's keyboards, while the lush harmonies that had buoyed
Parachute became a mainstay of the sound, which turned decidedly more American radio-friendly. They could rock as hard as ever, but the softer side was decidedly mushier (as on "Love Is Good"), with harmonies so tight you could bounce a quarter off them ("Peter"). Decidedly less original than the work they'd done on
Parachute,
Freeway Madness still had its moments, such as the delicious "Havana Bound," or the rock boisterousness of "Rip off Train," and while their alliance with Warner Brothers only lasted for this album, it pointed the way to their mid-'70s future. [Also available as a German import with bonus tracks.] ~ Chris Nickson