Pickettywitch was a recording outfit that was very much of a piece with the Tremeloes, Edison Lighthouse, and Paper Lace, its history sandwiched directly between those renowned pop/rock outfits of the 1960s and 1970s. If they're not as well-known as those other outfits, then it's because they were never blessed with an international hit; but, in England, "That Same Old Feeling" -- a product of the Macaulay-Macleod songwriting team, best remembered for their work with the Foundations -- made the Top Five. Never really a " ock" band in the sense of having a terribly heavy or powerful sound, both the group and their records sounded like a cabaret act from the get-go. Their history dates back to 1969, with a disastrous effort at forming a mixed music-and-dance performing ensemble: vocalist Polly Browne (whose name is sometimes misspelled "Brown") and four of the other members of this outfit, guitarist Dave Martyr, bassist Martin Bridges, keyboardman Bob Brittain, and drummer Keith Hull, departed the rather Spartan and chaotic rehearsal conditions established by their would-be manager and decided to try and form a quintet. With a new manager aboard and vocalist Chris Warren added to the lineup, the sextet began months of rehearsals and auditions before potential record labels and producers, working out an act that included lots of highly choreographed moves. The name Pickettywitch came from a Cornish village through which Browne had passed with her sister.

Pickettywitch was signed by producer John Macleod to Pye Records and got out a single, "You've Got Me So I Don't Know" b/w "Solomon Grundy," in July of 1969. It never charted, but led to appearances on the radio and on the television showcase Opportunity Knocks. Soon after, Martyr departed and Bridges' switched to guitar, with Mike Tomich taking over on bass. It was their second single, a Foundations number called "That Same Old Feeling," issued in November of 1969, that led to their breakthrough. Overcoming the competition of a rival version by Françoise Hardy, the single by Pickettywitch hit number five in England in early 1970. The group recorded a follow-up album that didn't sell, which wasn't surprising given that, in the custom of the time in England, the hit was left off of the LP. They saw further chart success in England with &"(It's Like A) Sad Old Kinda Movie" (number 16) and "Baby I Won't Let You Down" (number 27); but also underwent a lineup change, as Bridges and Tomich left to pursue more sophisticated and progressive sounds, and were succeeded by Peter Hawkins and Brian Stewart. These membership changes didn't really have a great deal of effect on the group's sound, as their music involved a fair number of session players embellishing the sound (guitarist Terry Clarke of the early-'60s U.K. band the Eagles was even a contributor at one point), and the latter was largely built on Browne's lead vocals. At her best, she sounded like a slightly more soulful Karen Carpenter, though she has maintained that the recordings don't properly represent her as a singer, as Macleod seldom allowed her to experiment with soul phrasings.