This 45 was probably recorded around the time of "Something Else" as the cover's artwork borrows the photo from that album. "Wonderboy" also employs the same magic that made "Something Else" such a memorable album. The song has the same innocent charm as many of Syd Barrett's early recordings (Barrett was obviously a big Kinks fan.) It is also known that "Wonderboy" was one of John Lennon's favorite records of 1968. Ray Davies had a style like no other writer of his era, he could make you feel happy & sad during the course of the same song, he could also transport you to another century almost at will. "Wonderboy" is a song that is just plain brilliant, just try to be unhappy while listening to it, it's impossible.
The flipside "Pretty Polly" is also very good and also never made it to official album at the time of it's release, this song could have easily fit onto the "Something Else" or "Face To Face" album. Yet sadly "Wonderboy" was not the huge hit it deserved to be (which distressed Ray a great deal at the time.) Tune in to this record it's one of this great group's best ever 45's.