Pretenders

Honestly, it's kind of cool to see The Pretenders' self-titled debut here. They're another group I was introduced to early on, thanks to "Tattooed Love Boys" being included in the Guitar Hero II soundtrack. Plus, "Brass in Pocket" is still a bop whenever I hear it on FM radio. How does the rest of the album stack up?

Well, it's apparent from the get-go with the opening run of "Precious", "Phone Call", "Up the Neck", and "Tattooed Love Boys" that the band's early sound was defined by kinetic new wave meets power pop music. Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott traded delicious guitar riffs while Martin Chambers and Pete Farndon kept the rhythms tight, even with the changing time signatures. Hell, the full band got to show their amazing chops with the instrumental "Space Invader", with its thumping bassline, playful guitar licks, and touching use of sound effects from the titular arcade game. For most of the record, Chrissie delivered her stories of sex, anger, and fervent desires for freedom in her contralto range with an ethereal coolness, while still comfortably offering a vulnerable performance in the middle on cuts like The Kinks' "Stop Sobbing" and "Kid". It's impressive how well she modulated between both sides, to the point that those sides come together beautifully on the strident "Brass in Pocket".

That said, if one aspect of this album is holding me back a bit, it's the pacing. It's apparent in the second half with the whiplash alternation between the longer, sentimental tracks "Private Life" and "Lovers of Today" and the shorter, hard-hitting bops "Brass in Pocket" and "Mystery Achievement", even if I feel that "Mystery Achievement" is an effective closer and "Private Life" is a neat deviation into spacious reggae rock. I'd also be remiss not to mention that the cover of The Kinks' "Stop Sobbing" stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the tracklist. I usually think Nick Lowe is a solid producer given his work with Elvis Costello & the Attractions, but on this one, the guitar overdubbing was irritating in the mix. Thankfully, Chris Thomas did a much better job for the rest of the record.

Overall, this was a solid debut, showcasing a lot of potential for the band. Unfortunately, tragedy struck not long after its release, as James Honeymoon-Scott and Pete Farndon would both die from their respective drug problems, leaving Chrissie and Martin to essentially rework The Pretenders into a completely different band from Learning to Crawl onward. I can only imagine what could have been had the original iteration of the band continued for just a little more.

If your view of Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders is based on the big ballad hits - Brass in Pocket, Hymn to Her, I go to Sleep, I'll Stand Beside You - then the punk energy of the beginning and the first five songs of this album is going to come as a shock.

All snarling vocals and furious guitars with tricky rhythms and time signatures

It runs out of steam towards the end, but it's a great first half.

I like it. I was thinking I wasn't going to know any of these but I do know Brass in Pocket from the radio when I was young. It seemed to start off more punky which I liked more though.

I'd heard the big songs from these guys before, but all of this album was great. I'm bound to like anything with an instrumental, and for once I even enjoyed the singing.

Pop rock ochentero, un poco sin más. No me ha dicho un montón.

It's OK. Did it need to be included over literally any Tool or Deftones album? It did not.

There was nothing on here I would say I loved but it’s a really good, solid album.

I can’t bloody stand Brass in Pocket though. In a previous job we had our own in store radio but it only had 20 something songs that played on a loop. Nothing necessarily wrong with BIP but you try hearing it at least 3-4 times a day, 5 days a week for a decade lol.

Top Track - Space Invader

Not life changing

Fine album. Singles are the standouts.

forte, hein!

rockzinho new wave até meio punkzinho as vezes, bem gostosim de ouvir. nao eh um blondie, mas quebra o galho!!

An important record bringing some of the energy of punk and girl rock into the mainstream, though built around (and perhaps forgotten) a few beautiful mid tempo and ballad numbers. A remarkable first statement for Christie Hynes and her stalwart band, most importantly James Homeyman-Scott.

I wasn't as enamoured with this as I thought I would be based on the songs I'd already heard- but it's definitely good music! :)

this was soo fuun! At first I thought hmm, sounds like Sonic youth if they were less edgy.

This is an interesting coincidence as a couple days ago in my review of the Who’s Live at Leeds review I mentioned seeing them in 2006. Well, who opened for them at that concert? The Pretenders! At the time I had no idea who the Pretenders were; I didn’t even catch their name during the show, so it wasn’t until years later that I figured out who I had seen that day. I remember they put on a good show, but not much else from that time.

Listening to their debut album now and I really quite enjoy it. It's a solid pop-punk album. There's maybe a bit too much 80s pop flair for my tastes on a couple of the tracks, but not enough to turn me off the album.

i think late 2010s - early 2020s music primed me to like 80s music more

Fantastic debut

I've quite enjoyed this. It's a very tight punk/new wave album without too many bells and whistles, but sometimes a relatively straightforward rocker is just what you need. The album opens up a bit more in its final third with tracks such as "Private Life" and "Lovers of Today"; the latter in particular exercises a great use of build in creeping up from quiet into loud passages, and was a very welcome segway towards the end.

I'm impressed by how consistent a package this is for a debut, and I could very well end up buying it.

A great album through. Some punk stuff, some pop stuff, a bit of new wave. All good.

Although I really like a couple of The Pretenders’ singles, most of the songs I know by them are variations on a theme. So while I thought this album was patchy, I do appreciate that it was more varied and punky than I was expecting.

A very British album cover. I feel like I should know the Pretenders, but maybe there are just a lot of "The XYZers" bands out there. The Proclaimers? Maybe that's what I know. Oh, but the lady is Chrissie Hynde, and I have heard of her (because she's in the Pretenders). Whew. 'Precious' seems to be about Cleveland, which is not what I expected. Turns out Chrissie was born in Akron. That explains why "shut the light" is a lyric. I wonder if she knows Lebron.

Anyway, I've never heard any of these songs before, I'm pretty sure. They sound pretty 80s to me, like Heart or Hole or Blondie or any number of one-word lady-led energetic rock bands. Weird tempo variation shenanigans though. Glad I'm not wasting this super sleepy week on my most beloved albums, but this isn't doing it for me. It's not offensive or terrible or anything, but there's no real hook what hooked me. I think the second half of the album is much stronger. Good energy!

Highlights: 'Kid', 'Brass in Pocket', 'Mystery Achievement'