Pretenders

This is what 1001 albums is for. I had only heard the radio hits and kind of written the Pretenders off for some reason. Just never took the time to listen further. This is way edgier than what I was expecting. Like the punk energy with the catchy pop hooks. Chrissie Hynde has instantly shot up into my top female performers of all time list. Had no idea she was the lead songwriter and rhythm guitarist. Love her vocal style. Like some kind of hybrid of Joni Mitchell and Patti Smith. Super impressed. Have to say, though I love Nick Lowe, I'm glad he only produced the one single and not the rest of the album. His track is too thin and bright and kind of sticks out awkwardly in the mix of the album. I think I'll be going through the rest of their catalog now.

Interesting instrumentals, sometimes with odd time signatures. Unique voice and singing style. I love the drums especially, the drummer stays right in the pocket and matches the songs' vibes perfectly.

Está pirata que nunca he escuchado bien a esta banda, a pesar de que su cantante me cae de huevos y que conozco su historia, papel e importancia en el punk inglés. Siempre asumí que era una banda más new wavey, como más plasticona. Pero no, eh, la neta este disco está chingón. De lo que me he perdido. Oh no, porque siendo honesto, no me hubiera gustado esto tanto más morro. En fin, es un gran disco de los 80, del punk, del new wave. ¿Noto una cierta influencia en PJ Harvey? No se me hace tan descabellado. También me dejó claro que si unes The Clash + Pretenders te salen los Libertines. Increíbles riffs a montones. Space Invader, wow.

Their later albums have more hits, but you can still appreciate edgy songwriting and Chrissie Hynde's great voice

This is incredible! I’ve never heard the Pretenders before and am pleasantly surprised.

I've always found Hynde's vocal style quite irritating, and their debut doesn't have much in the way of tunes to redeem this, many tracks seemingly an exercise in attitude over content. Best song on here is by The Kinks, one my kids know all too well. They got better, but this is not great.

talk-singing. universal mullet music.

Argh! I've just rediscovered this after 40 years. I bought this from the record stall at Wembley market but wasn't overly into it so consigned it to the back of the collection. Listening to it now I realise how wrong I was. Brass in Pocket is the big hit but my favourites now are: Kid, Stop your sobbing and Private Life (written by Chrissie and covered by Grace Jones). Can't stop playing it now.

One of the great debuts of all time. Chrissie Hyndesexy swagger is captivating but it's not only that the music is mature and confident in a way debuts just aren't supposed to be. They seemlessly move from Punk to new wave to ballads with the skill of a veteran group. Their rendition of The Kinks Stop Your Sobbing is simply perfect. This truly is an album everyone needs to hear. 5 stars

This is a really stunning debut album, long a favorite of mine. Some of these songs have been classics for years both for mainstream and alternative audiences, it's hard to imagine what the impact must have been when the songs were new. What an amazing contrast between the deeply cool badassery of songs like "Precious" and "Tattooed Love Boys" and the unexpected softness and vulnerability of "Kid" and "Lovers of Today." Wow. The arrangements are crisp and tight and the guitar work is top notch. It feels so fresh, even today. Hynde is mesmerizing as the lead, with flawless vocals and lyrics that run the gambit from dreamy to empowering to occasionally disturbing. You could write a whole dissertation on the sexual politics of these songs. Nothing but love for this album, front to back. Favorite songs: Kid, Brass in Pocket, Tattooed Love Boys, Mystery Achievement

This is great, love the singer, love the instrumentation, love the aggression. Definitely a new favorite.

"Now I see you All impressed and half undressed You got paint stick all over the scars and lumps and bumps" (Tattooed love boys) "I said child, child staring into the street light And messed up child, lonely boy tonight Kick the wall, turn the street and back again Oh boy you've been forgotten" (The wait) "Your private life drama baby leave me out J'ai les glands with your theatrics Your acting's a drag It's o.k. on TV 'cause you can turn it off But don't try me Yes your marriage is a tragedy But it's not my concern I'm very superficial I hate anything official" (Private life) ¡Qué alegría escuchar a una señora para variar!

Wow, what a great album. The whole thing is a banger.

flawless

I do like the sound of the Pretenders and the album totally rocked for me!

This is badass.

Always wanted to like the Pretenders more - and definitely do now after listening to this album!

Loved the way the songs sound. So distinct but sounds so effortless.

I really dig this. Lots of musical influences, can really hear the punk in there. Her voice is fantastic too.

Wow, this was a dead center album for me.

2.5 The Pretenders are a band I've always wanted to like, but for some reason I just can't quite get to click with me. This album feels like something I would love... I adore Chrissie Hynde's voice, and the music I would best describe as a manifestation of the punk to new wave transition. Hell, Johnny Marr would even later credit the guitar work on the album as his biggest inspiration for The Smiths (one of my all-time faves!). Yet despite all of that, it just feels like they neglect to do anything overly-interesting with the tools they have at their disposal. I'll admit this album kicks off pretty strongly with tracks like Precious and Up the Neck, but starting around Space Invader, slowly but surely, I feel like the album becomes less and less musically interesting, to the point where I was kind of over it at Private Life. Overall, a net okay album - Tattooed Love Boys is a jam though and by far the best song on the album. Favorite songs: Tattooed Love Boys, Precious, Up the Neck

This was great! Only heard one of these song before but I loved every song on this album. A really great mix of British and American rock. Favourite: The Wait

10/10 nada más porque tengo un soft spot por las bandas de rock lideradas por mujeres. Aunque la verdad, más allá de eso, sí disfruté mucho el álbum. Creo que el hilo conductor es la voz de Chrissie Hynde, que es muy poderosa y la sabe adaptar (?) a los distintos ritmos que encontramos en el disco, además de a las letras. Y pensar que iba a “Did not listen”.

Me gustaron sobre todo las canciones enérgicas, las más tranquilas como que me aburrieron, aunque la instrumental "Space Invader" fue muy divertida. Me gusta este sonido rockero ya en otro tono y la voz me gustó. Sobre todo fue bueno conocer mejor a los Pretenders, a quienes ubicaba creo más de oídas. Mis canciones destacadas: "Precious", "Up the Neck" y "The Wait". 7.5/10

I like the Pretenders as a singles band a lot, but their albums tend to get boring for me.

So I liked all the pieces individually but not necessarily all together. I liked the lyrics, I liked her voice and I liked the instruments. But (for me) together they just didn't mix always, making songs seem long and drawn out (Private Life felt like it wouldn't end). I liked The Phone Call and Up the Neck. I also really liked the lyrics in Tattooed Love Boys and the music of Space Invader. I wouldn't give up on the band but maybe this album.

Always loved Brass in Pocket, and a few others on this album are OK too. Might listen again

Not a big fan Hynde singing style, the album itself is surprisingly weak and kind of boring, commercially approved punk. Except for Tattooed Love Boys and The Phone Call

Don’t think I’ll be listening again though I’m sure I’ll hear Brass Pocket out in the world. Private Life is really not a very good song to put it lightly. A one drop? And what on god’s earth was that guitar solo doing there? Why are you shredding right now? So very Rigs of Dad. And what in the what are those lyrics? Was the producer on his lunch break? Offended me enough to bring the whole thing down.

I don't know. some of the songs were interesting, but it's still just a generic post punk band with a woman in the lead. Is there as many disco albums as post-punk in this list? somehow I doubt it...

Super average. Two good tracks.

The whole album is kind of lo-fi. It doesn't have a huge amount of bite to it in general. Is it just mixed a bit weird? Everything seems so far back and just a bit bleh. It's not grabbing me at all, sorry. You do get a sense of Chrissie Hynde as a personality, and she seems to have a bit of attitude which comes across. Brass in Pocket is about the only stand-out track. 'Stop Your Sobbing' was done way better by the Kinks. I'm not going to fall-out of love with the Pretenders as a result of this, as 2000 Miles remains my favourite Christmas song and I'll be singing along to that with gusto come December (probably November).

Album doesn't really know what it want to be so it just pretends

They're fine, I guess.

Yeah I don't mind the pretenders, I seem to think they start to sound a bit samey though. 2.5 for me

I've heard of the Pretenders many times before, but it's only now I've just realised I had them mixed up with the Proclaimers in my head and (rightfully, if that were the case) never gave them the time of day. First track was therefore a bit of a pleasant surprise. First couple of songs in general had me interested, but then it tailed off a bit in the middle. Album wobbled it's way to the end, with a few decent tracks. Reading up on it afterwards I see it's lauded as one of the greatest debuts of all time, and indeed some give it a nod as one of the greatest ever albums. Had to be there I guess. 2.5*.

I don’t really get this one. It’s got some good elements but there’s no real hooks, the singer is just kind of whatever, and none of the songs stick out much. Feels like it’s halfway between punk and new wave in a bad way, not really achieving the strengths of either genre.

Rubbish (probably)

Some early 80s rock with punk influences. Sadly, the songs aren't quite there and Chrissie Hynde's style of singing is a bit tedious for my taste. 2/5

Some good moments and interesting instrumentation throughout. Really enjoyed the instrumental song but some of the poppier songs weakened the record vs the heavier stuff. Feel like other records from the same era hold up better

It alright... "I'm very superficial I hate anything official" is a terrible lyric. Nothing really grabbed me.

A lot of filler. Karen O, owes Hyde a career like.

I was surprised to find that, "Brass in Pocket" aside, this album didn't do much for me. Maybe I'll enjoy their later stuff more.

I put this in the same camp as Elvis Costello. Too clever clever to be good punk, too traditional and songwriterly to do anything interesting save for play with some studio effects. It's not bad but it's deeply unexciting. Chrissie Hynde has a nice voice.

its fine but like why is this one here. 1001 albums is a bit too much i fear. maybe like 100 guys?

2 stars, not super compelling - a few songs that are decent and recognizable, but a really weak album.

huey lewis meets joan jett. punk for a moment and coporate nonsense the next. can be music with pizzaz, but also frizzled muzak. pretenders! pretend!

Appreciate the energy, but.. whose idea was it to write whole songs entirely out of ad-libs?

As I have fond memories of Brass in Pocket and Stop your sobbing I was looking forward to listening to this. However it was disappointing. The tracks that were released as singles (Stop Your Sobbing, Kid, and Brass in Pocket) are the only tracks of any note. The rest ranges from average to downright poor and monotonous.

09/07/2021 - 15/08/2021 Album di debutto di una band che non conoscevo prima e che appartiene a un movimento del quale so poco o nulla (principalmente per mancanza di interesse e di stimoli ad averne). Mi sento impossibilitato a capirne la vera bontà e a individuarne le possibili influenze in altri lavori proprio per questi motivi; dirò la mia dal basso del mio bagaglio culturale musicale generale sperando di poter pensare la stessa cosa quando saprò di più - se mai ne saprò - dei Pretenders e del rock "classico" anni '70/'80. Come record di debutto è inquadrato, l'identità della band mi è chiara e sembra essere questa: riff da minimo sindacale che non mi incuriosiscono, testi un po' cringe che trattano, nella maggior parte dei casi, di storie d'amore / di vita prevedibili, emancipazione femminile e disinibizione sessuale (forse le poche cose avanguardistiche in questo LP guardandolo con occhi del 2021). A livello musicale nulla è eseguito male e allo stesso tempo nulla è straordinario o minimamente sperimentale: l'esempio più chiaro di quanto affermato è la precisa ma piatta "Space Invader". Vocalità generosa e appassionata quando opportuno, vedi "Private Life". A livello di missaggio l'unica cosa strana che noto è il livello della voce in "Precious", ma per il resto - almeno per le mie orecchie ancora profane in questo campo - la performance vocale, che trasuda leadership e coglioni (o meglio, clitoridi) quadrati, della Hynde mi sembra valorizzata e il resto ben bilanciato e adatto alla natura poco intraprendente del disco. Riascoltando il disco - cosa che non penso farò - skipperei tutto meno che "Precious" - che mi aveva fatto così ben sperare, "Lovers of Today" - dalle melodie interessanti - e "Mistery Achievement" - un po' ska - evitando come la peste la tediosa ed infinita "Private Life" (6:30 per parlare di un amante che non ti interessa né soddisfa sono davvero troppi per non essere davvero interessata o soddisfatta a/da lui, Chrissie), continuando nel frattempo a chiedermi perché "Stop Your Sobbing", "Kid" o "Brass in Pocket", potrebbero essere volontariamente ascoltati da gente nata dopo il 1980, vista la puzza di vecchio che emanano dopo 41 anni dalla loro uscita. Riesco a capire perché questo album piaceva all'ascoltatore medio e disinteressato dei tempi, perché potrebbe essere sfruttato anche da chi li ha vissuti in maniera più musicalmente impegnata come macchina del tempo con destinazione primi amori e primi "vaffanculo al mondo", e anche perché io mi sia annoiato così tanto e sorpreso così poco nell'ascoltarlo: non è una questione di età anagrafica mia o di questo LP, dato che tra i miei album preferiti c'è - al momento - roba di quei tempi (appartenente tuttavia a filoni musicali che presentano prodotti generalmente meno prevedibili e semplici da ricondurre ai soliti cliché rispetto a questo album), è questione di gusti e di approccio alla musica. Io, personalmente, non trovo soddisfazione nell'ascoltare qualcosa di così puntualmente scontato, vecchio e lontano dal mio vissuto e lontano dall'anticipare quelli che sono i tempi che vivo (come invece fa un "Kid A" a caso, per intenderci). In conclusione, il disco non è pessimo a livello tecnico, ma non mi trasmette nulla né riesco a vederne l'influenza in altre cose che ho ascoltato, siano esse vicine o lontane ai/dai tempi in cui è stato rilasciato.

Amazing album. I only knew one song and still enjoyed every song. Chrissey is a top notch songer for thistype of "punk" rock. Really underrated and has a real voice with range and versatility to change it for different stuff

Space Invader is sick. Brass in Pocket "I'm speccccialllll" worst song on album

Chrissie Hynde, the singer you are! She lends just the right kind of attitude to a collection of already-great songs.

I’ve heard a couple of their big hits but haven’t gone too deep on the Pretenders - I definitely need to look into their catalog more. This was a great album, certainly more matured than debut albums tend to be. Great sound production that can be both bright and dark, love the vocals, just a great overall package. 4.5/5

I dig this, it's like girl rock punk it keeps you engaged great voices, great music

Brass in pocket, we all know it, yeah yeah yeah. Precious, phone call, up the neck, the wait, space invaders, mystery achievement - these are where it’s at. Love the hard hitting, simple guitar riffs, ever present bass, and casually unapologetic vocals. Unpopular opinion: A side > B side. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think I managed to listen to the extended edition of this album 3 times over the last 20 hours 😂😂 I think this album is fantastic. Its got a radio hit (Brass), a fun cover (Stop Sobbin’ - Kinks), weird instrumental (space invader - underrated track IMO) and tons of deep cuts (I like Kid and Tattoo Love Boy the most) Overall, this album is exactly what I like in pop/new wave and will be something I revisit. The pretenders are debatably more interesting as a band than Blondie.

This album fucking rocked. Only new kid and brass in pocket and was pleasantly surprised by how many genres this album explored

I knew some of the songs, but I'd never listened to this album before. It was great, going with a 5

Chrissie Hynde is a Goddess. Capital G. Great Friday record. BIG 5.

Love love love!!

I love Chrissie Hynde's singing style. Sometimes the music isn't as interesting as her voice. 4.5, bumped up because of the Cleveland references in Precious.

Well...my previous knowledge of this band was the score from the Living Daylights and Brass in Pocket by Scarlett Johansson. The first half is so good, the energy driving things along. Then it suddenly becomes more 'poppy' and we get the singles. Still great; we then end with another high energy track. Loved this and have been listening all day. Only question is - is this a 70s or 80s record?

Great one.

Fantastic Album. Great debut.

Marvellous

Strong Female lead with incredibly high energy. The band keeps that going through all of their songs. The versatility of the album is incredible. It has a lot of influence on modern music. I find the spoken word parts in the songs very strange... The lyrics are meaningful but they need more pizzaz

Great lyrics, studying all kinds of difficult important human relationships. Terrific exploration of shifting time signature. Outstanding music!

Oh hell yeah!

Like so many of the bands on this list, I’d heard of (The?) Pretenders but didn’t realize I’d heard some of their music. I realized that I’d heard “Precious,” “Stop Your Sobbing,” and “Brass in Pocket.” The first and third of those were great and were highlights for me here. This was a lot of fun. Really creative and fun spins of rock tropes, and a really tight group on the whole. Chrissie Hynde’s vocals are intoxicating, and come out with this effortless ease that just draws you in and keeps you there. She’s got such dynamic range. I’ve been dying for another new wave band that I actually like besides Talking Heads (who were already a long time favorite). After just this album, I have hope that Pretenders can fill that void. This was awesome. Five stars. Even with a couple duds. Also the bass lines are just incredible. See “The Wait” and “Mystery Achievement” for examples. Standout Tracks: Precious, The Phone Call, Space Invader, The Wait, Private Life, Brass in Pocket, Mystery Achievement Bass line on “The Wait” and “Mystery Achievement”

At first, I thought, "This group is familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it", but when Brass in Pocket started playing, I just Knew who these guys were since the track plays on oldies station sometimes. Didn't expect the rest of the album to kick as much ass as it did, though. Just some absolute stellar new wave, so it's getting 5.

That’s a super easy 5. Chrissie Hynde has been one of the most persistent banes of my trivia existence – I’ve never heard a song by Pretenders until listening through this album, but I’ll be damned if I haven’t been dragged and kicked into learning that Chrissie Hynde is their lead vocalist. Her vocal style on this album just feels super refreshing for some reason that I can’t quite grasp – the closest comparison I have is Alanis Morissette, and there are plenty of times throughout this album where I swear I’m hearing Alanis. I think it’s something to do with the ability to easily switch between a sort of soft spoken word and belting out on a dime. Past all of that though, this is just an awesome sounding album from an instrumental standpoint – in many ways, this really does feel like the first album of the 1980s. It was recorded in the 70s, and didn’t get released until January of 1980, but this really feels like the first proper album to capture the sounds and stylings of 80s production in full force. A lot of the stuff on here sounds like it could be from any one year of the decade at any given point, and that’s really cool to me. I think the guitar and percussion both have their standout moments here, the guitar moreso, but when mixed with Chrissie’s vocals, it just clicks together perfectly. I don’t think there’s a bad track on here; maybe a few duller moments, but I’d say this album keeps up the energy pretty much at all times. I really, really enjoyed this, and I’m glad I can finally put a sound to the trivia question that I usually miss. This was awesome. Very deserved 5.

One of the finest debuts by one of the finest singers.

Casts a wide net of sounds and style while dripping of personality.

Great album, amazing vocals

I listen to this album every few months or so. I'm a huge fan already, and this generator doesn't change anything. I adore Chrissie Hinde's voice. My favorite track is "Brass in Pocket" and it's one that I love to loudly sing along with.

One of my all time favorite albums.

Nothing Pretend about this album. From the first time I heard Brass in Pocket & Precious all those years ago I was hooked. Saw Chrissy again with her latest revolving lineup in July ‘24 and they’re not faking it.

An amazing debut, Hynde is a bad ass who pushes an unvarnished female view in your face and sounds both beautiful and tough at the same time. Tattooed Love Boys, Precious and Mystery Achievement are perfection. The Wait is one of my favorite Songs by anyone, her guitar playing is great on there too. Not sure how she can sing and play that Rythym at the same time. I've watced vids of her playing it live and am astounded...

Like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I first heard some singles by Pretenders and assumed the group was softer than what turned out to be the truth on their debut ("Maps" and "Brass in Pocket," respectively). You can definitely hear some Karen O in some of Chrissie Hynde's vocalizations, especially in the higher register. And Chrissie the main songwriter, coming up with some innovative musical ideas, sometimes on the verge of prog. The opener "Precious" gives an immediate punk edge both in the music, vocal approach, and lyrics; from the jump, you know anything goes. They turn up the anything goes in the 7/8 timing and lyrical rushing through triplets of "The Phone Call." Again, we see great timing on "Tattooed Love Boys", alternating between 7/8 and 8/8 more smoothly than the hyper-square precision of Rush's "Freewill." The middle of the album eases off the reigns, offering a more relaxed, poppy, and less-caustic version of themselves. "Private Life" combines the darkness of Def Leppard's intro to "Foolin'" with the feel of The Police's "Walking on the Moon," adding reggae to their repertoire. There is a bit of Heart here too. "Brass In Pocket" is the perfect strut between the pop and punk introduced earlier on the album with the backing vocals leaning more into a Hall & Oates vibe. I had only previously knew two songs by Pretenders and as a result was misguided as to what they do. Very impressed with this band: their direction, songwriting, and performance on this album, even more so given that it is there debut.

Loved this back in the day!

Great album. Interesting and well played songs. Great vocals.

One of those groups I had not really listened to a lot in my youth and, wow, what an amazing album! So happy to discover this gem…

I really liked this album! Is it cringe to say that it rocked really hard? If it is, I don't care because this album rocked! The vocalist was superb, the lyrics were great, and the sort of fuzzy and unrefined sound quality of the instrumentals fit the vibe SO well. This is the punk rock style I've been waiting for in this project and I will definitely listen to this album a lot.

1979. Punk was dead. New Wave was starting and a blag of a journalist at the NME was at the heart of it. I'm not sure about precious - the opening track - but Hynde certainly was precocious. But when you flip this record its been worth the wait. Four perfect singles - albeit the first stolen from her new beau, Ray Davies (it would become a theme) in a row. A fascinating, perfrect debut album.

I really enjoyed this. Hit(s) aside, I liked discovering songs I hadn’t heard before. Chrissy’s voice is amazing!

I thought this was a wonderful album. Full of songs, sounds as fresh as if it were released now. I don't think I've ever listened to a Pretenders album but this is going on my list of things to go back to again and again. OK - I'm a sucker for new wave and anything post punk but this is a fantastic album.

Liked this one a lot. Was never on my radar at all. Happy to have heard. Will I listen to again: 100%

You think you know an album. Yeah yeah great hits, great opener, etc. But wait. Tattoo Love Boys! The guitar on Private Life! Great closer! At school a girlfriend tried to get me into this but in 1987 I thought of them as old hat. The folly of youth.

Lovely album.

Super surprised by this. Big Florence and the Machine vibes.

I had no idea. Every song is great. The guitar playing is genuinely inspiring.

Fantastic debut album

Always wanted to like the Pretenders more - and definitely do now after listening to this album!

Great album. Solid punk rock

CLASSIC! Loved it.

Once again shocked that this is a freaking debut album. So many great hits. Chrissie Hynde has always been the coolest.

I didn't discover the Pretenders till later in life. Wish I had sooner. Punkish, new wavey, catchy, hard-rocking. Great stuff.

I cant believe that this album came out in 1979 - It just "feels" like more of a mid-80s album to me. Anyway, solid album with great production and good overall vibes. 5/5

😘