Pretenders

While it doesn't feel like it reinvents the wheel or anything, these are some real hypnotic tunes that take more than an initial listen to sink in. It doesn't leave me much to talk about aside from the occasional weird lines that pop out at you, but I had fun with it.

Decent Indie pop rock but nothing more.

Pop punk with attitude...great singles. Kid and Brass in Pocket. Love Private Lives that Grace Jones made famous. Some of side one is a bit anonymous. Hyndes voice is so distinctive. Its not groundbreaking but hey. Solid 3.5

This was more punk rock than 80s pop than I was expecting. Not all that bad

The album tracks are better than the singles.

kind of punkish new wave sound. side A is pretty good, but side B drags a little.

this was an okay album! it's always a little difficult, when an album on this list contains the artist's most popular song. "brass in pocket" is great song and rightly a classic. but the classics can easily overshadow the rest of the album. i can say it was a smooth, easy listen, despite its punk-y nature. i do love a good instrumental--that deep bass on "space invader"!

This is likely an unpopular opinion, but I love how The Pretenders, on their debut album, mixed punk with pop to make that punk sound more accessible to a general audience. I have long thought that Brass in Pocket was an outstanding and catchy song, but the rest of the album didn't quite grab me the same way. The album was good, but not great. Space Invader was a nice grab, though!

I like Christy Hynes voice. kinda punk. Not bad album but not great. Stop your sobbing, brass in pocket is a famous song.

bit 80's punkier than i was expecting

Decent energy, a quality all-timer in Brass In Pocket but loses me somewhere in the middle, so the strong start and finish gets a bang average 3.

Good energy to this, but ultimately not that interesting. Brass in Pocket the clear standout, but I did like the sass throughout. 3/5, just.

Honestly this goes pretty hard. Not a ton that I loved but still solid. Feel almost guilty for the three, but I probably wouldn’t listen much on my own. Still props

I've gotta listen to my soul here, and what it's telling me is not enough. This just doesn't give me that electric jolt in the guts often enough to rate it as highly as my brain says I should. But I'm too sensible of The Pretenders gifts, which are many, to get caught up listing their faults. Hynde's tough gal attitude is a thrill in itself, as is the derisive way the guitar lines get cast out. And the lyrics are oblique enough that I'm not entirely convinced she wants me to fuck off, even when she tells me to fuck off.

Very enjoyable

I always want to like The Pretenders but I just don't jive with Chrissie Hynde's voice. Oh well

Fine but not as good as I was hoping it would be.

Mediocre until Brass in Pocket which is genius. Then Kid which is almost as good. Other than that, disappointing.

They were probably imspired by video game music; or they became video game BGM...lol

Pretty easy listening- thought the rhythms were fun

It was fine

A modern-day classic

This is the debut album from the Pretenders and it made the band famous. It debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums chart and made it into the top 10 on the US Billboard 200 top albums. Just 3 years later the album was certified platinum in the US. This is a great album filled with rock, punk, and pop music that deserves the recognition it has received.

meh

Buen rock con melodías sencillas interpretado por una gran voz femenina

Good, but not great, aside from brass in pocket of course.

Konnte da jetzt nur beiläufig reinhören, ganz chillig und spaßig aber dann auch nicht viel mehr. Nettes album 6/10

Unterhaltsam, coole Instrumentals aber find den Gesang irgendwie generisch und hat mich insgesamt jetzt nicht wahnsinnig beeindruckt

das hat sooo stark angefangen, die erste hälfte mega geil aber dann leider ganz ganz schnell ganz ganz belanglos geworden 😐😐😐 mochte die spoken word artigen vocals auf den ersten tracks sehr, hat zu dem generell recht punkigen vibe beigetragen, aber ann echt ganz langweiliger poprock auf einmal, 3/5 mit gutem willen

Musste mich etwas an die Spoken word vocals gewöhnen aber sonst sehr sehr cool, kannte ich vorher auch nicht. Echt solides Album, komm ich bestimmt nochmal zurück zu. Gute 3-3.5

Ich werde ehrlich sein ich habe stand jetzt ca alles vom album vergessen ausser dass der letzte track gebangt hat und dass der erste track auch relativ gebangt hat

Vieles richtig geile new-wave punk Mischung, zum Ende hin wird es dann leider immer mehr zu dem was man im Radio erwartet, wenn „die besten 80er“ gespielt werden

Ich hatte die irgendwie NULL aufm Schirm, keine Ahnung wieso. Also schlecht find ich das auf jeden Fall nicht, aber diese glossy Version von Punk Rock aus der ~Neuen Welle~ kommt einfach nicht so an bei mir. Der Gesang ist zwar interessant, gerade wenn sie mehr spricht, aber wirkt auch oft zu steril - hätte bisschen rotziger sein können. Die Punk Riffs sind stabil aber auch gleichzeitig berechenbar und unspektakulär. So ein Song wie Tattoed Love Boys stechen da wieder rum - einfach bisschen verspielter und runder. Sonst ist es oft leider einfach eher bisschen flotterer Pop Rock. Was nicht schlecht ist, aber auch nix was mich vom Hocker reißt.

Vintage sounds form The Who. Dreadful recording quality, back when the studios hadn't yet worked out how to record rock bands. The group show potential though; they should do well. Actually want to give 3.5 stars.

it was alright, the voice kinda really made me mad for some reason but it was fine.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Mystery achievement

Some nice tracks and a unique sound.

Has some classic tracks could be great but at best average xx

I feel I've heard of the Pretenders from an older uncle or aunty who were really into them. I can see where the hype would have been back in the day a pop/punk outfit that would appeal to a lot of people. Best: Brass in Pocket Worst: Private Life

Pretenders are pretty good. Fine debut album. Other than "Brass in Pocket," I probably won't listen to these songs again.

In general I like the Pretenders. "Brass in Pocket" is a good example of the best of what this band has to offer. "Stop Your Sobbing" was the only other track from this album that I know I've heard before. "Space Invader" was a new potential favorite. Overall, the album was okay. I would skip "Tattooed Love Boys". I don't feel enough of a draw to the album as a whole to come back for a second listen.

Special. So special.

Solid

I liked it, but it's too much generic.

Not memorable, but enjoyed some of the tracks

rockig schwungvoll Frauenstimme

Was unfamiliar, but this is good stuff. Kind of 'clean' punk? Anyway, I enjoyed it. 3.5ish.

Chrissie is one of the hardest rockers there is! Plus ... who else could sing about Cuyahoga Falls (not on this album, but still)?

3.5

Solid Album, but nothing special

Fairly good album. Might revisit precious and brass in pocket.

Very middling. Ok at best.

"The Pretenders" starts with terrific punk energy on "Precious," but the next two tracks don't quite keep up the same raw gusto and the album ends up being promising yet uneven. Things seemed like they were picking back up with "The Wait," but then "Stop Your Sobbing" was far too poppy and jangly. It was their first single, and their first producer dropped them after releasing it, as he thought the band was "not going anywhere." And I've gotta admit, if that was the first impression I'm not sure I'd have stuck around. "Sobbing" is fine, but it doesn't grab the listener and offers to hints of the edge found in the band's better work. (edit: It's because it's a cover of a Kinks song! Doubly interesting because we drew the Kinks for the previous album. And covering this song led Chrissie Hynde to meet, date, and have a kid with Ray Davies!) "Private Life" shows yet another side of the Pretenders, restrained and rambling and quirky They return to pop with "Brass in Pocket," and I want to be frustrated again, but it's just such a terrific song that it's hard to be mad. I had no idea what this song was called, so I totally wasn't anticipating it popping up on this album. There was a strong finish with "Mystery Achievement," but listening to some of the Pretenders' other most popular songs, I couldn't help but be struck by what could have been. Their debut showed a lot of different influences and different possible directions for the band. If only they had embraced the side that wrote "Precious" a little more.

This album surprised me. It’s an interesting mix of styles: a little pop and a little punky. I like the album enough to listen again, but not enough to bring it into my musicsphere and call it my own.

Nothing stood out to me, perfectly fine to play this album in the background, but didn’t fall in love with this one that’s for sure...

I hadn't really heard much of their stuff beyond the well known singles. Not bad.

Pretty good 80s pop. Heard a bit of the punk influence. Liked the female lead singer.

Veel beter dan ik dacht! Goed album.

Leuk, divers plaatje. Zo heb ik de Pretenders ook eens wat beter leren kennen.

Nooit verder gekomen dan de bekende nummers, maar dit was echt een goed album!

Heb het niet helemaal kunnen luisteren maar dat ga ik nog wel doen want het klonk interessant. Ik begin daarom met drie sterren.

Generic rock, nothing that really strikes my fancy.

I was familiar with the hits, but leadoff track Precious is the best on the album. I wish there was more like here. Overall it's a pretty enjoyable album, but I felt it started losing a little steam toward the end. 6.5/10 or maybe 7/10

6/10

was aighttttt. I was expecting more, there's like 1 really good song, rest is OK

This one was very OK, very middle of the road for me. Absolutely listenable, but nothing great, nothing really worth revisiting.

Great rock, musically, but the vocals just take away from the potential. She has a good voice, but it wasn’t used well in the songwriting to make any one song catchy or memorable.

Not a big fan of her voice but also overall lacking any big and great songs

I didn't really like Side 1 very much. I think it was too \"punk\" for me? But I liked several of the latter songs that were more melodic. My favorite song on this album is Kid (and part of the riff sounds a bit like Telstar). Other songs I liked were Mystery Achievement, Stop Your Sobbing, Brass in Pocket, and Space Invaders.

This kicked ass. I never knew where "Brass in Pocket" came from so it was great to stumble across that absolute banger in the track list. Strong songwriting dripping with attitude, finely produced. Very good record, will need to check out more from Pretenders.

Significantly aged, but despite better songs coming in later albums this is still something special. Chrissie Hynde forever

Some classic tunes; some hissy production. Three bangers

Cool Vocals and riffs man. It's a solid voice the lead singers voice mixing felt a bit odd at first, but it grew on me.

A welcome blast from the past. 3*

Cover bildet Inhalt recht gut ab. Als würden Alt-Punks kurz vor Abschluss eines Bausparvertrages stehen. Durchaus starke, zwischen Rock’n’Roll und Pop platzierte Songs. Die Vocals virtuos und mit saftigen aber coolem Pathos. Ohne sie wären Yeah Yeah Yeahs undenkbar. „Kid“ hätte ich gern einem Mädel aufs Tape untergejubelt. Sexy 3.4

Hab’s am Freitag schon gehört, daher nur Gesamteindruck aus dem Gedächtnis hier: großartige Stimme und Attitude, der man nicht anmerken würde dass das hier ein Debutalbum ist. Nun gut, Chrissie Hynde hatte bis dahin auch zwischen Akron, London und Paris schon ne Menge Rock’n’Roll hinter sich gebracht und außerdem für die Platte nur die derbsten Checker aufgekehrt. So klingt das dann auch: nach Erfahrung, Sehnsucht, Lust, Dreck und Eleganz. Klassisch, möchte ich sagen und vergebe 3,3

I think this album probably stands out as a reflection on the era. I assume it was innovative for the time, and while the percussive forward march on some of these tracks inspired head bobbing, I can't help but feel like this has been bested by many since.

Pretending to be good at music, right? Am I right? Like they're not actually good at music, they're only pretending...because they're The Pretenders...they pretend to do stuff. In this instance, they're pretending to make music, but fail to... It's all Pretend. They're The Prenenders. I'm not sure if you're getting it.

Pretending I remember a song from this album, fun listen but nothing memorable to this reviewer

Chrissy 's great voice!

A nice enough listen but bar one standout track it all seems a bit generic.

I like a few songs. I've personally not listened to a lot of "New Wave" - I know it's often referred to as an iteration of punk. I can hear that a bit in some songs and some of the attitude, but it's so much more commercial sounding generally. One song had a notable amount of Flanger.

New Wave, Punk pop. Jagged guitars which often have almost sing/speak vocals over them. Best Tracks: Precious, Kid, Brass In Pocket

better than normal indie grunge

I actually rather enjoyed this album. Good MOR punk

Has some of the best Pretenders songs

Om helemaal uit mijn dak te gaan moet het tempo van deze rockmuziek toch een flink stuk sneller. Als achtergrondmuziek vind ik het niet relaxt genoeg. Ik kan er eigenlijk net niks mee. Sommige gitaarrifjes klinken wel heel lekker "middle of the road" maar andere riedeltjes klinken gewoonweg vals. Hadden ze toen maar computers gehad voor de effectjes. Ik werd alert bij "The Wait" dat me een beetje aan Blondie deed denken. Helaas ook daar weer een snerende gitaarsolo die het toch een beetje verpest. Zou deze band dan vooral groot geworden zijn door hun live optredens? Het nummer "Kid" vond ik wel heel lekker poppie. Het gitaarspel is daar ook een stuk beter. De zang bibbert wel een beetje op het eind van het nummer, wat wat onervaren overkomt. En potjandorie, nou doet ze dat met het volgende nummer ook weer. Ontdek ik nu een tweede imperfectie aan deze band? Ten slotte is "Mysterie Achievement" ook wel een nummer met potentie. Doet me beetje denken aan de film E.T..

I mean, it was alright. I've been struggling through a ridiculously long install process while listening to this, so maybe the activity corrupted the music, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Might give another listen at some point when I'm in a better place.

Este disco lo escuchaba mi padre xd

Good.

Pretty good. The kinks cover surprised me in a good way, and another song was likely inspired by Love-Orange skies. At least the intro sounded very similar.

Quite nice.

Enjoyed it, some recognizable songs.

Only the hits stand out as special, but overall good album

It was alright. Brass In Pocket is a classic. Didnt dislike it so won't rate it down Real rating 2.5/5

Didn't hate this, even though the first couple tracks were a bit weird. Brass in Pocket came on and I was like "oh!! it's this song!!" it's a tune.

Tatooed Love Boys: divertente. Private Life: Carina la scelta di farla reggae e pure l'assolo di chitarra m'è piaciuto però la durata è ingiustificatamente eccessiva. Lovers of Today: Strana ma l'ho trovata interessante. Mystery Achievement: Anche questa a tratti m'è piaciuta. In conclusione: Anche con questo disco mi trovo un po' in difficoltà. L'ascolto è stato interessante, mi è sembrato un gruppo abbastanza eclettico e ho apprezzato spesso gli assoli di chitarra che è inusuale per me. La voce è un po' sopra le righe ma non mi è dispiaciuta, i testi sessualmente ammiccanti erano un po' la moda del periodo. La patina '80 c'è ma non è così terribilmente fastidiosa, tranne nella hit Brass in Pocket che è tipo l'equivalente del pezzo trap di oggi col feat. di Loredana Bertè per fare i soldi. Non so, probabilmente non lo riascolterei ma più che altro per questione di gusti personali. Ho visto su Wikipedia che hanno fatto uscire un disco l'anno scorso e sono ancora in attività, questo era il primo disco, sarebbe interessante vedere che roba fanno oggi.

Questo è un gruppo che mi sta simpatico, è un anni 80 che però non è eccessivamente stucchevole e alcuni pezzi tipo Precious mi coinvolgono però altri brani sono meno convincenti.

I love the song Brass In Pocket. I love the energy of Chrissie Hynde - Karen O owes a debt to her, for sure. And that arrangement on Precious is pretty fun. But this is another one that seemed to go on too long for what it is. Still, Brass In Pocket.

Didn't listen to it all but started well. Good punk tunes

Inicialmente pareceu catita, mas continuou e mostrou-se chato e só mais um álbum de rock da época. Nota 5/10

OK, good for what it is. Catchy singles and interesting tunes.

groovy

Sorta catchy, not off putting. I just wish it were more in some direction, more goth, more punk, more pop. It feels like it sits too squarely between genres, never really finding a sound for themselves, stays bland when I feel their could really be moments.

Decent. Good rock band. I probably would have enjoyed them live.

Only listened to half because will rushed me, it’s not as good as like Lilly Allen but yeah whatever 3

good songs with nice guitar and accompaniment but a weird voice and odd vocals. not too bad on the whole but not as good as some that are similar

6/10. Pretty good, nothing too special doesn't seem.

Decent straight ahead rock album.

A game of two halves, Clive. Really enjoyed the spiky, sexy first half - but felt it ran out of steam in the latter portion of the album. Never liked 'Brass In Pocket', but it's fairly atypical of this collection. I really enjoyed the instrumental, more bands should do this.

Brass in Pocket good. Others meh. Vocalist is better than other Britpop. 6

Three stars for the three good songs on the album

Carried by Brass In Pocket

Me gusta como empieza con "Precious". En general suena bien, "Tattooed Love Boys", "Lovers of Today" y sobre todo "Brass in Pocket" que es una canción de 10.

Okay… I can’t be the only one here who didn’t know that song was called, “Brass in my Pocket,” right? RIGHT??? Anyway, if you talk about shitting bricks in the first minute of your first song that’s a pretty good way to make me a happy listener. An uneven record overall, but I love the uptempo snarly stuff.

Fun

definitely an example of the time - and one of those albums i feel like i should've liked more than i did. it was...you know, fine. but apart from Lovers of Today, nothing really jumped out at me

Good. Old classic drum sound that I don't enjoy but the music is fun

I liked this more than I thought I would, liked the bright chippy guitar sounds and the vocals. Wasn't expecting to recognize any songs, but knew "Brass in Pocket," though I don't really like that song.

Did not know "Brass in Pocket" was Pretenders. Interesting, overall not bad but nothing that struck me as very interesting. I kind of like her vocal delivery though.

Her voice is just tremendous. The music around it doesn't live up to her.

Enjoyed it. Couple of classics in there. Prefer their ballad stuff to their punk stuff

A decent Brit pop-rock LP. Female vocals are a much-welcomed change of pace from the usual fare in this genre.

1980s UK Rock

Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass ich nach dem Hören Lust hätte, diese Platte noch einmal zu hören. Habe ich tatsächlich aber. Wird in der 2. Hälfte stellenweise gut bis sehr gut.

It was fine

Better than I thought it’d be honestly

oka

Very new wave. Chrissie Hynde has a very unique voice. Nothing super crazy for me here. Favorite tracks: "Mystery Achievement", "Brass in Pocket"

Hynde's voice floats beautifully above the guitar music. It ends up being a fun record. There's nothing mind-blowing on first listen, but there are also no weak tracks. The aesthetic of the album is total, from production to attitude.

Not bad just kind of boring.

I like the few hits that I knew from the album, but the rest of it seemed pretty meddling. Skipped a few tracks, not my favorite, but not unlistenable.

It’s ok. 2.4

Idk, got pretty bored !

A couple good songs here but overall the vocals just don't do it for me. The rest of the music is fine, plenty of energy behind it and some catchy rhythms but her voice just sound out of place most times and also does that annoying thing where it sounds less like singing and more like rambling. 2/5

Ska jag vara helt ärligt, känner jag inte särskilt mycket för det här albumet. Rent tidsandligt känns det nästan tidigt på bollen, det är en gungig känsla över skivan. Jag har aldrig tidigare lyssnat på Pretenders, jag trodde det var ett synthdrivet band, men ack så fel. Detta låter mer som vanlig hederlig 80-tals pop/rock. Enligt mitt tycke blir detta någon sorts Patti Smith wannabe fast saknar allting coola med Patti Smith. Chrissie Hynde sjunger likt Patti, men utan texterna o musiken faller det platt. Detta är en polerad Patti Smith. Men detta var inte en DÅLIG skiva, kanske en bra skiva att ha i bakgrunden på ett häng typ😀 (aj aj aj). ”Space Invader” o ”Up the neck” var enligt mig bäst, men jag kan knappt förklara varför, vilket är ett dåligt tecken. Try not to have fade out-outro (LEVEL IMPOSSIBLE) Adjö

P'tit groove sur "Stop Your Sobbing", style sorti d'un coming of age (à vérifier) "Brass in Pocket". Je pense que celles qui me touchent le plus pour l'instant sont celles qui ont atteint un grand public. On est au dixième titre et il y en a que deux qui m'ont vraiment parlé. Je ne lui accorde pas l'écoute la plus attentive mais rien ne reveille particulièrement quelque chose. C'est un peu trop butoir. Instru de "Lovers of Today" est similaire à quoi ? please help me papa. Assez fun quand il y a des petites phrases/ riff quasi comédie musicale. (Dans "mystery achievement" notamment) Par contre, il explore quand même plusieurs genre. Ça termine presque sur une note de country, c'est assez interessant. Pas trop ça pour cette première écoute, mais à voir à la prochaine.

Not bad music to have on the background, bad mostly boring. Wouldn't listen to it on purpose.

If this project has opened my ears to the beautiful sounds of jazz; then it’s aided to pouring wax in my ears to punk. This album was just ok. It’s the genre for me.

It was ok. Sounds like they met at school and haven't progressed much beyond that. Plenty of brass in pocket though no doubt.

I have learned today that I'm not a fan of the Pretenders. much love to them tho! also they're an english rock band but the lead singer is American and their only continuous member lol. she's from akron ohio, where bron is from 🤔

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

Jos pitää yhdellä sanalla kuvailla: mitäänsanomaton. Aika kädenlämpösiä biisejä, ei nyt varsinaisesti huonoja, mutta yhdestäkään ei tullut ”vau, olipa hyvä biisi”- reaktiota.

ei kummempaa. Ehkä yks meni omalle listalle. Oli entuudestaan tuttu, mut ei kyllä säväyttänyt.

Not a fan of the vocals.

I'm just not a grunge guy - 2

Solid stuff but does not reach the level that I would listen listen this album again.

2/5 niet zo veelzeggend

I kept checking my app to make sure I wasn’t listening to demo versions. Some songs just sounded unfinished to me. Reading the Wikipedia for this band was a little more interesting than the music presented on the album. It picked up a little in the second half, but overall it was just fine. 2.5 stars

Another rock album? Give us Michael buble

Eh. It was alright.

Whiny ish vocals and very boring instrumental

Decent New Wave

Not my favorite

Demasiada coca

Não me puxou

Very good instrumentals that are just begging for some proper vocals. Honestly there are very few moments where I feel that the vocals compliment the music. Long instrumental stretches that just feel like they’re missing vocals, then when the vocals come in they sound incredibly disjointed or are too low in the mix or too high in the mix. It’s shame because had there been a strong voice behind some of these songs I think I really would have loved them.

Her voice is cool and Pat Benetar-esque but none of the songs are exciting to me.

Ok. Not my thing. I'm sure lots of people like it though. There are some cool elements to the tracks.

non mi è piaciuto molto

Maybe a little fun at first, but got boring and repetitive.

Hmm…I don’t know. Musically I like this, but I think Chrissie Hynde is the worst part. I found her voice to be pretty annoying. I think her tone is perfectly suited for this kind of music, but a lot of the time I couldn’t make out what she was saying and there’s a lot of talk-singing. I do really like “Brass in Pocket” though. I remember hearing that song a lot when I was a kid but I didn’t know the name of the band.

Js not my vibe tbh it's too shallow and inconsistent and I'm not a big fan of that sounds tbh

Great voice, heard these songs growing up, just never was my thing.

Almost stopped my project because of this one, I just couldn't end the listening. This album feels like all the elements are here but don't mix properly, the end is better than the beginning though

Yeah. Not for me, hate the vibrato in her voice, not that special, and overall not a wow

not my cup unfortunately

Pretty standard 80s fare

buenas guitarras

Started out slow and picked up for two songs somewhere between tattooed love boys and the wait, then became commercialized MTV-Bait pop-punk for the second half (I am aware this came out before MTV so perhaps this was actually part of the protolith of the generic migmatite of pop-"insert genre here" that MTV loved so much). I'll give them credit for vibes and perhaps pioneership but what they make up for in intent they lack in execution.

I just do not connect with this band. Good instrumentals, but I'm not a fan of either the lyrics or the vocals.

Un poco aburrido, pero suena bien. Intrascendente.

Thought I liked them, turns out I was just pretending

I don't really get it. Needs more of a hook for me, whereas it is 90% talking over some decent instrumentals

Раніше не чув про цю групу. Це щось таке, що я сам би не вибрав слухати. Ось це і є плюсом цього сайту- заставляє слухати щось непередбачуване. Прослухав 4 пісні. Поки нічого такого, типу Blondie. Трек Tattooed love boys класний. Трек Space Invader інструментальний, що явно не потрібно мені на такому альбомі.

I don't understand this album, it feels derivative compared to others I've heard as earlier as this week, might need to come back to this one!

I didn't really enjoy the voice and album felt a little borring

Eh right on the border but not a fan of the semi-punk vibe despite having a few decent songs

yea i mean it's aight kinda like if you mashed every late 70s new wave record together, somewhat anonymous but not bad

This album had a few songs I liked but wasn't something I'd really seek out on the balance

Meh, ni bueno ni malo. Me sorprende que sea de los 80s porque suena más moderno. Es un álbum debut para la era del new wave e influye en el rock alternativo de los 90s. Private life suena a "en la ciudad de la furia", pero Cerati no lo usó como sample (pensé que si). Brass in pocket también esta buena. Aparentemente son las dos canciones con más personalidad del álbum. No creo que lo vuelva a escuchar.

Did not like it as much as I thought I would.

I maybe should have appreciated this up to at least a 3. But it's a 2 for me.

One song I knew and it’s decent. The rest I can’t say the same for. Very mid.

really just good for the singles other tunes aren't catchy, appreciate a band trying to jam and work out stuff but it's nothing I'd listen to again vocals are mixed too high as well

Kinda Joan Jett y maybe. Rock, didn’t love. I think I knew one of the songs bc goodwill plays it

Irriterade mig mer och mer, sjukt generiskt

I did not like this very much; this is one of the 80s vibes that made me say I hated 80s music when I was younger. The rage I felt when “Brass In Pocket” started (one of my least favorite songs of all time) was incredible. The last track, “Mystery Achievement”, did some heavy lifting for that second star. I skipped listening to the entirety of the deluxe version that Spotify offered, nay, threatened, me with. Playlist add: "Mystery Achievement"

It was okay. Fun jackets.

Meh

4/10

Wasn't my favorite.

The swift paced, punky tracks at the start of this album were not what I expected from the Pretenders, and it’s that edgier spirit/tone I most enjoyed. I did wonder whether it would be possible to sustain that same feel throughout the whole disk without getting repetitive, but actually tracks soon evolved into the band I kind of expected to hear - from punk through a something a bit more reggae inspired to something I more remember from the radio hits of the era. I’ve never been a fan of ‘Brass i your Pocket’ followed by another ballady track. Probably won’t listen again, so 2. Number tracks 12 07/04/26

I just don’t vibe these guys at all ⭐️⭐️

One song I really liked, Mystery Achievement, but had an issue with her voice and its vibrato. Other songs were pretty stock guitar solos and songwriting.

The pervious reviews got my hopes up. Brass in Pocket is decent. The rest is boring. I don't see whats so special that this deserves a place on the list. 2/5.

I have heard of the Pretenders, but I don't think I have ever actually heard them, and I couldn't name a single song of theirs, although I recognise the riff from Space Invader. I am absolutely shocked to learn that they have 5.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. More explicit than I expected. I was expecting middle-of-the-road pop rock, if anything. It's all fine, but nothing excited me.

I only know this band because of the "stupid dean" in the Simpsons university episode. Is it called Rosebud? To steal a quote from that episode "NEEEEEERRRRRRD." That hurtful remark was directed at me. I like to spread the vitriol evenly between the artists putting their hearts and souls into artistic expression and me lazily smashing unedited stream of consciousness garbage into a guest browser window at work. Both parties have the same stakes. I'm not going to "pretend" I knew what this was going to be, but I knew there would be some ska riffs in there somehow. White people LOVE reggae despite it being known for sucking unless you're so high you can't spell your own name. White people do love edibles. There is a science experiment in here somewhere. First song ruled, the rest fell off a cliff and landed in a crumpled heap of lame breakup/sex lyrics and unmelanated beach riffs. N-N-N-N-NEXT. 1.5-2 HIGHLIGHTS: These cool beads in my hair I got at the resort are still ok, right?

Saved? ❌ Would listen again? 🤔 Would recommend to anyone? ❌ Would buy on Vinyl? ❌

Прикольно, наверное, жить в 1980 и открыть для себя эту группу, но в 2026 готова присоединиться к Нику Лоу, который думал, что «группа никуда не движется» (цитата из Википедии)

2/5 - While I recognize Brass in Pocket I can't say I'm a fan of this album. I find it rather bland.

There were a couple elements that made this slightly more interesting than generic 80s pop rock, like the song that alternated between 7/8, and I admit that I wasn't listening very closely the second half of the album, but that's probably because this wasn't very interesting... edit: I'm going back to listen to a couple more songs, and I'm finding I don't mind a few of them and that their artistry is enough for me to confidently give them a 2 at least. I might be interested in revisiting this one if I had more time.

I used to use to not be a Pretenders fan but after listening to this album I am still not a Pretenders fan.

Not a fan

Don't love how she sings to be honest but added 'Kid' to my playlist.

Pretenders debut.

Not feeling punk or new wave at all. Reminds me of Public Image which is one of my least favorite bands.

A surprisingly uninspired listen that feels generic and dated despite its historical reputation. While it avoids the worst production clichés of the 1980s, the record lacks the technical depth or vocal charisma found in previous masterpieces. To a modern ear seeking complexity or unique sonic textures, this debut feels flat and repetitive, offering little in the way of "bite" or innovation.

I don't like the voice. Voices are so important to me and can quite easily become annoying when they use weird inflections and contrived strangeness. At some stages on this album I can't even recognise the language being used. The music is kind of okay.

Much of the appeal comes from the sound and the attitude but i found the tunes themselves less engaging. Brass in Pocket will live on in hundreds of playlists but i didn't find much else to get excited about beyond Tattooed Love Boys.

ok, ok, they're a bit shouty but I can see why they're liked a lot

I am not a man in a muscle tee wanting to drive a fast car; thus, I found this boring. Stop your sobbing was cool though. Kid is great. Brass in Pocket was the single I’d heard before, and it’s obviously a fun one. The last half of this album was much better than the first.

I spent a good part of this album waiting for I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) to come on.

Pretenders are very hit or miss for me. Just about all misses here unfortunately

Nothing special

Odd to say the least. The first half feels like a punk album, something that inspired yeah yeah yeahs, but then it switches to new wave pop slow love song. Wasn’t what I was hoping for through out the album. It wasn’t bad, nothing really stuck with me except that first track

Ok, de Pretenders, zo'n 80s band met een paar redelijke hitjes. En uiteraard krijgen we het debuutalbum, want snobs. Ik ben al een beetje afgestompt als ik de wiki begin te lezen. Ah, de bassist werd uit de band gezet, omdat de gitarist het niet trok dat hij teveel heroine gebruikte. Waarop 2 dagen later diezelfde gitarist zichzelf met cocaine om zeep helpt. Dat de bassist teveel heroine gebruikte, bleek een jaar later, toen hij verdronk in bad na een overdosis. Kijk, dit zijn klassieke rockverhalen waar we van smullen. Kom maar op met dat album! En dan valt het uiteraard tegen. Het is vooral de gebruikelijke ongeinteresseerde (post)punk uit die tijd, maar dan wel met de degelijke zang van Chrissie Hynde. In deel twee krijgen we gelukkig iets bekendere nummers, al komen de echte kneiters meer uit de 80s en staan dus niet op dit album. Als de nummers meer pop(rock) worden, dan klinkt het gewoon beter dan die afgeraffelde punk van eind jaren 70. Tja, ik vraag me dan af of dit het album was dat in de snoblijst had moeten komen. Ik kan dit met een beetje moeite nog niet een vergeetbare 3 geven. Dus wordt het een 2, overbodig wat mij betreft

Good but not as good as I wanted it to be lol

Didn't really finish, might be fun on a road trip?

Its okey but dont get me

Que embole por favor. No soy muy fan ni de la banda ni del estilo en general, pero esperaba un poco mas. Quizá algun hit mas potente (tiene solo uno y ni siquiera es el que mas me gusta de la banda), o algo que me despierte algún sentimiento copado. No pasó.

It was alright. I had trouble connecting to it. Kinda grocery store music vibes.

Les instrus sont vraiment chouette mais je trouve que la voix de la chanteuse ne rend pas bien du tout. C'est assez pénible à écouter. Note : 2 A réécouter : Non

rescato un tema nomas. la verdad no me gustó

This is another case where I’ve heard of the band but never listened to the band. It’s fine, I guess? I mean it’s this pretty polished punk, kind of reminiscent of The Ramones. Not bad but not really notable in any way. This kind of punk is essentially pop music and needs strong hooks to work and I don’t think the songs here have them. The world already has the Ramones and The Buzzcocks and Blondie so I don’t think you have to listen to the Pretenders before you die. Two stars.

not my thing:(

I liked the guitar parts, but I found the album repetetive at times. The live songs at the end of the album were my favorites. I most likely won't listen to a song from this album again. It's solid but not for me. 4.5/10

Ok

Another album with a 3 hour deluxe edition on Apple Music. Kinda classic 80s. Nothing remarkable.

As much as I bow to Chrissy H and her trailblazing, this album is...boring.

This album is so frustrating. This is normally right up my alley, but this album feels so undercooked. Rarely do things fit together in a satisfying way.

on paper this album seems like something I would absolutely adore but in reality it's not. it's just quite boring.

Found a rating of this when I first started 1001 back in 2020. 1.5 Starts "Could not finish. Couldn't find anything I liked". While I couldn't help my self to stick it out again, 1.5 was harsh. Kid and Brass in my pocket are both decent songs - more like a 2

Close to being good but ultimately I disliked almost every song, sorry!

I didn't get this album. I mean I guess there were a few cool tempo changes, but did I miss the part that made them a "must listen to album"? Their biggest hit was also the one that sounded the least like any other song on the album, it's like confirmation that what they were doing wasn't working. I felt like they didn't blend pop and punk as well as they thought. Both types of music seemed to step on the others toes and stopped it from being better. I dunno man. It's ok.

I’m starting to notice a pattern in my musical journey: I’m very picky about Rock. I’ve realized I love the 'glamorous' 80s sound, think Bruce Springsteen, Blondie, or Tina Turner. Unfortunately, The Pretenders (1979) didn't quite hit that mark for me. The first half of the album felt very loud and unappealing to my taste. However, there were some undeniable standouts: 'Up the Neck,' 'Stop Your Sobbing,' 'Kid,' and 'Brass in Pocket.' A special shout-out goes to 'Lovers of Today,' which is absolutely stunning. While I recognize the artistry and appreciate what they were doing, I don't see myself revisiting this album as a whole. I'll be keeping the highlights on my playlist, but otherwise, I’m ready for the next one.

solid 2

They got lucky with Brass in Pocket because every other song fucking sucks

a little bit samey

Not the best Pretenders album, so surprised to see it on the list. Funny to listen to the expanded version and hear the disparity of the raw live performances against the polished studio tracks. Another band where I love the singles, but find it difficult to dig into the albums

Brass in Pocket was familiar because of parents, but nothing else was really like "oh thats good"

Ai pas aimé le son

This was on replay the whole day but still a 2

Not super my vibe but interested in the vision

2.5 - One really recognisable song but not bad overall

Another album to put in my bucket of pretentious 70s junk.

War was? Ist völlig an mir vorbeigerauscht.

Puh, da ist weder was hervorgestochen, noch was hängengeblieben. Positiv kann ich nur anmerken, dass es nicht unangenehm oder nervig wurde.

why are only the bad albums 10,000 songs long

Meh.

No es mi estilo. Me platica la canción 🧐

This did not hold my attention.

Not the worst but not my style. The way they sing is very 80s which i’m not super into.

Wasn’t really feeling it x

fand ich langweilig

Not bad, just not very interesting 80s music. After having already listened to many albums fron the same decade this one is just okay. The guitar riffs are very repetitive and the drums are pretty uninspired.

overrated but also not bad

I wanted to like this album but it didn’t really do anything for me at all. Not bad but just not memorable.

I went from hating the pretenders to feeling neutral about them.

I am continually shocked at how praised the Pretenders are, especially by the media. Over the course of decades there are a small spattering of decent songs that other than the take it or leave it voice of Ms. Hynde (I'll leave it) sounds just like everything else in its time frame from this genre. If it was a dude singing these songs you wouldn't remember the band name when the song you recognize comes on.

4/10… rock / power pop / *1979

- Wow - this list is so full of Zios, and I’m boycotting them all. - The mix kind of feels all over the place. - I like her voice, but when it’s really forward in the mix, I can’t really appreciate any of the instruments which all feel blended together. Also, it’s hard to make out most of the lyrics, so the vocals don’t need to be quite so all consuming. It would definitely help if she finished her words. - Was a bit disappointed to find out that the song I liked most (other than the single), Stop your Sobbing, is a cover. - The first half of the album is more engaging than the second half, which drags and doesn’t really introduce anything memorable (other than the single). A lot of the songs felt really long.

* fave song - stop your sobbing * some songs sounded lile they were from the 2010s lowkey. i liked how each song sounded different, made the album more memorable. not exactly style but i dig it.

Not my vibe

nie zapadło mi nic w pamięć, puściłam -> przeleciało i tyle

Felt like Joan Jett made an album specifically meant to be used in Target commercials I had to detox afterwards by listening to Cherry Bomb

I don’t know The Pretenders other than the hits that I would have heard, and Chrissy Hynde has been a huge character for as long as I’ve been paying attention to music. I’m not finding much in here that particularly grabs me though. It’s all very competent, maybe even more than that because some of the guitar work here is very nice, but without knowing too much about the specifics of this band and the context they were recording and playing in, it sounds to me like they took punk rock as an inspiration, but kind of rendered it more palatable and thus toothless and less exciting. You kind of have the sound, not so much the attitude. It’s fine. Probably nothing I’ll revisit.

Blathering

I’m obviously missing something here.

Kažkaip neužkabino. Labai nepatiko dainavimo manerizmas.

Sonically pretty pleasing. Didn’t realize some of these songs were theirs. Unique vocals. Tracklist is a little bloated, and I didn’t really take any particular track away that i’ll be listening to nonstop.

PAIA

Boring tbh

Nothing drawing me in too significantly. More pedestrian side of the new wave boom.

Nope, trying really hard to like new wave at this point and still can't get to enjoy it. It's a shame because I know some of their hits and the vocalist can sing really well, but here she mostly does melo-recitation and the biggest hit, brass in my pocket, i find it really annoying. its a shame

Brass in Pocket...classic. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan and the rest of the album isn't for me. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a lot of talent.

it's ok

This was fine enough, if forgettable, at the beginning, but man those long songs at the end dragged on and on and annoyed me. High 2.

I like this album but have nothing to say about it beyond reiterating that Brass In Pocket is a perfect pop song.

Always ready for a Brass in Pocket playback

Some good bops

🤨

A couple fun songs, but this woman’s voice is just terrible. It sounds like she’s just making up the melody as she goes along.

exactly zero memorable or remarkable moments on this completely forgettable album

It was interesting to hear the song Brass in Pocket as I didn't know where it was from. The album itself was ok, not really my kind of music.

60

Pretenders .. ein bekannter Song (Brass In Pocket), sonst eher nettes Pop/Rock-Gesäusel. Muss man nicht mehrmals hören.

It's ok. Not really for me. Never been a big Chrissie Hynde fan

Terrible voice

Meh, nice vocals, vapid music

Generally boring, few stand out songs but not going to listen again.

And it all seemed so very run-of-the-mill

I was expecting to like this more than I did. Although the influence of this record on that skinny-jeaned NYC new wave indie sound is very obvious, I found the whole album a bit of a tuneless slog. They’re very much a singles band to my mind, the famous tracks being the only real standouts for me. And it might just the version I was listening to (2006 remaster) but Chrissie Hynde’s vocals seemed way too upfront, it was distracting just how much they seemed to dominate the record. I think I’ll stick to their Best of…

Just kinda ran through me

Lots of love for this. I wasn’t feeling it. It’s not Butthole Surfers level of shit, but it’s not great.

Boring pop punk album. Very generic.

I thought this was okay! Can't say it'll be a relisten for me. Liked the general sound and didn't get too bored.

Completely fine, there were a couple of songs I liked in the first half but the second half kinda trailed off imo.

Decent album. Nothing really stood out to me, just a somewhat generic 80s situation. I would've left halfway through producing this too.

Pretty generic pop-rock sound. It ended up being true background music for me.