Reviews (page 11 of 12)
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.
Bro I could not actually make out what they were saying
Its fine, better than I expected but not my cup of tea.
It was fine, nothing grabbed me about it.
Not a huge fan of the vocals, but the rest of the music was fine. 2.5/5
it alright. Every time i thought it was over it kinda just kept going.
Brass in Pocket raises this one to 2 Stars - just a little boring otherwise.
I typically enjoy post punk and new wave type stuff, this just isn't clicking with me. Not much really stands out, though a second listen definitely brought out some moments of greatness, only moments though. There is a pretty good Kinks cover in there.
I never liked hearing the pretenders on the radio, mostly due to chrissie's voice. But, I gave them a fair shot here
I do not like this band at all. Plus it’s Rush Limbaugh theme music.
Can pretty confidently say I just did not enjoy this album
no me gustó mucho algo en la voz/actitud/ en la cantante
The only good song on here is “Brass in Pocket”, the rests are meh. 1001 album worthy: nah - 101/186
This simply did not hit for me.
Muy soft, me ha aburrido un poco
langwiilige rock, han zugegebenermassen aber au nöd s ganze album glost
Brass in Pocket was the only song that stood out for me on this album.
Good thing we don't judge a book by its cover. Univen more than eclectic .I 'd favour the punk tunes.
Maybe this album was a game changer at its time... but today it really seems classic and I didn't find anything particular at its listening.
Ugh, just so generic.
More 80’s blah
Honestly, I couldn't even get through half of it. Same beat, same voice; it just sounds like listening to the same song multiple times, and it gets changed up just by the lyrics. Even the lyrics are the same, it just gives the same song, wanna get laid then anger nothing deep in my opinion, but congrats if you like it!
Boring and annoying
Wasn’t convinced by this. Didn’t enjoy it
Very mid. Not good, not bad, just adequate. I can't say I've purposefully tried to listen to The Pretenders before, and I honestly don't think I will again. Though, I did not realize they were behind "Tattooed Love Boys" (one of my least favorite songs from Guitar Hero II) and "Brass in Pocket" (grocery stores and pharmacies). Seems like it doesn't need to be here.
Would be interested in the background of this album and purpose here
Brass In Pocket is an incredible song. Bummed to find out the rest of the album was just them dicking around until the tape ran out
Generic retro pop punk. Not bad, just bland. This was a song that didn't need to be an album. They had some funky bass lines though
Chrissie always wanted to be a star. She had a lovely voice, but I personally found her songs a bit bland. This is one of the better ones, but I’m just not a fan
After only ever hearing singles.. now I think I just don’t like the pretenders
Wasn’t really into it
Meh, isje heilt mi greia. Likte quoten om å skyta seg sjøl åg suga typen ittepå
Not my fav!
Nice guitar riffs but god the vocals are just not for me.
Sorry, I'm not a fan of Chrissie Hynde or the Pretenders. I always thought "Brass In Pocket" was lame.
Not bad, punky Rock
Känns som det finns många bra idéer, en del experimentella riff o trumkomp men helheten når inte riktigt ända fram för mig tyvärr och jag känner att kompositionerna lämnar en del att önska.
2.0/5.0: Disappointing
Cavakes nie zo mijn ding
What ever
It was fine. Can't say I really got into it thougb
it was okay at best. i don’t really have much to say and didn’t make note of anything in particular, good or bad. however, this does not get a 3/5 just because it was so mid that i zoned out. 2/5.
- litt fattig tekster - helt ok beats/melodier. Litt kjedelig og formløst - vokalist synger ganske kult
Was ok. Not a fan of her voice
ran out of gas after like 15 minutes
Chrissie Hynde is pretty cool. This album is not. Too smooth to be punk, too plain to be new wave. There’s not much to really enjoy on here.
Got a bit samey
Didn't like it on the initial listen, will try to give it a second go
Just okay
Interesting but didn't enjoy it that much
Irgendwie alles sehr ähnlich und nervig.
That was not very good… weak vocal performance and mid instrumentals 2/5
Punk.
Muito britpop, não desgostei, mas a maioria achei meio chatinha, porém favoritei 2 que gostei. Nunca tinha ouvido falar da banda, achei que era a musica do foo fighters por um momento
This is just not for me. I'm not into that early poppy punk stuff. I can elements of this in some subsequent groups from the '80's and early '90's. It also gives me some Heart vibes. But, like I said, this isn't for me.
Why is the guy on the left so alone lol Good vibes makes one want to smile
Was just ok, not in my musical wheelhouse
Started off fairly promising with an edge to the songs, but it got progressively worse and seemed to be a bit disjointed.
An album kind of like a microcosm of its time. Half a side of half arsed punk vibes moving into a second half of the beginning of turgid 80s rock. Nobody is a winner here.
I rate stop your sobbing a a 2 star because its really not for me and ive listend to this befroe and i didnt like it I rate kid a 2 star because its really not for me and ive listend to this befroe and i didnt like it. I rate brass in paket a 2 star because its really not for me and ive listend to this befroe and i didnt like it.
Song: Stop your sobbing this song is good but why does the girl looked kind of depressed Song: kid this song is good because this is like a song the radio puts on sometimes so it is good Song: brass in pocket this song is okay but I would give it 3 stars
I don't like this song because of the beat. I would not recommend this song. I don't like this song because it was not my type. I would not recommend this song. I don't like this song because it was not good. I would not recommend this song.
I think this album is mid because I like the singers and their voice but the instruments overpower the music. They don't sound good with the singers voice.
nothing special, especially the lyrics and vocals were pretty bad. However the intrumentals were great. Favorite track: space invader. Overall score: 4.8/10
Was okay, no huge interest in listening again
Didn't really rock wid it
Ain’t for me
the individual elements are great - vocal delivery, drummer’s parts and pocket, guitar tone and riffs, but when put together, it doesn’t deliver too much the album is so interesting and changes in a fun way but nothing about it feels incredible. the songs sometimes get dull or are annoying to listen to there are some good jams the album also doesn’t seem super cohesive. listening to an individual song would be nice but as an album, it feels like almost every song is a bit too seperate from the one before or after and it makes it hard to get into the vibe of the music the second half is way different to the first “private life” is way way way too long not a fan of the way the vocals are mixed at all
It was ok
1. preciouz - 1.5 2. phone - 1 3. neck - 1.5 4. boyz - 1 5. zpace - 2 6. uuait - 1.5 7. zobbing - 1.5 8. kid - 2.5 9. private - 1 10. brazz - 1 11. loverz - 1.5 12. myztery - 1.5
An unknown band for me. I enjoyed some of the tracks but skipped the ones two punkish for me.
I only enjoyed the first half where it sounded more anarchich-garage-punk. It threw me off completely knowing that this is the band that wrote “brass in pocket”
Idk really
I would never listen to this again
Not my type of album, not terrible tho.
2,5
Brass in Pocket is a banger but otherwise dull noise
a couple of great singles - Kid, and Brass in Pocket - and a mish-mash of sixties pop and angular late 70s new wave ideas.
2- Stars (4/15)
The singer's voice annoyed me and the band just felt like an accompanying act to her. Still, far more authentic than Madonna's "Music" so this isn't a 1.
was alright.
Not much to bring me back
I didn’t find anything in this as particularly memorable, I’m not sure I could pick out an individual track.
Some good ones, others painfully bad songs
Perfectly fine music, but nothing really jumps out from the album. A lot of nostalgic sound however
it was decent i guess, no real standout songs here, not even the well know Brass in Pocket.
Oh boy. That's not what I have in mind when you're mentionning "New Wave".
This is like pop punk at its birth. Still more punk then pop but so very close to what we know as pop punk today. The vocals are short ranged, almost spoken but the hardness in her voice doesn’t make it come off lazy like a Lou Reed delivery. The music is quick, the guitar is simple. This album moves along quickly but I don’t find myself replaying a track because it was just that enjoyable. The best track was Space Invader and it didn’t have any vocals on it. What a waste. There isn’t much to this album after a full listen. I wouldn’t return. Choice cut: Space Invader
Very interesting type of music.............. Kinda just that music that plays in movies when they are driving or over a space filler scenery type scene.
Yeah, I just don't get the hype.
Just okay
Just don’t love the sound of this genre
Meh, not really my thing, but 80s usually isn’t
After the run of albums we’ve had lately this was pretty boring, would rather listen to the foo fighters song than the album tbh
To be honest, they were Pretending to be a good band. I would say that this was a pretty mid album - it was alright to just have somewhere in the background but pffff, if you were to listen to this as your main activity, then you would likely just get annoyed and move on to something more stimulating. Overall, meh.
It was okay
Definitely marks the opening of the 80s in that it's a bit corny and smooth all over like a barbie doll, rock without edge. Perfectly serviceable for a high school 80s movie and I bet ma and pa love bopping along to it, can't fault it for that, it's just a bit boring and forgettable. The Wait is a good track though.
I don’t get the hype at all. This album is a snooze fest. Every song sounds like it’s just killing time until something interesting finally happens, but spoiler alert: it never does. Chrissie Hynde’s voice is supposed to be iconic, but on these tracks it mostly just drones on and on. Honestly, the whole thing feels painfully average. If this is supposed to be a classic, I’m missing the appeal. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been done better by a hundred other bands. I was bored ten minutes in and just waited for it to end.
2 sterne
I can understand why, and even agree, why they are in this list. All I can say is that it did not resonate with me. 5/10
meh, very horny and weird, also off tone and off beat often. but certainly not awful, all things considered
#399. The only one I had ever heard before was Brass in my Pocket from when I heard it two or three times a day while working at the grocery store. Thought that song was annoying then, and it apparently hasn't grown on me since. The rest of the album isn't any better either, so yeah I don't know. 2/5: What does "gonna use my sidestep" even mean?
I know, I know. Just never been my groove.
There's the one Pretenders song everyone knows, then a bunch of other songs that sound nothing like that one but all sound the same.
Sånn bortsett fra at Tattooed Love Boys gjorde meg nostalgisk, så ga da meg ikkje så masse
Um
I liked the guitar solos the rest of the stuff not so much
I remembered the single from the album. Overall it was okay but to me not very memorable, I wasn’t really feeling it overall.
hmm, naja ... aber da kam ja noch was
Personally just not my vibe
It's Joan Jett and the runaways, but British. Tattooed Love Boys Kicked on, and suddenly, I was back playing Guitar Hero at my parent's house. Stop your sobbing, is a great like 80s driving down some desert highway with the top-down song. Brass in Pocket has been forever stuck in my head since I was like 10 and used to watch the VH1 "I Love the 80s" I can still see the music video playing The album starts to decline at the end; I think you just reach a point where the songs sound the same. The guitar on The Wait helps pick back up some of the momentum Overall 5.3/10
Can feel the 80's seeping through on this album. Fun ride. Tight performances. Fav Track: Brass in Pocket (fire emoji)
Really disjointed scoundscape. Ranging from unfiltered punk with 'precious'; into slow ballad masterpiece 'brass in pocket' with a banger finish of 'mystery achievement'. The whole album is underscored with a bass guitar that won't stop "noodling" and sometimes it works like the aforementioned album closer, other times its distracting. With a mix that just feels like it was done by a 13 year old who cranked every dial up the entire middle of this album is skippable. Overall, I'd say there were only 3 solid tracks in a sea of mediocrity.
Good band from the 70’s-80’s. Good songs.
the vocals and the instrumentals dont feel like they match on the first two songs idk if it is a mixing issue not sure why but there always seems to be at least one thing that bugs me in 75% of the songs in this album
2 best track : tattooed love boys.
To begin, all my life I'd been combining the Pretenders with the Procailmers, so I thought this was the "I would walk 500 miles" band. Turns out they are not, and are much more rock than I expected. Now I am surprising myself with this review, especially since this Era and style of music is so foundational for me. But I'm hungry and the house I'm shooting is hot and stuffy. I like the instrumentals on most of these songs. There were many moments that very much rocked, but something about the singer just annoys me. I don't think she's a bad singer, I just get the feeling that I wouldn't like her in person. Whatever personality is coming through in her singing is just bothering me today and as such I give it 2 grumpy stars. Album cover: B- The two guys on the right look fun. I dig what they're putting down. The lady looks like Debbie Harry. The guy on the left looks like he wasn't ready for the picture to be taken. Also he's the only one that doesn't pull off his outfit.
I finished it. But not memorable. I don’t even know what made this special
4/10 Zanimljivo, nikad nisam (*nikad nisam*) cuo za ovaj bend. [..] mah. ne dira mi niti jednu stanicu u meni. Jedina pjesma koja mi je bila iole ok je Kid, ali samo uvod, kad je pocela pjevati opet mi je bio teski meh [Private Life] jebiga, suker sam za gitarske solaze, iako je ova trajala samo par sekundi. Fino me razbudila, reko to, deri ga, saće to krenut peglat, gazit, bučit, idemo istrazivati kozmos kroz gitarsku overdrajv solazu od 7 minuta. Ali ništa od toga. Nisu svi bendovi Grejtful Ded. Nazalost. a ok je pjesma, šta ja znam. Vjerujem da ce ovaj album bolje sjest ljubiteljima Fleetwood Maca B strana je bolja, ali ono. 2 je labud moj, bit će.
didnt resonate
Cozy album. Reminded me of a tamer version of Joan Jett stylistically, with a voice closer to B-52s.
why are all these british albums from 1979 so boring . this truly gave me nothing
This honestly bored the balls off me.
Ok
Well executed, but not really my jam.
I don’t prefer that style of vocal.
Slightly tainted by the fact that I can’t unsee young Scarlett Johansson singing this in a Japanese karaoke room to Bill Murray in what is a very weirdly over sexualised role from Sofia Coppola.
I love her voice but the songs were mostly boring
I prefer when the other person sings Smelly Cat
Fairly ordinary pop record. It always strikes me that these so called punk albums are so bland. Not that the Pretenders were anything more than a rock 'n' roll/pop band. It was all image no substance. Maybe why I was never that interested in first wave punk apart from the Sex Pistols. Even the singles sound a bit crap after all these years. Didn't realise I disliked so much music until I started listening to this list. I wanted to discover all the good stuff I'd been missing out on. So far it turns out I haven't missed much!
There is a lot of good instrumentation on this. And I actually don't hate the vocals. But for me it all adds up to less than the sum of its parts.
Didn't like this one at all The songs themselves weren't bad, some were catchy even. But the off beat talking over the music, the whiny singing and screeching was too much for me. Didn't like her voice sorry to say 2 ⭐️
i am so happy there has been a female fronted band this early on, unfortunately she is really the only part of this album i enjoyed thoroughly! the music was mediocre, lots of loops, and the solo sections and variations were not particularly captivating at all i feel like it starts off reeeally strong and then loses direction in the middle-end which is sad because i had really high hopes for this album i thought the first three tracks were excellent though! 2/5 maybe 2.5/5 definitely not suited to my taste i think 😔 but i would think it could develop on a second listen
lowkey this was just ok. I didn't really click with the lead voice much. like its fine. 1.) stop your sobbing 2.) brass in pocket 3.) ....????? idk i only rlly liked those two
I loved later work by the Pretenders, but this one is pretty awful. Punk meets pop, with punk winning unfortunately. 2 stars.
it doesn't hurt but it doesn't stand out either
I'm pretending to like this. JK it's fine but just not for me.
I just think I dislike borderline edgy 80s rock. I wish they just went all in or weren't edgy at all. It just gives me a performative and artificial feeling. Also, this album gives me major Police vibes, which I already dislike. The album does end with 2 banger songs in Lovers of Today and Mystery Achievement, but that doesn't make the rest of the album better. Best Songs: Lovers of Today Worst Songs: Tattooed Love Boys, Private Life
i couldn’t get through this album but i love women and the bass was fun
I feel like I’m supposed to like the Pretenders but they just don’t appeal to me. Rating: 2
Meh
Although I love Chrissie Hynde's unique voice, as a 'Pretenders greatest hits' kind of guy, I found it pretty irritating toward the end of the album. Perhaps its a little too high-energy, jangly, new wave for me?
I think there’s a reason only one of these is really known
Very 80s, I liked a song or two but I don't think I'll be returning
idk about this one.......55 songs man I couldn't get through it all. It's not bad music by any means, but it didn't leave a lasting impression on me.
Boring. Honestly annoying
Not bad
Nothing was really popping out for me on this one.
I didn’t think much of the Pretenders back in the day, and I have never explored beyond FM radio staples, That seems okay after hearing this debut album. It’s a solid 1001 ABYD inclusion, though. Some obvious but not too obvious influences of the time. A few new twists that had lasting impact on artists yet to come. Appreciate Chrissie Hynde’s talent, influence, and longevity as an artist. Have to admit, though, that only about half of these songs connected with me, and my faves were generally not the radio hits.
it's ok new wavey stuff
No
the one song that i knew makes me feel like i am in purgatory. 2.5
Not for me
There later work is better.
Was not an album that impressed me.
It was an album I could have on in the background. As the kids would say "It's mid".
Vocals didn't seem connected to the music. Not keen
Not as good as I was expecting, wow.
I was expecting more tbh .. for sure decent band! It seems to be just an average album to me 2/5
Meh
File under "80s new wave where the cover is people standing in front of a bland background with the ugliest font known to man, that I'll completely forget about in less than a week", which has been a frequently recurring theme. There's better female-fronted new wave bands out there. Get real.
I'm not really impressed at all? Maybe because it's "old" pop punk, but imo this isn't that good. Space Invaders is rad, but the majority of everything else is a miss for me. The soft ventures into other genres is really cool, but when the base sound isn't great, it's like adding sprinkles to bad food.
..
Op zich is er weinig écht mis met dit album, maar dat getuigd meer van een lak aan durf dan een overvloed aan kwaliteit. Deze band belichaamt de brug tussen punk en new wave, maar de elementen van het eerste missen de energie van het moedergenre en de aspecten van het tweede zijn lang niet zo avontuurlijk als dat van vele gewaagde new wave acts uit hetzelfde jaar. Ik zie eigenlijk niet in waarom ik dit aan zou zetten in plaats van een Talking Heads, een Elvis Costello, een Blondie of een B-52's. Sommige songs pakken wel even m'n aandacht, zoals 'Precious', 'Tattooed Love Boys' en 'Brass in Pocket', maar de algehele tendens is vrij slaapverwekkend op deze maandag. 'I said hush hush hush hush, baby sleep tight now' horen we aan het einde van de plaat, wat de lading wel aardig dekt. 5,5/10 Highlights: Tattooed Love Boys Brass in Pocket
Weer een albumpje van de rand van de jaren 80. De meeste platen uit dit tijdsgewricht leveren wel een interessante luister-ervaring. Pretenders is echt een album waar je de overgang van Punk naar new wave goed kunt horen. Sommige nummers hebben een klein beetje de cringe-vibe van new wave (Brass in Pocket), maar zijn over het algemeen toch wat duisterder en ruiger dan veel van de new wave platen uit de jaren de zullen volgen. Ben met name onder de indruk van Space Invader. Het muzikale stuk heeft wat weg van Definitive Gaze van Magazine (toch niet de minste). Private Life vind ik irritant. Met name die gitaar-solo, jeetje, daar kan Guns 'n roses een puntje aan zuigen. Ik vind de stem van Chrissie Hynde eigenlijk net niet tof en boeiend genoeg om dit echt vet te vinden. En dus blijft het bij een magere voldoende. 6,5/10 Highlights Space Invader
nope
Just OK!
chaos van gitaren
Her singing style just does not work for me at all. She sounds like a theatre kid immigrating the lead singer of a band. Her voice isn't bad, I just don't think her style works for me. I also just can't work out what the album was going for. I really enjoyed brass in pocket and think they should have stuck to a style more like that. The more pink side of things just felt so weak, and the pop combined with it really didn't feel like it added much. Really disliked the first part of the album, the later parts were a step up. Not one I plan on revisiting ever.
I’m sorry; I hate Chrissie Hyndes’s voice so much.
Chrissie Hynde has such a great voice, low pitched, but controlled tremolo. Not sure why 'Brass in Pocket' is the big radio hit from this album.
Never been a fan.
Alas, another album I wanted to like more than I actually did. Liked the music, just not so much the singing style (though she's talented!).
Listened to it this morning and already forgot about it. Not my cup of tea.
Truly crappy. Maybe one decent song
Pressed play on 'Precious' and somehow time warped until 'Brass in Pocket'. Strangely, there's no real desire to go back and re-listen the songs in between them.
Boring 80s rock. 2 stars.
From my (very limited) previous exposure to Pretenders I thought this was going to be nice if maybe a little boring. It wasn't. Some songs were okay but overall not a fan.
I liked Tattooed Love Boys, but the rest was forgettable. I think I only remember TLB from guitar hero anyway.
Noh ei oikein iskenyt. Kasarin alun soundia ja tollasta aikaansa edellä olevaa postpunk menoa. Olisin ehkä kaivannut vaan parempia biisejä. 2/5
Meh. Just can't will myself to like them.
mixing is really awful in this album, vocals are whacked, spoken word is lame Significant 40/127 Liked 19/127 Added 4/127 NNN
no me gusta
Honestly not sure I really liked this, and it comes down to the vocals. I just wasn't a fan.
Not my type of music. Good mix of pop and rock but not unique enough
Didn’t really like the singing but fun beats
Side one has some catchy riffs but nothing great. Side two is better but not by much. Favorite tracks: Private Life
Mir gefällt nur das Lied Brass in Pocket.
Wasn't really feeling this one
Pretend I didn't listen to this, geez
Blir orolig/ känner en oroskänsla av denna musik
Fine but not really for me
Ok
Funky noise! Very prominent vocals, beautiful writing.
Pretenders singer has a kind of annoying and repetitive voice. Dope punk notes in the music