Reviews (page 2 of 13)
Late 70s rock. It's got some nice punk vibes, I liked it. I feel like the second half dropped off qualitywise, but I only listend once. Solid.
Not sure why people love this band so much. This album's fine. There's some punk energy to the guitars and some twists and turns rhythmically that make it more interesting than a completely middle of the road rock band, but in the end I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it. Reminds me of a scene from an 80s movie where they have a band playing at a backyard party and everyone's going completely apeshit but there's a disconnect between how excited everyone is and how underwhelming the music is. Essential listen: no Desert island disc: no
I enjoyed this. Listened a couple times and broadened to more of Pretenders stuff. Familiar with them but never went super deep. This made me a huge fan of James Honeyman-Scott and his guitar playing. He’s not a shredder but just seem to have the right riff, fill or layer at the right moments. And solos were really interesting. Hynde is a great vocalist and songwriter as well. Mystery Achievement might be my fave on the album. The breakdown for chorus is awesome. 3.75
I don't know much about Chrissie Hynde, but one thing is certain: she is much cooler than me (low bar). Lots of good stuff here. More punk than I was expecting. Brass In Pocket didn't ring a bell when I saw it on the album. And then it comes on and I'm like "oh yea, this song, Tommy likey." 3.75/5
Giving this a low four. I wish it was bit punchier but there’s a lot I like here, especially the guitar tones on the second side.
I like the pretenders fine enough. This album had some nice parts. But I can't seem to find a version with the original order so I'm not sure if some of the demos should be weighed in my ranking.
Cool album, for some reason didn't stick out to me. I enjoyed it but just okay. 6.3/10
It's ok. Never been a big Pretenders fan. The music is good, but I always found it bland. It always confused my why critic loved this albums so much. "Brass In Pocket" is obviously very catchy. Hard not to like that song.
Oh what a treat, great guitar work and great songs! Not wild about the Kinks cover but the rest is amazing! I used to hate "Brass In Pocket" when it played at the grocery store I worked at, but nowadays I absolutely love it
The Pretenders were a fantastic band in their original classic lineup. I saw them twice. Aside from the captivating voice and presence of Chrissie Hynde, I was blown away by Martin Chambers' drumming and performance style. He's a perfect example of aggression and restraint. He often played simply, but it always served the song. He could inject a certain energy that seemed unique to him. And it's a different experience to watch him. He would toss sticks and catch them at the precise moment of a crash/accent. Not easy to do and keep time. Anyway, the songwriting is first class, the style impeccable, and they successfully carved a permanent place in rock history.
This is a fantastic album. Mystery Achievement, Brass in Pocket, and Tattooed Love Boys are the standouts for me, but the whole album is great. 10/10.
3.5
Not really a fan
Packing more clout than Auntie Lorraine's Rum punch at Grandma's boxing day party! Give it a whirl!
I had never heard any of these songs other than brass in pocket. I like some of the music. The band has a decent range and a number of influences, but it’s not really my vibe.
Better than I though it would be.
Mega
Another band I've never heard of before! I really enjoyed the guitar and drums on this album - it was such a standout for my ear. The vocalist was also great, I found that her voice reminded me of Florence from Florence and the Machine on the more singing-forward tracks. This album is punchy and sassy, a fun listen. Favorite Tracks: Precious Up the Neck Kid
I Gotta Have Some Of Your Attention 1001 Albums Generator 345 (9/8/2026) Interesting mix between the punk that defined the late 70's and the new wave that would come to define the 80's. Definitely an influential, forward thinking album for its time. I also love how weird some of the songs here are (The Phone Call and Tattooed Love Boys especially). The slower moments do nothing for me, but when Pretenders has energy, it's great! 4/5. Favs: The Phone Call Tattooed Love Boys Mystery Achievement Least Fav: Private Life
Fine album, but not one I’ll likely return to. Favourite track: Brass in Pocket
"The Wait" absolutely slaps. This album contains some essential alt rock. Captivating melodies and riffs throughout this album though some songs drag making the whole listening experience noticeably worse at a long run-length of 1hr34m. Orginally a 3/5, increased to a 4/5 at a re-listen to some key bangers: Tattooed love boys, Sapce Invader, The Wait, Stop your sobbing, Private life. 🧥🧥🧥🧥
Leuker dan verwacht, maar qua stem toch bepalend eentonig
Just not my style… never did like Hynde’s voice… bass is cool… guitar decent… but definitely recognizable and distinct
85
fine
Ok, razen enega (?) komada, so mi ful nepoznani. "Precious" je ful drugačn kokr to kar poznam ("Back on the Chain Gang"). Na splošno čist drug, bolj punk vajb, kokr sm pričakovala zarad tega enega komada, ha. Se prav, exceeding expectations! "Space Invader" je kul. "The Wait" isto. Druga polovica ma mal drug vajb, bolj to, kar mi je blo od prej poznano (in meni manj všečno). In, "Brass in Pocket" še poznam! Ok, kr kul.
Chrissie Hynde is very cool - and she has the same birthday as me ! Huzzah ! I loved this !! Yippee!!
5 out of 5. Great musicianship on this album, really cool stuff.
🤷🏿♀️ never understood the appeal. Basic rock and roll formula, with zero edge
This is better than I expected, because I really disliked the Pretenders when I was younger, but it’s still not my favorite.
There are albums I wish I'd experienced when they were first released. The first Van Halen album when Eddie gets to the good stuff in Eruption, for instance -- I can only imagine the jaws agape moment I'd have had. I don't feel that very often -- but I swear when I heard Chrissy Hynde's feral purr on "Precious," I wanted to head straight to my rack. What an absolute blast of strut and sexuality. And the music rips! Yeah, this is a fiver with a bullet.
Solid Patti Smith meets Blondie stuff. Could just do with a couple of memorable singles...oh, there they are.
This album exceeded expectations. I was expecting some mediocre pop rock but this was really good.
More gritty and punk-esc than I realized they would sound.
5. septembar 2026. likeee it was okej, svidja mi se njen glas best: space invader, mystery achievement i mozda precious
Favorite Song: Tattooed Love Boys Least Favorite: Stop Your Sobbing
Chrissy was totally ingrained in the whole Sex shop and punk movement. I’m glad she finally got her own band and killed it.
okay
Pirmdienas nedrikst vertet piektdienas albumus, jo es neko vairs neatceros
Ka-kaah🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸
Came in real skeptical, they beat my cynicism back. Boring instrumentals except for guitarist who seriously killed it. Vocalist really made it though, seriously charismatic. Mid syntax but I'll let it slide. Worth my time
Oho, luulin, että jonninjoutavaa kasaribrittihuttua taas mutta tämähän oli hyvä albumi. 3/5
Brilliant debut….great band. Easy 4
Apt Band name
A classic album right in between a 3 and a 4 for me. There’s a handful of tracks that you’re sure to recognise even if you’re less familiar with the band, with Chrissie Hynde’s voice really making tracks like Brass in Pocket. Having to pick between one rating and another I’ll let this edge 4 on the basis of steadily good quality. I’d lost interest a bit by the end because it gets a bit samey, but it’s still pretty enjoyable.
A very solid punk/new wave album. Chrissie Hyde is the heart of the band. Her vocals and songwriting are the main focal point and are great throughout, but she is ably assisted by very tight playing from the rest of the band. Favourite tracks are ‘Up the Neck’ ‘Tattooed Love Boys’ and ‘Private Life.’
A solid punk/new wave debut album, with some strong tracks (including ‘Brass in Pocket’, the obvious classic standout, and a lovely jangly cover of the Kinks’ ‘Stop Your Sobbing’), but for some reason it didn’t click with me as much as I’d expected. Every song was decent, but I didn’t really love many either. Also, the band sounds great, but I wasn’t totally sold on Chrissie Hynde’s vocals. Perhaps that is why the instrumental ‘Space Invader’ was another favourite, with its punchy bass and hard-edged guitars. Perhaps a bit harsh, but it’s upper end of 3 stars for me.
Only two songs stood out to me, Private Life & Lovers of Today. It has a good sound all around, but it’s just kinda boring overall.
British rock
Tough one. I’ve heard it before, and I’ve heard Brass in Pocket more times than I can count. Mixed feelings about this album because the high points are very high. I like the post-punk edge. Precious is quite a career opener. Lovers of Today is a terrific song. In fact the latter half of the album is excellent. But the hit is the path in which they went as a band, and that song while being catchy and memorable, doesn’t measure up to the rest imo. 3/5
rym 3.67 New Wave/Punk Rock 很爽快的朋克，同时不乏精彩的小巧思。有些许后朋克味道，更是增添了几分清爽。这就是躁动不安的青春气息！很喜欢！第一个五星！ pick: The Phone Call, The Wait, Kid, Mystery Achievement
Didn't really like except Brass in Pocket that was a song of my youth.
couldn’t get through it so I can hardly give it a fair rating, just not my shit at all
"Music should be sexy" doesn't sound like a particularly innovative idea - certainly not by 1979, at least. And yet in the realm of punk rock it absolutely was, and it took Chrissie Hynde to really put it forward in a lasting way on this album. She embodies both aspects of the term "punk rock"; the punk part is her sexual frankness, while the rock part is the sexiness. Hynde's grasp of the latter is shown through her and her bandmates' fearlessness with regard to their antecedents; "Space Invaders" keeps threatening to turn into the Beatles' "Day Tripper" - a song about a girl stepping out on a guy, of course - while their cover of the Kinks' "Stop Your Sobbing" pulls out the girl-group antecedents of so much punk. More broadly, as befits Hynde's origins, there is a great sense of Midwestern spaciousness here that serves as an important counterpoint to punk's typical urban claustrophobia. These songs take their time getting where they're going, which both lends the proceedings some female-coded languor and makes Hynde's more aggressive compositions land harder in contrast. The blend isn't quite perfect (the back half is a little slow for my taste) but this is nonetheless an important record - and more importantly, an engaging and compulsively listenable one.
Some good tunes, relatively standard enough post punk rock though for me, not sure where the rep as an all time classic debut is coming from. It's fine, happy to stick this on again for a listen but it's nothing unbelievable amazing either. Brass In Pocket sticks out a mile although Up the Neck, Kid are other standouts. 6/10
The only song that I had listened by the pretenders was the Ramones cover "something to believe in" in the "We're a happy family" tribute album. It was the quietest, slowest song in the album but it was one of the best. If they were part of the punk movement before being considered new wave, that is a good way to classify them, like the softest part or punk but still really good. The whole album is good, not one song seems out of place or made to fill space but not one single song was that good to consider this as a great album.
56
By far the best Pretenders record and maybe one of the best debut albums of all time for me. I was barely in high school when this came out and it was one of the records that influenced the music that I listen to up to this day. Almost every track, save for the Kinks cover, is well crafted and the music seemed ahead of its time. One of the records that would go on a desert island with me.
it was great , i enjoyed it 3.8/5
Yeah this is quite nice, though the first half was mucht better than the second one in my opinion. That first half felt much more punk, where the second got mote into that 80's pop you should know by now I really just don't like. But in general, a good record that I may actually find myself returning to every now and then. Or maybe not. I guess we'll see.
Bought this on release. Played this many many times. Favourite track is Tattooed Love Boys. The playing and vocals are brilliant but particularly James Honeyman Scott.
I knew the hit singles but the rest of this is surprisingly good, full of energetic punk pop, great vocals and lyrics.
This was much punkier than I expected from my knowledge of the band (2000 miles), The a-side has some cool punk stuff (Phone Call is a great track in particular) and the b-side is solid too as a pop rock record
8 / 10
No band ever had a more authentic and authoritative debut record. They emerged fully formed. Kudos to everyone the songwriting craft, just the right touch production and variety of musicianship. They developed astoundingly complete songs veering from The Kinks to Motorhead to “I Want You” sounding Beatles to The Byrds. The Album even overcomes a dip into dub style reggae during “Private Life.” Chrissie Hynde deserves heaps of praise for her vocals that go in many directions. She has a ringing clarity on “Private Life”, bad boy swagger on “Precious”, a tender touch on “Kid”, one woman girl group on “Stop Your Sobbing” and look at me sexiness for “Brass in Pocket.” As lyricist, Hynde snaps of movie memorable lines with street edge poetry: “I’ve got brass in pocket, and I’m going to use it”; “tattooed love boys, I tore my knees up getting to you”; Lou Reed-esque: “I like the way you cross the street, ‘cause your precious, moving through the Cleveland heat, cause your precious.” Rhyming ethereal and your imperial. Each member of the band contributes memorably. Drummer Martin Chambers bring speed and nuance, while James Honeyman Scott barrels through a half-dozen guitar styles like a seasoned pro. He aids each song; jack-hammer staccato riffs in “Precious”, Beatles flourishes on “Kid” or “London Calling” darkness groove on “Mystery Achievement”. Pete Farndon adds to that feel on the latter tune, and bombs away on “The Wait” in one of the best bass performances of all-time. Hynde and the group get attention, but not the worship level of contemporaries Patti Smith, The Clash and Elvis Costello. This amazing debut as well as another handful of terrific records should lift their status to those performers’ level.
Chrissie Hynde is a legend. With the debut here, first half is a bit harder Pat Benatar (with swears!) but it mellows out in the second half with the big hit being Brass in Pocket. Still a good listen throughout.
I had ups and downs with this one.
This is the debut album by The Pretenders and it's awesome! Chrissie Hynde is fucking cool! Sexual, tough and sensitive all at the same time. Her voice is instantly recognizable - a lower range voice with fast singing talking style and slow tremolo on her ballad songs. And the band supporting her is great. The songs cover a range of genres - punk, new wave, rock n roll, reggae and ballads and pop. Hard to pick top songs but let's go with Precious, Tattooed Love Boys, The Wait, Private Life and Mystery Achievement.
Long live Ohio
Not bad just kind of boring.
Good fun 3.5
Really enjoyed this one! Similar appeal to me as Blondie, though it hit a little bit less for reasons I can't articulate. Definitely an album for me to revisit more in the future. Standout Tracks: The Phone Call, The Wait, Stop Your Sobbing, Brass in Pocket Rating: 4
It was a good album and I enjoyed listening to it, just not my favorite.
mehh aopuwndpouawndponwad
Chrissy hynde is, was, always will be one of the coolest people to ever live. It's a shame most people associate this album with brass in picket because this is a really phenomenal post punk album
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.
I’ve gotten 2 British pop punk albums in a row now, but this one was an improvement over yesterday’s! I think if I didn’t have them back to back I’d enjoy it more. 3/5.
skate 3 vibe
has some bangers!
Only 1 skip. Heard a lot of Patti smith influence.
live laugh love Chrissie Hynde
Good!
It’s ok. 2.4
An old favorite that I haven't listened to in its entirety in years!
AMAZING album
Idk, got pretty bored !
This was a fine album. A breath of fresh air in the punk era and a great debut album.
It’s a strong debut. Side one leans heavily on their punky edge then as a taste of things to come closes with a more gentle Kinks cover. Side two delivers a more pop and sophisticated and considered side of the band, and of Hynde’s songwriting. I’d say I prefer side two marginally, but it’s close. I like The Pretenders but I don’t tend to listen to them much. At some point, I decided/realised that they were more of a “Greatest Hits” band for me which, I must add, is an extremely rare occurrence. I’m glad I had held on to this album though, and I made sure to spin it multiple times today. It’s definitely made it very much easier to push it to 4 stars when I would probably have had it as a 7/10 before today.
WHAT A DEBUT!! For me this is the quintessential Pretenders LP! their best effort by far. And their best LP cover. lol.
I was a bit neutral on this, but maybe that's because I was distracted by a heavily panting cat. I did like the fun 70s jangly gothy rock, it was pleasant but not ground breaking to me.
I feel if Blondie hadn't done exactly the same stuff but a bit better a bit later we'd have more time for The Pretenders. I think they're really great and I love that guitar tone. Brass In Pocket is a big time banger. This makes me wanna listen to more Pretenders but sadly I have to listen to different music for my job (it's a tough life). Side note 1, 'Space Invaders' is an extremely Dry Cleaning coded instrumental, a few of them are actually. Side note 2, I love how all the male members of the band look about 50 on the album cover but were probably in their early 20s. Tough paper rounds in the 1970s.
3,5
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
They were a lot more punk-y in their early days! Reminded me a lot of Blondie. First half is better than the slower second half, but a very good album.
yes i lob it
I have never liked the Pretenders that much, but this is not terrible.
Great album that really surprised me. I love Chrissie Hynde’s vocals and attitude that exudes throughout. Lots of variety throughout, keeping me interested from start to finish.
Good album honestly. I feel like I saw the girl in « Friends » playing with phoebe at some point.
Pretty epic album.
Pretty good. Done nice songs with a driving tempo. Punk without going to far into it that things start getting inaccessible. Good record 3.5 stars
Fun album but not anything special
08/14/26 Favorite Track: Brass in Pocket
Genial
Really enjoyed this listen! Love the femme punk vouce that she has! Great!
yeah nice
Yawn
Another spectacular debut album. This one from the Pretenders. They would go on to triumph with thier following albums too. I love this band!!!
I'd heard the big songs from these guys before, but all of this album was great. I'm bound to like anything with an instrumental, and for once I even enjoyed the singing.
I was this close to turning it off after the first couple songs There was actually a lot of cool stuff going on musically in this one; feels right on the cusp of that 80s sound while still retaining a bit of 70s identity. Vocals are pretty nice for the most part, and I can absolutely see why a bunch of these songs were hits. Brass in Pocket I feel like I’ve heard before, pretty solid song Those first two songs were ROUGH though. The first song with that awful talk singing and then whatever the hell that second song was just blew my mind. Those were literally the only two songs I didn’t like so why did they decide to chuck those at the beginning of the album? Other than that I think it lacked a really high end song that pushed it over the edge for me Maybe the strategy was to put their worst songs first so by the end you thought “man these guys got better,” but obviously this would be a better album without those two. It’s a solid 3 for me, but with a bit of rewriting could easily go up a point
Cant remember a song on it to save my life
Been avoiding this album for awhile honestly. I hear this band on new wave stations all the time (for obvious reasons) but have never been taken by any one of their songs. I realize how important and acclaimed Pretenders were though so I knew I had to commit one day. And yeah, I don’t like this very much. Not as brash or energetic as classic punk, not as delightfully nerdy or as charmingly self-conscious or as angular and sonically interesting as other new wave acts, and I don’t find this thing to be compelling songwriting wise. The vocal melodies are weak and not memorable, no catchy riffs, and these songs all sound so similar to me. Yeah, there’s energy, yeah, there’s attitude. But there certainly aren’t many tunes here either in my unfortunate opinion. There aren’t a lot of overt duds, songs that make one wanna go sit in silence for a bit, although “The Phone Call” is pretty annoying and “Private Life” is twice as long as it should be. I wish I could like this in the way everyone else does.
First half mostly unmemorable but it picks up toward the end with last four songs, especially Private Life and Brass in Pocket. Solid 3.5
Solid little album that mixes several genres of the era well. There are some moments that I feel don't quite work and a personally like the punky parts more. Solid 4/5 though, would listen again.
Ändå ett ganska underhållande album att lyssna igenom. Det påminner bitvis om The Strokes med låtar som The Phone Call och Tattoed loves boys, och bitvis om Fleetwood Mac med låtar som Stop your Sobbing. Det är absolut inte felfritt men har många moment som ändå imponerar på mig. Jag är inte nödvändigtvis det största fanet av vocalsen på alla låtar, men när det fungerar så fungerar det väl. Efter 2 lyssningar skulle jag säga att albumets största svaghet är bristen på låtar som ger en wow-känsla. Den låten som fastnade mest hos mig var Stop Your Sobbing, som jag helt klart tar med mig i framtiden. Men överlag gjorde albumet inte ett så stort avtryck. En låt som Private Life är till exempel väldigt tråkig i mina öron. Den är repetitiv, alldeles för lång och aldrig särskilt bra tyvärr. Mitt slutgiltiga betyg blir 6/10.
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
One of the all time great debut albums. Sounds a touch dated but still great
First few tracks aren’t my thing, but loved this album the longer it went on. Reminds me of my mommy.
One of my all-time favourites. I love the rockers like Precious and Tattooed Love Boys. Then you get things like Mystery Achievement and Kid. Inventive songwriting across the board. Listening to this really supports what Chrissie has said forever. This was the combination of herself and James Honeyman-Scott. She's never wavered from that, and it's all on the record.
Solide saker. Liker virkelig vokalen til Hynde.
Lett blanding av rock og pop. Gode hooks. Liker det.
meine Zeit
L’art et la manière… l’album commence par une série de titres assez secs et nerveux, découpés par une batterie syncopée et un usage presque industriel des guitares (très métalliques avec des sons assez serrés et brefs). C’est la partie la plus originale de l’album mais originale au point d’être un peu maniérée et hermétique. À partir de stop your sobbing qui sonne comme un titre de groupe féminin produit par Spector on perd l’originalité et ça devient très accessible mais un peu fade parfois.
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.
My favorite rocker of all time Chrissie Hynde.
Some hits buoy an overloaded decent album
I enjoyed this, despite not really ever liking the way the singer enunciates. She’s like Dylan at his worst, where he’s talking but sort of raising and lowering the pitch if his voice at odd times instead of enunciating note changes and generally being more musical. She somehow makes it work, even in the big single which I’ve heard a million times but never put a name to. The playing is crisp, the sings are inventive, and her weird ass vocals somehow tie it together. I’m drawn to it despite an underlying layer of discomfort.
Not bad music to have on the background, bad mostly boring. Wouldn't listen to it on purpose.
Overall Rating: 6.1/10 Favourite Track: Kid Least Favourite: Precious Notes: Some nice songs in here and i can see why this album is so highly regarded, however there are a lot of skips too. The opening track was very corny and I thought the album was not gonna be for me but I’m glad I stayed and listened to the full thing.….. ‘Kid’ was my fav. Probably won’t be returning to this one but it was worth streaming! Natalia: Overall Rating: 6.3/10 Favourite Track: Kid Least Favourite: Stop Your Sobbing Notes: Too busy trying to aura farm and sound cool without having any depth to their lyrics (expected from London creatives) unless I’m missing something. Aiyra Overall Rating: 5.5/10 Favourite Track: up the neck Least Favourite Precious Notes: I really hated the first song. I thought the album was going to be really shit after that but it suprised me because a few songs I did quite like and saved into my library. I loved the lyrics of up the neck. Lust turns to anger, a kiss to a slug Something was sticky on your shag rug, look at the tile I remember the way he groaned and moved with an animal skill I rubbed my face in the sweat that ran down his chest It was all very run of the mill But I noticed his scent started to change somehow His face went berserk and the veins bulged on his brow I said "baby, oh sweetheart" Toheed: Overall Rating: 5/10 Favourite Track: Space Invader Least Favourite: Precious Notes: Nice album. Not my thing entirely, but somewhere in the middle I did begin enjoying it. The lead singer could benefit from being a bit more tuneful, but really I don't want to start dragging. It’s an alternative punk new wave album, and it’s okay. :P I didn’t pick up any detail or throughline while listening, though I presume there is one. Maybe the songs got louder as it went along?? Idk. Not bothered but not mad. One word to describe it all: contrived.
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.
Excellent New Wave music. I like punk, I like to dance, and this album is a perfect mesh. The guitars are distorted and the singing is raw. Drums though are having a vibe.
The speaksing and power chords in the beginning get old fast, but the second half of this thing—onward from “Stop Your Sobbing”—is a small timeless melodic wonder haunted by the pre-formed specter of Wolf Alice, one of my modern favs. “Lovers of Today” is a showstopper.
It was ok. Sounds like they met at school and haven't progressed much beyond that. Plenty of brass in pocket though no doubt.
Nice
I need a 3.5 score ability. Not quite enough of 4 but slightly better than 3.
One of those acts that scans as the real deal and vital for folks just 10 years older and to me as careerist, conservative trend-hopping fakes. Probably what other folks think of some of my favs.
Very fun, sneering, snarling, badass, cool.
Ok, men falder i den rimeligt anonyme kategori.
Favorites: Brass in Pocket, Mystery Achievement Least fave: The Wait I’ve never actually listened to this record front to back but man has it got some bangers. Not the most cohesive project for me but I’ll definitely revisit. 4/5
Great record. Such a great band with a unique sound. The combination of Chrissy Hynde’s songs and vocal delivery and James Honeyman-Scott’s guitar is unlike anything else. I also love how this band sounds equally at home on punk-ed up rockers or pop ballads.
It's never occurred to me to listen to the Pretenders, but this album was pretty good!
It's interesting music; I'd say the music and the genre even somewhat defined the era in which it was recorded. Either way, it has stood the test of time and sounds great today. The female vocals are beautiful and powerful. It's such light pop-rock.
Fantastic debut and let me remind you that Chrissie Hynde is from Ohio
Good
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 🤔
Not a pretenders fan but THis was a good album.
A dynamic, delightful listening experience. Still holds up today, and I can see how the Pretenders influenced some of my favourite bands from the 90s/00s.
Super solid album front to back. No songs I didn't enjoy. Brass In Pocket rips.
Mistery Achievement, Brass in Pocket e Private Life são as mais legais
the songs that are good are sooo good and catchy and interesting. but the rest kind of blended together to me. Fav tracks: Kid; Brass in Pocket; Mystery Achievement
I don't have much to say about this one. I tried listening to it a few years ago and didn't like it but this time it was better
Where is the 6/5 ranking? OMG this is one of my all time favourites. This is a fantastic album and James Honeyman Scott is one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. Absolutely love this album, and while it's not something new to be introduced to, I am so happy to see it here.
Pop rock ochentero, un poco sin más. No me ha dicho un montón.
A fun variety of good songs. Will definitely listen again.
Arrancamos semana con una banda que ubico de nombre. Me agrada su estética y su sonido post-punk desde el primer track, además de la voz cansada y directa de la cantante. Disco lleno de temones, es un tremendo debut que pasa a mis favoritos de éste reto, sin dudarlo. Sin más para agregar, me despido hasta mañana.
Incredible. One of the greatest albums of all time!
Enjoyable late 70's punk pop. This is an album I owned. My favorite track was always Private Life with its pseudo reggae kicks, but Kid is nicely done. Brass in Pocket was the big hit, but it really doesn't wear as well with time. Other favorites are the rollicking rocker Mystery Achievement and Cuban Slide. Besides Chris Hynde's distinctive vocals, this band had musicianship. Their repertoire was varied. A solid band and a decent issue.
Chrisse Hynde's voice is so iconic. The whole album is reeks of the Pretenders' easy/jammy and fun rock sound. Favorites were Space Invader, Stop Your Sobbing, Tattooed Love Boys, Precious and of course Brass in Pocket.
It was just memorably generic
Fun gem of an album. I listened with my son, he thought this was from the mid 90s and was so surprised at the (very) late 70s release. It does hold up really well. I also enjoyed the unique vocals.
Still fresh and more in your face than I remembered.
I had no idea that I already knew a couple of these songs beforehand. Good album. Solid band and great vocals. Favorites were The Phone Call, The Wait, Kid, Brass In Pocket, and Mystery Achievement.
Punk to pop. Very interesting.
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.
I don't mind this, I like the retro rock vibe. It is very 'of it's time'. That said, the tracks do blend together somewhat, not in a cohesive way, but in a 'wait it's been four songs already, I thought it was just one really long song' kind of way. Slightly bland. The lead singer has a very listenable and smooth voice, I like it.
I honestly really enjoyed this album. Brass In Pocket is one of my favorite songs of the 80's, but I've never listened to the full album before. She's an amazing singer and I really liked the heavier/punkier songs. Overall a really fun album. Low 5!
A genuine case of thinking I would love an album but it falling flat. Chrissy has the right vibe, I love this period of 80s punk music, but this album didn’t excite me. 2.5/5
It's OK. Did it need to be included over literally any Tool or Deftones album? It did not.
Nice voice, nice melodies, enjoyable and catchy hooks, a very nice package. I especially like how Chrissie gives the rest of the instruments plenty of space. Easy 4.
Not a fan of the vocals.
I’m going to start giving these shits twos if I hear another 70-80s rock band or 80-90s art rock I swear down. This one wasnt terrible im just getting sick of the one loop instrumental. Like damn put a bridge in there or something fuck
Es Phoebe literal
I'm just not a grunge guy - 2
I could see them being an influence on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I liked the sound. Kid and Brass in Pocket (didn't realize I knew that song) stood out. 3/5
Solid stuff but does not reach the level that I would listen listen this album again.
#445 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ I hear the influences, or rather what latter post-punk sounds, in this. It's too pop for my liking, but I don't hate it. Now I also understand why later Pretenders music is talked of like it is, meaning they did have a punkier edge to their music at one point. Quite indifferent towards this album, but don't mind listening to it either 3/5.
It’s ok. Favourite track: brass in pocket
Prototype for almost all female fronted rock bands since.
Majorly overproduced. Don't really like it and never have.
Perfect debut. 5/5.
2/5 niet zo veelzeggend
its fine... it's just kind of generic idk there weren't any tracks that stood out to me, they all just blended together into mediocre rock mush
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
This album was great! This reads like a foundational text to Justine from Elastica and Karen from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Chrissie Hynde is one of rock's most distinctive voices — cool, tough, romantic, completely her own in a way that neither the punk scene she emerged from nor the new wave she helped define quite accounts for. The reggae-inflected bass lines that surface throughout give the record a warmth and looseness that separates it from the more austere post-punk happening around it. These are real assets, and they deserved more consistent material to work with. "Brass in Pocket" is the record's best argument for itself — a self-assertion song delivered with such complete confidence that disagreement feels beside the point. It earns everything it claims and then some, which is the mark of a song that knows exactly what it is. The problem is that it arrives as a highlight rather than a representative sample, which tells you something about what surrounds it. The honest limitation is that the songs ramble in ways that undermine the strengths. Hynde's voice pulls you in and the reggae DNA keeps things interesting in flashes, but a record that should connect more than it does is delivering an accurate verdict on itself. That gap between what the ingredients promise and what the songs deliver is ultimately what keeps this at three despite the genuine pleasures along the way. A three that feels slightly like an underachievement given the talent on display — which is its own kind of honest assessment.
I didnt know the Pretenders, just Chrissie Hyde's media profile which i wasnt a fan of. This came out of the gate strong with some great punk vibes, the guitars drove it well snd her vocal was great. The second half descended into fairly generic radio rock, but for a while there i thought theybhad something
Pretty good. I like the guitar tone. You can see how bands like this forged the 80's sound, because if you were to ask me, I would've totally thought this album came out in the 80's, even though it (just barely, '79) came out in the 70's.
I liked this alright but it wasn't a standout. Good rock/punk beats on a lot of the songs. Brass In Pocket is a classic. (3)
The album starts promising, with the first half having some nice and energetic punk vibes, with cool riffs and frenetic rhythms. However, as the album progresses, it gets slower and slower. The second half is basically just middle of the road New Wave without interesting elements, melodies or anything worth remember. In two instances, it gets specially slow and dragging, those being "Private Life" and "Lovers of Today", which also happen to be the longest cuts. Despite the negatives, I think the album is fine. Chrissie Hynde's voice has a pleasant tone and a notable attitude, making her an unique singer. I liked the production as well, as I think the sound of the album has a lot of body, feeling satisfying to listen to. And that's all. I don't think there is really much to say about the album. It starts great, but gets forgettable as it goes on.
Another rock album? Give us Michael buble
Eh. It was alright.
I only know the big, popular Pretenders songs, so this was very new to me. Chrissy certainly has a presence. More rocking women, please!
Excellent album from a band influential to many who came after. Chrissy is phenomenal on guitar and vocals. Worthy of a listen any true music fan.
3,5
Precious Stop Your Sobbing Kid Brass in Pocket
I liked the female voice but need to listen it
Cool sound , forgettable lyrics. Its not bad , but why listen to it just because its "not bad"?
Proper post-punk!
A rollicking good time with riff after riff. Chrissie inhabits each song.
Whiny ish vocals and very boring instrumental
I enjoyed listening to this album, she has a cool voice but nothing really stood out to me, and songs kinda just blended all together for me.
Quite like the Pretenders sound.
Grew on me the longer I listened. I feel this list is heavy on the late 70s/early 80s new wave, punk, post punk era of music. This is not my go to so I do get a little fatigued from yet another from the era; however, Chrissy's vocals really standout. So much swagger. Instrumentation is spot on as well.
Chrissie Hynde’s voice and swagger are amazing. This album rocks harder than I was expecting by a band whose biggest single is “I’ll Stand By You.” I was surprised by how much of this album I already knew, even songs that weren’t singles. “Precious,” the first song, is a one of my favorites and “Mystery Achievement” is such a cool way to end it. What an amazing pair of songs to bookend the album. I also really liked the punky-experimenting on “The Phone Call”; “Tattooed Love Boys,” and of course “Brass in Pocket”’is a classic. I was surprised that I didn’t really know their cover of “Stop Your Sobbing” - I know the Kinks version well and didn’t care for the version on “The Pretenders.” Also, “Private Life,” their take on reggae, really wasn’t for me but Hynde’s voice is gorgeous on it. I knew at least half the tracks on this album but had never listened to it before. I’m glad I did, I wouldn’t mind coming back to it.
never heard this one straight off the bat its very energetic I really enjoyed its a solid album good instrumentation and good vocals and well written songs
Really solid hard-rocking album.
This is so good. And mystery achievement is already on my top 10 songs of all time on a good day. For a debut album it's pretty special to hit it this hard
364/1089 quite liked this one, female-led punky vibes are quite up my street and naturally tattooed love boys was familiar to me which was a nice surprise faves: lovers of today, tattooed love boys, mystery achievement, up the neck 73/100
corny but fun
Fun, boppy record. It has an entertaining vibe and kept my attention. Good for parties or hanging out with friends. I like this one.
Exquisite power pop. Radio hooks with punk energy. It’s a great debut.
First thing I noticed was the front woman who is in that one episode of Friends HAHA. I like this kind of music for sure, reminds me of my '10 Things I Hate About You' era when I listened to this kind of music. Chrissie Hynde has a really cool vocal sound; I would definitely go back and listen to this album more.
Solid debut, but not my favorite Pretenders record.
pretend pretend
Not
I'd listened to the Pretenders before now and then, but this was my first deep dive into a whole album. I really like this record. It's got some groove to it, it's got some of that rock grit, and of course that commercial success of songs such as Brass in Pocket. This was a great selection. From here, the Pretenders went on to achieve success, and it all started with this album.
Alright, it's only forth song but the vocals? and the vibes? definitely mine, will listen more 🎸
Monday, July 13, 2026 A classic album, or to quote a friend: “fucking classic!” A melange of genres, but Chrissy Hynde leads the way here. Really enjoyed it.
Stark trea! Lite bjäring men ändå bra för det mesta. Brass in pocket är till och med riktigt bra.
Inte så där magiskt på ett sakralt sätt men felfri. Varje låt skulle kunna vara en singel. Visste inte att Private Life var deras, topp fem inom white reggae? Plattan skulle säkert vara på min topp 50 kanske? Därför drar vi upp den till fem och följer instruktionen på innerkonvolutet: " PLAY THIS RECORD LOUD"
hm, not sure I know these guys. But this first track has a great sound to it, I think this album has potential. I definitely like the attitude and punk that comes through. I had to pause it to see if I know any of their songs. I'll Stand by You is their top hit. But it has a totally different sound. Still very 80's but more on the poppy side. I like the song, but I like the energy and attitude from the album better. Don't get me wrong was the second biggest song. I love the 80s so much! This one sounds like it could be on Mannequin, which we just watched this weekend. Okay back to the album. This is their debut!? Wow what a great first impression. lol loving Tatooed Love Boys. Kid was really nice too. I like the melancholy melody to it. Oh shit!! Brass in Pocket just came on. Of course I know this one!! 5 stars.
I liked this. I probably won’t keep listening to them, but I enjoyed the listen. It wasn’t anything that made me perk up big time, but it’s a good sound, and I did add brass in pocket to my liked songs.
It is fun with some hits but overall pretty average at best in terms of a listening experience. Nostalgic.
j'ai essayé… i fear que c'est pas ma vibe et c'est ok
Decent New Wave
Not my favorite
Começou com potencial, mas depois não foi bem na direção que estava à espera
Demasiada coca
Não me puxou
Makes me want to wear there tshirt...... speaking of which it is already in my cart......love.....❤️
Was not prepared for how awesome this album is. I obviously know Brass In Pocket, which still gets played on FM radio even to this day, but a lot of the rest is spiky, snarly guitar pop-rock, which is perfectly suited to Chrissie Hynde’s vocals. But there is also some more mellow, softer songs which show the range of her as a vocalist and the band as a whole. Highly recommended
Just the kind of middle of the road Brit-pop album I expect from this list
Solid if unspectacular, 3.5/5
Ok pop album, does what you'd expect
i've heard of these guys but never really listened to em. it's a good sound! i enjoy chrissie hynde'a vocals a lot, and i love the energy and grit of the front half. the first 6 tracks in particular are incredibly solid, it's just banger after banger in here, especially "precious", "the wait" and "tattooed love boys", with the last of these standing out to me in particular for its weird time signature changes. i love that shit. it's unfortunate that the back half is so much.... calmer? i still like it for the most part but other than "mystery achievement" its lacking the edge that made the first half so good, yknow? as is often the case, i prefer my punk-adjacent genres to sound a bit more punk, i guess.
Hey, it even has an instrumental. Pretty ageless sound.
nice beat and everything but the singing is sadly not for me
Solid album full of songs with my favorite kind of sound. Nothing like the 80s man
A good album that is a rock hit and uses amazing guitar riffs and a good voice. My only issues with it is that she seems to talk rather then sing to a melody at times and the beats are not entirely unique. But it still deserves a 4/5.
Mystery achievement is definitely the standout track for me on this, brilliant tune that closes the album nicely. I did also enjoy some of the rest of the album but some of it didn't stick. For female fronted bands in the 70s/80s I definitely prefer Blondie. Favourites: Tattooed Love Boys Lovers Of Today Mystery Achievement
Descent new wave punk album. An enjoyable ride to work on the bus, familiar name. I enjoyed the singers voice very much so, solid 3 stars.
Another very forgettable rock album, even though I generally like the genre. Wish more of these had better sounding songs
There was nothing on here I would say I loved but it’s a really good, solid album. I can’t bloody stand Brass in Pocket though. In a previous job we had our own in store radio but it only had 20 something songs that played on a loop. Nothing necessarily wrong with BIP but you try hearing it at least 3-4 times a day, 5 days a week for a decade lol. Top Track - Space Invader
Precious - 4/5 The Phone Call - 3.5/5 Up the Neck - 3.5/5 Tattooed Love Boys - 4/5 Space Invader - 3.5/5 The Wait - 4/5 Stop Your Sobbing - 4/5 Kid - 4/5 Private Life - 3.5/5 Brass in Pocket - 4/5 Lovers of Today - 3.5/5 Mystery Achievement - 4/5 A perfect example of the crossroads of punk and new wave with an excellent lead. You can hear some jangliness with the guitars, so it's no surprise when I found out that some of the songs inspired Johnny Marr and the Smiths. Good introduction to the band and potentially to both genres for someone who doesn't know about either. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Precious, Tattooed Love Boys, Brass in Pocket, Mystery Achievement
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.
Very solid album, nothing crazy jumped out at me but not really a miss either. Top songs: Precious, Space Invader, Stop Your Sobbing, Private Life, Brass in Pocket
Brass in pocket was enough to make this a 3 for me. I forgot about that song.
I hear a lot of what I like in this but it doesn't quite land.
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.
3,92 1. "Private Life" 2. "Brass in Pocket" 3. "Kid"
Has anyone told you Pretenders doesn't sound like an album trying to matter? It sounds like a band playing in a room because that's what they do. You can almost smell the rehearsal space, the cigarette smoke, the slightly-too-warm amp. There's a looseness to it, a physical quality. James Honeyman-Scott's guitar work has the kind of melodic instinct that most guitarists spend careers reaching for and never touch. Pete Farndon holds the bottom end like a man leaning against a wall he knows will hold. Martin Chambers hits the drums like he's trying to leave a mark. And then there's Hynde, who sounds like she's singing directly at whoever broke her heart last Tuesday. And also at you, personally. For reasons she hasn't explained yet.
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.
Rippers through and through. Killer female frontwoman. But didn’t do enough to be a super memorable album as an artistic statement.
Fun
Liked it
I enjoyed the rock/punk elements much more than the pop songs.
Great! Very 90s for 1979
Js not my vibe tbh it's too shallow and inconsistent and I'm not a big fan of that sounds tbh
Ok album. Got tedious
Too slow. Had a couple songs that were decent but overall it was a little boring. Serviceable though. Fav track: Lovers of Today
Great voice, heard these songs growing up, just never was my thing.
Not a bad debut album, not as a strong as subsequent albums, still looking for their sound, mix of the Ramones, and almost an early 80s electronic sound.
Precious The Phone Call Tattooed Love Boys The Wait
Precious The Wait
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
Looks like the blondie album cover or maybe I’m tripping
Pretty rad
Man I loved this. Great new wave punk mix. Fun from start to finish.
It was pretty solid.
Yeah. Not for me, hate the vibrato in her voice, not that special, and overall not a wow
Pretty good - I've never heard this album all the way through. I'd be willing to go back to it to see how it holds up a few more time.
Pretty good, but I don’t really remember a lot of it from Friday until Monday….
It's kinda good overall, but for me strangely the vocals and music are so separate it feels like just slapped on each other, and I subjectively don't enjoy it that much.
was zur hölle?????????
me gustó. no le presté tanta atención pero me gustó.
Great music. They sound ahead of their time in 1979.
Chrissie Hynde's voice is so goddamn loud on this album that it feels like she's right in my ear. I don't know if that's a good thing yet. Also for such a mainstream record this has some aggressive/"edgy" lyricism, especially for '80. Some of this is kinda jumpy in quality (straight punk isn't really my thing no matter how you dress it up and this hits all the ugly spots of the genre for me), but "Brass in Pocket" is an undeniable one.
pretty good
Muy buena aparición de su cantante y compositora. Gran debut
i'm vibing a lot, this is really good, it's definitely going into my playlists, i had an awesome time listeing to this, such a great find
Listen out of order since Spotify licensing shenanigans
Solid, and worthy of its reputation. Gets an extra star just because for once it was good enough as it promised.
It's a very, very solid three-star album, but it's new wave and I'm biased, so four stars it is.
Best Song: Cuban Slide I'm not a huge Pretenders fan and only knew the popular songs but I was pleasantly surprised at the depth to their music as there is more there than the radio hits. I enjoyed this and would listen again. 4/5.
This is trying to be like "raunchy" and have "attitude" but it's so fucking cringe. There's a very specific kind of unhygienic about them, like cigarette breath and cat hair, like wearing the same stained pants because they're your cool rocker pants (until you pop the button trying to do them up). And like, they're sloppy drunk and all over you and when you don't reciprocate they try to neg you by asking if you're gay? And they don't even have any tunes, except "Back on the Chain Gang," and that isn't even on this album.
Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Brass in Pocket Date listened: 25-29/06/26 (during thesis!!) Listen when: Sunny drive
not my cup unfortunately
Good debut album, like the music, like her voice, the whole attitude and come on Brass in Pocket was and always will be an absolute classic. Loved that song when I was 8 and it still is brilliant.
Pretty standard 80s fare
I think this album maybe had the bad luck of coming out 10 years too early. Otherwise it would have fit in great with the 90’s grunge scene.
an 80s tastic time!
Just please stop giving me garbage
Day 313. One I would probably have never tried had it not been for this least, really enjoyed it. Highlights Tattooed love boys Private life Mystery achievement
Det kan jeg godt lide.
The singles are good, and very much sound like the 80's to me - but rest of album is kinda forgettable.
buenas guitarras
I mostly like punk and mostly hate new wave. This album is the best of both worlds.