Reviews (page 3 of 13)
Enjoyed this, but didn't blow my mind.
This album is all over the place. In so many ways. It's so various in its style, delivery, sensibilities, etc., that it's tough to put fingers to screen on how it ranks up. Quality is high throughout. Production, musicianship, compositions are all stellar. The only thing that really wavers for me is lyricism, which can be decent in its frankness or outright cringe inducing. Everything else is genuinely impressive, even things I was initially put off by. The main culprit on that piece was the singer. She flexes all over the place. Her spoken word delivery is Dylanesque, which lots of musicians failed to appreciate is only worthwhile when you're delivering songs and lyrics at the "voice of a generation" tier. But man, she's talented. She's good in so many ways and seems at home in all of them. The wry spoken word delivery honestly would've worked if she had some better lyrics to use them with. The guitar is excellent. Lead and rhythm experience win after win. Like the singer, you get some great variety without any compromise in competence. Dreamy new wave riffs, rockabilly fills worthy of Brian Setzer, and pop punk power chord riffs that are a decade ahead of their time are all on offer here, and executed well. Songs are, again, a grab bag of very well done genre mashups. The genre influences they pull in never override their distinct identity. The Pretenders never stay in the same place for too long, but you recognize them wherever they show up. All in all, this is a mighty impressive album. I would be lying if I said it is a "man, you gotta listen to this album," but if you like this style of music, you're not gonna be disappointed with this album in the slightest.
Not a bad album, enjoyed the listen, but won’t look much further than that.
Strong debut that ranges from the raw Precious, to the polished Brass In Pocket, through to the reggae vibe in Private Life. Hynde's voice on top form with the guitars sounding almost Stones-like. Good fun listening to this after a long break
This is really good! Her voice is something else, makes the whole sound really unique.
Is is odd that whenever I listen to the Pretenders that I want to listen to Blondie instead? The more I listen to this the more my brain is telling me to stop and listen to Blondie instead. It's not a bad album, I'm just not a fan of it. I've been told they are amazing and that I should love it. Yet here I am. I'm going to listen to Parallel Lines now.
Pop Punk from 1979! Sorry, I mean Post Punk*! Ope, jk, I mean New Wave**! This album has a little bit of everything, and I get how it could be too much for some and not enough for others. You can kinda pick out the singles compared to the punkier album tracks if you have a moderately seasoned ear. I didn't know specifically which songs were singles except "Brass In Pocket" before listening, but I was able to mark them. "Stop Your Sobbing" has the sound, but I was a little surprised that it was actually a single.
not my fave from this world!
A story of two albums. The first half is legitimately so cool. It’s fast, it’s punky, it sounds like a mid 90’s cult classic. The second half sounds exactly like I expected the album to sound. A bit more of a traditional pop rock thingy. Despite that, the guitar work is consistently great and Chrissie Hynde is a great lead singer. It’s a solid album.
Yes! Excellent
I don’t love punk. I do love Christie Hynde, she’s a total badass. While this isn’t something I would listen to on the regular, it’s a really good album.
Started out slow and picked up for two songs somewhere between tattooed love boys and the wait, then became commercialized MTV-Bait pop-punk for the second half (I am aware this came out before MTV so perhaps this was actually part of the protolith of the generic migmatite of pop-"insert genre here" that MTV loved so much). I'll give them credit for vibes and perhaps pioneership but what they make up for in intent they lack in execution.
I won't pretend that I didn't just start appreciating the pretenders a couple years ago. Listening to this all the way through solidified it, I don't just appreciate it, I love it.
Never really been that bothered by Pretenders, listening to the full album didn't change that. It's good, but not great.
Not too bad! I've heard them before, but never sat through an album. This was a nice surprise.
It's fine.
gillade!
Pretenders balanced sharp guitar-driven rock with a punkish, slightly dark atmosphere, and Chrissie Hynde’s voice sounded timeless, which I loved. I had no idea that most of the songwriting was done by Chrissie. What an incredible talent. My favorite tracks were Up the Neck, Kid, and Lovers of Today. I also loved the guitar solo in Private Life.
Cool kid rock that finds excellent guitar tones and bass lines. The vocals make you want to don you leather jacket and chain smoke cigs. The melody finds rhythm in many instances and creates an electric, while tamed , ballad. Super solid from start to finish.
When I think of Pretenders I always think of their big hits like "Brass in Pocket" or "Ill Stand by you". So I completely forget that they have a raw, rock and punky sound. Which was something that the video game series "Guitar Hero" showed when they used "Tattooed Love Boys" as one of their songs. And this became my favorite pretenders song for a while. Obviously without me checking out the rest of their album. Having now made up for that crime, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this album. (2.750)
🤮
This is an insanely, strong, kick ass album but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is not their best album. This is the first time, I've listened to a whole album by the Pretenders, so I will have listen to some more to see if my suspicion is correct. Just seems like laziness on the list maker part to just put up the strong debut & not their strongest album. It's annoying that I have think like this because this is great album. Brass in My Pockets, Mystery Achievement & Tattooed Love Boys are the highlights here. They got a lot punk in em but they don't write a lot of short songs. Not necessarily a compliant, more of an observation. I listened to Learning to Crawl. The List got it right by a small margin. 4
I just do not connect with this band. Good instrumentals, but I'm not a fan of either the lyrics or the vocals.
Had potential but was just fine
Un poco aburrido, pero suena bien. Intrascendente.
Brass in Pocket is great. 3.25
Not life changing
Didn't like the pretenders before this album. Still don't. A bit more punk than I was expecting
Tough, punchy, tight, led by Chrissie’s commanding snarl. Punk music that’s shedding its skin and setting a new tone. Pat Benatar took one look and said, “I see how it is.” It’s a debut album but they sound like a band that’s sharpened their claws for years in the club. Pretenders came out hot, yet they’ve had staying power.
Enjoyed listened to this album. The upbeat feel with the instruments and her vocals were nice to listen to. I would like to re listen to this album as when you only listen to it once, you sometimes don’t rate it to its full potential. I don’t feel like I could complain about anything so I would probably rate it a 3 or 4 out of 5. It didn’t particularly stand out to me most of the time just because I wasn’t fully listening, which is something I might have to do to fully listen to it. I also think rocks my favourite genre anyway so it automatically gets a high rating
típicas bandas sexistas
Once again shocked that this is a freaking debut album. So many great hits. Chrissie Hynde has always been the coolest.
Esittäjät esittivät varsin menevää musiikkia semmoisella puhelaulukerronnalla. Hyvää menoa. Bassoraidat oli paikoin oikeinkin mukavan kuuloisia.
Kovaa naisvetosta rokkia. Musiikiltaan aika perus, mutta ei noussu mitään mikä olis työntäny pois, meni oikein hyvin taustalla puuhaillessa. Tuskin menee ihmeellisesti lisäkuunteluun, mutta mielellään kerran rokkas läpi
Punky new wave with style and attitude. Tight songs with pop-sensible arrangements that never outstay their welcome. They have a nice bounce to em, with a prominent rhythm section. Hynde can deliver vocals from talked to belted, snarled to seductive, always commanding. Overall I prefer the grittier and speedier tracks to the softer poppier ones, but hey…there aren’t many albums I don’t day that about. But I wonder how things would have turned out if they went the punkier side than new wave. Probably another good album or 2 then burn out cause there’s no money in punk, and then Hynde going on to have her own solo thing. I’m split on rating this, as I really like the first half of the album while the back half is just alright with me. I’ll round up in this case
Ok pop-punk album. Decent vocals and some cool songs.
I didn't realise Pretenders had some rock and a bit of punk almost in there
I've never like Chrissy's voice and haven't much cared for any of the band's songs. Buy I've only heard a few so let's go. I knew the big hit from this album, and while it's not a song I've ever liked, I was surprised that this did have a few other bangers. I preferred the harder edged punk songs with the visceral or antagonist or more relatable lyrics. At least three songs will go on the playlist. I still don't like Chrissie's vocals, but there are a few songs where her style and cadence works. There are a few moments where it's quite lovely. Over time this will more likely be a three star album for me, but given I was expecting to not like this at all, I'm happy to give the extra star.
I could listen to Chrissie all day
Previously known. Great album.
It combines Punk and New Wave. It's a great album and definitely deserves to be on here. It is an amazing album and really inspired many future acts. Definitely the greatest Pretenders album and is revolutionary in rock n roll!
Thought I liked them, turns out I was just pretending
When it started, I wasn't expecting punk-ness, but here we are. This album is a nice combination of styles, overall.
2,9/5
Chrissy Hynde!! Best Song: Brass in Pocket Rating: 7.0/10 Stars: 4
Nothing to get excited about but nothing terrible either
Solid album. The hit is a classic.
I don't really get it. Needs more of a hook for me, whereas it is 90% talking over some decent instrumentals
Always amazing
They walk the line between elegance and attitude really well, with lots of catchy hooks
Few debut albums arrive with as much swagger as Pretenders. Chrissie Hynde and company take the nervous energy of punk, the sharp edges of new wave, and the timeless crunch of rock ’n’ roll, then weld them into something that feels both familiar and fresh. The guitars jangle and slash, the rhythm section drives hard, and Hynde commands every song with a mix of toughness and cool confidence. The album kicks off with “Precious,” a relentless blast of pounding drums, rumbling bass, and razor-sharp guitar work that immediately announces the band’s arrival. Elsewhere, the Kinks cover “Stop Your Sobbing” transforms a British Invasion gem into a radio-ready pop-rock standout, complete with sweet harmonies and double-tracked vocals. “Kid” may be the record’s hidden masterpiece, balancing vulnerability with some of the album’s most irresistible jangling guitars. Then there’s “Brass in Pocket,” the breakthrough hit that helped make Pretenders a household name. It’s smoother and more accessible than much of the record, but it never sacrifices the attitude that defines the band. While the album occasionally feels more like a collection of strong singles than a fully unified statement, the quality of the songwriting and performances rarely dips. As debuts go, Pretenders is a powerful introduction to a band that sounds ready to take on the world.
Cool rock with a little bit of punk and new wave elements. I’m not super found of Chrissie Hynde’s voice, but this definetly a good album. Favourites: Tattooed Love Boys, The Wait and Kid.
🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 (though could easily be 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 were I not feeling so magnanimous) Where do I know Pretenders from?? I swear I know at least one of their songs, but their sound is so generically early eighties that I can't place them. This cheesy, clean production on punk is one marked step towards its commercialization, but I'm kind of a sucker for this. The frontwoman is doing a B-52s, dare I say a Frank-n-furter, with her delivery, and even though she's not exactly possessed by the Rocky Horror spirit I can't say it wasn't fun. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
“Stop Your Sobbing” completely cracked me up, and overall I thought this was fine but not anything super special.
Nää
Early pop punk, vocals very punk esk but instrumentals are easily digestible, not the biggest fan of this style of vocals but singer has really good voice, vibe switches up half way through, like how they explored different styles, Private Life sounds like a knock off police song without a pop-esk hook, brass in pocket sounds like stereotypical 80’s pop song - good but very similar to rest of that style music, I’m all for stylistic diversity but feels like it’s just a bunch of of average stuff fitting into genres without doing much else to stand out 3/5 Favorite: Porcelain
Good album but I am tired of hearing Brass in Pocket.
Distinct sound of the band and Chrissy's voice.
THIS ALBUM is what i came here for. I never ever listened to a full Pretenders album. I only knew like 4 songs. This album absolutely rocked the socks. Why is it here? Because *you* probably skipped over it thinking the pretenders only have 4 good songs. Wrong. So underrated.
total vibe for cleaning spree
Meh
Раніше не чув про цю групу. Це щось таке, що я сам би не вибрав слухати. Ось це і є плюсом цього сайту- заставляє слухати щось непередбачуване. Прослухав 4 пісні. Поки нічого такого, типу Blondie. Трек Tattooed love boys класний. Трек Space Invader інструментальний, що явно не потрібно мені на такому альбомі.
The vocal delivery is a highlight of the album. In other ways, I can't say it's very memorable or original. A bit of pop, a bit of punk, a lot of very alike songs. And the way '80s records manage to sound more dated than '60s ones never fails to amaze me. Best song: "Precious," as I love the way Chrissie Hynde has 20-something ways to sing the word.
Tremendous album. Great guitar and bass sound. Production is a little vocal heavy on some tracks. I avoided this album for ages because Brass in Pocket is a lame song. But it’s the only lame song on the album. Who knows why it’s the “hit”
"Space Invader" is aight. "Brass in Pocket": a classic. Good album.
Would I listen again: sure Not quite my style but also really not bad. I liked brass in pocket but I suppose that’s because it was a hit lol
Not a lot to say. Good enough Favorite Songs: Kid, The Wait, Mystery Achievement
Pretty good, enjoyed Brass in Pocket
Such a great album. Great jangly pop and Chrissie Hynde is one of the best women rock singers.
Got some bangers and they're trying some fun ideas
Imagine happening on this sparky, cocky record in 1979, bopping around to "Precious" and "Tattooed Love Boys" and having a good time and then the heartstring puller "Kid" comes on and THEN the best song ever written "Brass in Pocket" shows up right near the end. Gonna make you, make you a fan forever. One of the all time best band cover photos.
Chrissie Hynde is a punk at heart, a badass bitch who has a knack for songwriting and is cool enough to record a song about an abusive relationship (“Up the Neck”), an instrumental about a popular video game of the era (“Space Invaders”) and a Kinks cover (“Stop Your Sobbing”). “Brass in Pocket” is one of the sexiest pop songs of all time. Her band set a pretty damn high bar for itself with this debut album.
If you only know the singles, holy crap, the record is a breath of fresh air.
I've been busy the last few days and away from easy computer access. But I've known the albums I was getting and listened to them all. So I'm rating four albums today (Pretenders s/t, Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys, and Bjork's Debut.). I'm giving them all 3s. And that's what pisses me off. There's not enough nuance in this rating system!!! Only five options is stupid. It means a 5 is reserved for albums I consider truly great, and a 1 is for garbage I don't think even belongs on this list. Then I'm left with three options for everything else. 2 seems to be, 'I get why it's here, but I don't like it.' 4 is either 'this is absolutely a classic, monumental album, but it's not really my thing' or 'I liked this a lot, but it's not perfect.' Which leaves the 3. I'm slapping it on four records today and I have wildly different feelings about all of them. Cocteau Twins I'd give maybe a 7.4 out of 10 (note that's not an 8, which translates to a 4-star, right?) while Dead Kennedys and Pretenders would both be somewhere in the 6.5 out of 10 range. Bjork would earn a 5.2 out of 10 (right in the middle, which sure doesn't seem like a 2 star rating, does it?) Frustrating. Wish it was different to allow for more distinction in rating.
Quite a few of the tracks could easily sit on the Burnout 3 soundtrack, nice.
Good
4.5
Добре, проте це просто типовий панк-рок
All good.
I quite enjoyed this. I've heard "Brass in Pocket" plenty of times on the radio but hearing it in its fully quality is a much better experience. Overall, a really solid album.
One of the great debuts. Chrissie's "HUHH" at the beginning of The Wait cooler than Daltrey on Won't Get Fooled Again.
Still has a lot of nerve in it even today. Really excellent album
im not turning it off on the radio but i'm not googling the lyrics either
Precious is a stand out track for me, and Brass in Pocket is an absolute classic.
An album that’s took 4 times listening from the start due to forgetting which track was which for a review. The album is certainly a mixed bag of what feels like fun fast paced guitar heavy hits and then slower trying to be more serious tracks. The one thing that keeps bugging me throughout though is that I want more all the time like there is something just not quite there. ‘Brass in pocket’ obviously a smash but it felt like it should have sat amongst the tracks ‘precious’ ‘the phone call’ ‘tattooed liver boy’ and ‘the wait’ which are all bangers. Amongst the average tracks there was still nice stuff but it didn’t feel as good as that guitar heavy start. Fave song- ‘tattooed lover boys’ Worst track- ‘private life’ Just wanted a little more and the heavy tracks to keep coming but I enjoyed 8/10
Pretenders - Pretenders Listen on vinyl and glad I did as this really is an album of two halves. Tracks 1 to 6 explode with visceral inventiveness and excitement. The clever syncopations and machine gun guitars make the first 20 minutes of this collection an absolutely delightful and surprising thrill ride. Then there is the 'odd man out' Ray Davies cover of Stop Your Sobbing. They debut single produced by Nick Lowe before he gave up on the band, it sounds like a completely different time and place. Side 2 presents, to me, a completely different direction with Hynde seemingly already wanting to accelerate the 'maturation' of the group. And, to be honest, I don't really enjoy it anywhere near as much. Yes, Brass in Pocket is a great song but it isn't what I want after the moddish thunder of The Wait, or the in your face Precious. Would make a phenomenal mini-album 🤔 Best Track - hard call but gonna go for Tattooed Love Boys (still get giddy at that 'miss a beat' drum line) Worst track - Mystery Achievement. Such an anonymous way to end. 7.5/10 pretty much all for the first half.
ouvi jogando minecraft, não prestei muita atenção. mas foi maneiro a experiência tho
Not so bad. Flat 3. Favorite track: Private Life
When this started I was worried it was just going to be a straight ahead punky album, but it actually covers a fair bit of ground. I like it best when it jangles a bit, and when the vocals get more melodic. I also enjoyed the dub interlude in Private Life
Un disco regular, solo conocía 1 canción, las demas estaban mas o menos.
Great album. Nice mix of punk, rock, and pop. Chrissie Hynde has a great delivery. Lots of good tracks. Probably a 4.5?
"But not me baby, I'm too precious, fuck off". Loved it in 1980, love it more now.
1980 punk rock for Main Street.
It got better later into the listen as there were tracks I've heard a few times before. While this got pretty good reviews and is a strong debut, I wouldn't rate it higher than a 3, lucky to not be a 2.
Imagine hearing the Pretenders for the first time by hearing Chrissy Hines purr “Precious.”
Wonderful pop album. I wish more of this had been playable on the radio back in the day, but you couldn't have without blunting the edge on the lyrics. She gets a little dirtier that the radio would have allowed. Classic all the way through. My eating: 4/5
I always liked Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders, but never heard an entire album. Quite a mix. Starts with some sort of punk energy track, but quickly changes into other themes. Side B starts with the signature Pretenders sound and the well-known Brass in Pocket. And it keeps up the quality for the rest of this album.
Sick Awesome
I first heard about the Pretenders when I was a teenager, working at Trader Joe's. One of the fulltimers there said that they were the most underrated band of all time. So I checked them out. Goodstuff. I loved them, named my gorgeous tobacco sunset electric bass Chrissie. Fast forward to 2009, I saw them peform at what was then the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Chrissie Hynde halted a song midway through to yell at the crowd for taking flash photography. What a bitch.
Sounds like a Mixture of Stevie Nicks and Siouxie and the Banshees.
Mag die instrumentals, aber bin leider überhaupt kein fan von diesem vocal style
I don't understand this album, it feels derivative compared to others I've heard as earlier as this week, might need to come back to this one!
I knew so many of these songs although I didn't recognize the titles.
Pretty solid album, especially for a debut. Some tracks felt a bit long. But still a solid 3 for me. Favorite track(s) Tattooed Love Boys Kid Lovers of Today
4 de 5 El debut homónimo de The Pretenders, es un disco de new wave y post punk destacado por su energía arrolladora, con melodías pop fácilmente adictivas, guitarras muy afiladas, con una actitud dura pero vulnerable. La guitarra recibe un gran protagonismo, los riffs son fundamentales y aportan una amplia variedad de texturas y detalles que le dan una cierta personalidad a cada tema. Chrissie Hynde hace uso de la voz como el motor que activa las canciones, pasando de la rudeza a la vulnerabilidad emocional. A destacar: Track 3 - Up The Neck Track 4 - Tattooed Love Boys Track 5 - Space Invader Track 7 - Stop Your Sobbing Track 8 - Kid Track 10 - Brass In Pocket Track 11 - Lovers Of Today Track 12 - Mystery Achievement
this jus a boring version of the blondie album i got yesterday
This album has very strong hints of what was to come. Brass In Pocket is the highlight.
This starts as *approximately* a punk album, but it ends as a lot of things. Honestly, the mix here would be pretty confusing, if not for the fact that a lot of bands sort of sounded like this. I'd say the full picture ends up somewhere in the neighborhood of New Wave, in particular I'd say they are a little like Blondie. Regardless, Pretenders have been one of my blind spots for a while, and this is really good. They sell their punk influence as well as the pop stuff, rock stuff, and the odd reggae influenced track. There's plenty of charisma and attitude and clever songwriting here as well. Tattooed Love Boys might be my favorite here, but there's a lot in the running. I did get to give this a listen, but I honestly think it deserves some more time, so I'm just gonna give this a 4 right now, and call it good. I know that skews a little high for this kind of review, but like I said, my first impression here was *really* good, I'm just not sure if it's good enough to get to a 5, but it *might* be.
This is pretty good - I enjoyed most of it, and Brass In Pocket is a great tune. It has a bit of a punkier edge to its New Wave sensibilities, and that’s fine by me.
I really enjoyed this album. Private Life was my favorite song.
7/10
This album starts off pretty high energy then it kind of ebbs and flows. It's decent, and better than many things that are tagged new wave on this list. Not sure I'd come back but I can see a good arguement for this being on the list. 3/5 nearly a 4.
woah,,, awesomes
I wasn't as impressed as I was hoping g to be, but I bump it up 1 due to strong female lead vocals.
I've always thought the Pretenders were good but hadn't listened to an album of theirs before. I was impressed. Some punk-like sensibilities with actual musical talent, catchy songs, unexpected rhythmic changes and Chrissie Hynde has a cool rock voice. The album didn't have any skips and maintained interest through the end. Listened to it a couple of times. 4.5 rounded up.
Have always thought the Pretenders are underrated.
I liked this. I only knew Brass in Pocket. I liked the song Kid though. I like Chrissie Hynde’s voice.
Clearly historically important and a huge inspiration to some notable modern rock sounds. I don't know if I go back to this album though.
prima maar zeker niet geweldig
3.5
I already knew I loved Pretenders but I’d just listened to the singles (the vinyl of which I have worn OUT!) and from the first track I was obsessed! I can’t wait to listen to more and hopefully one day see them live. What a great band and god damn I love Chrissie Hynde, truly 1 of 1. Anyway, this is a cracking debut. I already knew I loved the singles (including the kinks cover, I also love the original!!) but there were so many amazing album tracks and a brilliant opening song too which I feel is important! I’d def agree this is a must listen :)
Great album. Arguably their best along with Learning to Crawl.
um cd que cumpre exatamente o que a capa promete
I didn't really enjoy the voice and album felt a little borring
7/10
Pretty solid rock album. Recognized a couple songs and had an enjoyable time with it.
Jesus is that a good album
This band is ... fun. The guitars are phenomenal. I had no idea they were a British group, and that Hynde lived in London. I had always associated The Pretenders with Northeast Ohio, but the origins of this and are pretty fascinating.
Pleasant surprise at how solid of a debut this is from a band that I've never paid much attention to. Can see myself revisiting this.
Nothing much to say about this. Just a hair before my time and so I don't really have any attachment to the Pretenders. Rock and roll.
Chrissie Hynde has never done much for me, though I recognize the Pretenders' place in rock history (and Hynde's role in the early punk scene in the UK). That said, I liked this more than I expected, probably because it's much closer to punk and post-punk than her later stuff. While the songs blend together after a while for me, it was nice to be introduced to songs other than "Brass in Pocket" that I may return to in the future. ("Mystery Achievement" is great.)
I dig the Punk elements in this.
me ha sorprendido que he escuchado las más populares y las conocía, however......las del álbum? ninguna, ah mentira brass in pocket es de este album me gusta el rollete y tal está bastante bien
Eh right on the border but not a fan of the semi-punk vibe despite having a few decent songs
Decent
*****
Ótimo álbum . Muito influente no rock alternativo mundial. Divertido. Tri x HBB Kai.
yea i mean it's aight kinda like if you mashed every late 70s new wave record together, somewhat anonymous but not bad
Fine album. Singles are the standouts.
This is an album that's technically good but I can't bring myself to like it that much. "Brass in Pocket" and "The Wait" are phenomenal, but there are a few duds, such as "The Phone Call" and "Up The Neck". What this album relies most off of is the punk and alternative energy, which they do quite well. Unfortunately, though, and I hate to say it, but her voice sounded too much like a goat. And I can't stand "Kid". I don't know what it is that people love so much about this music. I get why they like it, and that's as far as I can understand. After all, there a couple songs here that I am fond of.
mash bangers
An album of all time. Not bad but not interesting either. 6/10
This was fucking awesome, will listen in full again, it's more like 4.5 for me than 4
Kind of meh for me! Some goodies in there.
A solid first album. You can absolutely hear what they're going for, but I think they really nailed it on Learning to Crawl.
Thank you 1001 albums. I only knew Pretenders radio songs. This is a great album. Favorite songs: Private Life, Precious, Up the Neck
Me gusto, pero no se si volveria a escuchar el album
This album had a few songs I liked but wasn't something I'd really seek out on the balance
Actually really good. A bit same-ish in parts but the last couple of tracks add just enough flavour to bump it up to the "would definitely buy a copy from the crates" level. Surprised the dudes here aren't in the background and blurry, though, tbh.
Meh, ni bueno ni malo. Me sorprende que sea de los 80s porque suena más moderno. Es un álbum debut para la era del new wave e influye en el rock alternativo de los 90s. Private life suena a "en la ciudad de la furia", pero Cerati no lo usó como sample (pensé que si). Brass in pocket también esta buena. Aparentemente son las dos canciones con más personalidad del álbum. No creo que lo vuelva a escuchar.
Блин тётя стиля раздаёт, какая же она секси, ничего особенного будто, но слушать приятно, голос красивый, хуй с ним забирайте мою 4
based on what i was expecting, with that cover and the eighties looming over, i was gratefully surprised for it to be a competent, with punk sensibilities rock album. But that doesn't mean it was something remarkable. okay at best
A pleasant punky pop album. Very 70s/80s crossover as you'd expect.
Brit-rock-esque, but american. Some almost Caribbean leanings
Best so far. Good energy. Cant believe it's 1979
Pretenders Self Titled - 3/5 - Great debut album that laid the groundwork for a number of bands to follow - I can see how The Smiths guitarist was inspired, Speaking of which James Honeymoon-Scott’s guitar work is amazing quite often coming off as quite raw and tasteful even going so far as to say the album would not have received the acclaim if it weren’t for his incorporation, Unconventional time signatures definitely make the album stand out in a good way as well Verdict: 71-74/100. Sadly enough sounds like watered down punk and the album does begin to lose steam half way, I do find a number of songs on here interesting but it lacks the consistency to really make it memorable. A great listen if you’re wanting to dive into the history of what would become the run of the new wave but outside of that sadly there isn’t much else going on for it unfortunately. Favourite Songs: Precious The Phone Call Up The Neck Tattooed Love Boys Kid Brass in Pocket Mystery Achievement
This is a personal favorite, but that does not impact the rating - a true 5. The album is a top notch rock and roll album tucked into the height of New Wave. Chrissie Hynde is a legend, and well under appreciated. Luckily say them I've at Rutgers when then performed in the gymnasium to about 800 students! Bouy 0 did I have a crush! I remember me and ny friend Raul back in April, 1980, trying to sneak into the Filmore East in NYC to see the show (could not afford the tix). Almost got rolled in the alley. Good times!)
Perfect
This is a bridging gap between punk and new wave. The band cut their teeth in the punk scene, but you can hear them gearing up for the mainstream here. The album is very varied and features a mix of styles. The Kinks cover 'Stop Your Sobbing' and hit single 'Kid' feel like old school rock and roll throwbacks, whilst the jangle pop 'Tattooed Love Boys' feels like it is ahead of its time with a riff that sounds like something the Smiths would cook up. Its not all a roaring success - instrumental 'Space Invader' does an excellent job of aging this record to a certain time and could have been left off. Chrissie Hyde is an excellent front person and has tons of swagger and attitude. She channels Lou Reed with her cool and cocky demeanor. If you only know this band for 'Brass In Pocket' and never checked them out further than that, you're seriously missing out.
Enjoyable enough
Good
you can definitely tell this is a debut album from a 70's rock band, but it's got enough going for it that i can look past its faults. kinda sounds like what they'd listen to on Lego Island 8/10 FAVOURITE SONGS: PRECIOUS, TATTOOED LOVE BOYS, KID, PRIVATE LIFE, BRASS IN POCKET LEAST FAVOURITE SONGS: THE PHONE CALL
Fun catchy listening suitable for a variety of occasions. The vocals are the highlight, spunky and charismatic and full of emotive character. Favorite tracks: Stop Your Sobbing, Private Life, Mystery Achievement
I liked most of what I listened to (about half). Three stars
Bought this on vinyl when released so must have liked the album back then. But don’t think I’ve played it in years. So stands as a testimony as to how my musical tastes have changed. But this is different as there are many albums of that era which I do play regularly so this hasn’t really stood the test of time. Glad I have the album though as it contains most of The Pretenders greatest hits and on hearing Private Lives again reminded me why I bought the album in the first place. That is the standout track and without this list would probably have never given it a spin again. So thanks for that. 3/5 28/4/26
mid 3.5 álbum divertido mas repetitivo. vocal, produção e melodias acabam sendo todos muito parecidos favs: Tattooed Love Boys, Stop Your Sobbing
Lowkey razor-sharp.
This is such a good album, really strong songs in the main and some surprising tracks which I liked more than the big chart hits like up the neck, great riff.
Big fan of Brass in Pocket. The rest is fine
Nice sound, but the songs are mostly just fine.
Me sono muy musica que podría ser intro de Friends, pero super agradable, quizás no encontré grandes cosas que me destaquen un tema sobre otro pero son re cumplidores en general. Destacon sobre todo la buena voz de la cantante y me gusto mucho el cierre del disco con Mistery Archievement RECIEN AHI quizás pude destacar un tema o un groove que me volo le bocho con ese final. Es un buen disco, quízas no se destacaba tanto pero ese final me termina dejando con un gustito positivo asi que se lleva 4 estrellas por como me termina dejando. Aunque quizás un poco injustas pero lo califico yo asi que no me interesa
We have too many of these, especially on social media.
Props to Hynde for starting a band, writing the songs and doing her thing starting back in the 70's. Her quavering vibrato initially was a negative but it eventually grew on me. This is better than a 3 but not quite a 4. 3.75/4
Brass in my pocket I've heard Rest is fine
Love this album!
The Pretenders rule and Chrissie Hynde is one of a kind.
Did not like it as much as I thought I would.
I only really knew the very famous Brass In Pocket from this album and beyond that, I know their Christmas hit. I enjoyed listening and perhaps it should come as no surprise but in a way, I was surprised by how good it was, interesting instrumentation throughout.
I'm realizing a female voice is a lot more interesting to me than a male voice singing by listening to these albums. So I enjoyed this album slightly more than I would normally expect. That said, I still think it's a 3/5, but an enjoyable listen!
I would not have thought this was my thing, but I enjoyed it. Even the somewhat longer songs, which I typically don't jive with, didn't bother me, and once or twice was even sad a song was ending.
Heard all the hits, many times. I've never sat through an album, at least not this one. I enjoyed it! I got more insight into the band and the incredible power of Chrissie Hynde. Let's see our next album... OH!! MY!!! GOD!!
I maybe should have appreciated this up to at least a 3. But it's a 2 for me.
Good album. Chrissie is a great front-woman. At this point, I've heard "Brass In Pocket" too many times, which is sad. I really wish I could have seen them live when this came out. I bet those shows were killer.
This album really surprised me. First off I didn’t know the name pretenders at all like I didn’t recognize it when I saw it. But I quickly realized while looking at the track list that this is the band that created the song brass in pocket. Which is a fucking awesome song. Really really catchy song while also being kind of silly and tongue in cheek. But what I didn’t realize was that the vast majority of the album was gonna fucking rock. It’s not a no skip album. But it’s fairly close. The real stand outs are: tattooed love boys, the wait, Cuban slide, private life, mystery achievement, and of course brass in pocket. I really expected this album to be completely carried by brass in pocket. Which is a trend on this list occasionally, but this album was totally quality and legitimately original. This album has a great punk feel and attitude but while having the creativity of a punk band. Seriously this album is totally worth your time.
How about that 'Brass in Pocket'?
I like some Pretenders songs so much, I couldn’t wait to hear this but was a little underwhelmed by the deeper cuts. Could grow on me on additional listens but on first listen it’s just OK.
Good!
is ok. 1. precious: 2 2. the phone call: 2 3. up the neck: 3 4. tattooed love boys: 2 5. space invader: 3 6. the walt: 2 7. stop your sobbing: 3 8. kid: 4 9. private life: 2 10. brass in pocket: 4 11. lovers of today: 4 12. mystery achievement: 3
One song I knew and it’s decent. The rest I can’t say the same for. Very mid.
really just good for the singles other tunes aren't catchy, appreciate a band trying to jam and work out stuff but it's nothing I'd listen to again vocals are mixed too high as well
Ysjdcsksbuscs gs
I don't belive this is they're first album. Overall is great and sound like it never aged.
Very enjoyable
The Pretenders – Pretenders (1979) On Day 120, I hit a major milestone with an album that surprisingly blew me away. Everything about this debut came together perfectly: the melody, the groove, and especially Chrissie Hynde's performance. It is a perfect introduction that feels both polished and warm. The tracklist is stacked with highlights. I’m currently obsessed with "Kid," but "Precious," "Tattooed Love Boys," and "The Wait" all delivered that decent energy I appreciated. Even the slick pop-sensibility of "Stop Your Sobbing" and "Brass in Pocket" felt immaculate and heavenly. I’m genuinely amused by how much I enjoyed this, it’s an outstanding body of work except "Private Life" but not enough for me to not give it a strong 5/5.
This made no impact on my life
I have no expectations for this one, we'll see how it goes... 1."Precious" - Oh, this wasn't the vocal style I was expecting. Interesting. It's gonna take me a few songs to figure out if I vibe with it. I wasn't planning on doing song by song notes for this, I still might not, but this song called for it. I really like the part in the bridge and how she says "I was feeling kind of ethereal 'cause I'm (Precious), I had my eye on your imperial, you're so (Precious)" It was just really cool sounding 2. "The Phone Call" - This one is also really cool and stylistically interesting 3. "Up The Neck" - Okay, I love this one? Lyrically really cool and amazing, wtf. Why has the world hid this from me? I swear to god, even tho it's stylistically different, Florence Welch has to have been inspired by these guys. This song in particular reminds me of her writing. 4. Tattooed Love Boys" - God, that bright jangly guitar is so fucking good. Instrumentally, really really fun song. Totally my vibe. I'm getting some Alvvays vibes. Lyrically, a bit in the "oh no" territory. 5. Space Invader - Normally I'm not an instrumental girly, but this is pretty cool! 6. Wait - It sounds kinda cool, but I think this is the first song not really clicking with me. It's just okay. 7. Stop Your Sobbing" - Okay, This one is cool! I know it's a cover, but it works! I like! 8. "Kid" - Oh, the guitar at the start is so so pretty. This feels somewhat familiar? Maybe it was in a movie or someone covered it? not sure. I really like this tho. Oh, I think I've figured it out, this sounds like it could be sung by Sharon Van Etten. Probably inspired the song Seventeen in someway. Oh and the sparkly, jangly guitars at the end! I love how this sounds! 9. Private Life - Oh, pretty guitars! Interesting song, I'm a little small brained right now so I think it's gonna take me a few listens to parse it all out, but pretty cool. I like how "Stop" is said lol. Yeah, this one is really cool 10. Brass In Pocket - Oh, I love the sound of this! This song is so cute and fun!!! i really really like it! 11. Lovers of Today - Oh, what a pretty softer song. Quite melancholy too, I love it! Maybe one of my favorites off the album, god those guitars are lovely. It's hard to say tho, this album is so so good it's insane. 12. "Mystery Achievement" Is it bad my first thought on seeing that title is a video game? lol. Oooh, nice bass! This one's fun! I love the vocals and guitars, but I don't think it's a fave. Really cool tho! God, what a fucking album! Holy shit, idk if it's cause I'm American or was heavily sheltered as a kid, but I've never even really heard of these guys. I thought that was Joan Jett on the cover. Anyway, this is pretty much right up my alley. If this came out today It'd be I'd have it in my playlist. As I've said many times thought my notes, this feels like it's inspired many artists I like. The instruments, the lyrics, the vocal performance, so so so cool! I genuinely love it. I feel like I've found a new old band to dive into! I will 1000% be coming back to this album
What a kick ass album! Seriously blown away with come of these songs! Looking to get my hands on a copy of this!
Precious is one of my favorite songs. I saw Chrissie Hynde in concert. There were some extremely obnoxious people behind us that yapped loudly over the whole show, as they weren't actually interested in the concert. But in between every song they would screech "BRASS IN POCKET!!!! BRASS IN POCKET!!!!" Because clearly that was the only Pretenders song they knew, and the only thing they came to hear. Well guess what. They never played Brass In Pocket. For the encore they played the song I wanted to hear, because I'm precious. Fuck Off.
kvalitetom je malo vrludalo ali je u konačnici ostavilo jako dobar dojam. svidjelo mi se! prva stvar snažna, nakon toga malo slabi, ali onda krene obrada kinksa koja me jako jako ugodno iznenadila - stop your (slavko) sobbin – i počevši s tom pjesmom album je snažniji, izdvojio bih još, da moram, možda private life te brass in pocket. sve u svemu, slušat ću još, sigurno spomenutu obradu :)
Kinda Joan Jett y maybe. Rock, didn’t love. I think I knew one of the songs bc goodwill plays it
More agressive cranberries
Started out stong as a first album
Really dug this! I think I knew "Tattooed Love Boys" before this, and the rest of it sounded vaguely familiar? "Precious" "The Wait" and "Stop Your Sobbing" were other standouts for me
Da duni jetzt mal als hetti die scho kennt und denn duni grad no so als hettet sie mir recht guet gfalle. zusätzlich pretendi das die lustige 2 sternli bechömed. (Eigentlich sinds 4 hehe)
Die pretenders dünd so als ob ich sie nöd müsst kenne. Kenne sie ja au nöd. Aber sind verdammi guet. Guess what, euch kenni in zuekunf Das isch e 4.5er hmmm
da hani dänkt wenn de don neduziner n. scho es 4.5 usehaut, muessi mer das also scho fast ahlose! und siehe da, de siech hed tatsächlich nöd pretended <3 gefällt mir gut, dat gibt ne saftige vier
Brass in Pocket does a lot of heavy lifting for this album.
I don't think of the pretenders as a post punk/new wave band but this album tells me otherwise.
What a debut! One of the great rock voices front of the mix from track 1. Able to communicate so many emotions- love, lust, anger, loneliness, desperation. Often all in one song. Side 1 is a lot of fun but side 2 is almost flawless. Lovers of Today may be their best ever track? Only downside was Space Invader?
Christopher Hynde
not bad
1. Precious 2. Mystery Achievement 3. Tattooed Love Boys I had never heard of these guys but I really fw it
Ousado! O álbum que eu disse "graças a Deus" por ter uma vocalista mulher, estava sedenta por uma banda nessa formação! The Pretenders, disco de estreia da banda entrou na lista de debuts que deram MUITO certo, pois acertou em cheio em questão de atitude, composição, e mistura de gêneros que trás um Pop meio Punk meio New Wave que eu AMEI. Além da voz da vocalista Chrissie Hynde que UAU, que atitude!! Fiquei hipnotizada escutando as faixas e a composição dos instrumentos que, tinha casado tão bem com a voz e estilo da banda. Pesquisando vi que infelizmente, o guitarrista James Honeyman-Scott e o baixista Pete Farndon morreram de overdose com menos de um ano de diferença, e peguei pra escutar algumas faixas fora desse álbum e realmente da pra notar diferença desse para outros discos da banda. O álbum conseguiu o que nenhum outro tinha conseguido até agora, me fazer amar o álbum inteiro. Masss como é um "tradição" escolher as mais mais vou colocar aqui: "Stop Your Sobbing" (cover do The Kinks, onde a Chrissie teve um relacionamento e filho com o vocalista Ray Davies!!!) "Up the Neck", "Kid" (letra com storytelling emocionante) e "Brass in Pocket" (que ela não gostava!!!tipo que?), além das outras musicas que sinceramente? amei todas. Foi muito dificil escolher só algumas pois esse álbum inteiro tem uma trajetória interessantíssima e qualidade impecável para um álbum debut. The Pretenders, você ganhou meu coração.
I’ve heard this before. Even after listening to this album a number of times I always just associate this band with Brass In Pocket, since that’s the only song from this that ever got played on the radio and it got played a lot. And their other radio hits really tone down the new wave/ punk sensibilities. So it’s always a pleasant surprise to hear a real good new wave band when this plays. Tattooed Love Boys is a favorite of mine from this album as well as a few cover versions. And yes, Brass In Pocket is a good song regardless of all the radio play.
Had heard the hit, not the album. This was good stuff, both the opener and closer were stand-out tracks. Easy 4, would grab a used copy.
Irriterade mig mer och mer, sjukt generiskt
Can I please just be Chrissie Hynde for a day? She's so cool. I never realized the similarities between her and Karen O before this. Karen is definitely channeling her inner Chrissie. The album was ok. The only two bangers were the two songs I'd already heard before but my 80s playlist expanded by 30 percent.
I did not like this very much; this is one of the 80s vibes that made me say I hated 80s music when I was younger. The rage I felt when “Brass In Pocket” started (one of my least favorite songs of all time) was incredible. The last track, “Mystery Achievement”, did some heavy lifting for that second star. I skipped listening to the entirety of the deluxe version that Spotify offered, nay, threatened, me with. Playlist add: "Mystery Achievement"
Es algo que no solía escuchar pero aún así es algo que cada tanto me gusta
8/10
It was okay. Fun jackets.
The distinctive voice of Chrissie Hynde! I feel like if you listened to the pretenders before the age of 8 (and loved it) it would set you up for a very much cooler life. You can tell she’s got a lot more music and lyrics bottled up inside of her and this is just a commercial segment of that tantalising musical orange. A pleasant album, decent soft rock and not so aggressive that you could get away with playing it to a wide spectrum of people when you’re up next on “pass the aux”.
Meh
5: Precious, Up the Neck, The Wait, Private Life, Brass In Pocket, Private Life, Brass In Pocket, Lovers Of Today, Mystery Achievement 4. The Phone Call, Tattooed Love Boys, Stop Your Sobbing, Kid, 2. Space Invader Yep, 5 "brass in pocket" stars
very clearly inspired by Blondie, which I say in the most complimentary way possible.
Well, I know the Pretenders, mostly from their hits. And like their hits, so I thought I would enjoy this album, but I have to say, aside from Brass in Pocket I was disappointed. A harsh 2 or a generous 3? 3.
Rockin' - pretty cool album. Love the boldness for a debut album.
Really liked this 4 stars will def revisit
4/10
Helt ok.
Ganske OK, ligg på mellom 2 og 3.
2-3 et sted. Liker det, det er fint, men tror ikke jeg hører på det på nytt så mange ganger.
씐난다
Wasn't my favorite.
Muy punk, primera vez que escucho ésta banda. Me encantó
gostei muito
The swift paced, punky tracks at the start of this album were not what I expected from the Pretenders, and it’s that edgier spirit/tone I most enjoyed. I did wonder whether it would be possible to sustain that same feel throughout the whole disk without getting repetitive, but actually tracks soon evolved into the band I kind of expected to hear - from punk through a something a bit more reggae inspired to something I more remember from the radio hits of the era. I’ve never been a fan of ‘Brass i your Pocket’ followed by another ballady track. Probably won’t listen again, so 2. Number tracks 12 07/04/26
i wanted to like this more than i did... alas, 3 stars.
another 3.5 star album that i think i want to like more than i actually did. there are some solid tracks here but as an album it's just kinda... there. shoutout to the track space invader though, which is what it would sound like if someone chopped and screwed the beatles song day tripper favorites: precious, tattooed love boys, space invader, stop your sobbing, brass in pocket
This was a pretty pleasant surprise I really love the singers voice it’s unlike anything I’ve heard before Super cool The bass is really good on this album Favorites: stop your sobbing, up the neck, precious, lovers of today
Det tog ikke lang tid at vende sig til lyden, føj hvor var det da bare lidt godt
That’s how you debut!
A melodic, well-sounding album, the singer has a lovely voice.
This is why I'm doing this. I had never heard of the band or the album, but it was great throughout. Feels way ahead of it's time and not at all from 1979.
I just don’t vibe these guys at all ⭐️⭐️
One song I really liked, Mystery Achievement, but had an issue with her voice and its vibrato. Other songs were pretty stock guitar solos and songwriting.
Some well known songs from the radio, and some I’ve never heard. I’m impressed with the production and listen-ability even those I’ve never heard.
got some tunes on it, decent album
i love a leading punk lady and a bunch of dudes
A big fan. Excellent debut; not sure it got better from here, but this was very strong.
Better than expected, only knew the hits but the album was gritty and intriguing
This is a stone-cold classic. They do a great job of fusing punk, new wave and rock into a fantastic record that surely stands the test of time.
Lekker album met een paar uitschieters. Omdat het Pasen is, ben ik vrijgevig en rondt ik m'n strong 3 to a light 4 af tot 4 sterren.
Geen pretenden nodig. Sterker dan veel soortgelijke New Wave platen uit deze era.
Pretenders are one of the first successful bands of the 80s, this being their debut album that came out on January 11, 1980. In that, it's very much a 70s album at heart with big singles you will hear on every classic rock station to ever exist because there's only two corporations that controls all the music radio in every station in America, and every metro market must have you hear Brass in Pocket and Back on the Chain Gang among several others, or you will fucking die. That said, Pretenders as a band are good music that's fairly ageless in their style and approach. Just that you're going to hear them on the radio. A lot. Pretenders, the album, is an example of why you don't judge a book by its cover. I have nothing wrong with Brass in Pocket, it's cromulent. But I was fooled because every other song on their debut is a total banger in different ways. We got some punk energy, some cool dark jamming with some synths. A good start for 80s music and/or final spark of the 70s. With the Pretenders, nothing is as it seems.
Bloody good album this. Was expecting some more standard punk fare when it kicked off and was pleasantly surprised to hear a female (shock!) vocals. The album has its roots in punk but isn't tied down and has a lot of gentler and poppies moments. Really consistent with three or four standout tracks which I already knew. 8/10 but may upgrade...
Decent enough - Brass in Pocket a stand out classic, rest ok - quite liked Lovers of Today as well
A solid punky rock album that I would listen to again. No standout songs, but every track is solid nonetheless.
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.
Was going to give this a three on the outside, but the way this evolves and grows is simply too effective. Soft four.
Easy 5. Where has this been all my life? (The answer: right under my nose!) Not just dynamic and fun but also well written and tosses out fantastic musical ideas left and right and never lets them overstay their welcome.
really fun!
pretty good! when i saw this i thought it was a band i recognized but apparently not. really solid start to finish with the vocalist chrissie hynde being greatly enjoyable. her voice is simply beautiful. the bass and percussion here are super catchy across most songs too. it doesn't all hit, and hilariously i think the second half is weaker in direct contrast to ana, but this it's enjoyable on the whole. i'm really impressed by this being a debut album.
I swear I knew this band but I haven't actually heard any of their songs. Chrissie Hynde is the standout here and I really quite enjoyed about half of this album. I think this list is making me realize that whilst I do like punk, I don't like it nearly as much as I thought I did. It's important to say, for a debut album, this is insanely confident. It's rare for a band to understand it's defining sound right from the jump as much as here. The only real downside is I find the album to be a bit uneven, with the second side being notably stronger then the first half. Which is interesting, so far it's usually been the other way around.
Ekaa kertaa pretenderssiä. Ja pirun kovaa menee!
Not my all-time favorite album, but I did enjoy listening to it.
Favourite Songs: Up The Neck Kid Private Life Lovers Of Today
Started song with the song Precious but the rest of the album didn't resonate with me. Too many references to the cuban slide.
Enjoying the music quite a bit. Nice tone and sweet riffs with solid drum beats. "Space Invader" is a really cool instrumental. Obviously I've heard "Brass in Pocket" but I had no clue what it was until it started playing. The vocals are not fully to my taste, but there's nothing wrong with them. Perfectly fine. Overall a pretty good album.
Déjà écouté avant. Un premier album parfois inégal, sauvé par une énergie punk contagieuse et, surtout, par le charisme magnétique de Chrissie Hynde, toujours impressionnante. Top : The Wait Flop : Up the Neck
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.
An incredible debut, thoroughly consistent even if I don’t think every track is an all-timer. Only real complaint is that the album ends so abruptly. Feels like it needed an extra track to wind down rather than just stopping but it is what it is.
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?
This is a great debut. However, Pretenders have never been my favorite. that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this though. It's fun and interesting. Brass in Pocket is my favorite Pretenders song, but the rest of the album is good too.
Really enjoyed going back and listening to this album. Chrissie Hynde has such a unique and amazing voice with a great delivery. A punky edge probably influenced by her acquaintance with Steve Jones(sex pistols). My 13 yo son couldn’t believe it was so old haha
7/10 Favorite: Brass in Pocket
I wore this album out in high school. Classic.
I’m just bored listening to this album yeah this might be the first album that I’ve liked one song but still give it a one star. It was very boring not my cup of tea. I mean if you like the album cool but I’m not pretending this one ain’t it it’s a no for me dog.
I can’t pretend I didn’t enjoy this!! Solid music all around.
El sonido de los 80s
Saved? ❌ Would listen again? 🤔 Would recommend to anyone? ❌ Would buy on Vinyl? ❌
Кажется это лучше слушать в токийском караоке в исполнении Скарлетт Йоханссон
Brass In Pocket тут единственная хорошая вещь. Видно, что старались сделать что-то необычное, но меня вообще не зацепило
Куда-то исчезла моя доброта. Ничего не почувствовала. Притворились кем угодно на разных альбомах. Коммерческие хиты у них вышли лучше.
Хороший ровный альбом с одним бронебойным хитом. Сколько уже тут таких было.
Лучшая песня: Mystery achievement Худшая: The Wait Три песни понравились, все остальное порожняк. Главный критерий попадания в этот список - нужно, чтоб альбом был незапоминающимся
очередной день со средненьким, но не плохим альбомом
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)
Less than the sum of its parts and I’m not sure why. Love love Chrissie’s voice, love the bass lines, feel lukewarm about the actual music. I really wanted to like it more if that helps? like I do like it, a two is not a low score for me necessarily. maybe I bump it up to a three. who knows.
Was taken aback at how much I liked this given how much I dislike their hit ‘Brass in Pocket’. This is a punk band masquerading as a new wave 80s band on a couple songs because they wanted to make a little money! There’s some great punk tunes on here; the opener ‘Precious’ is fantastic. The couple soft rock tracks aside, there’s a lot to like here, great guitars and the lead singer has a great voice for rock and roll. Solid 4/5
One good song…the rest okay.
2/5 - While I recognize Brass in Pocket I can't say I'm a fan of this album. I find it rather bland.
Yeah
surprisingly more enjoyable than i expected. i enjoyed the lead singer's voice. Would I listen again: maybe Deserves to be on this list: unsure 3.4
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 have a funny relationship with this album (like a lot of albums from late 70s/early 80s, I guess). My first exposure was the song "Brass in Pocket," which was a hit, but I didn't love, at first. It stood out, for sure. But my teenage male suspicion of something that seemed *different* kicked in, I guess (just as it did at first with Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, B-52s, etc.). But then, in college, at FSU, I think, one of my buddies had this album, which explains why I never owned it: because I taped it off of him. Except I didn't tape the whole album, only the songs I liked the best. Which still kind of makes sense to me now. Because I REALLY LOVE a few of these songs, 5+ ratings for: "Precious," "Stop Your Sobbing" (a Kinks cover - I'm sure we'll get the Kinks, at some point), and "Kid." Next best song is probably "Mystery Achievement," and I've come to appreciate "Brass in Pocket" (mostly just that it's over-exposed, at this point), and "Tattooed Love Boys" is kinda basic, but fun. So that's 6 of the 12 tracks; the other 6 are kind of forgettable. But, as I said, maybe unfair, cuz those are (more or less) the songs that I didn't choose to tape off of the album. But, yeah, I'd probably do it the same now. Actually, though, "The Wait" isn't bad, and "Private Life" has a decent reggae groove (reggae was a big influence in the UK around this time, probably due to lots of Jamaican immigrants -- The Police, The Clash, etc), and provides a useful contrast to the other tunes. So, yeah, I think I can give this album 5 stars, even though a few of the songs are forgettable -- because the rest (8 out of 12) range from very good to really great.
I find the singer's delivery to be the most interesting thing. She plays with speed, pronunciation, etc. to make a lot of variety The band are really tight and some of the rhythmic ideas are clever. I can see how this would have been a nice development in rock and roll. I'm not a fan of the genre though
Need to listen to it all the way through once more. But it’s a great collection of songs and has reminded me how much I like the pretenders
Not bad, not something I would have picked up. Has the typical British punk sound, very nasal guitars up front before the whole band comes in. Sometimes its a bit too much but the way the band sounds chaotic the singer comes through as a steading voice. That part is very neat.
⭐⭐⭐ Trodde på förhand att detta kunde vara något för mig men det är ganska medel. Inget dåligt men inte mycket höjdpunkter heller. Kanske ger det en chans till i framtiden, därför får det en 3a.Bäst är The phone call, Private life, Brass in pocket.