Pretenders

Enjoyed this more than expected. Favourite tracks: Tattooed Love Boys, Space Invader & Private Life Will probably revisit. 3/5

Brilliant.

One of the greatest debut albums ever. Still in my rotation.

An unknown band for me. I enjoyed some of the tracks but skipped the ones two punkish for me.

I only enjoyed the first half where it sounded more anarchich-garage-punk. It threw me off completely knowing that this is the band that wrote “brass in pocket”

This was my first time listening to this album all the way through and thought it landed right there in the middle of turn of the decade rock/pop albums. If my parents had played it more as a kid I might be more into it.

Damn this is a good album--I had only heard the major hit and Stop Your Sobbing sounds familiar, but the rest of the album is really solid. I'm at 4.5, but going to 4 and it begs further listens.

It was fine.

4/5. This feels like if the cool alt kids at your school made music. Looking at the cover, they are really trying to be cool and thankfully the music does ooze slickness and smooth, in an artsy kid kind of way. The bassist is really coming through and the instrumentals as a whole create a nice punk edge while staying accessible. The vocalist is unique as well, the lowest female voice I have heard from memory and she keeps you engaged. It's an excellent album but not all songs are perfect. Best Song: Brass In Pocket, Mystery Achievement, Space Invader

synth and punk together , makes sense for 1980… def an interesting mesh enjoyed the vocals as well.

Idk really

Album cover is bland and uninspiring from a band with an uninspiring name. Never listened to them, though they seem to have a lot of streams. Could be good. Precious. Moves along nicely. Drum tempo is cool. Vocals sit oddly in the mix. I like the attitude of the vocalist's performance. The panning guitar effect could've lasted longer. Overall fine 3.5/5 The Phone Call Awful vocal effect. Garagey guitar performance. Sonically stagnant. I like how it ends. Average 2.5/5 Up the Neck Instrumental is a vibe. Verse structure is well fitting. Love the guitar and bass on this track. Cohesive. Gives strong post punk vibes. Solid. 4/5 Tattooed Love Boys. Sus title. Upbeat vibe was unexpected. Danceable. Bass sounds great. Vocalist sounds confident and like she's having fun on the track. The guitar solo doesn't work for me. The different sonic palatte is welcome at this point in the album. Perfectly fine track. 3.5/5 Space Invader. Solid bassline to start. Crunchy. The drums are a little too muted. Good panning effect on the guitar. Cool but a bit sparse. 3.5/5 The Wait. Vocals stand out over a bland instrumental. Chorus has great energy. Garagey guitars return. Standard solo. Danceable. 4/5 Stop your Sobbing Acapella opening is a choice. Not sure if I like it. Kinda annoying chorus. What a weird concept for a song. Unimpressed. 2/5 Kid Western vibes from the guitar. Lacks the attitude from the previous tracks. Bridge was good. Chorus feels a bit underwritten. The fade out stinks in comparisson to the many great endings to their previous songs. Average 2.5/5 Private Life. Vocals sit weirdly in the mix again. Bluesy. Not sure about the falsetto in the backing vocals. I don't mind the placement of that guitar part. I like the writing on the verses. Doesn't really do anything surprising. Is not bad, but not particularly inspiring. Good moments brings it above average. 3/5 Brass in Pocket. Upbeat and plucky. Backing vocals work well here. Could be fun to sing along to. Summer driving song. Solid. 4.5/5 Lovers of Today Cheesy. Expecting a grand over the top chorus anytime now. Don't like how loud the bass is here. Welcome instrumental switchup. Just sort of underwhelmed by the chorus. Decent little guitar parts helps smooth over a boring instrumental bit. Overstays its welcome. 2.5/5 Mystery Achievement. Opening bass part is really catchy though a bit rough around the edges. Singable and full of charisma. Works well with what is given. Enjoyable 3.7/5 First impression says pretty solid record. Nothing mindblowing, but it kept my attention throughout. Impressed by the fact this is a debut record. The singer does a great job bringing fun charisma and attitude to the table. Wish to see more instrumental variety should I hear more of them in the future. Bass playing was solid throughout, and the guitar solos worked well for the most part. Fave track. Brass in pocket Least fave track. Stop your Sobbing.

The best motherfucking debut album of all time.

Quite eclectic with a great song or two and some mehs.

I would never listen to this again

WHAT IF I SAY I'M NOT LIKE THE OTHERS WHAT IF I SAY I'M NOT JUST- That was not on this album. However, it was a good album. 4 stars.

obviously good but not my thing..

This album is just as young as me!

precious- 5 phone call- 5 up the neck- 5 tattooed love boys- 5 space invader- 5 the wait- 4 stop your sobbing- 5 kid- 5 private life-5

I didn't mind this. It's a bit too much for my tastes sometimes but when it's good, it's good.

Completely exceeded expectations. Especially enjoyed the first couple of tracks and the last track. Why don't we talk about The Pretenders more?

Listened Before? N Very, VERY good. I'm familiar with a few of these (especially Brass in Pocket), but I hadn't heard most of it. I really like the punk-leaning songs but even the pop/rock tracks hold up very well. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Brass in Pocket

quite fun

Fine. My favourite tracks are Brass in Pocket, Private Life, Stop Your Sobbing and Space Invader.

Not my type of album, not terrible tho.

Christie Hynde's voice has always been great and the lyrics on this are amazing.

bom demais e saudades guitar hero 2

It's alright. Non offensive and okay as background music.

8/10 Favorite Tracks: Tattooed Love Boys, Lovers of Today

First half is more punk than I would have expected, second half would be more the sound I'd associate with the Pretenders, either way and excellent record, Chrissie is an excellent lead, can sing punk, pop, rock, etc. Great selection of songs that have replayability

2,5

-The Phone Call: sounded like a phone call I don’t want to listen to -*Up the Neck: Blondie-esque; interesting lyrics -*Space Invader: that bass though! So immersive I didn’t notice it was solely instrumental. Great! -The Wait: nope -*Stop Your Sobbing: Hynde’s voice is so pretty and this song features that better than others (re: The Wait) -**Brass In Pocket: “‘cause I’m gonna make you see/there’s nobody else here, no one like me” true Chrissie, very true. lol, I like this one -Lovers of Today: rock lullaby, bit bored -Cuban Slide: interesting enough for background music at a dance -I Can’t Control Myself (Demo): like the contrast of the guitar vs Hynde’s lyrics/voice -*Swinging London: cool title; enjoyable instrumental journey -*Tequila (Demo): Chrissie Hynde goes country, lol, that was fun and ballad-y The sound is very cohesive. The talking-singing-talking thing doesn’t always work but Chrissie Hynde makes it interesting and what a lyricist too! Hynde has a great voice but while it’s in a rock song it seems like it doesn’t quite fit sometimes. I guess part of their style is to mess with what I might call lyrical rhythm (?), too many words in a musical measure. This could just be criticisms of their overall style. *Would download **Heard before Note: long album, unlisted tracks = “Meh”

A solid rock album with the attitude of punk.

The whole album has the distinct vocals that we know from 'Brass In Pocket' (TIL that's the name of that song) with a bit of a groovy, upbeat, rock flair. Fun album. 4.5

The only song I was familiar with was “Brass in Pocket” and remained my favorite. I won’t be back. 2.5/5

Pretty solid with several of their best songs.

Another album that I could have been listening to in 1979 instead of the Doobie Brothers and "Sharing the Night Together." I mean, yacht rock is comfort music to me--but why wasn't I exposed to this? And "Brass in Pocket" isn't even the best song on the album!

stop it

Day 33: Pretenders - Pretenders. Pretenders Album 1/1. In my opinion, female-fronted punk is typically much more enjoyable than male-fronted punk. Something about female vocals raging to punk instrumentation feels quite satisfying. I don't typically have gender preferences when it comes to music genres. Contrary to what their band name suggests, The Pretenders feel very genuine. There is a lot of attitude. There is a lot of energy. There is a lot of angst. The vocals are great. The lyrics cover interesting topics, although, they aren't exactly "deep". Unfortunately, the instrumentation didn't feel very special. I found other female punk albums to be much more interesting. For example, "Nunsexmonkrock" is all over the place in a good way, and has a unique variety and charm to it. I wish that Nina Hagen was included in "1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", because her music is incredible. Personal Enjoyment: 3/5. How Much It Belongs Here: 3/5.

I just couldn’t see the appeal. None of it resonated with me.

Top 100 album for me. One of the greatest debut albums of all time.

Great band

Dodgy vocals at times, but overall pretty solid.

Good rock with female vocalist

Was surprised I liked this as much as I did considering the genre. I feel like it could be a 4 but some of the slower songs drag it down to a 3.5 for me. This one feels like a round down instead of a round up for me. Liked the beginning of the album best and mostly less so as it went on.

Not sure there's much substance there, but I like the vibe.

Brass in Pocket is a banger but otherwise dull noise

I don’t know if it’s my mood, the quality of the music, or the fact that I was listening to a “spring” album in the dead of winter, but this didn’t vibe with me. I wish I liked it more. EDIT: I gave this one another listen on a warmer day when I was in a better mood. I was right! This is a fun, driving album. Not perfect but it is very good.

Perfect new wave album. Or is it post punk?

I liked this one

Pretty straightforward rock/new-wave. It was fine but didn't really click with me. I knew Brass in Pocket before listening to this, which is the only song that stood out to me.

a couple of great singles - Kid, and Brass in Pocket - and a mish-mash of sixties pop and angular late 70s new wave ideas.

Good beats…takes me back to 90’s

Yeah, this rocks.

awful.

Surprising. I liked their punkness and the guitar playing a lot, more than I expected to. And Chrissy Hynes sings like Lou Reed dressed in drag - wait, Lou Reed sings like Lou Reed dressed in drag…you know what I’m trying to say.

Some songs were better than I thought they’d be but I’ve never really gotten into her voice. At some points she almost sounds likely Patti smith but without the grit. Solid album but still. It a pretenders fan.

Quite liked it, will relisten at some point

Unique sound and great debut. Some songs didn't connect with me but I think they'll grow on me with time

My god I love the Pretenders. I'd forgotten how much. Chrissie Hynde's voice is killer, but the band behind her is great too -- distinctive, engaging. This was a long album abd I loved (almost) every second of it.

Good album. Good rock with good hooks. Very poppy and feels super new for how old the album really is.

I respect the music but not really my cup of tea. The like upbeat rock from the 80s…

7/10

Phenomenal new wave music. Chrissie Hynde became one of my favorite punky ladies recently, like 2019. The jangly offset fender guitar tone, creative and thematic melodies and crisp and clean percussion with bold basslines. This all culminates into some pretty electric new wave post punk shit. This self titled album is a behemoth, I like earlier albums like Learning to Crawl more but I mean Tattooed Love Boys come on.

2- Stars (4/15)

Banger after banger

Really fun

Good :)

The singer's voice annoyed me and the band just felt like an accompanying act to her. Still, far more authentic than Madonna's "Music" so this isn't a 1.

I never was able to get into this one.

# 396 : They've done a pretty decent job, good album, it’s enjoyable and fun overall with Chrissie Hynde's great voice. Great debut album. I wouldn't spend my hard earned on this, but I'd certainly listen to it again. Brass In Pocket

Me mola el new wave y aunque la segunda mitad de este álbum salva lo flojita que es la primera, me sigue pareciendo demasiado mid como para apreciarlo más. Nada especialmente reseñable. Canción destacada: Mystery Achievement

Big meh for me

Made me notice.

Pretenders

Such a classic album

Slay

This album was surprisingly great. I like their unique sound, which brings so much to each track on the album. Real great stuff.

was alright.

This was good. I was impressed. Had some attitude. Up the neck was my favorite song. Brass in pocket was the most polished song no wonder it was the single. I’ll give it a 4, it was better than a lot of the threes I’d given out recently.

Blast from the past, a couple of great songs but I think I like the Pretenders in smaller doses.

Pleasant surprise. I only knew a couple of their songs and I don't really like those. But this album rocks. At least, side A does. I like the high energy songs. I don't like the slow songs very much, like the only song on the album I knew before: Brass In Pocket. So basically, I don't like side B very much. Favorite song: Tattooed Love Boys.

normal, just... normal

This album makes me light headed with joy. Give me Chrissie Hynde and Debbie Harry and you can keep the rest.

Really enjoyed this. Knew their hits growing up but never listened to them beyond those. Really like how clean and well put together this album was. Also surprised at how much Brit-Pop-Rock'ish they were. Didn't know that from what I was exposed to on the radio. High 3+.

Not much to bring me back

Some certified xrt classics but I just don’t love it

Another classic rock album. Made me want to play guitar hero.

Never listened to Pretenders beyond their hits before. Some really good grooves and fun listen.

fine, I see the vision but it didn’t grab me immediately. apart from wondering how much Chrissie Hynde influenced Florence Welch 6/10

I didn’t find anything in this as particularly memorable, I’m not sure I could pick out an individual track.

I didn't like the first two songs The rest were good

Hynde is occasionally a bit much of a Patti Smith knockoff for me, but at her best, she's damn good, and the band RIPS. Excellent songwriting and arrangement. 4/5

Nice, not groundbreaking.

some good songs on here, probably need a relisten

I’ve given this several listens, and while I enjoy the back half much more than the first half, and the songs Brass in Pocket and Mystery Achievement are great, the good stuff comes too late for me to really want to come back to this one.

Some good ones, others painfully bad songs

What a pleasant surprise! Honestly saw the name and got them mixed up with the Foo Fighters Pretenders record, but this is a great example of girl rock. Very few skips. I think my favorites are Precious, Cant Control Myself, Brass Pockets, Lovers of Today and Up the Neck. A lot of good stuff here.

Nice.

Sexy, powerful, catchy. Not my favorite type of music but Chrissy Hynde's voice is absolutely insane. So unique and sultry and funny and fun. More interesting than I would have given it credit for based on the one song I knew before, "Brass in Pocket"

Woah. Right off the bat, those vocals are RIGHT up front. I only knew the guys by the pretenders. This is good. The last couple of tracks were not my favorite. But I liked this quite a bit

Highly, highly enjoyable. The music is pitched – temporally, stylistically – between Television and Sonic Youth. Chrissie Hynde stands alone. A fantastic record (tragic about half the band, though!).

Chrissie Hynde is just very cool

Didn't blow my hair back or anything, but enjoyable enough. 3/5 Highlights: Private Life Brass in Pocket

Solid album.

Album #2 - 4/5 Overall a really fun new wave punk/rock album. "Precious" was SUCH a banger to kick off the album. Other standouts for me were "The Wait" and the instrumental, "Space Invader." I am also stoked on the drums throughout the entire album, holy shit. All the time signature changes? So good. It's pretty wild to comprehend that this was their debut album. Also, the range of genres they touch was pretty sweet. I'm so glad to now know who Chrissie Hynde is. That voice!! The confidence & attitude! Proposing to men in other rock bands so she could get a green card to stay in England for the punk rock music scene? Obsessed. Listening through all the songs and reading up on most of the lyrics I was a little shaken up by the sexual violence in "Tattooed Love Boys" & "Up the Neck." (Maybe also alluded to in "Precious" and "The Phone Call"?) That was just a bit much for me.

I don’t think the Pretenders’ biggest hits do their reputation justice. A much better album than you’d expect if all you know is “I’ll Stand By You.” Enjoyed the listen.

3*

Stand out tracks: Precious, Tattooed Lover Boys, Private Life, and Brass In Pocket This is an album that I honestly would have never listened to on my own, I’m very pleasantly surprised, their use of different time signatures is what really drew me in and made me pay attention to this, they don’t do it on every song, but when they do it it’s done masterfully, a lot of good stuff to listen to on this album, I’ll definitely be revisiting it!

Perfectly fine music, but nothing really jumps out from the album. A lot of nostalgic sound however

I knew the Pretenders could have a little edge to them, but didn't know they got down quite like this! Some crafty bass and drum work. Chrissie Hynde with an unmistakable and captivating voice.

Huh, interesting. Pretenders actually had punk songs. Brass in Pocket and the like seemed to be their entire deal, but this record proves not so. It's alright you know. I had no idea Private Life was by Chrissie. It does feel like it suits Grace more I suppose but I've just never heard this version, whereas the cover is ubiquitous. I lost interest a bit in the middle there, but Lovers of Today is probably the best song here that I haven't heard a million times, and the record finishes strong.

Pretty nice to listen to, but doesnt seem to quite make it to 4/5. Standout tracks: Brass In Pocket, Tattooed Love Boys

Some nice songs, and some not so good. Overall just ok.

Unexpected. Met me where I was at. Absolutely loved it.

Fav song: Brass In Pocket This album was pleasantly surprising to me. In equal measures of punk AND great writing. This type of vibe usually isn't my thing but I'll be revisiting this one for sure!

Pop, punk, rock. LOVE her voice! Chrissie Hydne. The definition of cool rock voice. Best punk rock I’ve heard so far, awesome guitars. Loads of instrumentals. Turns into kind of cheesy pop half way.

# Album Name: Pretenders # Artist: Pretenders # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Well what can i say, i wasnt expecting this from the Pretenders. This album was a real mix of punk and new wave. On a first pass of the album, i was like ok this isnt bad. Then i came back to it a few times and its become a real grower. Brass in pocket is like the odd one out for me. It doesnt quite fit the feel of the rest of the album but its THE song everyone knows on the album. Its a great tune. The rest of the album really stands up too. Stand out tracks Private life and space invader. I love the guitar and vocals on private life. Great song. Theres several other tunes worth a listen like phone call, love boys. I'd give this a low 4. It wasnt great but it was very enjoyable. # Top Tunes: Private life , brass in pocket, space invader. # Would I listen to it again? I would.

it was decent i guess, no real standout songs here, not even the well know Brass in Pocket.

Some fun, energetic rockin' songs with a lot of charisma

Oh boy. That's not what I have in mind when you're mentionning "New Wave".

Great energetic and catchy rock with a few nice hits, but I also fail to find genius in it or completely love the tracks.

This is like pop punk at its birth. Still more punk then pop but so very close to what we know as pop punk today. The vocals are short ranged, almost spoken but the hardness in her voice doesn’t make it come off lazy like a Lou Reed delivery. The music is quick, the guitar is simple. This album moves along quickly but I don’t find myself replaying a track because it was just that enjoyable. The best track was Space Invader and it didn’t have any vocals on it. What a waste. There isn’t much to this album after a full listen. I wouldn’t return. Choice cut: Space Invader

Very interesting type of music.............. Kinda just that music that plays in movies when they are driving or over a space filler scenery type scene.

not sure

Second half of the album was much more enjoyable than the first. Solid mid table album.

Jangle pop that has no equal. Edgy without realizing it.

Yeah, I just don't get the hype.

Just okay

Nice. Very 80's

The essence of early 80’s new wave. An iconic great album!

According to my uncle, this is what “new wave” is. Love the genre, and love Chrissie Hynde.. great album

I really enjoyed this album, it went harder than I thought it would - particularly enjoyed space invaders! Would give a 3.8

This kicks so much ass. Punky new proto-new wave. Reagan and Thatcher hadn't quite yet influenced the culture of maximalism that we'd see for much of the ensuing decade. I've always liked Chrissy Hynde's voice, idiosyncratic as it is, and even though I only know Brass In Pocket (which I didn't know by name), I found this an easy listen.

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

Not going to complain about this particular new-wave punk album, it's rare you find one of these with a lead female vocalist. And yeah, Chrissie is the best part of the album. There's just so much personality and variety in those vocals, fusing that classic swagger on a majority of the first half, and, with the second half, showcasing a softer, more melodic side with songs like 'Stop Your Sobbing', 'Kid', and, my personal favorite, 'Lovers of Today' - all songs that showcase her undeniable range as a singer. Her vocals at times remind me a lot of Justine Frischmann or PJ Harvey - though obviously, she predates them by nearly a decade. Instrumentally, the album sounds remarkably of its time, especially in the first half with those guitars on 'Up the Neck' for example. I didn't mind it though, but most of my highlights were in the second slower half... I especially liked that hypnotic groove on 'Private Life' - which sounds almost proto-dream-pop with all that guitar reverb. Though my favorite song from an instrumental standpoint is one of the punkier ones with 'The Wait'...I love that bassline on the chorus paired with Chrissie's near-incomprehensible vocals. And that noisy explosion in the song's closing minute or so is easily the most fiery moment on the entire record. The huge song off this album 'Brass in Pocket' was pretty catchy, and groovy - though it does sound like the most radio-friendly song here. To me, the song seems to be about one's dwindling image of self in the presence of a lover they deem more important or worthy. I do think it's a tad long for its own good, but either way, I was grooving all the way to the end of this thing. Can see myself returning to it in the future.

So good! Maybe not my speed entirely but really good.

nice fave track: mystery achievement

Easily digestible 80s new wave. The big track “Brads in Pocket” is undeniably an ear worm, but I was impressed by the multiple genres and odd time signatures found on some tracks. Standouts include the “jungle” tom tom beat on Cuban Slide, and the reggae feel + tasty guitar solo on Private Life

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

Great debut album. Really like the whole vibe of this one. Chrissy Hynde was way ahead of her time. 4.0

bangers

Just don’t love the sound of this genre

Was surprised to hear the Punk notes in this album. I really enjoy her voice, too.

Meh, not really my thing, but 80s usually isn’t

I ain’t gonna pretend to say this is a great album

Eh, average 80s new wave rock

After the run of albums we’ve had lately this was pretty boring, would rather listen to the foo fighters song than the album tbh

To be honest, they were Pretending to be a good band. I would say that this was a pretty mid album - it was alright to just have somewhere in the background but pffff, if you were to listen to this as your main activity, then you would likely just get annoyed and move on to something more stimulating. Overall, meh.

Oh, this stands up great. Happy to have this back in the rotation 4.5 🌟

Meh

Okay. Didn’t blow me away. Probably won’t listen to again

medio aburrido 63

initially, the Pretenders serve high energy, meat 'n' potatoes new wave -- without fashion, without synth and pop appeal, without any further influence than its bare building blocks, their debut feels like the scientific control of its genre. as a result, Side A fuses together into this slab of sound, each song sounding pretty close to the last but still the same amount of fun. meanwhile, Side B has these singles that serve as high points in their discography interspersed with long, jammy tracks like "Private Life" and "Lovers of Today". it's like the whole thing is trying to keep it together, playing it safe in the first half like a glued Lego set. then it brings out this fragile original Lego creation that kicks the prebuilt set's ass but also has little greebles and bits falling off of it with each jostle of the table. i admire this hustle; i can't help but award it an 8. also, you're kidding me. nobody in the band was from New York City? Ohio and the UK? alright. i'll believe you... cautiously.

Good rock album. For me this one goes not that far but its easy enjoyable. Less memorable to me at least 3.0/5.0

Precious - 4/5 The phone call - 2.5/3 Up the neck - 3/4 Tattooed love boys - 5/5 Space invader - 4/5 The wait - 5/5 Stop your sobbing - 3.5/5 Kid - 4.5/5 Private life - 3.2/5 Brass in pocket - 5/5 Lovers of today - 2/5 Mystery achievement - 5/5 4.09/5 My mom loves them, lol. I've never really liked Chrissie's voice (maybe that's why I like the instrumental Space Invader more?). The songs in general have a nice catch. Songs I might listen to again: tattooed love boys, the wait (nice bass line), brass in pocket, mystery achievement

Really fun album. This feels like one of the first true pop-punk albums. I love how it keeps that punk rock edge throughout, but it mixes in elements of pop, new wave and even rockabilly. Its fast moving, its edgy and its just really fun. All the things you want in a punk album.

Loved it

Not too shabby

It was okay

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

More music that I listened to and enjoyed but was not particularly excited by.

Fun and good!

hmm never heard this and it kept my attention ... but not sure i need to venture back to this one again

Ok enough. Lots of the songs sounded pretty similar to me. I like the vocals, but the album was so-so.

Quintessential New Wave - tight compressed and slightly dirty guitars, a bit of jangle, loads of hooks, a touch of corny cutting edge for the day production, and heavy dose of retro flair recalling the rock-n-roll of the early 60s. I only knew the hits, but there are some bangers on this one and the instrumentals are great surprise. Favorites: space invader, private life, Kids

A mixed bag for me. Brass in Pocket is great of course. I also really like the first track, Precious and the last track, Mystery Achievement. Everything else fell sort of flat for me or didn’t work at all. I can see why the album is significant though. Chrissie Hynde’s voice and style probably started multiple female-led bands and some songs sound likely they could have been released in the last 20 years.

Pretty standard run of the mill new wave album, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

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

Was this the quintessential one hit wonder album or where they just pretending?

3.5☆/5 11.21.2024

Interesting early new-wave and punky fun

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

I liked this. But once again while I didn’t hate the experience I wasn’t overly in love with anything either. 3/5

uno di quegli album per cui parto con zero aspettative e poi mi devo ricredere. mi è piaciuto parecchio.

Molto bravi, non li conoscevo Mi incuriosisce sapere perché un loro album ha la copertina uguale a London Calling dei Clash ma sarà un dubbio che risolverò ad un loro prossimo ascolto

Realmente é um bom rock anos 80. Para quem gosta de Rock vai gostar, e quem gosta de anos 80 então. Gostou de Tattooed Love Boys, The Wait, Stop Your Sobbing, Private Live e Lovers of Today.

Queria dar 3,5, mas como não existe meia estrela vai 3. Achei um album legal de rock, com altos e baixos, mas que no fim, foi uma experiência bacana. Destaque: Up the neck, Private life

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

My dad always made sure to tell us that Christie Hynde was a bad bitch. Impressive debut with a lot of hits. Surprised that the reviews at the time were mediocre. I particularly like the drum mix

I dont knowwwwwwww. I'm impressed but not blown away. Cool to blend these genres and make something main stream. Great sound, great vocals etc. I think i listened to this 4 times and only a couple songs really stand out (Space Invaders and Brass in Pocket). At times it feels very faceless. I'm sure there are strong arguments for 4+, which I respect. 3 for me.

In terms of this genre of garage new wave bands (thinking of The Cars, Joe Jackson, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello) I don't think the Pretenders can really compete in terms of writing a hook or just songwriting in general. They have a strong, clean sound, but the songs themselves aren't always strong enough to stand out, even from each other. Since this is basically pop, I think lack of catchiness has to be held against them. Still this album rocks pretty hard in some places (The Wait and Kid are my favorites), and Chrissy Hynes oozes cool. Brass in Pocket is probably the most catchy song, but it feels like it doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. I think I might be contradicting myself, saying in one breath I want the songs to stand out from each other, then complaining about one standing out too much. It makes sense to me.

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

Liked some songs, didn't like some. Brass in Pocket was really fun. Some of the spoken word / dialogue was really funny and quirky. Most of the album didn't jump out to me though

Chrissie Hynde is an interesting character, loved reading her Wikipedia. Raised in Akron. I can add her to the list of Akronites I’ve always known as LeBron, Devo, and the Black Keys. She played in a college band with a dude from Devo. Then moved the UK and tried to get both Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten to marry her to give her citizenship. And she has a baby with the lead singer of the Kinks. Really enjoyed this overall, but also agree with the take that a lot of this washed over me. Could see this becoming a real favorite or becoming completely forgotten in my collection. Deserves a few more relistens for sure.

great voice

Definitely marks the opening of the 80s in that it's a bit corny and smooth all over like a barbie doll, rock without edge. Perfectly serviceable for a high school 80s movie and I bet ma and pa love bopping along to it, can't fault it for that, it's just a bit boring and forgettable. The Wait is a good track though.

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

A true 3.5, this is a great album with production that sort of bugged me I fear

the first half of the record was enough to earn a 4 from me. Fantastic energy and spunk and punky-grittiness. Super fun and a great listen that I will 100% be putting on again. The song The Wait was a huge discovery for me - a new favourite track! The second half wasn't as great and except for Brass In Pocket which is undeniably a killer jam and a big hit,... I could take or leave most of it.

I don’t get the hype at all. This album is a snooze fest. Every song sounds like it’s just killing time until something interesting finally happens, but spoiler alert: it never does. Chrissie Hynde’s voice is supposed to be iconic, but on these tracks it mostly just drones on and on. Honestly, the whole thing feels painfully average. If this is supposed to be a classic, I’m missing the appeal. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been done better by a hundred other bands. I was bored ten minutes in and just waited for it to end.

Cool album but does not really separate itself from the rest. I still very much enjoyed it.

2 sterne

I didn't love this, but also didn't hate it.

I can understand why, and even agree, why they are in this list. All I can say is that it did not resonate with me. 5/10

Enjoyed this, would have been 4 if there was more consistency in good songs. A few too many filler tracks for me. Chrissy Hynde, great voice though.

Really good, Christie Hind has such a distinct voice and if you like it you're half way there as the songs were very good too. Brass in Pocket still gets lots of radio airplay in the UK and it is such a brilliant song. I think with their style of pop Punk music they may well have inspired others along the way. I could hear similarities with bands like Razorlight as I listened. Definitely deserves a 4

Det är svårsmält för mig detta sound. Känner mig helt ointresserad. Det är kanske inte dåligt musikaliskt. Det är ju lite poppigt. Men never again.

Precis som jag gillade sångerskan i Yeah Yeah Yeahs så gillar jag sångerskan i Pretenders, det är verkligen hon som bär upp det här albumet. Lite svajigt i början, men tyckte det var trevlig lyssning under hela andra halvan. Inte tillräckligt många låtar med samma höjd som Brass in pocket för att bli mer än en stark trea dock.

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

meh, very horny and weird, also off tone and off beat often. but certainly not awful, all things considered

3/5

I don’t know. I think she could have said baby a few more times.

#399. The only one I had ever heard before was Brass in my Pocket from when I heard it two or three times a day while working at the grocery store. Thought that song was annoying then, and it apparently hasn't grown on me since. The rest of the album isn't any better either, so yeah I don't know. 2/5: What does "gonna use my sidestep" even mean? Song added to playlist: Brass In Pocket I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

I have a soft spot for talky British bands but this is a good one

It's no masterpiece.

Brass in pocket is catchy. There is a change from punk to pop within this album alone but how do they get from pink to I’ll stand by you? Crazy style change. Chrissie’s vocals are great and addictive. Probably won’t add to my collection but doesn’t bother me to listen.

Some good songs, but I don't think I would listen to it again.

Not something I would listen to often, but a very fun album. The Wait is my favourite on the album.

3<x<3.5

Yep. This is definitely the self-titled 1980 debut of the Pretenders. I don't have a ton to say about this one. While that does mean I don't have any major praise, it also means that I don't have any real complaints either. This is a perfectly solid album that gives me no reason to be upset. The sound is fun. It's got a nice blend between new wave and punk that actually kind of works for me. The singing is also solid, as is the writing. "Brass in Pocket" is probably my favorite song on the album. I like it. Overall, this album's good, but it's not exactly exciting. Still, I respect it for what it is. High 3/5.

I know, I know. Just never been my groove.

This is an excellent album. It is musically on point, and Chrissie Hynde's sultry vocals are amazing. "Brass in the Pocket" has always been one of my favorite songs. Although I like Nick Lowe, I am glad he decided to leave this project. As far as his contribution, I think "Stop Your Sobbing" is one of the weaker tracks.

Me like guitar

Who doesn’t love the pretenders, it’s not their best album so I’ll rank it down but it’s still really good!

Kid and Brass in Pocket are great. The rest is pretty good. 3.5 stars.

I won't walk 500 miles for this album, but maybe a 5k would do?

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

Love love love!!

A classic!

The Pretenders are like rock Blondie. Over/under on Ohio based references is one per song. This is more New Wave than I would have thought. The lyrics are ridiculous. LCD Soundsystem must love this album, this is what they would have been if they came out in 1980 instead of 2000. Stop Your Sobbing is not good, the 60s girl group vibe is out of place on the album and in the song. There is a Pretenders sound that carries through every song though. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs probably love them too. There are too many songs that are dominated by Chrissy Hynde's stange delivery and voice. And some of these songs are rock songs and others are just straight New Wave/Ska. Brass in Pocket is the hit, for good reason, it's a great song, maybe the perfect Pretenders song. They definitely had an influence-Beck, Scissor Sisters- you can hear pieces of this album in a lot of places. This is a hard album to rate, a lot of things to like and a lot of things to hate.

érdekes volt, de valahogy hidegen hagyott I guess

Not something I'm likely to return to but pretty fun while it was on. The opener 'Precious' provided impetus and there were a handful of eccentric punk grooves scattered throughout the tracklist to keep things interesting. Top 3: 1. Brass in Pocket 2. Precious 3. Stop your Sobbing Bottom 1: Kid Overall score: 6.6/10

Nicht meine Richtung

Fun album from a fun band! They are fantastic at having more punk-centric tracks mixed with poppier fun melodies. Underrated act that I need to delve further into. Notable Tracks: - Precious - Tattooed Love Boys - shout-out Guitar Hero 2 - Space Invader - Kid - Brass in Pocket - Mystery Achievement 8/10

This was a pretty cool post-punk album. The Pretenders are definitely more punk than I expected. Based on the few songs I already knew, I thought they leaned more into new wave, which they do at times, but overall, I’d say they’re heavier on the punk side.

I actually don't hate this, I thought I would, I'm usually not a fan of 70s/80s punky music. One thing I'm noticing is that the vocals seem SUPER high in the mix and seem to bury the instruments, which is a shame because the parts actually seem kinda cool. This one is kinda growing on me as it goes on, not a bad album.

could i write poetry to this? y

Any Northeast Ohioan with access to Classic Rock radio has probably heard just about every track on this album a million times. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just impossible to listen with fresh ears.

3.5

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

Didn't really liked it

Wow, haven't listened to this since the mid-80s. Shame on me.

3 - very 80s

Songs I liked most: Precious, Tattooed Love Boys and Mystery Achievement Songs I disliked: Private Life and Lovers of Today Overall rating: 4. Liked the first half of the album better than the second half

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

Pretty good, her voice sounds so familiar, but i didn't recognize any of the songs

So challenging. Love the band, love the sound, love five songs off this album. But it doesn't seem well produced as a whole album. Everyone loves to say nobody makes albums anymore, but the 70s and 80s are full of hit packed albums without a lot of substance just as much in current times.

Fun album.

That thumping bass and Chrissie Hynde's vocals. Yes, please. Great album.

There's the one Pretenders song everyone knows, then a bunch of other songs that sound nothing like that one but all sound the same.

Sånn bortsett fra at Tattooed Love Boys gjorde meg nostalgisk, så ga da meg ikkje så masse

Great one.

Fantastic Album. Great debut.

Another first listen for me, though I knew Brass In Pocket. Chrissie Hynde has a fantastic voice (IMO) but jeez it is forward in the mix. Almost painfully so with headphones. This was a solid, enjoyable album. I've seen it called one of the best debut album of all time, which seems a bit over the top. I think you can hear the influence it had on later rock music though, so for that alone it deserves to be on the list.

Um

Such a pleasantly surprising album. Really enjoyed this one

Enjoyable - plenty of recognizable songs to enjoy

good álbum

Much different from their hit song from the 90s “I’ll Stand By You”, which is a song that women who drink Bud Light and smoke menthols sing at karaoke bars (from my experience).

Groupe connu uniquement par le morceau 'Brass In Pocket' (+++) qui passait beaucoup à la radio à l'époque. Cet album est une excellente surprise, avec des morceaux très dynamiques (je ne m'y attendais pas) et originaux. J'ai apprécié en particulier : 'Tattooed Love Boys' 'Space Invader' instrumental 'Mystery Achievement' Même si je suis moins convaincu par certains morceaux plus calmes comme 'kid' ou 'Private life' (bons chorus guitare mais un trop long), je vais probablement ajouter cet album à ma collection. =>4/5

pretty cool

Good, boring at times, but Tattooed Love Boys and Brass in Pocket make it worth the time spent.

An excellent album with a variety of styles. There’s lots of punk and hard rock, especially in the first half, along with more melodic rock and new wave. But it feels like one cohesive sound too. Definitely the sort of album you can put on and enjoy in one straight listen. “Brass in Pocket” is the classic here — great song — but everything is strong. Chrissie Hynde is a great lead singer.

This would go so much harder if it was recorded more recently. The production is kind of an immediate turn off as the band are just a bit subdued and hamstrung by the quality available- I can tell they want to rock and slam their instruments around and I get that affect in the vocals, but the band sounds like they were recorded without any kind of saturation or edge and it definitely hurts the first impression. "Brass in Pocket" is a standout that I think most people are familiar with, it seems to have that magic "thing" that makes it a special song and more timeless than the others, and I'm happy to hear songs like "Lovers of Today" which show a nice bit of dynamism in the record. It's a solid record. With a few more tracks like "Brass in Pocket" it could be a 4.

Pretty good

good rockin album

I liked the guitar solos the rest of the stuff not so much

sure

I really like the singer but as a whole the band just doesn't do enough to stand out. The singles are great but otherwise the rest of the songs on the album are a little bland.

nice

Pretty solid -- I like this

The farther I went into the album, the more I liked it. Proper piece of rocking.

Good old energetic ROCK / Has aged well / Chrissie Hynde made it /

The Good: They aren't pretending anything! The Bad: They have bad taste in clothes… The Ugly: only 47 minutes and 2 seconds long… What an absolute joy to listen to. I believe that I was familiar with 2 Pretenders songs, gratefully now I am familiar with more! Off to give them there well deserved 4*… oh so close to 5*

Bra gammrock

Not my favourite Pretenders, but some nice tunes here.

Very much a ‘back in my day’ album that doesn’t hold up now

5.9

I remembered the single from the album. Overall it was okay but to me not very memorable, I wasn’t really feeling it overall.

hmm, naja ... aber da kam ja noch was

Helt ok

Fun punky sound

Personally just not my vibe

Marvellous

Pretenders are a classic staple

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

It's Joan Jett and the runaways, but British. Tattooed Love Boys Kicked on, and suddenly, I was back playing Guitar Hero at my parent's house. Stop your sobbing, is a great like 80s driving down some desert highway with the top-down song. Brass in Pocket has been forever stuck in my head since I was like 10 and used to watch the VH1 "I Love the 80s" I can still see the music video playing The album starts to decline at the end; I think you just reach a point where the songs sound the same. The guitar on The Wait helps pick back up some of the momentum Overall 5.3/10

Overall a decent album for its time, a bit too long for its sound to maintain long term interest in full album listens. Favorite song: Private Life

Can feel the 80's seeping through on this album. Fun ride. Tight performances. Fav Track: Brass in Pocket (fire emoji)

Really enjoyed this album who knew

Confident and entertaining 3.9

Really disjointed scoundscape. Ranging from unfiltered punk with 'precious'; into slow ballad masterpiece 'brass in pocket' with a banger finish of 'mystery achievement'. The whole album is underscored with a bass guitar that won't stop "noodling" and sometimes it works like the aforementioned album closer, other times its distracting. With a mix that just feels like it was done by a 13 year old who cranked every dial up the entire middle of this album is skippable. Overall, I'd say there were only 3 solid tracks in a sea of mediocrity.

Personally I preferred Parallel Lines if I had to pick between those 2, but this was still really cool. Thank you 1001 albums very cool

Nice "old" Rock Sound

80’s punk/pop, pretty solid. A few songs ive heard before. Space Invaders, was a really cool instrumental

Fun.

Only knew of “Brass in Pocket” coming into today and as is the case with most other albums with a prominent single, I figured the rest of this album wouldn’t quite stack up to that. I’d say I was quite wrong there, as the entire album was pretty enjoyable and somewhat up my alley. This is very early pop-punk/punk rock and its release date is appropriate, as it sounds like a bridge between the 70's and 80's. I'm not sure this could've worked with anyone other than Chrissie Hynde on vocals too, as she adds her own "punk rock girl" flair with some tender and soft tracks mixed in.

yeah, that was ok.

Chrissy Hynde rocks

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

It sounded like less good Television.

Good band from the 70’s-80’s. Good songs.

Surprised by this album but it just didn’t hit on all levels

the vocals and the instrumentals dont feel like they match on the first two songs idk if it is a mixing issue not sure why but there always seems to be at least one thing that bugs me in 75% of the songs in this album

Oh hell yeah!

Almost all great songs! Did already know and like half of them lol 4.5

great find from 1001, didn't know about Chrissie Hynde before this. Favorite track: precious other picks: tattooed love boys, mystery achievement, private life, brass in pocket

Hmmmmm…a lot of people really like Pretenders, but I’ve just never been into Chrissie Hynde’s disaffected vocal style. Something similar that’s better I think is the Cars debut album.

This is a pretty good album. I was previously only familiar with Brass in Pocket, but really the whole album is good. I would come back to this one.