FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
The Pretenders - Pretenders
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IT passed me by until now…
IN THIS PHOTO: The Pretenders in N.Y.C. in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Lynn Goldsmith
but The Pretenders’ debut, Pretenders, turned forty earlier this month! I did not hear much in the news but, looking online, and it was released in early January, 1980. To be fair, there are various dates as to its ACTUAL release that range from 7th - 11th January (in the U.K.). In any case, the album is forty and it is one that people overlook when they talk of classic debuts. The band are an American-English Rock band fronted by the sensational Chrissie Hynde. The band has changed line-up since 1980 but, on the first outing, the group was as follows: Chrissie Hynde – lead vocals, rhythm guitar and backing vocals; Martin Chambers – drums, percussion and backing vocals; Pete Farndon – bass guitar, backing vocals and James Honeyman-Scott – lead guitar, keyboards and backing vocals. The majority of the songs were penned by Hynde, and Pretenders features hits such as Precious, Private Life and Brass in Pocket (co-written with Honeyman-Scott). The band’s latest studio album, 2016’s Alone, features a new line-up, but the band have not lost their consistency and quality. My favourite album from The Pretenders is their debut, as there is that mix of the big hits and other numbers that grow and reveal themselves over time. Nick Lowe, as it goes, produced the band’s first single, Stop Your Sobbing, but did not work with them after as he felt they did not have legs – Chris Thomas stepped in and took over the production duties from then on.
Pretenders went to the number-one spot in the U.K. on the week of its release, and it stayed there for four weeks. Since its release, it has scored highly in features of the 1980s’ best albums and the album was remastered in 2006 and included some bonus tracks. In terms of song quality, The Pretenders did not really drop a step through their first three albums. It was only by the time they got to Get Close in 1986 that the genius faded a bit. Pretenders stands as a remarkable debut. One should get it on vinyl because, as is obvious, that is the point of this feature! I am not overly-sure whether there was anything similar to Pretenders bubbling in 1980 but, if you look at the year’s best albums – Talking Heads’ Remain in Light and Joy Division’s Closer was released in 1980, as was David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Bruce Springsteen’s The River and The Jam’s Sound Affects -, it was not shy of genius records! I listen to Pretenders now and it sounds so fresh and inspiring. One wonders why more bands of the moment are not following their lead as, whilst we have tough female-led bands, few have the same qualities and depths of The Pretenders.
Forty years after its release, the songs on Pretenders spark and endure. Maybe it is the band chemistry or the stunning leadership of Chrissie Hynde; whatever the reason, she still leads the band and, whilst Alone felt like more of a solo project (hence the title, I guess?), Hynde will be producing music for years to come. I have looked online for a couple of reviews regarding Pretenders. One is hard-pressed to find a negative one because, as AllMusic write, the band wasted no time making an impression!
“Few rock & roll records rock as hard or with as much originality as the Pretenders' eponymous debut album. A sleek, stylish fusion of Stonesy rock & roll, new wave pop, and pure punk aggression, Pretenders is teeming with sharp hooks and a viciously cool attitude. Although Chrissie Hynde establishes herself as a forceful and distinctively feminine songwriter, the record isn't a singer/songwriter's tour de force -- it's a rock & roll album, powered by a unique and aggressive band. Guitarist James Honeyman-Scott never plays conventional riffs or leads, and his phased, treated guitar gives new dimension to the pounding rhythms of "Precious," "Tattooed Love Boys," "Up the Neck," and "The Wait," as well as the more measured pop of "Kid," "Brass in Pocket," and "Mystery Achievement." He provides the perfect backing for Hynde and her tough, sexy swagger. Hynde doesn't fit into any conventional female rock stereotype, and neither do her songs, alternately displaying a steely exterior or a disarming emotional vulnerability. It's a deep, rewarding record, whose primary virtue is its sheer energy. Pretenders moves faster and harder than most rock records, delivering an endless series of melodies, hooks, and infectious rhythms in its 12 songs. Few albums, let alone debuts, are ever this astonishingly addictive”.
I do think many people overlook the early years of the 1980s when it comes to the all-time greatest albums. Look at a few of the album I mentioned a minute ago and, clearly, there was something in the air in 1980! Whilst The Pretenders never quite matched the brilliance of their debut album, they did go on to release plenty of excellent material. I will bring in another review, because it is interesting to see how various sources assess a masterpiece. Back in 2006, Sputnikmusic had their say:
“Kicking things off with a blast of punk inspired heat, the album get's started with Hynde front and center leading the band through the sexually charged "Precious". No wilting flower, its obvious from the start Hynde is not your average girl playing pretty girl music in a cute little rock band. Much more Patti Smith then Stevie Nicks, Hynde smolders and burns from the very start on this cut and establishes the tone for the entire album before the first verse is even over. Never crass in its innuendos or even in the emphatic cry of "*** Off" near the end of the song, Precious storms along in a way that grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. Its propulsive beat addicting, its melody strong, and its punk roots on full display, the listener doesn't have a chance to question what it is, punk or otherwise. Hitting like a freight train, we just know its good. And we're happy to go along for the ride.
After the noisy, pseudo instrumental "The Phone Call", which is basically two and a half minutes of noisy, propulsive jamming with some interesting flourishes, comes the very conventional "Up The Neck". With Hynde's smooth vocals front and center and some nice melodic guitar work, this song of sexual lust and desire is as daring a song as one was likely to find in 1980 or anytime, for that matter. "Lust turns to anger / A kiss to a slug / Something was sticky on your shag rug / Look at the tile / I remember the way he groaned and moved with an animal skill / I rubbed my face in the sweat that ran down his chest / It was all very run of the mill / But I noticed his scent started to change somehow / His face went berserk and the veins bulged on his brow / I said baby, oh sweetheart" Subtle without being vague and obvious without being obnoxious, Hynde treats these bold lyrics as just a matter of fact, and the band plays it the same way. A conventional pop/rock song in new music clothes with lyrics no decent woman would even think, "Up The Neck" sounds exactly like what it is. A dirty love song for a new generation of desperate lovers. Or at least music lovers.
As if what had come previous was just a tepid warm up however, on the next track, the brash and wild to this date "Tattooed Love Boys", Chrissie shows she's not afraid to be a proud rock n roll slut and makes no apologies for it. Behind the chiming guitar work of Honeymoon-Scott and driving force of the pumped up rhythm section of Farndon and Chambers, Hynde asserts herself here like few women in mainstream rock ever had up to this point, and challenges you to knock the rock n roll chip off her shoulder with lyrics such as "I tore my knees up getting to you / Because I needed to find out what that thing was about" and "I shot my mouth off / And you showed me what that hole was for".
PHOTO CREDIT: Lynn Goldsmith
Certainly not the territory of the mainstream rock woman of the day, these kinds of statements by a female singer leading an all male band of rough punk style players would certainly not go down easily for the American masses. But this Ohio born songstress and her band would help change the rules and perception of what was mainstream for good with this song and album, as they would show themselves on the rest of the record to be not one trick punk rock ponies, but a well rounded rock n roll band that does not just one thing well, but like the old guard which was passing away right before them, did all things well. The Pretenders didn't come to destroy rock n roll like the punks before them or of the day, but help to restore rock n roll to what it once was. And they would spend the rest of the album completing the job”.
I shall leave things there but, as it has just celebrated an anniversary – with a distinct lack of fanfare! -, I felt it only right to put Pretenders into Vinyl Corner. It is a record you need to own and, as always, go and stream it if you prefer. Last week, I published an article about The Sundays’ debut album, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. That was released on 15th January, 1990, and started music’s greatest decade off with a bang! In a similar fashion, ten years previously, The Pretenders’ semi-eponymous debut began the 1980s…
WITH stylish swagger.