Pretenders CD

The Pretenders: James Honeyman Scott (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Chrissie Hynde (vocals, guitar); Pete Farndon (vocals, bass); Martin Chambers (vocals, drums).
Additional personnel: Chris Thomas (keyboards, sound effects); Gerry Mackleduff (drums).
Recorded at Wessex Studios, London, England.
The Pretenders: James Honeyman-Scott (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Pete Farndon (bass guitar); Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers.
Personnel: Honeyman Scott, James (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Chrissie Hynde (vocals, guitar); Martin Chambers (vocals, drums); Pete Frandon, Pete Farndon (vocals); Chris E. Thomas (keyboards).
Audio Mixers: Bill Price ; Mike Stavrou.
Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot.
Liner Note Author: James McNair.
Recording information: AIR Studios; London, England; Marquee Club, London, England; Olympic Studios, London, England; Paradise Theatre, Boston, MA; Regents Park; Wessex Studios.
Photographers: Des Letts; Pauline Worral; Tom Sheehan.
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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Former rock critic Chrissie Hynde launched the Pretenders with an engaging, yet passive, version of the Kinks' "Stop Your Sobbing." She unveiled her own persona fully on The Pretenders, which contains a series of excellent compositions marked by her sensual vocals and brilliant sense of dynamics. An understanding of pop's structures allowed Hynde to exploit them to her own ends while sympathetic support, particularly that of guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, used the excitement of rock without reference to its cliches. Tough and opinionated, Chrissie Hynde's first declaration of independence established the formula she proceeded to follow.
The Pretenders' debut album received a much-deserved upgrade in the fall of 2006, as Rhino reissued it as a double-disc set containing a remastered version of the original album on the first disc and a wealth of rarities on the second. Of the 16 tracks, 11 are previously unreleased, but the five previously released cuts are relatively rare, including "Cuban Slide" and "Porcelain," the two excellent non-LP cuts from the 1981 EP Extended Play that didn't surface on CD until the 2006 box Pirate Radio. They're highlights here too, particularly for fans of the first lineup of the Pretenders who didn't want to invest in the big box, but this entire second disc is extremely worthwhile, a worthy supplement to one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever made. Not that it is always as confident and assured as the finished album; it's often rough, particularly on the demos, such as "Stop Your Sobbing," which isn't as full as the studio version, or on the demo of "Brass in Pocket," which reveals thatRolling Stone (10/31/02, p.136) - Ranked # 12 in Rolling Stone's "Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums"
Rolling Stone - Ranked # 20 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The Eighties" survey (November 1989).
Rolling Stone (p.113) - 5 stars out of 5 - "PRETENDERS stands as a stunning confluence of hooks, sonics and substance - it's one of those rare albums on which every move turns out to be the right one."
Alternative Press (7/01, p.96) - Included in AP's "10 Essential Women's Rock Albums" - "...An absolute classic album...a set of tough, distinctive pop songs..."
CMJ (1/5/04, p.6) - Ranked #2 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1980".