C'Mon Lets Pretend [Original recording reissued]

Sahara Hotnights | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Jet Set Records
• ASIN: B00008NRL0
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,304 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Push on Some More

2. Quite a Feeling

3. Drive Dead Slow

4. Oh Darling!

5. Wake Up

6. That's What They Do

7. Impressed by Me

8. Kicks

9. Too Cold for You

10. I Know Exactly What to Do

11. Our Very Own

Editorial Reviews

Available for the first time in the US, 'C'mon...' is the band's critically praised first album. In addition to the original eight tracks released in the UK, Jetset's version contains three additional songs, plus all new cover art. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Junkmedia.org Review - The joys of standard garage rock, May 13, 2003

By 

junkmedia (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: C'Mon Lets Pretend (Audio CD)

When originally released in 1999, the Sahara Hotnights' debut C'mon Let's Pretend made mainstream stars of the all-female band in their native Sweden. It's easy to see why. This is the kind of album that grabs you on the first listen and doesn't let go until you drive yourself crazy from playing it over and over again.

While their sophomore effort Jennie Bomb delivered melodic punk a la the Ramones or the Runaways, C'mon relies upon 1960s pop friendliness. This is not to say that the album is not punkish or heavy in its guitar sound or that lead vocalist Maria Andersson doesn't employ almost hysterical shouting to make the music pretty damn intense. It's just that the melodies on this album suggest '60s influences like the Doors, Del Shannon and Big Brother and the Holding Company (in fact, Andersson sounds like a cross between Janis Joplin and Siouxsie Sioux) more than any punk band.

Except for possibly the overly chaotic "Impressed By Me," every song feels like a hit and makes you either jump or bliss out into a dreamworld of positive aggression (if not both). C'mon Let's Pretend is something like a superalbum of simple hard rock. All of this is despite the fact that some of the songs are atypical for the Hotnights' typical style. During its verses, "Wake Up" plays like a traditional soul song. "That's What They Do" is unusually subdued for the band, sounding almost like a samba with Andersson actually singing without screaming for once. "Kicks" is built on an extremely powerful bent note neo-blues riff of the sort that Soundgarden virtually perfected. And just to show that the Hotnights aren't too retro, "I Know Exactly What to Do" uses a modern but slow bare-bones progressive dance beat.

Otherwise, though, the album mostly just unobstructedly revels in the joys of standard garage rock, rediscovering its primitive power just as the band did with Jennie Bomb. To be sure, you can't expect too much sophistication or spirituality from a group of teenage girls singing about relationship problems over inherently uninnovative music. The questionable phrasing even make the lyrics kind of hard to understand. The guitar playing is also a bit more thrummy and less precise here than on the second album. But, what the hell -- this rocks.

Jan Hrubin
Junkmedia.org Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Modern Day Sioxsie and the Banshees, March 16, 2004

By 

A. C. Johnson (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: C'Mon Lets Pretend (Audio CD)

I was first exposed to this band through the record 'Jennie Bomb'. While detractors of that record could rightfully complain that the songs sounded too similar to each other, the same cannot be said of this much richer more varied album.

The songs average between 3 and 4 minutes each, which is longer than on Jennie Bomb. With the extra time per track, the band manages to take each song farther allowing more slower quieter moments to help the loud moments stand out more.

When I first heard the band, the first band that sprang to mind was Siouxsie and the Banshees. Whether intentional or not, lead vocalist Maria Andersson has successfully channelled the vocal stylings of Siouxsie -- and as a fan of that late 70's band I consider this a very good thing indeed.

Yet despite their similarity to other bands, they retain a certain uniqueness that makes them stand out. If you have Jennie Bomb by all means get this record, you won't regret it. If you have neither record, then I also recommend this as it is a better introduction to the band than Jennie Bomb.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They still make music like that!, March 7, 2000

By 

Joachim Lous (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: C'Mon Let's Pretend (Audio CD)

For all 4AD old-hands, or anyone who just likes good indie rock in general: This one is for you.

This is the upbeat side of early Throwing Muses and Bettie Serveert rolled up into one, with liberal sprinklings of harder and more spiky influences, including beautifully stark, energetic vocals with a serrated edge of desperation. But more than enough innovation to claim their own unique style, too.

You just don't find much of this sort of thing anymore, which we were spoilt with in the late 80s and early 90s. But just because there are roots doesn't mean these young Swedes fall into the retro trap: They don't sound dated for a second. This is pure rock vitality for this or any other millennium.

All in all: One of the best indie-style acts around, and probably _the_ best all-girl rock band ever.