Customer Reviews

Isle of View

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This little gem snuck into The Pretenders' discography after Chrissie took a latter day incarnation of The Pretenders on an A&E concert TV special. (That show is available as "The Isle Of View" DVD.) The surprise is just how effective and intimate Chrissie sounds in the "Unplugged" setting. She split the set between obvious songs and crowd pleasers ("Brass In Pocket," "Back On The Chain Gang") a surprise or two (I always thought "Sense Of Purpose," the best song on "Packed," was unjustly ignored -- and here it's the show opener), and some delightful reworks. In particular, the string laden version of "Kid" here takes on a greater sense of maturity some twenty years down the line. While I'd have a hard time recommending "The Isle Of View" as the most potent of Pretenders albums, it remains a personal fave of mine for more relaxing moments. If you're just getting into 80's or The Pretenders' music, start with their debut, "Learning to Crawl" or the updated (and import only, come on Warners) greatest hits. But if you're already a fan and this one slipped under your radar, "The Isle Of View" is a serious contender for your listening dollars.

This album is what I had been desiring for a long time. It features Chrissie with her unique and soothing voice backed by an incredibly talented orchestra. This "Storytellers-esque" live CD allows the listener to feel everything that Chrissie feels when she sings these stripped down Pretenders classics, and what she felt when she first wrote them. "The Isle of View" is a hauntlingly personal trip into the soul of Chrissie Hynde that will leave you breathless and amazed by her talent and passion. Only a brilliant songwriter would know that her hard-hitting, rock and roll songs could be delivered with such grace and dignity in this completely new orchestral genre. I highly reccomend this CD for all fans of truly great music.

The Pretenders have produced some real classic songs over time.This is really an acoustic greatest hits concert. Well played, well recorded and well sung. Being mainly acoustic/string orientated the interpretations of some of the classics may take getting used too, but with the basic tune of the song, they cant really make a mistake. For recording it gets 88% and music 92%.

I don't know how I missed this CD when it was first released, but I am so grateful to have discovered it now. Chrissie's voice is rich, the musicianship and the arrangements are stellar. Pure joy for my ears and my heart.

An overall fabulous album. If only all bands could sound this good live! Wait till you hear "Kid" - makes you shiver it is so haunting. Many, many great songs on this album - not just one or two. Superior song writing and arrangements. Beautiful. Thanks Chrissie!

I never been much of a live album sort of person. I have heard my fair share of really good live albums (Sade, Ani Difranco, Tori Amos) but I just never saw the appeal of buying them in the long run. One of my personal favorite live albums is The Pretenders' "The Isle of View". I remember seeing the legendary rock band perform on my local PBS station when I was in college and loved what I heard. I immediately bought the album afterwards (found a promo copy at a local independent record store). Chrissy Hyndes truly is one of the best rock vocalists around. She and her band sounds great on this live acoustic album. I especially loved listening to "Hymn to Her" (my personal all time favorite Pretenders song), "Sense of Purpose", "Back On the Chain Gang", and "Revolution" be performed live and on acoustic instruments. All the songs I mentioned sounds good in their original form and sounds equally good when Chrissy and co. performs them acoustically. Without a doubt I really loved the live version of "Revolutions" over the original version. I was so moved by the live version. It sounded incredible. Same with "Hymn to Her", a gorgeous ballad which I have always loved since I was a teenager. After all these years, I still love "The Isle of View". It still holds up for me but then again The Pretenders' music is always timeless.

Chrissie Hynde's bad attitude was always more refreshing than most - she has no patience for celebrity, no desire to sugarcoat her "message," barely even a desire to give anyone asking her a question the time of day. One of the great shocks of The Isle of View, then, is Hynde's vulnerability in full play. It's an acoustic set, but it's an coustic set of a particular bent - the guitar parts of old get morphed into string arrangements, and on occasion, the songs themselves morph in tone. The result is remarkable - it's not just a shift in tone during a song like "Back On The Chain Gang," it's a somber, moving refocusing of that song's true nature of loss and nostalgia. The best moments of the album are like that - versions of "Kid," "Sense of Purpose," or "2000 Miles" that take the songs in directions you didn't realize they'd gone all along, which proves just what a deft poet Chrissie Hynde can be. It needs to be said that not all the moments are perfect - the laconic version of "I Go To Sleep" is just laconic, and the rejiggering of their obscure debut album song "Lovers Of Today" might only prove that the song should have been forgotten in the first place. Still, by the time Hynde arrives at her last extraordinary "Freedom!" in "Revolution," the strings blazing with galvanic charm, it gets difficult to imagine a much better live attempt than this one - a winning, sly, cleverly concocted minimalist set.

If you thought 'Eric Clapton Unplugged' was wonderful, then this is for you. Chrissie and her band have taken the opportunity to rethink their most popular melodies: She has injected a freshness and life that only those who know music and appreciate carefully arranged harmonies can ever master. This performance is a pinnacle of achievement. It shows the quality of every one of the band members. The inclusion of the strings was inspirational. I saw the concert when it was shown on British TV. I recorded it, and watch it in awe of the performance. When listening to the album, being able to hold the visual images in my mind's eye adds an extra dimension. Should you buy it or not? - a no-brainer -- order it now.

I'm guilty of having bought this years ago and then let sit on a shelf. What a mistake that was!

After dusting this off, and giving it a fresh listen, this quickly became one of my favorite Pretenders CD's.

Hauntingly fresh music that showcases the talent of the band and the strength of Chrissie Hynde as a singer and songwriter.

I'd recommend this without hesitation.

I;ve been to hundreds of concerts. This is the only one that ever broght tears to my eyes. Id you don't like this you have no soul.