Pretenders 2 [Import]

The Pretenders | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Bros UK
• ASIN: B000002KME
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,735 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like Brigitte Bardot!, September 6, 2001

By 

Gundy Brain (The Friendly City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretenders 2 (Audio CD)

OK lets get one thing straight. This is a great album--of course it can't compare to the debut, but what can? The original Pretenders were one of those rare bands where all players figure prominently into the final sound. (Listen to how you can hear Pete Farndon's bass in almost every song) Chrissie's songwriting is still great, Martin Chambers and James Honeyman Scott are in fine form. Message of Love is just a flat out great rollicking(that is the word that keeps coming to mind) single, The Adultress and Jealous Dogs keep rockin' right where the first record stopped. Birds of Paradise and The English Roses are beatifully written and performed songs comparable to Kid from the debut. But my favorite song and one of the Pretenders finest tunes has got to be Talk of the Town--gorgeous driving melody and wistful lyrics with that Chrissie Hynde stamp "Oh but its hard to live by the rules, I never could and still never do"

In 20 year hindsight there are some weaknesses that I can reluctantly admit--Some critics have rightfully accused Pack It Up as self parody (but it still sounds cool), a second Kinks cover in as many albums, and as one astute reviewer noted, Bad Boys Get Spanked is a re-write of Tattooed Love Boys. (But check out that Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry sample)
In 1982 Pete Farndon was kicked out of the band for being unreliable and two days later James Honeyman Scott died of a coke induced heart attack thus ending the original band. Eight months later Pete Farndon also died. (In his bathtub with a needle in his arm) One of the most tragic wastes in rock history-- There are only two cds featuring this extremely talented and versatile band so kids, chemistry like this doesnt come along very often and this second record is a nice followup to the debut.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful, Peculiar Album, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Pretenders 2 (Audio CD)

If this had been The Pretenders' first album, it would probably have been considered one of the best debuts ever. However,Pretenders 1 was an awesome debut, and Pretenders 2 suffered from unnecessary comparisons to it. Only "Bad Boys Get Spanked" is overtly a rewrite(of Tattooed Love Boys, so I docked them a star)There are huge chunks of great stuff on this record! Especially "Talk of the Town","Birds of Paradise","Message of Love","Waste not Want not","I Go To Sleep","Pack It Up","The English Roses",and "Day after Day". I truly miss James Honeyman-Scott, and Pete Farndon. Their expertise shines here, just like the first album, and Chrissie is a true original, and always fascinating. The whole thing is tied together by one of rock's greatest drummers, Martin Chambers. All in all a truly heartfelt and melodic enigma.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad Reviews Get Spanked, January 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Pretenders 2 (Audio CD)

Sorry, but anyone who is down on this album is missing out on what was the 2nd half of an amazing group. Though Hynde went on to do much more in the name of the Pretenders, in many ways she was "pretending". This original group had an edge (in the shape of Pete Farndon and James Scott) that stood up to Hynde's lyrical bullying and her tough girl posturing. In a musical sense it pushed back and told her to shut up. It is obvious that this quartet is a group, as opposed to the rent for hire mentality and sound of the later incarnations of the Pretenders. (Clean sound and subservient chords.) It is hard to fully appreciate what Farndon and Scott contribute until you listen to anything following P II. It is missing its seriously edgy/unstable mentality and is wholly without its nasty, big, bad groove. This is a great work . . . .