Customer Reviews

Pretenders II

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I finally broke down and bought this reissue. I purchased the boxed set (which is essential if you're not going to rebuy their remastered albums). The concert did it for me. It gets a fifth star (the orignal album rated a four and 1/2)for the live show.Enhanced with a second CD with the bulk of the concert the band played in Santa Monica, CA in 1981 (I wasn't there but I did want to go--couldn't get tickets at the time)along with a some wonderfully clunky demos for "Talk of the Town", an outtake/demo version of "I Go To Sleep" and a remix of "Pack It Up" that repeat the experiment that Lennon did for "I Am the Walrus" and "Glass Onion" incorporating random radio ads and programs. It's bizarre and truly only something that Chris Thomas might actually consider worth releasing.

This version of the album is the keeper if only for the concert alone. This terrific follow up to the band's first album had a few weak songs but overall carried on developing the band's sound (and Hynde's songwriter muscle). The only thing missing here is the take of "Precious" which was released on the "Talk of the Town" EP just prior to this album's release. We do get a live version of "Precious" here but if I'm not mistaken, it's a different version entirely from a different show.

The only thing I dislike is that the two CDs slide into the cardboard sleeve without any protection. The booklet is nice with complete lyrics, an overview of the recording and where the band was at the time along with some really cool pictures. I'll probably break down and buy the first album as well (my other favorite Pretenders album aside from the third "Learning to Crawl").

As much as I love "The Pretenders" (the band's first album), I love "Pretenders II" more. Why? Because in addition to some of Chrissie Hynde's most melodic songs ("Talk of the Town", "Message of Love", "Birds of Paradise"), a killer cover of a classic Ray Davies tune and a rockin' closer called "Louie Louie" (no, not the better known one covered by every bar band in America), crunchy rockers we also get some naughty songs as well. "Bad Boys Get Spanked" isn't a great song but I have to admit I crack up when I hear it. "The Adultress" with it's classic line "I'm the adultress/I didn't want to be/But I'm convienent/And I make good tea" sums it all up. Oh, and let's not forget the great James Honeyman Scott on guitar. This is the classic line up (although the latest edition comes a close second).

Sometimes reissues are worth plunking down money for, and this is one of them. The packaging and sound are great, disc one is the album as originally issued (no extras), and the extras on the generous disc two are good to great (most of it is a vintage live show, with a couple of demos and outtakes at the end of the disc). The live stuff is pretty hot and sealed the deal on my satisfaction with this purchase. To the reviewer who complained about the cardboard album jackets, i often have the same problem: sometimes they scuff the disc or the disc is hard to get out without damaging the sleeve - I think i found the solution. Since the packaging is slightly oversized, if you go get a packet of paper cd sleeves (available from a number of places on the net, like Bags Unlimited), they should fit into the pocket and protect the disc, and allow for easy removal and protection of the disc. i've had to do this with several 'mini-lp' reissues and the Pretenders reissues have jackets big enough to accomodate the sleeves without any trimming. (I also recommend upgrading to the 2CD reissue of the first album, too - Rhino did a bang-up job on these. The Box set (Pirate Radio) is also quite good).

I love this re-release of Pretenders II with its bonus disc of many live classics from a great band! It is a must have, I can't get myself to take it out of my car's CD player now that I have it there. Every day is a great listening experience!

It is weird reflecting on this, because back when this was first released as an LP I was hoping The Pretenders could blow me away as much as they did when their debut LP was released. But that wasn't a realistic expectation. And I was overly critical, feeling they need more songs like The Adultress (which reminded me of The Wait) and less like I Go To Sleep (which I felt the commercial success of Brass In Pocket distracted them from their real calling). Yet I have come to see that the music on this CD also stands the test of time, just as their debut does. The first two LPs were classics, of a band with the greatest of potential which suffered a tragic short career together. The two discs capture this, and are a must have for any music lover.

The Pretenders were a great, GREAT band! And they still are (have you seen The Pretenders & Friends on VH1?)!

So snarled Chrissie Hynde on The Pretenders' second full force album.

I have to admit, I held off on buying this because I never felt it measured up to either the brash originality of the debut or the defiant sense of odds-breaking that propelled Learning to Crawl. But then I bought both of those remastered CD's and just knew I needed this (and Get Close) again. I admit to grievously under-rating "Pretenders II."

While the sting of the debut may have raised expectations for the follow-up to a level I could not accept less than at the time, this sophomore album has all the great things the debut offered. There is Chrissie as the tough/tender woman whose voice could tremble seductively ("Two Birds of Paradise") or snarl dismissively (the aforereferenced "Pack It Up"). The group displays a solid understanding about what being in a rock band is all about, coyly referencing classics like "Louie Louie" or "Day After Day" for titles, and then actually covering a classic (again, turning to The Kinks for "I Go To Sleep"). Sadly, Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott maybe understood it too well; they would both be dead of drug abuse within two years.

There is also Chrissie and The Pretenders' true secret weapon in evidence here, and that is their uncanny early knack to turn catchy, classic singles loose with ease. Both "Talk of the Town" and "Message Of Love," while not US hit singles, have become classics in their own rite. The playfully naughty "The Adultress" ("but I'm convenient, and I make good tea" is one of the best couplets in rock, ever) and "Bad Boys Get Spanked" sound better today than they did 27 years ago. It makes you remember that this classic line-up of The Pretenders only held together for two albums, and it's a packet of music that holds up beautifully. Honeyman-Scott's clever guitar riffs have since received the accolades they deserve, and "Pretenders II" has, as well. "Pits of the world?" Hardly. Maybe I held off on buying this reissue early, but I'm glad I have it now.

Yet there is even more to this; That second full length concert disc. Even with the three superfluous demo/outtakes, the bonus CD could have made its own four star stand-alone offering. This was the classic early line-up playing with gusto to win a Santa Monica live audience over (plus recording the show as a college radio music special - I used to actually have the LP, dangit!) to the new material plus three songs from the debut. It should probably be re-emphasized that those two albums were all the band had to draw from at this stage of the game, and the powerful line-up was a monster, live. When Chrissie cuts loose with a banshee wail on "Bad Boys Get Spanked" and Honeyman-Scott fires off a scorching solo during "Up The Neck," you'll realize just why The Pretenders were one of the great rock and roll hopes of the early 80's.

I wasn't gonna, but then I did...I broke down and bought the re-issue. I'll probably go back and buy the re-issue of the debut album, too, because I enjoy the hell out of this one!
The music itself is still as fresh and rocking and pleasing as it was when I first bought the vinyl version way back when it was released. Seeing them on that tour in Pittsburgh was one of my favorite concert experiences as well. Now, with the extra concert bonus stuff on disc two, it is that much more difficult to stop listening to it over and over and over! I get just as frustrated as the next working stiff when I face the prospect of buying a disc I already own just to pick up more stuff, but this is a legitimate case for dropping the dime. If you need to, sell the original to a store that buys back used discs and get some in-store credit towards something else or better yet, a few bucks for some refreshments! If you like this album, you'll love the re-issue. Viva the Pretenders!

Like many others here, I saw the group live (with original line-up), bought all the albums, then bought all the CDs as they appeared. All the music is great, and I have no criticism there (personally I slightly prefer Pretenders II to I). However, the sound quality of the first CD release was shrill and harsh. This "remaster" of Pretenders II studio tracks reduces that somewhat, but does so by essentially chopping off the top two octaves, and perhaps the bottom one as well. It now sounds muffled, with the life sucked out of it. (Seems like a similar thing happened with the recent remaster of Who's Live at Leeds.) For this set of studio recordings it is best to just pull out your turntable and listen to the original LP (which sounds fine). What makes this new CD worth buying, however, is the live set: Sound quality not too bad, and a must-have for any Pretenders fan. Great jams, and the excitement of the original synergy on stage. If Chrissie is still getting royalties from these sales, that's another reason to buy; she certainly deserves to benefit from all the enjoyment she has brought to rock fans over the years.

When "Pretenders II" first emerged in 1981, it received mixed reviews and many reviewers indicated it was inferior to the eponymous debut album, which admittedly set a high standard for this album to reach. However, since buying "Pretenders II" on vinyl in 1982, I have always believed it was unfairly underrated. It has some great songs that rival the best on "The Pretenders", including "Message of Love", "Talk of the Town" (a great pop-rock confection that features a perfect Chrissie Hynde vocal that is smoky and seductive), "Day After Day", "Pack It Up", and "Louie Louie". The latter is not the 1960's classic, but a rocking Hynde original that is also a great party stomper and show-closer. The opener, "The Adultress", is not far behind the best songs. The ballads are decent to good and include "I Go To Sleep" (another Ray Davies/Kinks cover), "Birds of Paradise", and "The English Roses". The remainder of the album is decent, but a let-down compared to its peaks. The debut "The Pretenders", as great as it is, also had some filler.

The remastered album is clear and crisp, although not a dramatic upgrade from the original. However, the deal-sealer is the 2nd bonus disc, which features 65 minutes (15 songs) of a live show in Santa Monica, CA. This show by the original line-up, which is the best of the many line-up changes, is well-recorded and the band is in very good form. The 65 minutes include the best Pretenders songs from both albums and even the few album-filler songs ("Bad Boys Get Spanked", "Up The Neck", "Private Life") benefit from the live treatment. The show is good enough to have been released as a stand-alone album and in fact I am surprised this live recording remained dormant in the vaults for 25 years; I wonder if other shows of equal or better quality are also lingering in the vaults, especially by the original line-up. Why am I so hung up on the original line-up? The primary reason is the lead guitarist, James Honeyman-Scott (JHS), who was simply one of the best rock guitarists in the late 1970's and early 80's whose burgeoning career was cut short by cocaine overdose at age 26. His solos were melodic and stayed within the musical theme of the song; he didn't solo just to show off his talent. JHS also played interesting, melodic fills in the verses and choruses, complementing Hynde's vocals. Pete Farndon was an underrated bassist who interlocked well with the powerhouse drummer Martin Chambers, whose fills could be flashy, but didn't detract from always maintaining a steady beat. Farndon played both simple and complex, melodic bass lines, depending on what the song called for at the moment. Like JHS, Farndon was undone by substance abuse, for which he was fired from the band only months before JHS met his demise and sadly died of heroin overdosing in 1983 at age 30.

Finally, the "Talk of the Town" demo and outtakes of "I Go To Sleep" and "Pack It Up" make for nice listening, but are not revelatory and are not as good as the versions released.

For anyone that likes the Pretenders, or interesting rock in general, this album, along with the remastered deluxe 2-CD "The Pretenders", is essential listening.

This is a Review of the SACD layer.

I have about 5 of these MOFI stereo CD's now. All have the same problem...no high end. Just a thuddy, muddy low end party. You cant adjust enough to bring the treble out of the mess.

Now, the Album, the music, is superb. Who doesn't like the Pretenders? This master is just too bassy, like a lot of the cassettes you used to buy.

The Rhino remaster is much better, and-Here you get a lot of bonus tracks!Rhino=USD 10. Mofi=USA 30! Muddy sound, muddy high's. What a letdown-Save your money. Another reviewer is absolutely correct-The latest Mofi releases do not sound good.

I feel about the Pretenders as I did Elvis Costello and the Beatles-they gave rock a solid kick in the pants! A decent sophomore effort for the group, this expanded edition gives you a taste of what it was like to hear them live on the second disc. With a second Ray Davies cover, and "Louie, Louie", you may think that the band pulled out all the stops on their first album, then just coasted for the second one-you'd be wrong, but it's easy to see why. When you consider the output over the past 30 years, and all the turmoil in between, Chrissie Hynde was developing as a songwriter. Pretenders ll was a necessary step in that evolutionary process. Get the first album with 2nd companion disc, and the expanded 3rd and 4th albums, and you won't really need the box set. But...get that too!