Pretenders: Live In London

Pretenders (Artist), The (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 9, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: E1Entertainment
• ASIN: B0033I5MR2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,331 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Deluxe two disc (CD/DVD) edition includes bonus DVD. With millions of albums sold and their place in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame solidified, The Pretenders are a special band with a special place in history. Pretenders-Live in London captures one of their many electrifying performances from their 2009 world tour. The CD captures 20 of The Pretenders biggest hits, including 'Kid', 'Back On The Chain Gang', 'Middle Of The Road', 'Brass In Pocket' and many more. The DVD features 24 tracks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Live In London" shows The Pretenders at their best, February 15, 2010

By 

Ty Norman Walker - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pretenders: Live In London (Audio CD)

"Live In London" is a live performance masterpiece that captures The Pretenders at the top of their game. If you saw them live on their 2009 tour, you'll know what I'm talking about. You owe it to yourself to get this CD/DVD as a reminder of just how amazing this band is on the road.

"Live In London" succeeds where The Pretenders' studio albums fail. They are one of those rare bands that truly does sound better when they're playing in front of an audience -- an intimate small theater crowd here.

With all due respect to original guitarist James Honeyman Scott and bassist Pete Farndon, The Pretenders latest lineup is the best Chrissie Hynde has ever staged. With the steady pounding of original drummer Martin Chambers, newcomers James Walbourne on guitar, Nick Wilkinson on bass and Eric Heywood on pedal steel rock from start to finish, revitalizing Pretenders' classics like "Message of Love" and "Kid," while adding new ones like "Boots of Chinese Plastic" to the playlist.

You'll be blown away by Walbourne's electrifying guitar work. It starts with the first licks of the opener "Chinese Plastic," scorches through "Rosalee," and climaxes with the show-stopper "Precious." Walbourne delivers pure, unadulterated, raw, rip-snorting rock 'n' roll. His on-stage chemistry with Hynde is self-evident.

As per usual, Hynde's vocals are impeccable, showing great range, dynamics and emotion, equally adept at punk rockers like "The Wait" and ballads like "I'll Stand By You." This woman has earned the right to work the stage with the swagger of a rock star. She is it.

The direction and camera work throughout "Live In London" give the viewer the perspective of being on stage with The Pretenders. Tight crops interspersed with effective wide angles make one feel like he can count the streaks of mascara multiplying on Hynde's face and see the beads of sweat building on Chambers' brow as the night rocks on.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pretenders Retake Their Throne, April 1, 2010

By 

Michael Neiss (Princeton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pretenders: Live In London (Audio CD)

It's 1980, and hammocked between the waning days of Disco, the growing artifice of Punk and a pre-natal MTV lurking just over the horizon, the music world seemed to be wresting through a significant upheaval that witnessed a new infusion of raw grit from Great Britain (Costello, Clash) but unfortunately, remained caught in the gravitational pull of cash flow dinosaurs like The Knack, Peter Frampton and Supertramp who lingered like an overweening FM virus.

Thankfully, just when the entire scene seemed given over to the mohawked bad boys, soon to be made-for-video poseurs and thirty minute drum solos, hard rock veered back from the abyss in no small measure by the sonic toughness of The Pretender's eponymous debut album. The entire disc was a shot over the bow of complacency and manufactured attitude - I still can remember wearing through the grooves of Mystery Achievement and thinking that all is not lost.

Fast forward three decades and The Pretenders, Live in London hits me in just the same mood - except that by comparison to the vacant rictus that seems to define music in 2010 - Peter Frampton would now be considered a Beethovian talent. Fortunately for us, Chrissie Hynde is still the baddest girl in rock and has not lost a jack-booted octave to time or ennui - still consuming the stage and all of the oxygen around her. The Pretenders remain loud, muscular and sinewous, even on some of the newer songs like Chinese Plastic which in a more just world would have easily been a hit.

A rough and ready five stars!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chrissie Hynde And Company Rocked London In This 2009 Concert, February 13, 2010

By 

Brien Comerford (Glenview, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pretenders: Live In London (Audio CD)

The seemingly ageless and tireless Chrissie Hynde and her band that comprises the Pretenders are in vintage form on this remarkable CD/DVD that was recorded and filmed in London 2009. Her diverse and excellent vocals are absolutely flawless and the guitars, drums and bass are frenetic and riveting. The many songs and hits that are impeccably performed include "Talk Of The Town", "Message Of Love", "Kid", "Back On The Chain Gang", "Don't Get Me Wrong", "Stop Your Sobbing", "Day After Day", "Middle Of The Road", "Brass In Pocket" and "I'll Stand By You".

Newer and lesser known songs are also brilliantly done live. "Booots Of Chinese Plastic" is a very uplifting rocker. "Love's A Mystery" features Hynde's tender vocals and some great pedal steel guitar. " Don't Lose Faith Im Me" is another example of Chrissie Hynde's emotional vocals taking over a song. "Tequila" is a melancholic and pensive song about a person at a bar ruminating about lost love.

Chrissie Hynde's vocals are the amazing highlight throughout. She can sound like an angry punk rocker, a seductive temptress, a rejected outcast and a tender and emotive angel. The band on this recording is arguably the best ever assembled by her. Martin Chambers is a renowned drummer and the addition of a pedal steel guitarist wonderfully augments the band's sound.