Pretenders [Original recording remastered]

The Pretenders | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 3, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 1980
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B000HIVQD0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,691 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #36 in Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > New Wave

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Precious [Disc 1]

2. The Phone Call [Disc 1]

3. Up The Neck [Disc 1]

4. Tattooed Love Boys [Disc 1]

5. Space Invader [Disc 1]

6. The Wait [Disc 1]

7. Stop Your Sobbing [Disc 1]

8. Kid [Disc 1]

9. Private Life [Disc 1]

10. Brass In Pocket [Disc 1]

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Cuban Slide (outtake) [Disc 2]

2. Porcelain [Disc 2]

3. The Wait (demo) [Disc 2]

4. I Can't Control Myself (demo) [Disc 2]

5. Nervous But Shy [Disc 2]

6. Swinging London [Disc 2]

7. Brass In Pocket (demo) [Disc 2]

8. Kid (demo) [Disc 2]

9. Stop Your Sobbing (demo) [Disc 2]

10. Tequila (demo) [Disc 2]

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Pretenders, the band's stunning debut album, was originally released in 1980 and hit #9 in Billboardr. Introduced the Pretenders classics 'Kid,' 'Precious,' 'Mystery Achievement' and the #14 Billboardr hit 'Brass In Pocket.' Plus the band's distinctive take on Ray Davies 'Stop Your Sobbing, which was their breakthrough single in the U.K. and the U.S. Bonus disc 2 boasts previously unreleased demos for 'Kid,' 'Brass In Pocket,' 'Stop Your Sobbing,' 'Tequila,' and more, plus a 'Cuban Slide' outtake and BBC performances including 'Mystery Achievement.' Also features previously unreleased live gems including 'Precious,' 'The Phone Call,' and 'Tattooed Love Boys' recorded at Boston's Paradise Theatre in March, 1980.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The First & The Best. Possibly The Best Debut Album Ever. November 15, 2002

By Chris Matthews

Format:Audio CD

The problem with the first Pretenders record was that it was so damn good it set expectations of the band incredibly high, and Scott & Farndon cracked under pressure.

In this album, you have the perfect mix of four musicians at a time when it was satori for them to get together.

First,Chrissie, who was at here cocky I'm-a-woman-of-the-world-and I'll-kick-your-ass-if-you-abuse-me-again best voice, sounds like a dominatrix with a hidden heart of gold & not the PETA militant we get now (although you can see it coming on this album, but it seems like it would be more). She has the perfect balance of rage AND sensitivity on this album. It's watching oragami fragile idealism wrapped in Kevlar armor with leather & studs over it. It's fascinating as to how the combo got wedded together. She sings tender-but-wary ballads ("Kid") along side of fever sex dreams that show that the mystery of sex still outweighs the mistrust ("Mystery Achievement", "Up The Neck", "The Wait") and tales of survival ("Tatooed Love Boys", "The Phone Call") & confidence ("Brass In Pocket", "Private Life").

Secondly, you have James-Honeyman Scott. Why, oh why, you a**hole did you have to O.D.? Didn't you know you were probably the greatest new wave guitar player this side of Tom Verlaine?
This album is rife with extrodinarily economic but blistering riffs. JHS was old enough to rock out melodically like guitarists of yore, but added enough punkish noise to the fuel like Nostradamus's match, predicting the coming of Sonic Youth & Nirvana. The use of the atmospheric harmonic line from "Tatooed Love Boys" is STILL brilliant. And, my god you played like a hot rod drives: foot on the floor to the end of the quarter whether you were going to explode or not. Maybe it's not a wonder that you flamed out......

Lastly, you had Farndon & Chambers. It's such a cliche to put the rythm section together, but they really did work as a unit. Like Scott, they mixed the best old school with a brave new edge of the new. Best of all, they were learned in the thump of R&B which kicked the Pretenders to the top of the heap in playing. Having been an O.P. (origional punker) in those days, let me tell you, it wasn't the snottiness or the aggression that made bands bad, it was the fact that they didn't GROOVE. These guys, however, had it in SPADES. Tragically, Petey decided to follow Jimmie & loaded the essence of poppy flower in his veins once too many times. So, after one more album, Chambers sounded lost without his groove mate.

One of the other reviewers was talking about the philosophy that old school punk was an attitude. This is SOOO true. This album was the first living proof that you could sell an album with it. It just took street smarts.

A classic. Read more ›

62 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An album that enthralls after 25 years. One of the best ever. October 28, 2006

By M J Heilbron Jr. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Pretenders' first album is one of the great rock albums.

Ever.

After a quarter of a century, your heart will still quicken and your blood pressure will rise. That same excitement you got back then will come right back.

Without an ounce of hyperbole, this nuclear-hot collaboration between an American expatriate and three profoundly talented Englishmen at the tail end of the punk movement resulted in a 12-song set that in it's quality, influence, vision, range, ambition and plain old rock & roll energy has yet to be matched.

You hear this album, you will think these guys could do anything they wanted. Punk to pop, country to new-wave soul. It's all here, and none of it sounds like genre-hopping. It's a totally organic sound. Instantly recognizable.

This album has not been remastered since its' original release, and now benefits from greater separation and clarity, yet it doesn't sound too harsh or over-detailed. It feels true to its' source. It's crisp. I had hoped after "Pirate Radio" (the recent box set) that their records would start to become available in newly remastered versions; here we have the first of two...a double CD at a double CD price point.

You have Chrissie Hynde's inimitable voice...part Dusty Springfield, part snarling cat. James Honeyman-Scott's precise, spare, efficient (but still thoroughly musical) style of playing was the sound of a punk rocker who took a lot of lessons. Pete Farndon's muscular, melodic bass was clearly influenced by British 60's rock...like the Who and the Beatles. Martin Chambers' drumming could go from a simple 4/4 backbeat to these unearthly tempo shifts and back without sounding like he's even trying....

This gem of a record starts with a count-off leading into the lacerating "Precious". Chrissie Hynde's vibrato purr over her compatriots' buzzsaw back-up tell us immediately we're in for something we've never heard before.

The now-famous four-letter exhortation spit at the listener startles you ("Not me baby I'm too precious...@#$% off!"), warning you to buckle up for the ride, as the album begins.

"The Phone Call", its' simple two-chord back-and-forth and punky spoken vocals, seduce you into listening more carefully..."what the heck is she saying" sorta stuff...as the incredibly tight rhythm section builds to a powerful instrumental coda.

"Up The Neck" shows a softer, more elegant musicality...with the bolder sound returning around the chorus. Many of the sounds and motifs flow over from "The Phone Call", especially the guitar lead.

In fact, this album sounds more of a piece...a true album versus a collection of songs...than any other of that era.

Of ANY era, actually. The pace and sequencing always invite you to listen "more"...to become involved. Whether that's bouncing around gleefully or pulling the headphones closer to decode murmured lyrics depends on the song.

"Tattooed Love Boys", one of the most original singles to come out of the post-punk/New Wave scene, has an acceleration that the most amphetamine-laced speed metal freak could only aspire to. The 15/8 tempo (or something close to that) keeps you off-balance yet hurtling forward at the same time. It's the sound of a runaway truck heading down an icy mountain with no brakes...

The sudden break in the middle is sublime. The exquisitely simple yet freakin' awesome guitar "solo" is an air-guitarist's dream. It is physically impossible to sit still during this song.

The thick bass of "Space Invader" introduces you to that rarest of all things: an interesting rock instrumental.

"The Wait" is pure bedlam. The opening "ker-whang" guitar chord perks your ears, the band thunders in, Miss Hynde grunts once...loudly...and we're off on a breakneck, thrilling rollercoaster of a punk ride.

Clean, crisp playing...never once overdoing it...every note and chord in perfect place. Pete Farndon's bass work would make John Entwistle smile. The song literally skids to a halt.

"Stop Your Sobbing" is a shock...a terrific Kinks cover with anthemic vocals by Chrissie Hynde that flirt with a little country flavor along with it's classic English pop sound. After the searing "The Wait", this is almost soothing.

A necessary reprieve.

"Kid" continues to show their ambition, their almost limitless prowess. It's a more conventional pop song, like "Sobbing". The sound is still urgent, and still powerful, but not as bruising.

If there is a weak spot, the moody "Private Life" might be it. It's atmospheric, but after eight unbelievable songs, it's a little boring and a little long. It's over six minutes. There's a lot to like in it...and I rarely skip it, but I rarely hit "repeat" if you know what I mean.

But then there's the chiming intro to "Brass In Pocket", the classic single with it's loping, insistent beat, simple guitar and bass lines and straightforward drumming. "I'm special...so special" Yes indeed, Miss Hynde. After the tempo explorations of the earlier tunes, this song's clarity and beauty shine in context.

Again...all of a piece.

"Lovers of Today" is another lesser effort...having the unfortunate spot after "Pocket". It's slow, and indulgent, something which The Pretenders had yet to be on this album.

The martial drumming of Martin Chambers opens the finale, "Mystery Achievement", a dark rocker with a sinuous bass hook. Great vocals, great sing-along chorus...fiery guitar breaks...the call-and-response between Scott's slashing chords and Chambers' drums...what a way to end the album!

We get a second disc of stuff, led off by the Bo-Diddley-ish "Cuban Slide" that is so good I wish it had replaced "Lovers of Today". It's slight, but it sounds like they're having a load of fun...listen to Chrissie sing those Latin "Ay-yi-yi's"!

"Porcelain" is another rave-up...an exercise in tempo shifts, crashing guitars...and this got left off?

A number of demos are informative, but mainly show that these guys were ready from the get-go. "The Wait" starts off faster, if you can believe that...and "Brass" is too slow.

Don't miss the swaggering instrumental "Swinging London". Why I have a vision of Austin Powers right now I don't know. Also check out the country lament "Tequila".

There are a handful of live tracks that will cause your speakers to blister.

Then there's the live "Sabre Dance"...yes, THAT one...the song from a thousand cartoons and commercials...with Chrissie Hynde chirping in some "Sobbing" lines...it's an odd way to end the "odds and sods" disc, but kinda hilarious. I can only imagine what the live audience was thinking...

The CD package comes in a lovely gatefold with terrific liner notes...and...wait for it...

LYRICS!

Yup. There really are lyrics to some of these blurs. I gleefully started to peruse them, but I liked my own, timeworn interpretations better, the stuff I THOUGHT they had been saying all these decades. Use them at your own peril.

There are few female rock singers today that do not owe their careers to this record. The Pretenders took punk's raucous energy & simplicity and fused it with pop sensibility & intelligent musicianship.

There are few records that retain the ability to enthrall over time. This one remains endlessly fascinating. You find yourself, in near-disbelief, thinking, "MAN is this an awesome record!"

My enthusiasm for this album has not diminished for over 25 years. Read more ›

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Review for the Audio Fidelity release November 18, 2009

By Timmothy R. Acheson

Format:Audio CD

The Pretenders - The Pretenders (AFZ 052)

This CD has two issues:

1. A "phone ring" sound effect is missing from the song "The Phone Call".

Steve had stated that the master tape did not have the sound effects on it. The sound effects were to be "flown in" using a digital workstation.

From an email that I received from Marshall:

"As to the ringtone, we used the original English master, which did not have the phone ring. The ring was added later."

2. The disc has compression on it that is not found on the original Sire CD. Regardless of ones opinion of the sound, AF CDs should not have compression on them, per the statement on each CD "The original dynamic range of this recording has not been maximized, brickwalled, limited or compressed in any way during remastering".

Steve was not around the forum during the discovery of the issues by forum members. A few weeks prior to the discovery, he had stated that his PC "blew up" and that he wouldn't be around for awhile. He came back to the forum after a few days of discussion regarding the issues on this CD and said this:

"Hi everyone,

So how do we like the Pretenders so far?

Kidding.

Obviously I can't talk about it.
If you like the sound of the disk, keep it and enjoy it.
If you are on the fence and sort of like it or are a collector, keep it as a unique item.
If you don't like what happened to it, just return it as defective, it's sold out of the run anyway.

Trust me, this FUBAR situation won't happen again on anything I master. This is not AF's fault.

Once again, if you like it, keep it, if you don't, return it as defective....

Please don't ask me any more questions as I can't answer them." Read more ›