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50 of 52 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
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.
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~ The Pretenders
~ The Pretenders
~ The Pretenders
~ The Pretenders
~ The Pretenders
by The Pretenders 
