Keno's Classic Rock n Roll Web Site
guitars.gif (6044 bytes)

ALBUM REVIEW

THE PRETENDERS

pretenders.jpg (4651 bytes)

Pretenders

Released - 1979 , Sire Records. Produced by Chris Thomas except "Stop Your Sobbing", produced by Nick Lowe

Chrissie Hynde - Lead & Backing Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
James Honeyman-Scott - Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Pete Farndon - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Martin Chambers - Drums, Backing Vocals

Additional keyboards by Chris Thomas

All songs written by Chrissie Hynde, except where noted below.

SONG RATING
Precious     7.6
Phone Call     6.0
Up the Neck     7.6
Tattooed Love Boys     6.8
Space Invader (Farndon/Honeyman-Scott)     7.2
Wait (Hynde/Farndon)     6.9
Stop Your Sobbing (Davies)     7.6
Kid     6.5
Private Life     6.2
Brass in Pocket (Hynde/Honeyman-Scott)   10.0
Lovers of Today     6.1
Mystery Achievement     8.1
Ave.     7.2

MINI REVIEW

A great debut album put out by the Pretenders. A combination of new wave, punk and pop songs that fits in together just grand! To bad this first lineup of the Pretenders did not last too long, it would have been nice to see how they would have turned out years later. Best songs on this album is the classic "Brass in Pocket", a nice slow rock song. But there are a number of great fast pace punk tunes here too. One of the best is the kick off song "Precious". James Honeyman-Scott's lead guitar riffs are maybe not what you call typical, yet on this album they cut like a knife, to say the least. Plus anyone who felt that Pete Farndon wasn't that great a bass player needs to listen to this album, his bass is tops throughout it. But of course, its Chrissie Hynde's distinguish voice that pulls the album over the top.

- Keno 2002

To listen to some soundclips from Pretenders or to purchase it click on: Pretenders

Return to Rock Album's Reviews