Album of the Month: The Pretenders

The Pretenders : Tattooed Love Boys

[Purchase]

In January of 1980, The Pretenders released their self-titled debut album, a commercial and critical hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Within a month, the UK #1 hit "Brass in Pocket" would be racing up the American charts to #14. Not bad for a song Chrissie Hynde never wanted anyone to hear.

"I didn't like it very much," she told BBC2's "The Art of Artists"."It was one of the few collaborations I did at the time because I brought the songs in on my own. And thats what I did like about it . Jimmy ( Honeyman-Scott) played this great riff in the studio one day and I went 'Wow, what was that?' and I managed to tape it so I could write a song around it. That was great. I wish we had time to develop that because collaboration is the most fun thing. But I didn't really like my voice. I didn't like my contribution to it and I said 'That goes out over my dead body'".

Raised in Akron, Ohio, "The Rubber Capital of the World", Hynde was immediately drawn to rock music, getting most of her education from the radio. She moved to London in 1973, working odd jobs, writing for NME, surrounded by friends who were making headlines in punk rock bands.

"I wanted to be in a band so bad. And to go to all the gigs, to see it so close up, to be living in it and not to have a band was devastating to me," she told Rolling Stone.

In 1978 she met bass player Pete Farndon, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and Martin Chambers, musicians from the cathedral city of Hereford. They practiced seven days a week, developing a sound that was heavy on riffs and more pop-oriented than punk (though "Precious" is about as punk as punk can get). By securing a demo session with Honeyman-Scott's idol Nick Lowe, Hynde convinced everyone to move to London and give The Pretenders a go.

The debut album, produced by Chris Thomas ( Roxy Music, Sex Pistols)  heralded a band of rockers lead by a woman, which may not have been a big deal in the egalitarian punk rock scene, but was the subject of a lot of writing by mainstream journalists.  

“It’s not easy to be in her position,” Pete Farndon told Rolling Stone. “You know— locked up with four or five guys who are talkin’ about tits and ass all the time. On the road, you’ve got nothing that most women would want. Chris isn’t like most women.” 

On the first American tour in March, The Pretenders ended their show with the Kinks cover that had been their first UK single. By now the reviews were all in and The Pretenders were on their way.

From Robert Christgau of the Village Voice, a grade of A-

Tough gals, tough gals--suddenly the world is teeming with tough gals. And Chrissie Hynde is a good one. Maybe not all of her songs are championship singles, but she's got more to offer emotionally and musically (and sexually) than any of the competition, unless Patti counts. She's out for herself but she gives of herself as well; when she alternates between rapacity and tenderness you don't feel she's acting coy or fucked up, although she may be. And she conveys these changes with her voice as well as with her terse, slangy, suggestive lyrics. James Honeyman Scott's terse, slangy, suggestive guitar steals don't hurt either.

   From Red Starr of Smash Hits a 9/10:

GREAT hard sound, especially guitar, 46 minutes playing time, high writing ability throughout, concentrated rock'n'roll energy, staying power...As one who'd previously thought The Pretenders nothing more than a collection of pleasant odd bits cobbled together, this comes as a very welcome surprise/ I'm converted! Great album. Best tracks "Tattooed Love Boys", "Brass in Pocket".

By the end of the Summer of 1983, drugs had taken the lives of both both Farndon and Honeyman-Scott. Forty years later, Hynde and Chambers are still touring as The Pretenders, performing on a double bill this coming Summer with Journey.