In sum, Pretenders was an absolutely brutal record that punished the rock scene like a naughty schoolboy, just when it really deserved a good paddlin’. And despite being known as a bonafide badass, Martin Chambers, framed the track famously with mere minimal drum work. 1983) made the song sizzle with his smooth and slinky bass lines. Dripping with true blue rock and roll swagger, Pete Farndon (d. 1982) sparse and tasty guitar licks colliding with his sexy soloing were spectacular. My personal pick of the litter was the seductive, mid-tempo, reggae-inspired, dysfunctional love song, “Private Life.” Hynde’s scathing lyrics and honest vocals were compelling - I just feel pity when you lie, contempt when you cry. But the edgier, riff-driven tracks, “The Phone Call,” “Up the Neck,” “Tattooed Love Boys” and the abrasive album opener, “Precious” were the most urgent of the million-selling 12-song set. Produced by Nick Lowe and Chris Thomas, the first three Pretenders singles, “Stop Your Sobbing,” “Kid” and the iconic hit “Brass in Pocket” all packed infectious pop appeal. And her songs were crunchy and catchy.Īs evidenced by this single, The Pretenders were clearly carrying “Brass in Pocket.” She was dirty and dangerous, bold and beautiful. Sporting dark, shaggy bangs and spackled with super-thick, jet black eye makeup, Hynde oozed mystique as she slashed away at her Fender Telecaster. In fact, the launch of MTV still was a good year or two down the line.Īs a result, with the exception of perhaps Suzi Quatro in the early ‘70s, we hadn’t seen anything like the leather-clad Hynde when images of her band first began popping up on international, late-night cable video music programs in 1979. And the imminent tidal wave of chart-busting female rock artists had yet to crash across the shoreline. While the Runaways had come and gone, the groundbreaking all-girl group hadn’t exactly caught fire. An elder brother took the blame for the younger as both were sent away for cattle rustling. With James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Ken Curtis. Leading the charge was Chrissie Hynde - the band’s American-born singer/songwriter and guitarist. The Pretender: Directed by Vincent McEveety. And the decade of decadence was detonated by a doozie when the debut from the US / UK combo the Pretenders first exploded globally via Sire Records - 40 years ago this month.
Hence, the ‘80s seemed destined to be an exciting era. However, fresh-sounding break-out acts, including the Ramones, the Clash, Elvis Costello, the B-52s, the Police, Joe Jackson and the Cars all were emerging during the late ‘70s. The ultimate Pretenders song and the prime example of Hynde’s flair for a winning melody and a catchy pop hook, “Brass in Pocket” became the first new number one of the 1980s and launched the band to almost overnight fame.The ‘70s music scene had been owned by an array of predictable pop performers, groovy organic groups and well-crafted corporate collectives. Hynde’s bold and seductive vocal flipped rock’s traditional male posturing, with her dynamic band providing wonderfully assured backing.
Yes, it’s one of those ubiquitous songs so familiar that you probably wouldn’t choose to play it at home very often, but when it comes on the radio or you inadvertently catch the video on the telly or YouTube, you can’t resist its funky swagger. There’s a beautiful melody, chiming riffs aplenty from Billy Bremner and characteristically warm vocals from Hynde, who celebrates her own resilience on a song that was a hit single in 1982. “Back on the Chain Gang” is both a moving elegy for Honeyman-Scott and a defiant statement from Hynde that, after the guitarist’s death and the departure of Pete Farndon in 1982 (he left the band before his death), The Pretenders were by no means finished. The identity of the subject of Hynde’s love and devotion is never made clear, but pop doesn’t come much more perfect or evocative than this, with her achingly tender vocal and Honeyman-Scott’s tremendous soloing – a sublime hybrid of Duane Eddy and Roy Orbison – elevating the song to classic status.Ģ) “Back on the Chain Gang” ( Learning to Crawl, 1984) Coming hard on the heels of their debut single, a lovely cover of the Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing”, The Pretenders retained that record’s sixties vibe for follow-up hit “Kid”.
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