Pretenders* – The Singles

BUYER BEWARE: My copy of this release has started to 'pinhole', as have quite a few West German
releases that were manufactured in the mid to late 1980's. There are articles, on-line, that have been
written about this problem.
My advice is to rip your copy of this release asap, before the pinholes increase & become problematic
for playback of the CD.

please new identifier: add Other (In Clear Mould Ring): IFPI 0606

An all round great listening album if you're an 80s new wave music fan, this album contains an eclectic collection of Pretenders hit songs that does not disappoint. If you don't know the Pretenders, like it was "before your time" then this greatest hits compilation album is a good starting album to explore their musical talents.

Shouldn't this be listed under compilations? This definitely deserves a reissue.

Founded and fronted by the uncompromising and gutsy Chrissie Hynde, whose background as an NME writer and vast punk connections eventually induced her to form a band as unclassifiable as they were versatile, as rough as they were smooth. Unlike her fellow ballsy frontwomen of the 1970s, spunky sex doll Debbie Harry and scuzzy beatnik Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde had a progressive, forthright attitude, surly, tomboyish look, and abrasive personality. Raw and imprecise as they were, Hynde’s instrumentalists – James Honeyman-Scott, Martin Campbell and Pete Farndon - were required to be aggressive, quick and smart to move in the same off-the-cuff, somehow effective direction as her. Hynde’s star potential was so potent though that not even the semi-proficient Rickenbacker-playing panache of lead guitarist James Honeyman-Scott or the arresting samurai biker ensemble of bassist Pete Farndon could overshadow her prevailing presence. Nevertheless, this trio’s musical affinity and chemistry would go on to produce radio-friendly fast and furious tunes laden with purring vocals, snarky, slash-and-burn lyrics, jangly licks and throbbing backbeats elevated by odd time signatures. Such was their incipient ruggedly sexy image, insouciance and fragile power, the band was initially lumped in with other edgy rock revivalists of the late ‘70s, namely Graham Parker and Elvis Costello, even though their music was far more indebted to the bare essentials of rock & roll than either of those artists.

Owing to Hynde’s constantly changing influences and eventual infatuation with pop music, which led to slicker production, instrumental refinement and melodicism being prioritised over brittle, tawdry, charged archness, the band were able to innovate and sustain their popularity. By sheer force of will, memorable hooks, engaging sexual selfhood, and authentic, near-vitriolic writings, Hynde entered the 1980s as a fully-fledged rock star. The Pretenders packaged the results of their swagger, distinctive sound and eclecticism as complete, diverse and cohesive listening experiences. “The Singles” cogently distils the indurate, vixenish flair and implicit sensitivity of the group’s early phase and latterly contemporary flourishes and stylish melodies. As a thorough single-disc assembly of their A-sides and B-sides, it may be too exhaustive for the casual fan, but anyone unfamiliar with the Pretenders irresistible arrangement of rock and pop should seek out a copy forthwith. If you pass up the chance to acquire a compilation containing 58 minutes of confrontational classics, heavy rockers and overlooked gems including "Brass in Pocket," “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” “Kid,” "Middle of the Road," “Day After Day,” “Talk Of The Town,” “Back on the Chain Gang,” “ and "Message of Love", then you’re missing out. Trust me, every track is exquisite. Playful bravado, new wave verve and febrile rhythms contrasting with vivid desire, mellowness and poignant tenderness comprise a journey worth listening to at any given opportunity, especially in this spectacularly well-sequenced form.

Rating: 5/5

My copy has a cardboard slipcover with a different barcode; includes a stern FBI warning on print.