Pretenders: I & II

By Keith Hannaleck

Some good bands came out of the 80s but few great outfits come rolling off the tip of your tongue with relative ease when discussing that particular decade. It is funny, when I think about the Pretenders I think of the 70s, the only problem is that the band did not exist. They had a classic rock sound with enough grit and punk to fit right into that era so it is easy to envision them in that timeframe. Whatever it is about this band I know one thing, the first time I heard them I loved their sound. I would think most longtime fans hang on to the first two albums as the holy grail of their catalog. And so they should because they were never better.

Once James Honeyman-Scott was gone so went the Pretenders sound into a more straight ahead rock formula. It was good but not the same. This is what separates their first two releases from everything else they have ever done, hence Rhino’s choice of reissuing these two great recordings with a truck load of bonus material, the cardboard cases and sleeves to emulate the old LP gatefold format, and in addition to all of that, booklets with some great pictures and fine informative write ups. So when you put it all together it is a great package. I love when CDs come in cardboard packaging, they do not scratch or crack nor require replacement all the time, you just take care of them and store them carefully as if you would collectable vinyl LPs, and there are no worries.

It is debatable which album is the best. I think they are on equal ground, each one has its moments, and they rate five stars in my view. Honeyman-Scott was special and there is no telling how far he would have gone, just like many others before him. The good thing is he left behind some masterful guitar licks on these two classic albums.

I liked they way they arranged each CD with the original album cuts then threw in a mixture of demos, outtakes, and live material. It never gets to the point where you are saying-“Why did they put that song on this, it’s horrible.” Thankfully, we are spared of that nonsense. That never happens and it keeps the band’s stellar reputation in place, and actually enhances it with the crackling crisp remastered sound. Welcome to the original Pretenders 2006.

The Pretenders recorded many great tracks and “Brass In Pocket” quickly became their signature song. My favorite is the rocker “Mystery Achievement,” with its pounding and thumping rhythm section, Chrissie’s vibrato vocals at its very best, and Honeyman-Scott wailing away on lead guitar; it just did not get any better than that. There was the tough as nails “Tattooed Love Boys” and slap-in-the-face reality check of “Precious.” It all added up to a band that was already great after their debut album and it came right at the aftermath of the punk wave and just before the age of the synth driven English pop-rock and ‘hair’ bands that hit it big. So this was excellent timing for the Pretenders, they had one foot in punk and the other in rock, the best of both worlds, and they did it all very well to create their own little niche.

Pretenders 2 picked up where 1 left off by starting with the kick ass “The Adultress.” As if to say to their fans-we are back and with some more of what we offered up the first time, just a little more refined but still raw and rockin’ from start to finish. “Message of Love” was their answer to “Brass In Pocket.” It had all the same catchy hooks and unbridled energy as the tracks from their debut album. I have to say all the bonus material was quite good as well; it served as a true bonus to two incredibly good recordings.

The Pretenders sounded like a hot band in total sync with each other on both albums and this package is a great reminder of that and then some.

Reviewed - November 2, 2006

Tracks:

Pretenders I
Disc:1
01. Precious
02. The Phone Call
03. Up The Neck
04. Tattooed Love Boys
05. Space Invader
06. The Wait
07. Stop Your Sobbing
08. Kid
09. Private Life
10. Brass In Pocket
11. Lovers of Today
12. Mystery Achievement

Pretenders I
Disc: 2
01. Cuban Slide (outtake)
02. Porcelain
03. The Wait (demo)
04. I Can't Control Myself (demo)
05. Nervous But Shy
06. Swinging London
07. Brass In Pocket (demo)
08. Kid (demo)
09. Stop Your Sobbing (demo)
10. Tequila (demo)
11. I Need Somebody (live BBC)
12. Mystery Achievement (live BBC)
13. Precious (live)
14. The Phone Call (live)
15. Tattooed Love Boys (live)
16. Sabre Dance (live)

Pretenders II
Disc: 1
01. The Adultress
02. Bad Boys Get Spanked
03. Message Of Love
04. I Go To Sleep
05. Birds Of Paradise
06. Talk Of The Town
07. Pack It Up
08. Waste Not Want Not
09. Day After Day
10. Jealous Dogs
11. The English Roses
12. Louie Louie

Pretenders II
Disc: 2
01. The Wait (live)
02. The Adultress (live)
03. Message of Love (live)
04. Louie Louie (live)
05. Talk Of The Town (live)
06. Birds Of Paradise (live)
07. The English Roses (live)
08. Up The Neck (live)
09. Bad Boys Get Spanked (live)
10. Stop Your Sobbing (live)
11. Private Life (live)
12. Kid (live)
13. Day After Day (live)
14. Brass In Pocket (live)
15. Higher And Higher (live)
16. Talk Of The Town (demo)
17. I Go To Sleep (guitar version - outtake)
18. Pack It Up (radio mix - outtake)

About the Author:

Keith Hannaleck, known as “MuzikMan” is a Journalist specializing in independent and major music reviews and the promotion of artists via the various media outlets flourishing online. He has worked closely with artists, management, publicity directors, and webmasters to provide some of the best and far-reaching coverage an artist could have. Focusing primarily on the internet as a medium for his work, Keith has been a pioneer in the industry changing the way a reviewer with his various talents are used by many artists, PR folks, and labels. He has provided strong and valuable work to labels, artists, and publicity people, writing reviews, press releases, and biographies and much more over the years, giving the people he works with the maximum amount of exposure through several top-notch websites that post his content on their sites.

Hannaleck built and maintained his own website in 1998 while networking and building his reputation through thousands of reviews and interviews, creating a special niche for himself. Through many years of dedication and hard work, he has reached a respected level of competence and knowledge that is frequently sought by the music industry today. Known for his speaking from the heart interpretations of music and being able to put it in layman’s terms for music fans, his work is found everywhere in cyberspace and in traditional print media, from press kits to quotes from reviews in magazine advertisements.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck - http://www.muzikreviews.com.