Pretenders, founded by American expat Chrissie Hynde after immersing herself in the London punk rock scene, became one of the best bands of the early ‘80s with two quite different essential albums, and a transitional one in between.
Playlist 1
Playlist 1 presents the debut album Pretenders in its entirety. It’s one of the best debut albums in rock history, side one a sassy, defiant outpouring of charged punk rock exuberance, side two mellow, brooding, and seductive. Together, the two sides formed a unique and invigorating statement of female independence and sexuality. If you don’t know it, you should.
Playlist 2
Playlist Two picks up with the band’s less successful sophomore album, after which the band lost its lead guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon to drug-related deaths. After a time, Hynde and drummer Chambers carried on with a new group and released Learning to Crawl three years later. A more conventional rock outing, it nevertheless was damned-near as solid as their astonishing debut.
Cover Art:
- Pretenders: Source, Discogs.com
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