Pretenders (album)
Encyclopedia
Pretenders is the debut studio album
by the British New Wave
band The Pretenders
, released on 19 January 1980 on Real Records (Sire Records
in the United States
). A combination of rock
, punk
, and pop music
, this album made the band famous. This album, their first, compiles several previously released tracks from their 1979 singles "Stop Your Sobbing"/"The Wait," "Kid"/"Tattooed Love Boys," and "Brass in Pocket
"/"Swinging London"/"Nervous but Shy," as well as seven new tracks (and a re-recorded version of "The Wait").
Nick Lowe
produced the Pretenders' first single, "Stop Your Sobbing," but decided not to work with them again as he thought the band "wasn't going anywhere." Chris Thomas
took over on the subsequent recording sessions.
Pretenders scored number 1 quickly on the UK Albums Chart
on the week of its release and stayed there for four consecutive weeks. It also scored the top 10 on the Billboard 200
and was certified Platinum during 1982 by the RIAA
. Pretenders has been named one of the best albums of all time by VH1
(#52). In 2003, Rolling Stone
magazine ranked the album number 155 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
, and, in 1989, ranked it the 20th best album of the 1980's. The track "Private Life" was covered that same year by Grace Jones
, on her album Warm Leatherette.
Pretenders was remastered and re-released in 2006 and included a bonus disc of demos, B-sides and live cuts, many previously unreleased. "Cuban Slide" and "Porcelain" originally appeared as B-sides to "Talk of the Town" and "Message of Love," while "Swinging London" and "Nervous but Shy" both appeared on the flip side of "Brass in Pocket." The Regents Park Demo of "Stop Your Sobbing" was included initially as a flexi-single in the May 1981 edition of Flexipop magazine. The tracks "Message of Love," "Talk of the Town," "Porcelain" and "Cuban Slide" alongside a live version of the album's opening track, "Precious," were released on a follow-up EP entitled Extended Play
soon after. "Message of Love" contains the Oscar Wilde
line "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" from the play Lady Windermere's Fan
.1
Pretenders was reissued in 2009 by Audio Fidelity as a gold-limited edition release using the original master tapes. The remaster suffers from limiting supposedly applied AFTER the glass master was created. The song "The Phone Call" is missing some of the sound effects because they were flown in after the master was completed for the song and, as a result, wasn't on the original master tape. There were no bonus tracks included.
A shortened version of "Tequila" would be performed nearly fifteen years later on the Last of the Independents
. "Sabre Dance" features Chrissie Hynde
singing portions of "Stop Your Sobbing" over lengthy solos by James Honeyman-Scott
and Martin Chambers
' insistent drumming, making it a truly unique version.
The song "Tattooed Love Boys" is featured as a playable track in the PlayStation 2
and Xbox 360
music video game Guitar Hero II
. The instrumental "Space Invader" contains sound effects from the video game Space Invaders
. "Private Life" is featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
on fictional radio station Emotion 98.3. A cover version of "Brass in Pocket" and the master version of "Precious" are available as downloadable content for Rock Band
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the British New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
, released on 19 January 1980 on Real Records (Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). A combination of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, this album made the band famous. This album, their first, compiles several previously released tracks from their 1979 singles "Stop Your Sobbing"/"The Wait," "Kid"/"Tattooed Love Boys," and "Brass in Pocket
Brass In Pocket
"Brass in Pocket" is a single by The Pretenders. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas.-Release:...
"/"Swinging London"/"Nervous but Shy," as well as seven new tracks (and a re-recorded version of "The Wait").
Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
produced the Pretenders' first single, "Stop Your Sobbing," but decided not to work with them again as he thought the band "wasn't going anywhere." Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas (record producer)
Chris Thomas is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.Thomas is quoted as saying -Early life:Thomas was...
took over on the subsequent recording sessions.
Pretenders scored number 1 quickly on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
on the week of its release and stayed there for four consecutive weeks. It also scored the top 10 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and was certified Platinum during 1982 by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. Pretenders has been named one of the best albums of all time by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
(#52). In 2003, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine ranked the album number 155 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
, and, in 1989, ranked it the 20th best album of the 1980's. The track "Private Life" was covered that same year by Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, on her album Warm Leatherette.
Pretenders was remastered and re-released in 2006 and included a bonus disc of demos, B-sides and live cuts, many previously unreleased. "Cuban Slide" and "Porcelain" originally appeared as B-sides to "Talk of the Town" and "Message of Love," while "Swinging London" and "Nervous but Shy" both appeared on the flip side of "Brass in Pocket." The Regents Park Demo of "Stop Your Sobbing" was included initially as a flexi-single in the May 1981 edition of Flexipop magazine. The tracks "Message of Love," "Talk of the Town," "Porcelain" and "Cuban Slide" alongside a live version of the album's opening track, "Precious," were released on a follow-up EP entitled Extended Play
Extended Play (The Pretenders EP)
Extended Play is an EP released by new wave band The Pretenders. "Message of Love" and "Talk of the Town" were included on their second album released later in the year. "Porcelain" and "Cuban Slide", outtakes from the first album, were included on the 2006 remastered edition of Pretenders, as well...
soon after. "Message of Love" contains the Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
line "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" from the play Lady Windermere's Fan
Lady Windermere's Fan
Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman is a four act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first produced 22 February 1892 at the St James's Theatre in London. The play was first published in 1893...
.1
Pretenders was reissued in 2009 by Audio Fidelity as a gold-limited edition release using the original master tapes. The remaster suffers from limiting supposedly applied AFTER the glass master was created. The song "The Phone Call" is missing some of the sound effects because they were flown in after the master was completed for the song and, as a result, wasn't on the original master tape. There were no bonus tracks included.
A shortened version of "Tequila" would be performed nearly fifteen years later on the Last of the Independents
Last of the Independents
Last of the Independents is the sixth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde , Adam Seymour , Andy Hobson and Martin Chambers...
. "Sabre Dance" features Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
singing portions of "Stop Your Sobbing" over lengthy solos by James Honeyman-Scott
James Honeyman-Scott
James Honeyman-Scott , commonly referred to as "Jimmy", was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders....
and Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers is the drummer in the rock band, The Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group Chambers sings backing vocals and plays percussion...
' insistent drumming, making it a truly unique version.
The song "Tattooed Love Boys" is featured as a playable track in the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
music video game Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...
. The instrumental "Space Invader" contains sound effects from the video game Space Invaders
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
. "Private Life" is featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
on fictional radio station Emotion 98.3. A cover version of "Brass in Pocket" and the master version of "Precious" are available as downloadable content for Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
.
Side one
- "Precious" – 3:36
- "The Phone Call" – 2:29
- "Up the Neck" – 4:27
- "Tattooed Love Boys" – 2:59
- "Space Invader" (Pete FarndonPete FarndonPete Farndon was an English bassist and founding member of the rock band The Pretenders. Farndon attended Hereford Cathedral School in his home town of Hereford, before embarking on his musical legacy with The Pretenders...
, James Honeyman-ScottJames Honeyman-ScottJames Honeyman-Scott , commonly referred to as "Jimmy", was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders....
) – 3:26 - "The Wait" (Hynde, Farndon) – 3:35
- "Stop Your Sobbing" (Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
) – 2:38 (produced by Nick LoweNick LoweNicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
)
Side two
- "Kid" – 3:06
- "Private Life" – 6:25
- "Brass in PocketBrass In Pocket"Brass in Pocket" is a single by The Pretenders. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas.-Release:...
" (Honeyman-Scott, Hynde) – 3:04 - "Lovers of Today" – 5:51
- "Mystery Achievement" – 5:23
Bonus disc, 2006 remastered CD edition
- "Cuban Slide" (Hynde, Honeyman-Scott) – 4:33
- "Porcelain" – 3:54
- "The Phone Call" – 2:22
- Demo, late 1977
- "The Wait" (Hynde, Farndon) – 3:08
- Regents Park demo, 12 April 1978
- "I Can't Control Myself" (not the Troggs song, unreleased song, perhaps a precursor to The Wait) – 4:24
- Regents Park demo, 12 April 1978
- "Swinging London" (Hynde, Honeyman-Scott, Farndon, Martin ChambersMartin ChambersMartin Chambers is the drummer in the rock band, The Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group Chambers sings backing vocals and plays percussion...
) – 1:55 - "Brass in Pocket" (Honeyman-Scott, Hynde) – 3:48
- AIR Studios demo, 6 February 1978
- "Kid" – 4:04
- Olympic StudiosOlympic StudiosOlympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
demo, 7 December 1978
- Olympic Studios
- "Stop Your Sobbing" (Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
) – 2:22- Regents Park demo, 12 April 1978
- "Tequila" – 5:22
- Regents Park demo, 12 April 1978
- "Nervous but Shy" (Hynde, Honeyman-Scott, Farndon, Chambers) – 1:45
- "I Need Somebody" (Rudy Martinez) – 4:04
- Live on The Kid Jensen Show, BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, first transmission 17 July 1979
- Live on The Kid Jensen Show, BBC Radio 1
- "Mystery Achievement" – 4:54
- Live on The Kid Jensen Show, BBC Radio 1, first transmission 17 July 1979
- "Precious" – 3:26
- Live at the Paradise Theatre, BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, 23 March 1980
- Live at the Paradise Theatre, Boston
- "Tattooed Love Boys" – 3:06
- Live at the Paradise Theatre, Boston, 23 March 1980
- "Sabre Dance" (Aram KhachaturianAram KhachaturianAram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...
) – 3:50- Live at the Marquee ClubMarquee ClubThe Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 2 April 1979
- Live at the Marquee Club
The Pretenders
- Chrissie HyndeChrissie HyndeChristine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
– rhythm guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lead vocals - Martin ChambersMartin ChambersMartin Chambers is the drummer in the rock band, The Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group Chambers sings backing vocals and plays percussion...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Pete FarndonPete FarndonPete Farndon was an English bassist and founding member of the rock band The Pretenders. Farndon attended Hereford Cathedral School in his home town of Hereford, before embarking on his musical legacy with The Pretenders...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - James Honeyman-ScottJames Honeyman-ScottJames Honeyman-Scott , commonly referred to as "Jimmy", was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders....
– lead guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Chris ThomasChris Thomas (record producer)Chris Thomas is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.Thomas is quoted as saying -Early life:Thomas was...
– keyboards, sound effects - Gerry Mackelduff - drums (on CD1, track 7 & CD2, tracks 4,5,7,9,10)
- Fred Berk - bass (on CD2, track 3)
- Nigel PegrumNigel PegrumNigel Pegrum was a drummer with The Small Faces and Steeleye Span before becoming a producer.- Biography :Nigel Pegrum played drums with an early line-up of The Small Faces, then played drums with Lee Grant And The Capitols before joining Spice, who subsequently changed their name to Uriah Heep...
- drums (on CD2, track 3) - Geoff BryantGeoff BryantGeoff Bryant is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1969 and 1971 for the North Melbourne Football Club....
– horn - Henry LowtherHenry Lowther (musician)Henry Lowther is an English jazz trumpeter.Lowther's first experience was on cornet in a Salvation Army band. He studied violin briefly at the Royal Academy of Music but returned to trumpet by 1960 though he sometimes played violin professionally...
– trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Jim Wilson – trumpet
- Chris Mercer – saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Billboard Pop Albums | 9 |
| 1980 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
Singles
| Song | Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Brass in Pocket/Mystery Achievement/Precious" | 1980 | Billboard Club Play Singles | 28 |
| "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)" | 1980 | Billboard Pop Singles | 14 |
| "Stop Your Sobbing" | 1980 | Billboard Club Play Singles | 65 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA U.S. | Gold | 20 June 1980 |
| RIAA U.S. | Platinum | 11 August 1982 |