The Pretenders – Pretenders (Deluxe Edition) (1980/2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Pretenders was first issued in December 1979 and features the singles ‘Stop Your Sobbing’, ‘Kid’ and UK chart-topper ‘Brass in Pocket’. Less than two years later the follow-up Pretenders II was issued. Hits included ‘Talk of the Town’ (issued much earlier in April 1980), ‘Message of Love’ and ‘I Go To Sleep’. Both albums featured the classic line-up of Chrissie Hynde (vocals and guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (guitar), Pete Farndon (bass) and Martin Chambers (drums).

Few rock & roll records rock as hard or with as much originality as the Pretenders’ eponymous debut album. A sleek, stylish fusion of Stonesy rock & roll, new wave pop, and pure punk aggression, Pretenders is teeming with sharp hooks and a viciously cool attitude. Although Chrissie Hynde establishes herself as a forceful and distinctively feminine songwriter, the record isn’t a singer/songwriter’s tour de force — it’s a rock & roll album, powered by a unique and aggressive band. Guitarist James Honeyman-Scott never plays conventional riffs or leads, and his phased, treated guitar gives new dimension to the pounding rhythms of “Precious,” “Tattooed Love Boys,” “Up the Neck,” and “The Wait,” as well as the more measured pop of “Kid,” “Brass in Pocket,” and “Mystery Achievement.” He provides the perfect backing for Hynde and her tough, sexy swagger. Hynde doesn’t fit into any conventional female rock stereotype, and neither do her songs, alternately displaying a steely exterior or a disarming emotional vulnerability. It’s a deep, rewarding record, whose primary virtue is its sheer energy. Pretenders moves faster and harder than most rock records, delivering an endless series of melodies, hooks, and infectious rhythms in its 12 songs. Few albums, let alone debuts, are ever this astonishingly addictive. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:
01. The Pretenders – Precious (2018 Remaster) (03:35)
02. The Pretenders – The Phone Call (2018 Remaster) (02:28)
03. The Pretenders – Up the Neck (2018 Remaster) (04:26)
04. The Pretenders – Tattooed Love Boys (2018 Remaster) (02:58)
05. The Pretenders – Space Invader (2018 Remaster) (03:26)
06. The Pretenders – The Wait (2018 Remaster) (03:37)
07. The Pretenders – Stop Your Sobbing (2018 Remaster) (02:39)
08. The Pretenders – Kid (2018 Remaster) (03:06)
09. The Pretenders – Private Life (2018 Remaster) (06:24)
10. The Pretenders – Brass in Pocket (2018 Remaster) (03:04)
11. The Pretenders – Lovers of Today (2018 Remaster) (05:50)
12. The Pretenders – Mystery Achievement (2018 Remaster) (05:24)
13. The Pretenders – Cuban Slide (2021 Remaster) (04:32)
14. The Pretenders – Porcelain (2021 Remaster) (03:52)
15. The Pretenders – The Wait (Single Version) (2021 Remaster) (03:08)
16. The Pretenders – Nervous But Shy (2021 Remaster) (01:44)
17. The Pretenders – Swinging London (2021 Remaster) (01:53)
18. The Pretenders – The Phone Call (Demo) (2021 Remaster) (02:21)
19. The Pretenders – Suicide (Demo) (03:31)
20. The Pretenders – Brass in Pocket (Demo) (2021 Remaster) (03:46)
21. The Pretenders – Precious (Demo) (2021 Remaster) (03:43)
22. The Pretenders – The Wait (Demo) (2021 Remaster) (03:06)
23. The Pretenders – I Can’t Control Myself (Demo) (2021 Remaster) (04:22)
24. The Pretenders – Stop Your Sobbing (Demo) (2021 Remaster) (02:21)
25. The Pretenders – Tequila (Demo) (2021 Remaster) (05:19)
26. The Pretenders – Kid (Demo) (2021 Remaster) (04:03)
27. The Pretenders – I Go to Sleep (Demo) (02:38)
28. The Pretenders – Do I Love You (with Sunshine Boys) (02:57)
29. The Pretenders – The Wait (BBC Live Session) (03:28)
30. The Pretenders – Up The Neck (BBC Live Session) (03:51)
31. The Pretenders – Stop Your Sobbing (BBC Live Session) (02:44)
32. The Pretenders – Private Life (BBC Live Session) (06:43)
33. The Pretenders – Cuban Slide (BBC Live Session) (03:52)
34. The Pretenders – Mystery Achievement (BBC Live Session) (04:53)
35. The Pretenders – I Need Somebody (BBC Live Session) (04:03)
36. The Pretenders – Tattooed Love Boys (BBC Live Session) (03:12)
37. The Pretenders – The Wait (BBC Live in London, Jan. 1979) (03:42)
38. The Pretenders – Stop Your Sobbing (BBC Live in London, Jan. 1979) (02:58)
39. The Pretenders – Kid (BBC Live in London, Jan. 1979) (03:41)
40. The Pretenders – Cuban Slide (BBC Live in London, Jan. 1979) (04:58)
41. The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket (BBC Live in London, Jan. 1979) (03:13)
42. The Pretenders – Tattooed Love Boys (BBC Live in London, Jan. 1979) (03:24)
43. The Pretenders – Mystery Achievement (BBC Live in London, Jan. 1979) (05:09)
44. The Pretenders – Space Invader (Live in Boston, March 1980) (02:41)
45. The Pretenders – The Wait (Live in Boston, March 1980) (03:21)
46. The Pretenders – Precious (Live in Boston, March 1980) (03:23)
47. The Pretenders – Kid (Live in Boston, March 1980) (03:30)
48. The Pretenders – Private Life (Live in Boston, March 1980) (06:11)
49. The Pretenders – Cuban Slide (Live in Boston, March 1980) (04:39)
50. The Pretenders – The Phone Call (Live in Boston, March 1980) (02:33)
51. The Pretenders – Talk of the Town (Live in Boston, March 1980) (03:24)
52. The Pretenders – Tattooed Love Boys (Live in Boston, March 1980) (03:44)
53. The Pretenders – Up the Neck (Live in Boston, March 1980) (05:54)
54. The Pretenders – Mystery Achievement (Live in Boston, March 1980) (06:13)
55. The Pretenders – Stop Your Sobbing (Live in Boston, March 1980) (06:12)