Pretenders

1	Precious 3:37
2	The Phone Call 2:29
3	Up the Neck 4:27
4	Tattooed Love Boys 2:59
5	Space Invader 3:26
6	The Wait 3:37
7	Stop Your Sobbering 2:47
8	Kid 3:08
9	Private Life 6:26
10	Brass in Pocket 3:08
11	Lovers of Today 5:53
12	Mystery Achievement 5:26

Barnes & Noble

"I've got to have some of your attention," Chrissie Hynde commanded on "Brass in Pocket" from The Pretenders; "Give it to me!" And the world obeyed. Hynde, an Ohioan transplanted to London, staged her own British invasion in l980. A smart rock journalist turned singer, she launched her band and her career with a jangly rendition of a lesser-known Kinks song, "Stop Your Sobbing," that featured perfect, girl-group-style vocals. The album that followed seamlessly blended classic British sounds of the '60s with a tough, punk-inspired approach that was absolutely modern. The band -- James Honeyman Scott on guitar, Pete Farndon on bass, Martin Chambers on drums -- was a no-nonsense, hard-rocking combo every bit as bold as the headline-grabbing Hynde. As a vocalist, Hynde was utterly compelling from the start, approaching her work with a sophistication foreign to most newcomers. The Pretenders is stacked with tracks that have since become rock-radio standards: "Tatooed Love Boys," "Kid," "Private Life," "Brass in Pocket," and the always thrilling "Mystery Achievement." It remains a powerful document of a short-lived but white-hot band that helped launch the '80s. Michael Hill

All Music Guide

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