“Pretenders II” by Pretenders - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1981Album Chart of the Decade: 1980s

TJR says

For “Pretenders II” the sussed four remain: Chrissie Hynde (vocals, rhythm guitar); James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals); Pete Farndon (bass, backing vocals) and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals). By the standards of the day, the 19 month gap between their first two long-players seemed like an eternity for the fans, especially so in the UK where the debut had been a #1 hit. It finally arrived in August, 1981, and included two of the singles which were almost historical already, the all-time classic “Talk Of The Town” (a #8 hit from 16 months earlier) and the fantastic “Message Of Love” (a #11 hit from 6 months earlier). The authentic “lead single” was “Day After Day” (only #45 - jeez, come on Britain) which was followed by the album's only cover, “I Go To Sleep”, a then-unreleased Kinks song (released by Peggy Lee in 1965) giving the group a #7 UK hit in the Christmas charts. In the end up, the album was well worth the wait, the 4 classy singles being joined by excellent cuts such as the sassy “Bad Boys Get Spanked” and the snarling “Pack It Up” which cuts like a knife: “I don't like your trousers, Your appalling taste in women, And what about your mind, Your insipid record collection”. You've got to be cruel to be kind, eh?

The Jukebox Rebel
02–Apr–2011

Tracklist
A1 [03:55] 6.7.png Pretenders - The Adultress (Chrissie Hynde) New Wave
A2 [04:04] 7.5.png Pretenders - Bad Boys Get Spanked (Chrissie Hynde) Rock n Roll / Rockabilly
A3 [03:26] 8.4.png Pretenders - Message Of Love (Chrissie Hynde) New Wave
A4 [02:55] 8.1.png Pretenders - I Go To Sleep (Ray Davies) Songwriter
A5 [04:14] 6.1.png Pretenders - Birds Of Paradise (Chrissie Hynde) Songwriter
A6 [02:45] 9.8.png Pretenders - Talk Of The Town (Chrissie Hynde) New Wave
B1 [03:50] 8.2.png Pretenders - Pack It Up (James Honeyman-Scott, Chrissie Hynde) New Wave
B2 [03:43] 6.5.png Pretenders - Waste Not Want Not (Chrissie Hynde) Reggae
B3 [03:45] 9.5.png Pretenders - Day After Day (Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott) New Wave
B4 [05:36] 6.4.png Pretenders - Jealous Dogs (Chrissie Hynde) New Wave
B5 [04:28] 6.1.png Pretenders - The English Roses (Chrissie Hynde) Soft Rock / A.O.R.
B6 [03:30] 6.4.png Pretenders - Louie Louie (Chrissie Hynde) New Wave

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