Album of the day: The Pretenders, “Pretenders”

The Pretenders Pretenders (Cd Sire 7599-27430-2)

In 1980 the punk movement was already on the verge of extinction, replaced by the more sophisticated musicians of New Wave, but its shockwave had by no means exhausted itself. The experience of Sex Pistols, Clash, Stranglers and many others had breathed new life into the asphyxiated rock scene, injecting new doses of energy and opening a new market for aggressive, primal music that immediately reached the stomach without intellectual mediation.

The Pretenders were not a punk band, but their music corresponded precisely to these characteristics; genuine, direct rock’n’roll, capable of unleashing the most staid audience (I remember a fantastic concert of theirs at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan where the audience, initially skeptical and distracted, was completely won over by their skill and never wanted to make them stop) . Led by the charismatic figure of Chrissie Hynde, excellent author of almost all of the group’s repertoire and singer with a strong personality, the Pretenders offered the possibility of dancing but also of thinking, thanks to compositions with a refined structure that often used irregular metrics, simple harmonic turns (but not obvious) inspired by groups such as the Rolling Stones and Kinks (to whom they pay homage by taking up “Stop Your Sobbing” by Ray Davies) and often sarcastic lyrics, which started from Hynde’s experiences in the industrial city of Akron, Ohio.

This debut album of theirs remains an indispensable record in every good rock club; songs like “Kid”, “Tattooed Love Boys”, “The Wait”, “Precious” and “The Phone Call” have lost none of their original strength, and the pop-reggae of “Private Life” (Grace Jones will make a beautiful version of it on the album “Warm Leatherette”) and the single “Brass In Pocket”, for which John Lennon showed sincere admiration.

The album was a great success all over the world, followed closely by the equally good “Pretenders II”, but the original lineup was destroyed by the subsequent overdose deaths of Farndon and guitarist James Honeyman-Scott. Chrissie Hynde continued the band’s activity with some very successful records, but steering the musical direction towards a decidedly tamer chart-topping pop/rock, completely devoid of the strength that emanates from these early works.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.