Pretenders＜限定盤＞

Rolling Stone (10/31/02, p.136) - Ranked # 12 in Rolling Stone's "Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums" Rolling Stone - Ranked # 20 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The Eighties" survey (November 1989). Rolling Stone (p.113) - 5 stars out of 5 - "PRETENDERS stands as a stunning confluence of hooks, sonics and substance - it's one of those rare albums on which every move turns out to be the right one." Alternative Press (7/01, p.96) - Included in AP's "10 Essential Women's Rock Albums" - "...An absolute classic album...a set of tough, distinctive pop songs..." CMJ (1/5/04, p.6) - Ranked #2 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1980". Paste (magazine) - "Chrissie Hynde was sexy, sultry and totally in control when The Pretenders spat onto the New Wave melee of the late '70s and early '80s."

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