There was an over-abundance of incredible modern rock songs on the album that it easily ranks as one of the best of the modern rock genre. It was catchy, balanced with hook-filled melodies and rhythms, and delivered one amazing song after another, each with its own personality. It was punk spirited but not as raw or aggressive, wasn’t quite strong enough for power pop, but unique enough to be set apart from the standard rock and pop of the time. The next two, originals, were “Kid” which went to #34 and then “Brass in Pocket” (co-written with Honeyman-Scott) which went to #1 just as their first, self-titled album was released in the UK in December 1979.Īll three singles would be included on the album and gave ample evidence of how great the album was, going to #1 in the UK and #9 in the US. The first single, produced by Nick Lowe, was a cover of The Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing,” and reached #33. As the primary songwriter, she quickly proved adept at writing great songs and, accompanied with her solid band, started an assault on the UK charts. Though given her independent nature, she likely ended up in the best situation with Pretenders. Perhaps those bands that, for one reason or another, didn’t end up with Chrissie Hynde within their fold might have regretted it. The named themselves Pretenders after the Sam Cooke song, “The Great Pretender.” She joined with bassist Pete Farndon and together they recruited James Honeyman-Scott on guitar and Martin Chambers on drums. She got Dave Hill, owner of a small indie label, to help her with debts and the cost of recording some demos, which were good enough to encourage him to help her put a band together. Hynde didn’t seem to take up the punk aesthetic but moved comfortably within the scene, being friends with and at times trying to start or join bands with those that would go on to form The Clash, The Damned, and Generation X.īy 1978, Chrissie had returned to Cleveland for a spell, spent time in Paris, and was back in London full of frustration at having a front row seat to the exploding new music scene but unable to participate. SEX would become ground zero for the birth of the punk style and McLaran would assemble The Sex Pistols in order to promote the shop. In 1973, at the age of 22, she moved to London and after a couple of brief jobs, including writing for music magazine, New Musical Express, she began working at an avant garde clothing shop on the King’s Road called ‘SEX.’ The shop was the outlet for designer Vivienne Westwood and was operated with her boyfriend, Malcolm McLaren. She performed in bands including one with Mark Mothersbaugh, who would shortly thereafter form one of America’s most seminal, post-punk/new wave acts, Devo. She attended Kent State University to study arts and was there during the shooting of anti-Vietnam protesters by the Ohio National Guard in 1970, of which Neil Young would write the song “Ohio” for supergroup, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Her independent streak led to her eschewing the typical high school lifestyle in place of seeing rock shows in Cleveland and exploring hippie inspired interests such as Eastern mysticism and vegetarianism. Her early life was marked by an uncanny, Chauncey Gardner-like knack for being in places of significant timing. Precious The Phone Call Kid Brass in Pocket Mystery Achievement \ Pretenders (1979)Ĭhristine Hynde was born in Akron, Ohio. I knew and liked their older songs and eventually picked up and enjoyed their singles compilation in the late ‘80s, but it wasn’t until the past ten years that I’ve gone back and listened to their full albums and discovered what an incredible band they are. When I was starting to seriously explore music for the first time and developing my tastes their hits didn’t get much attention from me. I must admit my appreciation of Pretenders was a slow build.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |