Following a spring 1981 EP, Extended Play, the group released their second album, Pretenders II. The band was nearly as successful in America, with the album reaching the Top Ten and "Brass in Pocket" reaching number 14.ĭuring an American tour in 1980, Hynde met Ray Davies and the two fell in love. Their debut album, Pretenders, was released in early 1980 and eventually climbed to number one in the U.K. "Kid" and "Brass in Pocket," the group's next two singles, were also successful. The single made it into the British Top 40 in early 1979. Later in the year, they recorded a version of Ray Davies' "Stop Your Sobbing," produced by Nick Lowe. In 1978, Hynde formed the Pretenders, which eventually consisted of Honeyman-Scott, bassist Pete Farndon, and drummer Martin Chambers. After playing with Chris Spedding, she joined Jack Rabbit she quickly left the band and formed the Berk Brothers. She also worked in Malcolm McLaren's SEX boutique before she began performing.
British rock journalist Nick Kent helped her begin writing for New Musical Express she wrote for the newspaper during the mid-'70s. Originally from Akron, Ohio, Hynde moved to England in the early '70s, when she was in her twenties. After Honeyman-Scott's death, the Pretenders became a straightforward rock band, yet Hynde's semi-autobiographical songwriting and bracing determination meant that the group never became just another rock band, even when their music became smoother and pop-oriented. Hynde was an invigorating singer who bent the traditional male roles of rock & roll to her own liking, while guitarist James Honeyman-Scott created a sonic palette filled with suspended chords, effects pedals, and syncopated rhythms that proved remarkably influential over the next two decades.
The pretenders the singles series#
With their initial records, the group crossed the bridge between punk/new wave and Top 40 pop more than any other band, recording a series of hard, spiky singles that were also melodic and immediately accessible. Over the years, the Pretenders became a vehicle for guitarist/vocalist Chrissie Hynde's songwriting, yet they were a full-fledged band when they formed in the late '70s.
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