One of the Most Essential Debuts Ever Released: No-Nonsense 1980 Set Ranked 155th Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Added Extension, Sharper Imaging, Multi-Dimensional Soundstaging Practically Place The Pretenders Onstage in Your Room Pretenders Entices With Biting Hooks, Soulful Melodies, Guitar-Charged Toughness, and Chrissie Hynde's Inimitable Mix of Toughness and Tenderness: Includes 'Brass In Pocket,' 'Precious,' and 'Tattooed Love Boys' The milieu The Pretenders create on their self-titled debut didn't exist when the album came out in early 1980. Such is the magnitude of originality, creativity, and nerve the band captured on a record that captivated each side of the Atlantic and both upended and advanced tradition. The no-nonsense set also announced the arrival of the inimitable Chrissie Hynde. Cited the 155th Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone, Pretenders remains as contemporary now as it did 30-odd years ago. Schooled in the era's raw, unfiltered English punk yet equally versed in rockabilly, new-wave pop, and British Invasion rock, songs overflow with keen hooks, sexual swagger, and ear-catching melodies. Courtesy of the spiked rhythms and leather-tough cool, Pretenders moves fast, Hynde's assertive deliveries and take-notice lyrics jolting the senses with a lethal mix of sophistication, toughness, tenderness, rebelliousness, and romance. Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's numbered limited-edition SACD of Pretenders grants the influential music newfound clarity, punch, dynamics, and perspective that enhance the realism and attack of everything from Hynde's vocal snarl to the band's myriad textures. Originally recorded live in the studio at high volume levels by producer Chris Thomas, the record now boasts added extension, sharper imaging, multi-dimensional soundstaging, and a crispness that practically places The Pretenders on a small stage in your room. Replete with detail and nuance-particularly, Hynde's singing and guitarist James Honeyman-Scott's terrific playing-this is a record that rewards the kind of repeat listening and full-bloom playback afforded by this nonpareil edition.
