Last week’s band, the Buzzcocks barely made it out of the Punk explosion alive.
This week’s band got a late start (1979, when the punk movement was turning into the more polished New Wave), but hit the ground running with a smash single (Brass in Pocket) and hugely successful eponymous first album.
That album was produced by Chris Thomas and Bill Price who gave the Sex Pistol’s one studio effort its great sound and the duo gives the Pretenders a wonderful aggressive vibe here too.
If you went into a record store in 1979 to get this album because you liked the jangly, sweet sounding Brass in Pocket, you were in for a bit of a shock:
Precious, the first song on the album attacks the listener musically with James Honeyman-Scott’s guitar riffs zooming in out of the sky on the left and right, Martin Chambers drumming driving the bus, and lyrically,
Chrissie Hynde asserted herself as equal to anybody in the business.
Comparisons were immediately drawn to Ray Davies whose Stop Your Sobbing they covered on the album. Imo, Hynde’s lyrics (especially on that first album) were more hard edged than anything Davies ever wrote, but her
singing is every bit as subtle and ironic as Davies’ when need be.
The band lost two members to drug overdoses in the next two years (bassist, Pete Farndon and guitarist, Honeyman-Scott). Maybe that’s why the next album was so disappointing. The third one was pretty good, featuring Back on the Chain Gang, Middle of the Road, and the Rush Limbaugh theme song: My City Was Gone.
Over the years, nothing has quite reached the level of that first album, but as this concert shows, Hynde and the band have accumulated a nice catalogue of songs to tour on.
This concert is a series of linked songs with some annoying commercials in between (sorry about that! At least they’re in Spanish). The sound is good and the band is tight.
Enjoy!
Are you Stalking me.
I was laughing with Gil Burns (Jason) just 2 days ago, about your Weekend concert series. 3 weeks ago it was Townsend (The Who), where I worked on Empty Glass, with Pete, also produced by Tommy (Chris Thomas). Last week the Buzzcocks, and I worked with Pete Shelly on XL1 (his solo album) produced by Martin Rushent (you want a copy of telephone operator extended mix or Homo Sapian?). I kind of let that one go by… BUT now, this week, we have the Pretenders. This is too close to be true, you’re drawing blood, or down in the dungeon going through my records.
A few of the backing tracks were recorded at Wessex with Bill Price, the rest at Air by Steve Nye and Me with Chris Thomas producing, we also mixed most of the final album. These sessions were “happening” the band was fired up, full of creative energy and Tommy at the top of his game. There were outtakes to die for, like the boys playing Clash #s, while they waited for Chrissie to turn up. I wish I’d kept the tapes, cause they never saw the light of day. Anyway, I worked on this back to back with “Empty Glass”… What a great creative time. AIR Studio 2 was also where the SEX Pistols was done! Not Me, but you get the picture, this Studio Complex was happening, the best doing the best they could, with classic albums coming out every month.
Can you Imagine the feeling behind the glass when songs like “Don’t get me wrong” & “Chain Gang” came blasting through the wall for the first time. We knew we were cutting classics to tape, and loved every minute of it. The edginess between Chissie and the band really worked. (Something about an Ohio Gal and a bunch of English boys!)
It was a real drag when Pete Farndon and James both lost it to heroin, We were together briefly in New York City at the Gramercy just a month or so before, who would have known. But, it certainly put a kink in what should have gone on to be a really huge super band.
The Dungeon is now locked… I dread to think wat next weeks offering wll be. maybe Elvis , I know I didn’twork with him.
What Could Chris Thomas & Co. Have Done With Elvis Costello?
This is great inside the rock palace info!
What could you guys have done better with Elvis Costello’s first couple of albums?
Every review I ever read of those albums pilloried Nick Lowe’s production as “muddy’. I doubt anybody ever said that of Chris Thomas & Bill Price.
To be clear, when I listen to Costello’s first 3 albums (and the next 2 were pretty great too) all I hear is lyric and melodic brilliance.
For a music technician/producer like you, do the production values and the recording levels bother you?
To be clear, Costello has had a great career recording 32 studio albums and a bunch of live ones as well. So good ole’ Nick Lowe (Mr. Peace, Love and Understanding) didn’t hold him back too much.
It would be intriguing to read more about your music career. I’m fascinated by the business (at a distance – no interest in getting involved).
One more thing:
You mentioned that at one point members of the Pretenders were playing Clash songs while Hynde was tuning up – was that because she was nearly in the Clash – or just for fun?
That Chris Thomas Sound
This past week I listened to the Pretenders first album and the Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks.
What I noticed most about these two recordings by Thomas was that I like where the vocals sit in the sound. They’re not so forward that the guitars are drowned out and vice versa. The instruments support the voice nicely and each is given space to work. There’s room for Lydon’s sneer and virtually every breath and gasp of Chrissie Hynde is clearly audible while Steve Jone’s and James Honeyman-Scott’s guitars have plenty of room to operate.
This represents some needed housecleaning from the rock of the mid 70’s which got so cluttered and over produced.
I think all of rock has benefited from the punks housecleaning.
Pretending
Great show. Thanks, again.
I never got to see them live, though always enjoyed each TV appearance i caught them on. Their greatest hits were one of the first compact discs I ever bought, and they’ve had hits since then.
I’ve always liked that Hynde allows her pain to come through in songs, clearly. And her toughness.
Mr. Stress, btw for trivia fans, was a bluesy band that played around Cleveland. I DID get to see them play… : )