The Pretenders
Encyclopedia
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford
, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde
(lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott
(lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon
(bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers
(drums, backing vocals, percussion). The band have experienced drug
-related deaths of the members, and numerous subsequent personnel changes have taken place over the years, with Hynde as the sole continual member.
, Ohio, in the United States
, attended Kent State University
at the time of the Kent State shootings
in 1970. She moved to London in 1973, working at the weekly music paper NME
and at Malcolm McLaren
and Vivienne Westwood
's music store. She was involved with early versions of The Clash
and The Damned and played in short-lived bands such as Masters of the Backside
and The Moors Murderers
. The Pretenders formed in 1978 after Dave Hill at Anchor Records heard some demos
of Hynde's music. He arranged a rehearsal studio in Denmark Street, where a 3-piece band consisting of Hynde, Mal Hart on bass (he had played with Hynde and Steve Strange
in The Moors Murderers), and Phil Taylor of Motörhead on drums played a selection of Hynde's original songs. Dave Hill was impressed and arranged a day at Studio 51 to record another demo. Although it was rough, he felt he had seen and heard enough "star potential" to suggest that Hynde form a more permanent band to record for his new label, Real Records. Hynde then formed a band composed of Pete Farndon (who was later associated romantically with Hynde) on bass, James Honeyman-Scott on guitar, and Gerry Mcilduff on drums. This band, then without a name, recorded five tracks at Regents Park Studio in July 1978, including "Stop Your Sobbing." Gerry Mcilduff was replaced on drums by Martin Chambers, and Hynde named the band "Pretenders" after The Platters song "The Great Pretender
."
song "Stop Your Sobbing", produced by Nick Lowe
, was released in January 1979 and gained critical attention. It was followed in June with "Kid," and then in November the band got to #1 in the UK with "Brass in Pocket
," which was also successful in the US, reaching #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
The debut album Pretenders
was released during January 1980, and was a success in both the United Kingdom and the United States, both critically and commercially. (Pretenders was subsequently named one of the best albums of all time by VH1
(#52) and Rolling Stone
(#155). The band played at the Heatwave
festival during August 1980 near Toronto.
During March 1981, the EP
Extended Play
was released, containing the UK and US success "Message of Love" and "Talk of the Town" and a live version of "Precious," recorded in Central Park
.
The second full-length album, Pretenders II
, was released during August 1981. Pretenders II included the Extended Play singles, the MTV
video success, "Day After Day," and popular album-radio tracks "The Adultress," "Birds of Paradise," "Bad Boys Get Spanked" and "The English Roses".
Farndon was fired 14 June 1982 by Hynde. Two days later, on 16 June 1982, James Honeyman-Scott died of heart failure as a result of cocaine intolerance. Farndon was in the midst of forming a new band with former Clash
drummer Topper Headon
(who coincidentally, was battling heroin addiction and left the band, unable to cope), when he was found dead on 14 April 1983 by his American wife, Conover. After taking heroin and passing out, Farndon drowned in his bathtub, leaving the Pretenders with two living members.
guitarist Billy Bremner
and Big Country
bassist Tony Butler was assembled to record the single "Back on the Chain Gang
". The song was released in October, becoming their biggest success in the US, staying at #5 for three consecutive weeks. The single's B-side
, "My City Was Gone
" is now the theme music
for The Rush Limbaugh Show
.
Hynde then changed the lineup, keeping Chambers and adding professional musicians Robbie McIntosh
on guitar and Malcolm Foster on bass. The band's first album with this lineup, Learning to Crawl
, was released during January 1984.
"Middle of the Road
" was this line-up's first single, released in the US in November 1983 and reached the Top 20 there. Hynde had a daughter with Ray Davies
during January 1983. The US B-side, "2000 Miles
", was released as a single in the UK. The album included a cover version
of The Persuaders
' "Thin Line Between Love and Hate
", which featured Paul Carrack
on keyboards. The 1985 Live Aid
concert proved to be the last gig for this line-up.
Soon after recording sessions for the next album began and one track had been completed, Hynde declared that Chambers was no longer playing well and dismissed both him and Foster. The revised Pretenders team became Hynde, McIntosh, bassist T.M. Stevens, and ex-Haircut One Hundred drummer Blair Cunningham. Get Close was released in 1986; the disc included the Top 10 singles "Don't Get Me Wrong
" (helped by a popular video homage to the television series The Avengers
) and "Hymn to Her" a #8 success in the UK.
Two new songs, "If There Was a Man" and "Where Has Everybody Gone?
" were released on the soundtrack of the Bond film The Living Daylights
, and were used instrumentally by John Barry
in several scenes.
The lineup for the Get Close tour was then expanded to include former P-Funk and Talking Heads
keyboardist Bernie Worrell
. Two players were dismissed, McIntosh eventually quit, and ex-Smiths
guitarist Johnny Marr
joined for a final brief period during 1987.
By 1993, Hynde had teamed with ex-Katydids
guitarist Adam Seymour
to form a new version of the Pretenders. The team of Hynde and Seymour then hired a number of session musicians to record Last of the Independents
that year, including ex-Smiths bassist Andy Rourke
, ex-Primitives bassist Andy Hobson, and drummer/writer/producer James "Fred" Hood, formerly with The Impossible Dreamers
and Moodswings
. But by the end of the album sessions (and for the subsequent tour) the official band line-up was Hynde, Seymour, Hobson, and returning drummer Martin Chambers
.
This line-up would endure for well over a decade with no changes. Several recordings as The Pretenders occurred during 1993, including a cover version of the Jimi Hendrix
's "Bold As Love" for the tribute album
Stone Free, and a cover of 10cc
's "I'm Not In Love
" for the film, Indecent Proposal
.
When Last of the Independents was released in 1994, it had reasonable overall commercial success, being rated gold in the US. Lead single "Night In My Veins" was a minor success in the US, a mid-chart success in the UK, and a top 10 success in Canada. The second single was the album's centrepiece ballad "I'll Stand by You
"; this track received substantial airplay
, and was a top 10 success in the US and UK, and top 20 in Canada. Hynde wrote a good portion of the album with the team of Billy Steinberg
and Tom Kelly
. Subsequently, the band toured in small venues around the US, sometimes including a string quartet
. Some of these arrangements are preserved on the 1995 The Isle of View
live album and DVD, made at London's Jacob Street Studios. Damon Albarn
played piano on the recording, which also featured the Duke String Quartet.
During 1997, the Pretenders supplied two tracks for the soundtrack of the Ridley Scott film G. I. Jane: "Goodbye" and "The Homecoming".
Over the course of the decade, Hynde became increasingly concerned with political activism, vocally supporting the environmental movement
and vegetarianism. Viva el Amor
was released during 1999, as was their collaboration with Tom Jones
on the album Reload.
on Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
, performing the song "She". A Greatest Hits compilation followed in 2000. During 2002 Loose Screw was released by Artemis Records with only modest commercial success. It was the first Pretenders record to be released by a company other than WEA. Rolling Stone noted its "refinement, stylish melodies and vocal fireworks," while Blender called it "slick, snarky pop with flashes of brilliance".
During March 2005, the Pretenders were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
. Only Hynde and Chambers attended the ceremony. During her acceptance speech, Hynde named and thanked all the replacement members of the group, then said:
After their Hall of Fame induction, the Pretenders continued touring as a four-part team (Hynde, Seymour, Hobson and Chambers). During 2005, bassist Hobson left and was replaced by Nick Wilkinson, marking the band's first line-up change in thirteen years. That same year, Rhino Records released the four disc and DVD box set Pirate Radio 1979-2005 which spanned the group's entire career. Two disc remastered versions of the first two albums also came out that year with bonus tracks. During 2007, Rhino remastered both Learning To Crawl and Get Close once again with bonus tracks. Not long after, guitarist Seymour left and was replaced by James Walbourne.
The Pretenders' album Break up the Concrete
was released through Shangri-La Music
on 7 October 2008. It was the band's first Top 40 album in the US in twenty two years. Tracks include "Boots of Chinese Plastic", "Don't Cut Your Hair", "Love's a Mystery", "The Last Ride" and "Almost Perfect". With Hynde was the guitarist James Walbourne, pedal steel player Eric Heywood, bassist Nick Wilkinson and drummer Jim Keltner (on the album only). Chambers returned to the drums on tour with the band. Several one-off shows were performed during the closing months of 2008, including a couple of Christmas charity shows. The 'Break Up The Concrete Tour' began in mid-January and covered most of the United States, with shows until the end of March. It then continued in Europe, with gigs in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, and the UK during the months of June and July, before returning for a new tour in Canada and the US during August and September 2009. A show from the tour, filmed at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on 15 July 2009, was released on CD with bonus DVD / Blu-ray on 9 February 2010, titled Pretenders: Live in London. Another tour was announced in May, a double headlining tour in New Zealand and Australia with Blondie
for a few capital city and winery shows.
On February 5, 2011, Hynde and the Pretenders performed live on CMT's "Crossroads (VH1 TV series)
" with Faith Hill
and her band, including songs from both catalogs.
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
(lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott
James Honeyman-Scott
James Honeyman-Scott , commonly referred to as "Jimmy", was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders....
(lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon
Pete Farndon
Pete Farndon was an English bassist and founding member of the rock band The Pretenders. Farndon attended Hereford Cathedral School in his home town of Hereford, before embarking on his musical legacy with The Pretenders...
(bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers is the drummer in the rock band, The Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group Chambers sings backing vocals and plays percussion...
(drums, backing vocals, percussion). The band have experienced drug
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
-related deaths of the members, and numerous subsequent personnel changes have taken place over the years, with Hynde as the sole continual member.
Early years
Hynde, originally from AkronAkron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, Ohio, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, attended Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
at the time of the Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
in 1970. She moved to London in 1973, working at the weekly music paper NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and at Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
and Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.-Early life:...
's music store. She was involved with early versions of The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and The Damned and played in short-lived bands such as Masters of the Backside
Masters of the Backside
Masters of the Backside was an early British punk rock group. They never released a recording or performed beyond practice sessions, but the group's members went on to greater success: Chrissie Hynde later fronted The Pretenders, and Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, and Rat Scabies all became...
and The Moors Murderers
The Moors Murderers
The Moors Murderers were a short-lived punk band who caused controversy by naming themselves after The Moors Murders. The band was founded in 1977 by Steve Strange , later to be in Visage, and comprised Chrissie Hynde , later in The Pretenders, Tex , Topper Headon , who was then borrowed from The...
. The Pretenders formed in 1978 after Dave Hill at Anchor Records heard some demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
of Hynde's music. He arranged a rehearsal studio in Denmark Street, where a 3-piece band consisting of Hynde, Mal Hart on bass (he had played with Hynde and Steve Strange
Steve Strange
Steve Strange , is a Welsh pop singer, best known as the lead singer and frontman of the 1980s pop group Visage...
in The Moors Murderers), and Phil Taylor of Motörhead on drums played a selection of Hynde's original songs. Dave Hill was impressed and arranged a day at Studio 51 to record another demo. Although it was rough, he felt he had seen and heard enough "star potential" to suggest that Hynde form a more permanent band to record for his new label, Real Records. Hynde then formed a band composed of Pete Farndon (who was later associated romantically with Hynde) on bass, James Honeyman-Scott on guitar, and Gerry Mcilduff on drums. This band, then without a name, recorded five tracks at Regents Park Studio in July 1978, including "Stop Your Sobbing." Gerry Mcilduff was replaced on drums by Martin Chambers, and Hynde named the band "Pretenders" after The Platters song "The Great Pretender
The Great Pretender
"The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The words and music were created by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and...
."
Original band (1978–1982)
The band's first single, a cover of The KinksThe Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
song "Stop Your Sobbing", produced by Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
, was released in January 1979 and gained critical attention. It was followed in June with "Kid," and then in November the band got to #1 in the UK with "Brass in Pocket
Brass In Pocket
"Brass in Pocket" is a single by The Pretenders. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas.-Release:...
," which was also successful in the US, reaching #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Pretenders (album)
Pretenders is the debut studio album by the British New Wave band The Pretenders, released on 19 January 1980 on Real Records . A combination of rock, punk, and pop music, this album made the band famous...
was released during January 1980, and was a success in both the United Kingdom and the United States, both critically and commercially. (Pretenders was subsequently named one of the best albums of all time by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
(#52) and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(#155). The band played at the Heatwave
Heatwave (festival)
Heatwave was a rock festival August 23, 1980, outside of Toronto at Mosport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario. The slogans used to promote the show were variously the "Punk Woodstock", the "New Wave Woodstock", or "The 1980s Big Beat Rock and Roll Party"....
festival during August 1980 near Toronto.
During March 1981, the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Extended Play
Extended Play (The Pretenders EP)
Extended Play is an EP released by new wave band The Pretenders. "Message of Love" and "Talk of the Town" were included on their second album released later in the year. "Porcelain" and "Cuban Slide", outtakes from the first album, were included on the 2006 remastered edition of Pretenders, as well...
was released, containing the UK and US success "Message of Love" and "Talk of the Town" and a live version of "Precious," recorded in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
.
The second full-length album, Pretenders II
Pretenders II
Pretenders II is the second studio album by British rock band the Pretenders.-History:The success of the Pretenders' debut album in 1980 created a great demand for more material from the fledgling band; however, a lack of songs precluded the quick release of a followup album...
, was released during August 1981. Pretenders II included the Extended Play singles, the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
video success, "Day After Day," and popular album-radio tracks "The Adultress," "Birds of Paradise," "Bad Boys Get Spanked" and "The English Roses".
Farndon was fired 14 June 1982 by Hynde. Two days later, on 16 June 1982, James Honeyman-Scott died of heart failure as a result of cocaine intolerance. Farndon was in the midst of forming a new band with former Clash
Clash (band)
Clash is a rock band from Thailand, It was founded in 2001 by Preeti Barameeanant , Thanapon Rokesomput , Thapana Na Bangchang , Sukrit Sripaoraya , and Anan Dapphetthikon...
drummer Topper Headon
Topper Headon
Headon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal...
(who coincidentally, was battling heroin addiction and left the band, unable to cope), when he was found dead on 14 April 1983 by his American wife, Conover. After taking heroin and passing out, Farndon drowned in his bathtub, leaving the Pretenders with two living members.
Re-grouping (1983–1987)
Hynde continued with the band. During July 1982, just weeks after Honeyman-Scott's death, a caretaker team of Hynde, Chambers, RockpileRockpile
Rockpile were a British rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave...
guitarist Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner (musician)
William "Billy" Bremner is a guitarist best known for his work in the band Rockpile and on many of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds' albums...
and Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...
bassist Tony Butler was assembled to record the single "Back on the Chain Gang
Back on the Chain Gang
"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song by the English-American band The Pretenders, released as single by Sire Records in November 1982. The song was also released on The King of Comedy soundtrack album in March 1983 and later included on The Pretenders' next album Learning to Crawl in January 1984...
". The song was released in October, becoming their biggest success in the US, staying at #5 for three consecutive weeks. The single's B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, "My City Was Gone
My City Was Gone
"My City Was Gone" is a song by the rock group The Pretenders. The song originally appeared in October 1982 as the B-side to the single release of "Back on the Chain Gang"; the two-sided single was the comeback release for the band following the death of founding bandmember James Honeyman-Scott...
" is now the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for The Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show is an American talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Radio Networks...
.
Hynde then changed the lineup, keeping Chambers and adding professional musicians Robbie McIntosh
Robbie McIntosh
Robbie McIntosh is an English guitarist. McIntosh is well known as a session guitarist and member of The Pretenders from 1982 until 1987. In 1988 he began doing session guitar work for Paul McCartney joining his band full time until early 1994...
on guitar and Malcolm Foster on bass. The band's first album with this lineup, Learning to Crawl
Learning to Crawl
Learning to Crawl is the Pretenders' third album, released in 1984 after a two-year hiatus, during which time James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon both died of drug overdoses....
, was released during January 1984.
"Middle of the Road
Middle of the Road (song)
"Middle of the Road" is a single that appears on The Pretenders' album Learning to Crawl.It is a song that has a 60s-style rhythm, and it peaked at #19 on the US pop singles chart and #2 on the US mainstream rock chart in January 1984, where it stayed for four weeks.The number is at least...
" was this line-up's first single, released in the US in November 1983 and reached the Top 20 there. Hynde had a daughter with Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
during January 1983. The US B-side, "2000 Miles
2000 Miles
"2000 Miles" is a song by The Pretenders released in 1983 as the preceding single to their 1984 album, Learning to Crawl. In the US, it was released as both 7 inch 45 as the B-side of the single "Middle of the Road" and a 12 inch remix. It was most popular in the UK, where it charted at #15...
", was released as a single in the UK. The album included a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Persuaders
The Persuaders (band)
The Persuaders are a New York based R&B vocal group, with some fame in the 1970s, best known for their hit single, "Thin Line Between Love and Hate"...
' "Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Thin Line Between Love and Hate
"Thin Line Between Love and Hate" is the title of a 1971 song by the New York City-based R&B vocal group The Persuaders. The song was written and produced by the Poindexter brothers, Robert and Richard, and was also co-written by Jackie Members....
", which featured Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
on keyboards. The 1985 Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
concert proved to be the last gig for this line-up.
Soon after recording sessions for the next album began and one track had been completed, Hynde declared that Chambers was no longer playing well and dismissed both him and Foster. The revised Pretenders team became Hynde, McIntosh, bassist T.M. Stevens, and ex-Haircut One Hundred drummer Blair Cunningham. Get Close was released in 1986; the disc included the Top 10 singles "Don't Get Me Wrong
Don't Get Me Wrong
"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song released by the pop-rock group The Pretenders. It was the first single taken from the group's 1986 album, Get Close. It can also be found on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987....
" (helped by a popular video homage to the television series The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
) and "Hymn to Her" a #8 success in the UK.
Two new songs, "If There Was a Man" and "Where Has Everybody Gone?
Where Has Everybody Gone?
"Where Has Everybody Gone?" is one of two songs by The Pretenders, recorded for the James Bond film The Living Daylights in 1987, the other being "If There Was A Man"....
" were released on the soundtrack of the Bond film The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent 007. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story, "The Living Daylights"...
, and were used instrumentally by John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
in several scenes.
The lineup for the Get Close tour was then expanded to include former P-Funk and Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
keyboardist Bernie Worrell
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
. Two players were dismissed, McIntosh eventually quit, and ex-Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
guitarist Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
joined for a final brief period during 1987.
1990s
There was a hiatus in musical activity for Hynde until 1990, when Hynde hired session players (including one-time Pretenders Bremner and Cunningham) and released Packed! Hynde was the only person pictured anywhere on the album, and was the only official member of the band. In Canada, the lead single "Never Do That" was a Top 40 success, peaking at #26 but it fared less well elsewhere.By 1993, Hynde had teamed with ex-Katydids
Katydids (band)
Katydids were an English band, founded by the vocalist Susie Hug and guitarist Adam Seymour, adding Dan James on guitar, David Hunter on bass guitar, and Shane Young on drums in the late 1980s. In December 1989, NME had commented that Katydids were one of their tips for stardom in the 1990s...
guitarist Adam Seymour
Adam Seymour (musician)
Adam Seymour is a guitarist and songwriter who began his recording career with the Katydids, a South London quintet that recorded two albums before disbanding. Seymour met Katydids singer Susie Hug in 1987 when both were playing on sessions for Big Bam Boo...
to form a new version of the Pretenders. The team of Hynde and Seymour then hired a number of session musicians to record Last of the Independents
Last of the Independents
Last of the Independents is the sixth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde , Adam Seymour , Andy Hobson and Martin Chambers...
that year, including ex-Smiths bassist Andy Rourke
Andy Rourke
Andy Rourke is a bass guitarist best known for being a former member of The Smiths.-Career:...
, ex-Primitives bassist Andy Hobson, and drummer/writer/producer James "Fred" Hood, formerly with The Impossible Dreamers
The Impossible Dreamers
The Impossible Dreamers were a 1980s new-wave band that had a major club hit with their 12” single “Spin”, before signing for RCA Records where they were produced by Johnny Marr . The band members have gone on to work with Robert Plant, The Pretenders and The Lilac Time.The Imps started off as...
and Moodswings
Moodswings (band)
Moodswings is a musical duo composed of Grant Showbiz and James F.T. Hood. Grant Showbiz was a onetime roadie and guitar tech who later produced albums by The Smiths, Billy Bragg, Silverfish, and Gong. James Hood was a former drummer for The Pretenders, The Impossible Dreamers, Kid Creole & the...
. But by the end of the album sessions (and for the subsequent tour) the official band line-up was Hynde, Seymour, Hobson, and returning drummer Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers is the drummer in the rock band, The Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group Chambers sings backing vocals and plays percussion...
.
This line-up would endure for well over a decade with no changes. Several recordings as The Pretenders occurred during 1993, including a cover version of the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
's "Bold As Love" for the tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
Stone Free, and a cover of 10cc
10cc
10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name...
's "I'm Not In Love
I'm Not in Love
"I'm Not in Love" is a song written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman of the English group 10cc, from the album The Original Soundtrack. The lyric reveals a narrator in denial about the title's ostensible theme.-The 10cc version:...
" for the film, Indecent Proposal
Indecent Proposal
Indecent Proposal is a 1993 drama film, based on the novel of the same name by Jack Engelhard. It was directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Robert Redford, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson.-Plot:...
.
When Last of the Independents was released in 1994, it had reasonable overall commercial success, being rated gold in the US. Lead single "Night In My Veins" was a minor success in the US, a mid-chart success in the UK, and a top 10 success in Canada. The second single was the album's centrepiece ballad "I'll Stand by You
I'll Stand by You
"I'll Stand by You" is a 1994 song recorded by The Pretenders from their sixth studio album, Last of the Independents. Written by Chrissie Hynde in collaboration with the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg , it was the Pretenders' most recent significant hit single, and their last...
"; this track received substantial airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
, and was a top 10 success in the US and UK, and top 20 in Canada. Hynde wrote a good portion of the album with the team of Billy Steinberg
Billy Steinberg
William Endfield "Billy" Steinberg is an American songwriter. He has achieved most of his success as part of a song writing team, most notably with Tom Kelly. He has also co-written several hit songs with Rick Nowels.-Biography:...
and Tom Kelly
Tom Kelly (musician)
Thomas F. Kelly is an American musician, best known for his songwriting partnership with Billy Steinberg. Steinberg and Kelly co-wrote numerous hit songs for popular music artists, including five number-one singles on the Billboard Top 100 chart in the 1980s....
. Subsequently, the band toured in small venues around the US, sometimes including a string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
. Some of these arrangements are preserved on the 1995 The Isle of View
The Isle of View
The Isle of View is a live acoustic album by rock band The Pretenders, released in 1995. It was recorded during a live, televised performance at London's Jacob Street Studios. A string quartet accompanied Chrissie Hynde for much of the performance...
live album and DVD, made at London's Jacob Street Studios. Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
played piano on the recording, which also featured the Duke String Quartet.
During 1997, the Pretenders supplied two tracks for the soundtrack of the Ridley Scott film G. I. Jane: "Goodbye" and "The Homecoming".
Over the course of the decade, Hynde became increasingly concerned with political activism, vocally supporting the environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
and vegetarianism. Viva el Amor
Viva el Amor
¡Viva El Amor! is the seventh studio album by the rock band The Pretenders, released in 1999. The band's lineup for the album is the same as that credited on 1994's Last of the Independents: Chrissie Hynde Martin Chambers , Andy Hobson and Adam Seymour...
was released during 1999, as was their collaboration with Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
on the album Reload.
2000s
The Pretenders joined with Emmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
on Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons is a 1999 tribute album to pioneering country-rock musician Gram Parsons, co-produced by his one-time singing partner, Emmylou Harris and featuring cover versions of songs written/co-written by or popularized by Parsons, performed by Harris,...
, performing the song "She". A Greatest Hits compilation followed in 2000. During 2002 Loose Screw was released by Artemis Records with only modest commercial success. It was the first Pretenders record to be released by a company other than WEA. Rolling Stone noted its "refinement, stylish melodies and vocal fireworks," while Blender called it "slick, snarky pop with flashes of brilliance".
During March 2005, the Pretenders were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. Only Hynde and Chambers attended the ceremony. During her acceptance speech, Hynde named and thanked all the replacement members of the group, then said:
"I know that the Pretenders have looked like a tribute band for the last 20 years. ... And we're paying tribute to James Honeyman Scott and Pete Farndon, without whom we wouldn't be here. And on the other hand, without us, they might have been here, but that's the way it works in rock 'n' roll."
After their Hall of Fame induction, the Pretenders continued touring as a four-part team (Hynde, Seymour, Hobson and Chambers). During 2005, bassist Hobson left and was replaced by Nick Wilkinson, marking the band's first line-up change in thirteen years. That same year, Rhino Records released the four disc and DVD box set Pirate Radio 1979-2005 which spanned the group's entire career. Two disc remastered versions of the first two albums also came out that year with bonus tracks. During 2007, Rhino remastered both Learning To Crawl and Get Close once again with bonus tracks. Not long after, guitarist Seymour left and was replaced by James Walbourne.
The Pretenders' album Break up the Concrete
Break Up the Concrete
-Disc 1 – The Best of Pretenders:-Disc 2 – Break Up the Concrete:-Personnel:*Jim Keltner – drums, background vocals*Chrissie Hynde – rhythm guitar, vocals*Eric Heywood – pedal steel guitar, background vocals...
was released through Shangri-La Music
Shangri-La Music
Shangri-La Music is an indie record label based in Santa Monica, California. The label was started by Steve Bing as an expansion of Shangri-La Entertainment. Co-founders Jeff Ayeroff and Jon Rubin run the label. Shangri-La Music is a "boutique" label, which is a smaller, more specialized label and...
on 7 October 2008. It was the band's first Top 40 album in the US in twenty two years. Tracks include "Boots of Chinese Plastic", "Don't Cut Your Hair", "Love's a Mystery", "The Last Ride" and "Almost Perfect". With Hynde was the guitarist James Walbourne, pedal steel player Eric Heywood, bassist Nick Wilkinson and drummer Jim Keltner (on the album only). Chambers returned to the drums on tour with the band. Several one-off shows were performed during the closing months of 2008, including a couple of Christmas charity shows. The 'Break Up The Concrete Tour' began in mid-January and covered most of the United States, with shows until the end of March. It then continued in Europe, with gigs in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, and the UK during the months of June and July, before returning for a new tour in Canada and the US during August and September 2009. A show from the tour, filmed at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on 15 July 2009, was released on CD with bonus DVD / Blu-ray on 9 February 2010, titled Pretenders: Live in London. Another tour was announced in May, a double headlining tour in New Zealand and Australia with Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
for a few capital city and winery shows.
On February 5, 2011, Hynde and the Pretenders performed live on CMT's "Crossroads (VH1 TV series)
Crossroads (VH1 TV series)
Crossroads was a half hour alternative music video show that aired on VH1 weekdays between the years 1994 and 1998. Originally called Darcy's Music, the show was hosted by VJ Moon Zappa and premiered on October 31, 1994. The show was named after VH1's then-director of music programming, Darcy...
" with Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
and her band, including songs from both catalogs.
Discography
- 1980: PretendersPretenders (album)Pretenders is the debut studio album by the British New Wave band The Pretenders, released on 19 January 1980 on Real Records . A combination of rock, punk, and pop music, this album made the band famous...
- 1981: Pretenders IIPretenders IIPretenders II is the second studio album by British rock band the Pretenders.-History:The success of the Pretenders' debut album in 1980 created a great demand for more material from the fledgling band; however, a lack of songs precluded the quick release of a followup album...
- 1983: Learning to CrawlLearning to CrawlLearning to Crawl is the Pretenders' third album, released in 1984 after a two-year hiatus, during which time James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon both died of drug overdoses....
- 1986: Get CloseGet CloseGet Close is the fourth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1986. Officially, the band for this album now consisted of Chrissie Hynde , Robbie McIntosh , T.M. Stevens and Blair Cunningham ; however, this line-up played on only five of the album's eleven tracks...
- 1990: Packed!Packed!Packed! is the fifth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1990. For this album, the only real member of the group is Chrissie Hynde; no other person is pictured anywhere within the album package, and a rotating cast of session musicians is used to back Hynde throughout, effectively...
- 1994: Last of the IndependentsLast of the IndependentsLast of the Independents is the sixth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde , Adam Seymour , Andy Hobson and Martin Chambers...
- 1999: Viva el AmorViva el Amor¡Viva El Amor! is the seventh studio album by the rock band The Pretenders, released in 1999. The band's lineup for the album is the same as that credited on 1994's Last of the Independents: Chrissie Hynde Martin Chambers , Andy Hobson and Adam Seymour...
- 2002: Loose ScrewLoose ScrewLoose Screw is the eighth studio album by rock group, The Pretenders, and was released in 2002. It was the first time that the Pretenders had the same credited band line-up on three consecutive studio albums.-Track listing:All songs written by Adam Seymour and Chrissie Hynde, except where...
- 2008: Break Up the ConcreteBreak Up the Concrete-Disc 1 – The Best of Pretenders:-Disc 2 – Break Up the Concrete:-Personnel:*Jim Keltner – drums, background vocals*Chrissie Hynde – rhythm guitar, vocals*Eric Heywood – pedal steel guitar, background vocals...