The changes are subtle, but the sound is more “roomy”, with distinct space between the individual instruments. So I got out the 2006 box set Pirate Radio(also on Rhino) and had a listen. It’s hardly fair to compare the remastered CDs with my original vinyl pressings since those suffered the indignity of being played on a Radio Shack turntable in the ’80s. As an objet d’art, the whole package feels - dare I say it - precious.Īs for the music, original producer Chris Thomas has overseen the remastering of the albums and does so with a light touch. The booklets are printed on substantial glossy stock and peppered with previously unpublished archival photos, session outtakes, and performance shots. Each edition’s graphic design is color-coordinated, with black and white for the first album and blue and black for the second. Each set is housed in a 12-inch book, with the albums’ original artwork on front and back. The real value of the Anniversary Edition for me, though, is in its physicality. Even though I’ve heard most of these tracks over the years, it’s nice to have them all in one place. Speaking as a member of the target audience, they deliver. These sorts of reissues are geared toward the superfans, those of us whose collections must be complete. In addition to the CD sets, each LP reissue is available by itself on limited edition colored vinyl. Each three-CD edition is available singly or as a bundled pair. The other two discs feature demos, rarities, and live recordings contemporary to their respective albums. The first CD contains the original album (plus B-sides, in the Pretenders box). Rhino’s release of the 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of the group’s first two albums, Pretenders (1980) and Pretenders II (1981), puts the focus back on the original foursome.Įach collection comprises three CDs and a 20-page booklet. Unfortunately, those antiquated and tone-deaf comments obscured the fact that the Pretenders, especially in their early incarnation, still occupy an important place in rock history. That was the moment my fave became my problematic fave, and I can only assume other fans had a similar struggle reconciling their allegiance to the band in light of this episode. This was not the kind of reassessment I was hoping for. I don’t think I’m saying anything controversial, am I?” If you’re wearing something that says ‘Come and f*** me’, you’d better be good on your feet. You know, if you don’t want to entice a rapist, don’t wear high heels so you can’t run from him. Then she doubled down and seemed to blame all women who are raped: Ever the combative interviewee, she implied (and indeed says as much in the book) that the assault was her fault. Her comments were in response to a Sunday Times reporter’s questions about a brief but harrowing chapter in the book, which recounts the story of the 21-year-old Hynde’s sexual assault at the hands of a motorcycle gang she refers to as the “Heavy Bikers”. One reason the Pretenders may have fallen out of favor in recent years is the regrettable remarks made by Hynde during the promotion of her memoir, Reckless, in 2015. There are no tribute albums, no 33-1/3 books - in general, no reassessment and appreciation by the culture at large. There are no documentary series about the group, as there are for Linda Ronstadt, the Bee Gees, or the Velvet Underground, for example (Kenny G gets a documentary, but the Pretenders don’t?!?). Chrissie Hynde was number 7 on VH1’s 1999 series “100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll“, and number 63 on Rolling Stone’s “ Greatest Songwriters of All Time.” And yet. Rolling Stone lists their first LP, Pretenders, as the #13 Best Debut Album of All Time, the 20th Best Album of the ’80s, and it occupies the 155th spot on the magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2012 version). Sure, they’ve received many accolades over their 40-year career, ones that any group would be happy to have: The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Despite continuing to release solid albums and playing live, the band isn’t getting the respect they are due. For several years now, I’ve been on what feels like a one-woman mission to keep the Pretenders flag flying.
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