Male singers swagger.
Female singers might preen or wail or enchant or provoke, but throughout the brief history of rock and roll up to 1980 that essentially Stones-ian swagger, that sneering, occasionally brutal self-confidence had always been the province of men -- until Chrissie Hynde claimed it for her own.
The Pretenders’ self-titled debut is a monumental rock and roll album, one that both changed the way the rock world viewed women and changed the way the few female rockers active at the time viewed themselves. The message of this album – full of aggressive, balls-out rockers and equally gentle, heartfelt ballads -- was that a woman could in fact be both tough and tender, could spit and swagger and bully and still be a dewy-eyed romantic underneath.
The album kicks off memorably with the visceral post-punk snarl of “Precious,” a showcase for both guitarist James Honeyman-Scott’s furiously inventive riffing and Hynde’s kiss-me-now-before-I-kick-your-ass stage persona. By the time Hynde’s rant reaches its natural climax -- “But not me baby, I’m too precious / Fuck off!” – the average 1980 listener had been bludgeoned into happy submission.
The two in this disc’s one-two opening punch is “The Phone Call,” another furiously churning rocker in which Honeyman-Scott’s lead guitar is again both muscular and creative while Hynde simply assaults the microphone with confidence and attitude. On these first two the vocals seem to be purposely fast and slurry; it’s hard to make out some of Hynde’s words, but the boiling-over emotions behind them are indelible.
“Up The Neck” and “Tattooed Love Boys” hint at the smoother Pretenders sound Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers would steer the band into on later albums, after Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon’s untimely deaths. They’re both loose yet highly melodic pop-rock tunes with the occasional rough edges polished by sultry vocals and sublime hooks.
On an album of this quality, even dated throwaways like the instrumental “Space Invader” have a role to play, showing the group’s range and sense of humor, while also setting up the intro to the frenzied, deliriously catchy “The Wait,” another album highlight.
The second half of the disc (side two for us old-timers) is generally softer than what came before, but no less remarkable. The band’s luminous, role-reversing, spot-on cover of the Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing” led composer Ray Davies right into Hynde’s arms, and why wouldn’t it? “Brass In Pocket” is similarly brilliant ear candy. And the closing “Mystery Achievement” gets the crowd back on its feet with a loose, rather Who-like arrangement spotlighting the rhythm section under some of Hynde’s most ebullient vocals.
The Pretenders is without a doubt one of the great debut albums in rock history. The fact that it is also one of the most influential albums of all time by a female-fronted group is simply one more reason it deserves your attention. Chrissie Hynde swaggers; Chrissie Hynde rocks.