Pretenders is widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums of all-time. Featuring ChrissieHynde’sincredible vocals and guitar, JamesHoneyman-Scott’s glistening guitar, Pete Farndon’s driving bass and Martin Chambers’ drums, the album is quintessential new wave, and a defining album of the 80s.
It started with the release of their first single, a cover of The Kinks’ Stop Your Sobbing, produced by Nick Lowe. It would end up a top 40 hit in the UK, with their follow up single Kid also reaching the top 40. They then released one of Pretenders’ most famous tracks, BrassInPocket. Leading with a glorious guitar rhythm embodied by luscious chorus, BrassInPocket launched Pretenders onto a different level, with the track finishing reaching #1 in the UK, Ireland, Sweden and South Africa, as well as top 5s in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand and more. It was also a success in the US, reaching #14 and becoming the 7thmusic video aired on MTV. The album continues to be highly acclaimed to this day, regularly featuring amongst best of the 1980s lists.