Search - Pretenders :: Pretenders II

Worth the upgrade

T. Scarillo | Studio City, CA | 03/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes reissues are worth plunking down money for, and this is one of them. The packaging and sound are great, disc one is the album as originally issued (no extras), and the extras on the generous disc two are good to great (most of it is a vintage live show, with a couple of demos and outtakes at the end of the disc). The live stuff is pretty hot and sealed the deal on my satisfaction with this purchase. To the reviewer who complained about the cardboard album jackets, i often have the same problem: sometimes they scuff the disc or the disc is hard to get out without damaging the sleeve - I think i found the solution. Since the packaging is slightly oversized, if you go get a packet of paper cd sleeves (available from a number of places on the net, like Bags Unlimited), they should fit into the pocket and protect the disc, and allow for easy removal and protection of the disc. i've had to do this with several 'mini-lp' reissues and the Pretenders reissues have jackets big enough to accomodate the sleeves without any trimming. (I also recommend upgrading to the 2CD reissue of the first album, too - Rhino did a bang-up job on these. The Box set (Pirate Radio) is also quite good)."

My Message of Love

Jeffrey D. Schultz | Madison, WI | 11/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this re-release of Pretenders II with its bonus disc of many live classics from a great band! It is a must have, I can't get myself to take it out of my car's CD player now that I have it there. Every day is a great listening experience!



It is weird reflecting on this, because back when this was first released as an LP I was hoping The Pretenders could blow me away as much as they did when their debut LP was released. But that wasn't a realistic expectation. And I was overly critical, feeling they need more songs like The Adultress (which reminded me of The Wait) and less like I Go To Sleep (which I felt the commercial success of Brass In Pocket distracted them from their real calling). Yet I have come to see that the music on this CD also stands the test of time, just as their debut does. The first two LPs were classics, of a band with the greatest of potential which suffered a tragic short career together. The two discs capture this, and are a must have for any music lover.



The Pretenders were a great, GREAT band! And they still are (have you seen The Pretenders & Friends on VH1?)!"

You guys are the pits of the world!

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 11/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"So snarled Chrissie Hynde on The Pretenders' second full force album.



I have to admit, I held off on buying this because I never felt it measured up to either the brash originality of the debut or the defiant sense of odds-breaking that propelled Learning to Crawl. But then I bought both of those remastered CD's and just knew I needed this (and Get Close) again. I admit to grievously under-rating "Pretenders II."



While the sting of the debut may have raised expectations for the follow-up to a level I could not accept less than at the time, this sophomore album has all the great things the debut offered. There is Chrissie as the tough/tender woman whose voice could tremble seductively ("Two Birds of Paradise") or snarl dismissively (the aforereferenced "Pack It Up"). The group displays a solid understanding about what being in a rock band is all about, coyly referencing classics like "Louie Louie" or "Day After Day" for titles, and then actually covering a classic (again, turning to The Kinks for "I Go To Sleep"). Sadly, Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott maybe understood it too well; they would both be dead of drug abuse within two years.



There is also Chrissie and The Pretenders' true secret weapon in evidence here, and that is their uncanny early knack to turn catchy, classic singles loose with ease. Both "Talk of the Town" and "Message Of Love," while not US hit singles, have become classics in their own rite. The playfully naughty "The Adultress" ("but I'm convenient, and I make good tea" is one of the best couplets in rock, ever) and "Bad Boys Get Spanked" sound better today than they did 27 years ago. It makes you remember that this classic line-up of The Pretenders only held together for two albums, and it's a packet of music that holds up beautifully. Honeyman-Scott's clever guitar riffs have since received the accolades they deserve, and "Pretenders II" has, as well. "Pits of the world?" Hardly. Maybe I held off on buying this reissue early, but I'm glad I have it now.



Yet there is even more to this; That second full length concert disc. Even with the three superfluous demo/outtakes, the bonus CD could have made its own four star stand-alone offering. This was the classic early line-up playing with gusto to win a Santa Monica live audience over (plus recording the show as a college radio music special - I used to actually have the LP, dangit!) to the new material plus three songs from the debut. It should probably be re-emphasized that those two albums were all the band had to draw from at this stage of the game, and the powerful line-up was a monster, live. When Chrissie cuts loose with a banshee wail on "Bad Boys Get Spanked" and Honeyman-Scott fires off a scorching solo during "Up The Neck," you'll realize just why The Pretenders were one of the great rock and roll hopes of the early 80's."