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THE PRETENDERS (1980)

CHRISSIE HYNDE arrived from Akron, Ohio, and settled in London during the mid­Seventies, a period in which she worked for the NME and befriended various Sex Pistols. Her own group thrived amid the embers of punk with an attitude that was sassy and a musical style that combined streetwise new wave with Sixties­influenced guitar rock. A Kinks' cover, Stop Your Sobbing, launched their career with a hit, but the remainder of this album was written by Hynde, whose tart lyrics, sultry vocals and tomboy appeal gained considerable press. Her pop pedigree was evident from the contents: Kid prompted distant memories of the Shadows; The Wait echoed the vocal acrobatics of Patti Smith; Private Life (later a hit for Grace Jones) betrayed reggae influences. The cheap vulgarisms of Precious, the sensual Up the Neck and the group's definitive moment, Brass in Pocket, added the spark to a surprisingly strong debut.

A timely release date gave the Pretenders an enviable accolade as the first new act to achieve a number one single and album in the Eighties. Since that epochal moment, Hynde has mourned dead Pretenders, employed numerous replacements, campaigned for animal rights and enjoyed well­publicised relationships with major minor rock figures.

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