The Pretenders – Pretenders II (1981/2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

The Pretenders – Pretenders II (1981/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 46:31 minutes | 1,79 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino

The Pretenders’ debut album was such a powerful, monumental record that its sequel was bound to be a bit of a disappointment, and Pretenders II is. Essentially, this album is an unabashed sequel, offering more of the same sound, attitude, and swagger, including titles that seem like rips on their predecessors and another Ray Davies cover. This gives the record a bit too much of a pat feeling, especially since the band seems to have a lost a bit of momentum — they don’t rock as hard, Chrissie Hynde’s songwriting isn’t as consistent, James Honeyman-Scott isn’t as inventive or clever. These all are disappointments, yet this first incarnation of The Pretenders was a tremendous band, and even if they offer diminished returns, it’s still diminished returns on good material, and much of Pretenders II is quite enjoyable. Yes, it’s a little slicker and more stylized than its predecessor, and, yes, there’s a little bit of filler, yet any album where rockers as tough as “Message of Love” and “The Adultress” are balanced by a pop tune as lovely as “Talk of the Town” is hard to resist. And when you realize that this fantastic band only recorded two albums, you take that second album, warts and all, because the teaming of Hynde and Honeyman-Scott was one of the great pairs, and it’s utterly thrilling to hear them together, even when the material isn’t quite up to the high standards they set the first time around. –Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:
01. The Pretenders – The Adultress (03:58)
02. The Pretenders – Bad Boys Get Spanked (04:06)
03. The Pretenders – Message Of Love (03:28)
04. The Pretenders – I Go To Sleep (02:56)
05. The Pretenders – Birds Of Paradise (04:15)
06. The Pretenders – Talk Of The Town (02:46)
07. The Pretenders – Pack It Up (03:51)
08. The Pretenders – Waste Not Want Not (03:45)
09. The Pretenders – Day After Day (03:46)
10. The Pretenders – Jealous Dogs (05:37)
11. The Pretenders – The English Roses (04:30)
12. The Pretenders – Louie Louie (03:29)

Personnel:
Chrissie Hynde – rhythm guitar, lead vocals
Pete Farndon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Martin Chambers – drums, backing vocals
James Honeyman-Scott – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Additional:
Chris Mercer – tenor saxophone
Henry Lowther – trumpet
Jim Wilson – trumpet
Geoff Bryant – French horn

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