Learning to Crawl by The Pretenders

Learning to Crawl is the Pretenders' third album, released by Sire, and it's a record made by a band that had every reason to stop. During the break before it, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon both died of drug overdoses. Chrissie Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers carried on with Robbie McIntosh on guitar and Malcolm Foster on bass, and they cut the album with producer Chris Thomas at Air Studios.

The title came from Hynde's baby daughter, Natalie Rae, who was learning to crawl just as her mother was hunting for a name for the record. That mix of loss and new life hangs over everything here, but the band doesn't wallow. The guitars ring out tough and clean, Chambers hits like he means it, and Hynde's voice, cool, husky and unimpressed, holds the center. "Back on the Chain Gang" is a gorgeous, rueful chug, "My City Was Gone" rolls in on a fat, rumbling bass line, "Middle of the Road" is pure strut and swagger, and "Time the Avenger" and "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" show off the band's lighter touch.

It was a hit with critics and with the public, reaching number 11 in Britain and number five on the Billboard 200 in America, the Pretenders' highest-charting album there. Rock radio's countdowns have never let go of "Back on the Chain Gang", "Middle of the Road" and "My City Was Gone".

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.