Pretenders by The Pretenders

The Pretenders' self-titled debut album, released on Sire, fuses rock and roll, punk and new wave into one tough, sexy, swaggering whole, and the British-American band had an instant success on their hands. The band's first single, a cover of the Kinks' 1964 deep cut "Stop Your Sobbing", was produced by Nick Lowe, who decided not to stick around because he figured the band wasn't going anywhere. Chris Thomas took over for the rest of the sessions, and he made Lowe look very foolish indeed.

It's a record of sharp edges and surprising tenderness. "Precious" and "The Wait" come out snarling, with jagged, slashing guitars and a rhythm section that pushes like a crowd at the front of the stage. "Tattooed Love Boys" twists and bucks, "Mystery Achievement" rides a long, rolling groove, and "Up the Neck" is sly and sultry. The softer side is just as strong: "Kid" is a chiming, tender beauty, and "Brass in Pocket" struts along with a cool, confident sway.

Listen now and it still sounds like a band that knew exactly who they were from day one, cool as ice and hot as a stove.

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