Pretenders II [Deluxe Edition]

by Pretenders

Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date:	11/05/2021
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0190296691812
Rank:	74390

Tracks

Disc 1

1. The Adultress
2. Bad Boys Get Spanked
3. Message of Love
4. I Go to Sleep
5. Birds of Paradise
6. Talk of the town
7. Pack It Up
8. Waste Not Want Not
9. Day After Day
10. Jealous Dogs
11. The English Roses
12. Louie Louie

Disc 2

13. Talk of the town
14. What You Gonna Do About It
15. I Go to Sleep
16. Pack It Up
17. Day After Day
18. In the Sticks
19. Louie Louie
20. Precious
21. Space Invader
22. Cuban Slide
23. Porcelain
24. Tattooed Love Boys
25. Up The Neck

Disc 3

26. The Wait
27. The Adultress
28. Message of Love
29. Louie Louie
30. Talk of the town
31. Birds of Paradise
32. English Roses
33. Stop Your Sobbing
34. Private Life
35. Kid
36. Day After Day
37. Up the Neck
38. Bad Boys Get Spanked
39. Tattooed Love Boys
40. Precious
41. Brass in Pocket
42. Mystery Achievement
43. Higher and Higher

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pretenders   Primary Artist,Band
Chrissie Hynde   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Chris Mercer   Sax (Tenor)
James Honeyman-Scott   Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards
Eric Heywood   Guitar (Steel)
David Mallet   Director
Pete Farndon   Bass,Vocals
Martin Chambers   Drums,Vocals
Mark Robinson   Director
Bruce Gowers   Director
James Walbourne   Guitar
Nick Wilkinson   Bass
Geoff Bryant   French Horn
Jim Wilson   Trumpet
Derek Burbidge   Director
Henry Lowther   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Chris Thomas   Producer,Producer
Bill Inglot   Remastering Engineer
Bill Price   Engineer,Recording,Digital Recording Engineer,Recording
Chrissie Hynde   Composer,Lyricist
James Honeyman-Scott   Composer,Lyricist
Carl Smith   Composer,Composer
Carl William Smith   Composer
Ed Stasium   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Jon Walls   Assistant Engineer
Pete Farndon   Composer
Ray Davies   Composer,Lyricist
Raynard Miner   Composer
Pretenders   Composer,Performer
Martin Chambers   Composer
Brian Potter   Composer
Gary Jackson   Composer
R. Davies   Composer
Daniel Hersch   Remastering Engineer
Harriet Bellush   Producer
John Metcalfe   Arranger
Tim Young   Remastering Engineer
Sam Kooper   Producer
Ian Samwell   Composer
Francois Lamoureux   Mastering Engineer
Nick Lowe   Producer
Starfleet Blair   Producer
Jeremy Green   Assistant Engineer
Steve Nye   Recording
Stephen Street   Producer