Allow me to, again, gush over another Pretenders reissue. This time it’s their 1981 second album appropriately entitled Pretenders II. The short-lived band led by guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and Chrissie Hynde sadly only lasted for these first two albums (after Honeyman’s death The Pretenders name simply became a vehicle for Hynde) so these reissues, with their bonus cuts and live tracks are a true treat.
Like the reissue of The Pretenders debut (review here), Pretenders II follows the same format: housed on disc one is the original remastered album, and the live tracks and outtakes/bonus material on the second. If you only know the band from it’s sub par Hynde led ’80s MTV existence, I recommend checking out these first two seminal new wave/post punk albums.
Previously: Aquarium Drunkard review of The Pretenders debut reissue.
DOWNLOAD:
MP3: The Pretenders :: Up The Neck (live)
MP3: The Pretenders :: Message of Love
———-
Amazon: The Pretenders - Pretenders II
www.pretendersarchives.com
——————————————————————————————————
+ Visit The Hype Machine for additional Pretenders MP3s.
