Pretenders was first issued in December 1979 and features the singles ‘Stop Your Sobbing’, ‘Kid’ and UK chart-topper ‘Brass in Pocket’. Less than two years later the follow-up Pretenders II was issued. Hits included ‘Talk of the Town’ (issued much earlier in April 1980), ‘Message of Love’ and ‘I Go To Sleep’. Both albums featured the classic line-up of Chrissie Hynde (vocals and guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (guitar), Pete Farndon (bass) and Martin Chambers (drums).
Hate For Sale, produced by the revered Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur), is the latest studio album by The Pretenders via BMG. The album features 10 new songs written collaboratively by Chrissie Hynde and the electrifyingly dynamic guitarist James Walbourne, in what is the first Hynde/Walbourne song writing collaboration to date.
The Pretenders Greatest Hits is a selection of 20 songs and their variously successful videos. Chrissie Hynde arrived in the UK in 1973, and after a period as the "Loud Yank" NME journalist, she realised her dream of putting a band together. "Stop Your Sobbing" was a terrific first single for The Pretenders, debuting a voice that defied comparison or description. Naturally it's included here. Chrissie hated the early videos for her songs, especially "Brass in Pocket", which was one of the very first shown on MTV. She relays this sort of information to camera in the terrific documentary, "No Turn Left Unstoned", featured on this DVD. Comments come in from Rosanna Arquette, ex-managers, Elvis Costello, Bono, and her oldest friend.