The Pretenders ★★★★
Learning To Crawl
SIRE. LP
When The Pretenders became heavyweights.
After sacking bassist Pete Farndon, and the cocaine-related death of Chrissie Hynde’s main musical foil James Honeyman-Scott just two days later, The Pretenders went on hiatus, only to return two years later with their most successful album. By then Farndon, too, had died following a heroin overdose, so a revolving door of players helped Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers heave their third album over the line before the line-up again settled with Robbie McIntosh and Malcolm Foster. The smooth pop of Show Me, Christmas favourite 2000 Miles and Back On The Chain Gang’s “ooh, ah” backing vocals launched the album to Number 5 in America, and Number 11 back in the UK, but even now Middle Of The Road remains the band’s most visceral, unhinged moment. Like Middle…, there are no frills on this first vinyl release of the 2018 remaster, but it doesn’t need any.