When
the Pretenders
burst on the scene in 1979 with the singles "Kid," "Brass in Pocket," and "Stop Your Sobbing," they were a breath of fresh air, a band that combined the energy and attitude of punk with top-shelf songwriting courtesy of
Chrissie Hynde
, and an appreciation of the best of rock's past and present. The original lineup of
cut two superb albums -- 1980's
Pretenders
and 1981's
Pretenders II
-- before the deaths of guitarist
James Honeyman-Scott
and bassist
Pete Farndon
forced
Hynde
and drummer
Martin Chambers
to reinvent the group on their third album, 1984's excellent
Learning to Crawl
.
Original Albums Series
is a box set that features
' first three albums in full, along with two other fine titles from their catalog, 1986's
Get Close
and 1994's
Last of the Independents
, providing a well-detailed picture of this group at their best and most influential. ~ Mark Deming