I'm just so thankful that we have these videos. The Pretenders were one of the greatest rock bands of all time. James and Pete were world-class musicians, and we have so precious little of their genius to enjoy. So I just enjoy what we have!! Viva The Pretenders!~!
1SO! NO NEED TO BE SO MELODRAMATIC ! YEAH, the original incarnation of this Band was magic!, ...but some (for example, ME!, continue to come to this music TODAY! and I'm not a musical ingenue!,...yet Chrissie Hynde weaves her magic TO THIS DAY! - to fully grasp this, you must appreciate that there is something timeless - in Her - in Her Voice - and most importantly, in her song-writing - the same level of honesty, of confronting l1ife on your own terms, that distinguishes the Greats! the Neil Young's!, the Leonard Cohen's!, the Bob Dylan's! Timeless!
Fantastic. The Pretenders in their prime. While I think Chrissie has made some incredible music with various incarnations of the group, nothing can replace the magic of the original lineup. And I often think how Honeyman-Scott would be revered today as a "rock guitar god" today had he lived.
A perfect band. Honeyman Scott is so everything. Arguably the best new wave guitarist ever Technical score - 10 Artistic Impression - 10 A perfect 10. Long live the Queen
What a band...rare example of great musical chemistry...Martin Chambers is an animal here (1 of my all time fav drummers)...RIP Honeyman-Scott & Pete Farndon...
I saw them in Auckland, New Zealand in about "81...must have been badly promoted...only about 100 people attending.....she wore old motorcycle boots....Martin flooded the tops of his drums with water.....Pete was the coolest cat in his black motorcycle jacket ....I think with the BSA logo on the back.....anyway....one of the top 3 concerts I've ever seen....and how strange 2 yrs later half the band is dead
At 11 years of age in 1981 I was calling my local FM radio station, frequently requesting songs from the Pretenders. My favorite group then. Growing up as youngest of 8 I explored the 60’s and 70’s vinyl collection my family had amassed. Starting at 7-8, I spun vinyl from all the classic titans: Led Zeppelin,Hendrix,Allman Brothers,Joplin,CSNY,Zappa,Neil Young,KISS, Queen,AC/DC,Rush,Boston. Not to mention Joni Mitchell, Carley Simon,Grace Slick. Late ‘70’s brought Blondie,The Cars, Dire Straits,VAN HALEN,and AC/DC. The Pretenders were all of that awesome musical talent and energy embodied together for me, never imitated or were they imitating. Wish they were a concert I got to see live, but Cheap Trick and .38 Spl in 1981 will do as first live rock show at 12 years old. Definitely different times
Que recuerdos de los 80 por Dios!! Con mis 20 años... inolvidables hasta el fin de mi ser..Bravo Pretenders.me hacen llorar esos recuerdos.el amor de mi vida pasó por estas canciones.🙋🇪🇸
I'm seeing them play in LA tomorrow night (Dec 10 2008)--my first Pretenders show since 1981!~ I'm REALLY excited to hear the old and new songs, and to be in the same room as one of my all-time favorite bands!
saw them at Hammerheads , a small club on Long Island in September , 1980. Great show! Marty was throwing drumsticks out to the crowd like missles. Instandly impressed with this young band.
I generally don't care to imagine going back in time or being someone or somewhere else ... but I wouldn't have minded being in the audience for this concert. I love poetry and I love rock and this is a whole shiteload of both.
I have to agree with patriotcom here. Although he's not particularly animated in this particular video, James Honeyman Scott's fiery guitar playing was what made their first 2 albums stand out. When he died and was replaced by Robbie, their level of passion & energy took a nose dive and never recovered. His style and influences are totally different than Scott's, and I think most people defending their subsequent music probably aren't old enough to remember the halcyon days with JHS.
Yes, this song -- and these two guys -- were an early 1980s classic. I remember putting my speakers in my dorm window at Ohio Univ. and just cranking the HELL out of this album. Ques.: Can anyone post a copy of the promo/studio version video of "Mystery Achievement" -- it kicked serious butt, and no one seems to have it. :( Mystery Achievement is my fave song off this first album, but Up The Neck, Precious and The Phone Call are all great. Heck, the whole album is excellent!!!
Dennis Lyons agree ( his wife sold his 80s Strat) some time back it was very affordable even for average guy to buy as 80s stratocasters are not that desirable though good guitars ,wish I bought it.
I saw them in 1978, Toprank Suite Brighton, a tiny venue.UB40 were the support. Chrissie was unforgettable in a red leather biker jacket.Awesome concert
@microvibe after the original two passed on the 'institution' that was the Pretenders became a tribute band . That original album was the work of the first 4 and nothing fropm the band since has come close. Pure and simple the downside of the rock and roll lifestyle destroyed the original band. The tragedy is the loss of two young lives , thats MUCH bigger a loss than the impact on the band
DJ Name76 YOU SAID IT!!! I was too young to GET THEM (and wouldn't have been old enough to see them, anyway, less someone had dragged my 13-year-old lousy *** to the Royal Oak Music Hall or something like that) when they were here as the original band. I saw Chrissie in 1984 and it was exciting, but it had changed and it became like she was a solo singer-songwriter who just happened to have a band. Ya know. You SAID it. My best to ya!
@Supernova64 I so agree! He was such a remarkable guitarist and is still missed alot today! I really wish I had gotten into them earlier so I could have had the chance to seem him play with her... but alas I didn't. I did get to see her on the Back On the Chain Gang album tour. It was still awesome... but I would have loved to see the original line up!
@barettadreams - thanks for the band / recording history. Lots of comments re missing Jimmy and Pete and how it was more a real band then - all true. My fave live video too, of The Adultress, with that lineup. Still, my fave Pretenders album is Learning to Crawl. Great attitude, lyrics, writing, playing, vocals. My City Was Gone says it all, and has one of the coolest all-time bass lines ever. Time the Avenger, Middle of the Road, almost every track is great.
tragic that after losing such great performers like Jimmy and Pete Farndon and a brilliant debut album they became shite ending up with that abomination "I'll stand by you"
@baryogenesis i'm totally behind on this ... i was wondering why there are so few vids of them up on this thing.... why have they all been removed ???o.o x(
I saw them live too. . .twice. Both times with the original line up. On the message board inside "Harbor House" which is where a cast worker clocks in at Disneyland was a note from a guy selling tix to the show. I think he wanted $40 each, which was almost outrageous. H ewouldn't budge on the price. I wanted to go so bad to that show at the S&M Civic in 1981 that I traded (4) Loge Sec. 32 row DD seats at the Forum for The Kinks plus $40 for just 2 tickets. That's how hot this band had become. Shows at the S&M were all sold out. It holds just 3,000 people and it's all unreserved seating. Next time was at UCLA in Feb. '82
it's great that particular version of religion helped you yuke, but the artists/muscians 'imagination' gets them in touch w/the 'God force/energy/cosmos of the Universe very well. I know that won't make sense to you and that's okay. Chrissie's doing well, she even has a vegan restaurant in Ohio!! I wish you the best my friend
Fantastic early gig, wish I could get my hands on the whole set! BTW I got mystery achievement on my channel from this show. If anyone knows where the entire gig can be got please let me know :)
This is a video of the Pretenders.When Jimmy Scott died the Pretenders died with him.Everything after that is Chrissie's back up band.The band could have replaced Pete Farndon,but not Jim Scott.He was the heart and soul of the band.I love Chrissie Hynde but without Jim Scott's guitar the music simply never had that kind of passion again.
@doubts Chorus pedals had been around since maybe the very late 60s, to simulate the double-tracking people would do on records, but Honeyman-Scott and Summers definitely helped popularize it, along with the Roland Jazz Chorus amp which was hot at the time. Both were guys who could already really play and loved 60s pop who were working in the punk/new wave framework and had a superior grasp of space and texture. As a kid they lit me up when I heard them on the radio for the first time. Faves.
Timothy Lee No dyslexia, douchebag, just a commentary on sounds without any need for a timeline or source. Instead of being pedantic, try getting a life- or better yet, shut up.
@wrf1973 From an old Guitar Player magazine interview: What did you use to get that sound? At that time I was using an Ibanez Explorer that was fantastic - it was stolen. It was incredible. That went through a Marshall. And to get that sound, I was using the Clone Theory pedal made by Electro Harmonix. That’s how I go the sound. And I’m now using the old Boss pedals.
I have heard different interpretations about the meaning of this song. Some say it is about BDSM. I think it is really about an abusive lover. Correct me if I am wrong Brits, but doesn't "Up the neck" mean being in a very s****y situation?
there's a sexual situation underway but then a sudden violent outburst. it's not BDSM because there are too many words indicating that she's caught by surprise. i think she's not telling us part of the story. maybe she blurted out another man's name or something? everything is run of the mill until something happens but we aren't told what it was. there's more to it, though. she's under the bed but then she's out in the hall, so maybe this has happened before. something is messed up about the relationship. 'blackmailed emotions confuse the demon and devotee.'
I remember reading an interview and Chrissie Hynde said “Up the Neck” refers to how she wrote the song, the chords in this song move up the neck of the guitar.
I heard her explain that it is a song about a disappointing sexual encounter. Her lover was a nice guy, he did his best, but he got no where near her fire.
@@stevenmcgihon3278 but the title Of the song comes from the movement of the hand on the guitar. They didn’t have a title so they were calling it the “up the neck” song. Originally it was a reggae song but one day Jimmy came up with that opening kick and it transformed from there. Most likely the song is about Nick Kent and how he abused her as the song is about being abused and she’s confessed that 977, another song of theirs, was about Nick Kent . In some early live shows she has slightly different lyrics that make it a little less ambiguous
Flynn Hagerty You're actually serious? Pete Farndon imitating Mick Jones, that's really pretty weirdly risible. (At least PF has always been recognised for his distinctive bass, unlike Paul Simonon's feigning it)
You should listen to all the live concerts now avalaible on RU-vid before showing your ignorance, Pete (and Martin and many times Jimmy) made fabulous chorus
