Pretenders announce deluxe reissues of first two albums

Both albums will be available individually and as a bundle

The first two Pretenders albums are getting the deluxe treatment this fall in honor of the 40th anniversary of the band’s sophomore album. Curated by Chrissie Hynde, Pretenders (Deluxe Edition) and Pretenders II (Deluxe Edition) will be released on November 5th as two individual 12×12 3 CD deluxe editions. Each set contains a high-quality book featuring a myriad of rare, unseen photos plus new liner notes from acclaimed music journalist Will Hodgkinson. Both sets include the original album fully remastered by Chris Thomas, alongside demos, rarities and many live performances. Pretenders (Deluxe Edition) features BBC sessions on The Kid Jensen Show, as well as performances at The Paris Theatre, London and Paradise Theater, Boston. Pretenders II (Deluxe Edition) showcases the band’s high-octane live performances from Central Park, New York City and their performance at The Santa Monica Civic.

Vinyl fans can pick up Pretenders (red) and Pretenders II (white) on limited edition color vinyl, which both feature 2018 remastered audio by the album’s original producer, Chris Thomas, on vinyl for the first time.

Rhino is offering bundles of the two projects. The Ultimate Bundle includes features a special, hand-numbered Pretenders print, based upon the “Brass In Pocket” single artwork on 300gsm Textured Italian Lithographic Board, limited to 500 copies worldwide. Fans can also pick up bundled CD and vinyl copies as well.

Pretenders’ first single came in the form of a cover of The Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing,” produced by Nick Lowe. It would end up a top 40 hit in the UK, with their follow up single Kid also reaching the top 40. They then released one of Pretenders’ most famous tracks, “Brass In Pocket.” Leading with a glorious guitar rhythm embodied by luscious chorus, “Brass In Pocket” launched Pretenders onto a different level, with the track finishing reaching No. 1 in the UK, Ireland, Sweden and South Africa, as well as Top 5’s in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand and more. It was also a success in the US, reaching No. 14 and becoming the seventh music video aired on MTV. The album continues to be highly acclaimed to this day, regularly featuring amongst best of the 1980s lists.

Following their debut album, Pretenders released two singles in the UK, “Talk Of The Town” and “Message Of Love” before Pretenders II arrived, with the former reaching No. 8 and the latter No. 11 in the UK singles charts. The appetite in the US maintained too, with Pretenders releasing an EP in the interim named Extended Play, containing five tracks that would later be on the Pretenders II album. With a clamoring for more Pretenders material, Pretenders II was released on 15th August 1981 to great fanfare. The album would end up peaking No. 7 in the UK, and No. 10 in the US, being certified Silver and Gold respectively in the process. Further highlights of the album include another cover of The Kinks, in the form of “I Go To Sleep.”

Pretenders is widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums of all-time. Featuring Chrissie Hynde’s incredible vocals and guitar, James Honeyman-Scott’s glistening guitar, Pete Farndon’s driving bass and Martin Chambers’ drums, the album is quintessential new wave, and a defining album of the 80s. They then followed that up in 1981 with Pretenders II, the last album with Pretenders’ original line-up who continued the tremendous form of their debut album.

Pretenders (Deluxe Edition)

CD 1: Original Album & B-Sides

1. Precious
2. The Phone Call
3. Up The Neck
4. Tattooed Love Boys
5. Space Invader
6. The Wait
7. Stop Your Sobbing
8. Kid
9. Private Life
10. Brass In Pocket
11. Lovers Of Today
12. Mystery Achievement
13. Cuban Slide [B-Side]
14. Porcelain [B-Side]
15. The Wait (Nick Lowe Version) [B-Side]
16. Nervous But Shy [B-Side]
17. Swinging London [B-Side]

CD 2: Demos & BBC In Studio

1. The Phone Call [Demo]
2. Suicide [Previously Unreleased Demo]
3. Brass In Pocket [Demo]
4. Precious [Demo]
5. The Wait [Demo]
6. I Can’t Control Myself [Demo]
7. Stop Your Sobbing [Demo]
8. Tequila [Demo]
9. Kid [Demo]
10. I Go To Sleep [Previously Unreleased Demo]
11. Do I Love You [Previously Unreleased Demo]
12. The Wait (The Kid Jensen Show, February 5th, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
13. Up The Neck (The Kid Jensen Show, February 5th, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
14. Stop Your Sobbing (The Kid Jensen Show, February 5th, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
15. Private Life (The Kid Jensen Show, February 5th, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
16. Cuban Slide (The Kid Jensen Show, February 5th, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
17. Mystery Achievement (The Kid Jensen Show, July 2nd, 1979)
18. I Need Somebody (The Kid Jensen Show, July 2nd, 1979)
19. Tattooed Love Boys (The Kid Jensen Show, July 2nd, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]

CD 3: Live

1. The Wait (Live at Paris Theatre, London, January 2nd, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
2. Stop Your Sobbing (Live at Paris Theatre, London, January 2nd, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
3. Kid (Live at Paris Theatre, London, January 2nd, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
4. Cuban Slide (Live at Paris Theatre, London, January 2nd, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
5. Brass In Pocket (Live at Paris Theatre, London, January 2nd, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
6. Tattooed Love Boys (Live at Paris Theatre, London, January 2nd, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
7. Mystery Achievement (Live at Paris Theatre, London, January 2nd, 1979) [Previously Unreleased]
8. Space Invader (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]
9. The Wait (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]
10. Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980)
11. Kid Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]
12. Private Life Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]
13. Cuban Slide Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]
14. The Phone Call Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [Previously Unreleased]
15. Talk Of The Town Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]
16. Tattooed Love Boys Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980)
17. Up The Neck Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]
18. Mystery Achievement Precious (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]
19. Stop Your Sobbing (Live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 23rd 1980) [First time on CD]

Pretenders II (Deluxe Edition)

CD 1: Original Album

1. The Adultress
2. Bad Boys Get Spanked
3. Message Of Love
4. I Go To Sleep
5. Birds Of Paradise
6. Talk Of The Town
7. Pack It Up
8. Waste Not Want Not
9. Day After Day
10. Jealous Dogs
11. The English Roses
12. Louie Louie

CD 2: Studio Demos, Singles & Alternates

1. Talk Of The Town (Demo)
2. What You Gonna Do About It
3. I Go To Sleep (Guitar Version – Outtake)
4. Pack It Up (Radio Mix – Outtake)
5. Day After Day (Single Mix)
6. In The Sticks
7. Louie Louie (Monitor Mix) [Previously Unreleased]
8. Precious (Live in Central Park, NYC, August 30th 1980)
9. Space Invader (Live in Central Park, NYC, August 30th 1980) [Previously Unreleased]
10. Cuban Slide (Live in Central Park, NYC, August 30th 1980) [Previously Unreleased]
11. Porcelain (Live in Central Park, NYC, August 30th 1980) [Previously Unreleased]
12. Tattooed Love Boys (Live in Central Park, NYC, August 30th 1980) [Previously Unreleased]
13. Up The Neck (Live in Central Park, NYC, August 30th 1980) [Previously Unreleased]

CD 3: Live At The Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981

1. The Wait (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
2. The Adultress (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
3. Message Of Love (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
4. Louie Louie (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
5. Talk Of The Town (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
6. Birds Of Paradise (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
7. The English Roses (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
8. Stop Your Sobbing (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
9. Private Life (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
10. Kid (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
11. Day After Day (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
12. Up The Neck (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
13. Bad Boys Get Spanked (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
14. Tattooed Love Boys (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981) [Previously Unreleased]
15. Precious (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981) [Previously Unreleased]
16. Brass In Pocket (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)
17. Mystery Achievement (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981) [Previously Unreleased]
18. Higher And Higher (Live at the Santa Monica Civic, September 4th 1981)

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com