Album of the Day

The first Pretenders album was released on this day in 1980, and one could hardly have asked for a better start to the decade. The eponymous debut combined classic rock, new wave and punk in its dozen tracks, including “Precious,” “Kid,” “Mystery Achievement” and the hit single “Brass In Pocket.” That former music journalist Chrissie Hynde would prove an outstanding songwriter may not have been a surprise, but her magnificent singing and alternately tough and tender persona surpassed all expectations; throw in a top-flight guitarist (James Honeyman-Scott) and rhythm section (bassist Pete Farndon and drummer Martin Chambers) and you have a band ready to take on the world. Rhino's expanded reissue of PRETENDERS adds a disc of B-sides, demos and live cuts to the landmark original.