The Pretenders discography

The Pretenders discography
Pretenders (original line-up), Dominion Theatre, London, December 1981
Studio albums 10
Live albums 3
Compilation albums 4
EPs 1
Singles 33

The 40-year (as at 2019) discography of The Pretenders, a London, England-based rock band, consists of ten studio albums, four compilation albums, one extended play (EP), two live albums, and 33 singles, performed by various line ups not including solo material recorded by individual members.

Vocalist/guitarist Chrissie Hynde, guitarist/keyboardist James Honeyman-Scott, bassist Pete Farndon and drummer Martin Chambers who formed The Pretenders in 1978, produced two classic studio albums. After soon signing to the independent label Sire Records they released their chart-topping debut album Pretenders which is widely regarded as one of the finest debut albums of all time. The Pretenders' second album, Pretenders II, was released in August 1981 to follow-up success, preceded by the EP "Extended Play" in the United States in recognition of the demand for their material. By June 1982 bassist Farndon was fired because of his drug abuse and, two days later, guitarist Honeyman-Scott died of a drug related heart attack; Farndon himself died in April 1983 as a result of drug abuse.

Hynde and Chambers released the classic single "Back on the Chain Gang in late 1982 backed with "My City Was Gone". In January 1984 a new band line up including Robbie McIntosh (lead guitar) and Malcolm Foster (bass) released the hugely successful Learning to Crawl which also included those earlier tracks. This line up performed at Live Aid (1985) and remained static until sessions for the 1986 album "Get Close" which saw drummer Martin Chambers replaced and various line up changes made during the 1987 world tour. Hynde emerged again in 1990 with "Packed"and various session musicians. In 1993, the Pretenders contributed a song "Bold as Love" to the album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

In 1994 the Pretenders returned with a stable line up that included Chambers again, Adam Seymour (lead guitar) and Andy Hobson to deliver four studio albums, including the hit album Last of the Independents swiftly followed in 1995 with the accoustic album "Isle of View". Viva el Amor, released in 1999, would be their first album to not chart in mainland Europe with the exception of Germany and Sweden; the album peaked at 158 on the Billboard 200. In 2002 they released Loose Screw peaking at 179 on the Billboard 200 and 55 on the UK Albums Chart.

By 2008, Seymour and Hobson had been replaced with today's current line up that has produced 2 studio albums, that includes James Walbourne (lead Guitar) and Nick Wilkinson (bass guitar). [Break Up the Concrete]] was released in October 2008 and returned the Pretenders to the Top 40 on Billboard 200 where it peaked at 32. The album was not released in UK and Europe until June 2009 when it was released as a double album with a compilation album of hit songs, titled The Best of / Break Up the Concrete. The double-album package peaked at 35 in the UK, returning them to the UK Top 40 for the first time since 2000's Greatest Hits. 2016's "Alone" returned the Pretenders to the charts in many countries supported by a two year set of tours world wide.

Albums

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK[1] AUS[2] CAN[3] GER[4] NLD[5] NOR[6] NZ[7] SWE[8] SWI[9] US[3]
1979 Pretenders
  • Released: 27 December 1979 (UK) 19 January 1980 (US)
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
1 6 5 24 2 2 9 UK: Gold[10]
US: Platinum[11]
NLD: Gold[12]
1981 Pretenders II
  • Released: 15 August 1981
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
7 18 9 1 20 10 UK: Silver[13]
US: Gold[11]
1984 Learning to Crawl
  • Released: 7 January 1984
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
11 18 4 38 18 19 3 30 5 UK: Gold[14]
US: Platinum[11]
1986 Get Close
  • Released: 4 November 1986
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, LP
6 12 9 33 18 13 6 22 25 UK: Gold[15]
US: Gold[11]
1990 Packed!
  • Released: 22 May 1990
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, LP
19 55 23 48 15 31 7 48 UK: Silver[16]
1994 Last of the Independents
  • Released: 10 May 1994
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
8 22 25 42 50 16 14 6 26 41 UK: Gold[17]
US: Gold[11]
1999 Viva el Amor 32 73 36 158
2002 Loose Screw 55 179
2008 Break Up the Concrete 35 58 32
2016 Alone 40 150
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Notes;

  • Break Up the Concrete was in Europe released only as a double-disc release with The Best of Pretenders, titled The Best of / Break Up the Concrete.

Live albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK[1] AUS[2] BEL[18] US[3]
1995 The Isle of View
  • Released: 24 October 1995
  • Label: Warner Bros. Records
  • Formats: CD, LP, DVD
23 98 46 100 UK: Silver[19]
2003 Loose in L.A.
  • Released: 23 September 2003
  • Label: Artemis Records
  • Formats: DVD
2010 Live in London
  • Released: 16 April 2010
  • Label: Strobosonic Records
  • Formats: CD, DVD, BD

Extended plays

Year Album details Peak chart positions
US[3]
1981 Extended Play
  • Released: 30 March 1981
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CS, 12-inch
27

Compilation albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK[1] AUS[2] CAN[3] ESP[20] NZ[7] SWE[8] US[3]
1987 The Singles
  • Released: 17 November 1987
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
6 19 48 11 50 69 UK: 3× Platinum[21]
US: Gold[11]
2000 Greatest Hits
  • Released: 7 November 2000
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, LP
21 99 23 UK: Gold[22]
NLD: Gold[12]
2006 Pirate Radio
  • Released: 9 January 2006
  • Label: Sire Records
  • Formats: CD, LP
2009 The Best of Pretenders 35 58
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Notes;

  • The Best of Pretenders was released as a double disc with Break Up the Concrete in Europe and Brazil in June 2009, titled The Best of / Break Up the Concrete.

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
UK NLD
[5]
SWE AUS
[2]
CAN NZ
[7]
US US
Mod
US
Main
US
Adult
1979 "Stop Your Sobbing" b/w "The Wait" 34 25 Pretenders
"Kid" b/w "Tattooed Love Boys" 33
"Brass in Pocket" b/w "Swinging London" / "Nervous But Shy" 1 11 1 2 2
1980 "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)" b/w "Space Invader" (US & Canada releases) 5 14
"Stop Your Sobbing" b/w "The Phone Call" (US & Canada releases) 65
"Kid" b/w "Stop Your Sobbing" / "The Wait" (Australia release) 90
"Precious" b/w "The Phone Call" (mainland Europe releases)
"Talk of the Town" b/w "Cuban Slide" 8 24 55 Pretenders II (initially single-only releases)
1981 "Message of Love" b/w "Porcelain" 11 33 15 5
"Day After Day" b/w "In the Sticks" 45 Pretenders II
"Day After Day" b/w "Bad Boys Get Spanked" (Germany release)
"The Adultress" 12
"I Go to Sleep" b/w "The English Roses" (Live) / "Louie Louie" (Live) 7 28
"Louie Louie" b/w "In the Sticks" 110
"I Go to Sleep" b/w "Waste Not, Want Not" (US, Canada, New Zealand & mainland Europe releases) 9 28
1982 "Back on the Chain Gang" b/w "My City Was Gone" 17 31 11 5 14 5 4 Learning to Crawl
"My City Was Gone" 11
1983 "2000 Miles" b/w "Fast Or Slow (The Law's the Law)" 15 13 30 36
"Middle of the Road" b/w "Watching the Clothes" 81 52
"Middle of the Road" b/w "2000 Miles" (US, Canada & New Zealand releases) 12 19 2
1984 "Time the Avenger" 6
"Show Me" b/w "Fast Or Slow (The Law's the Law)" 28 8
"Thumbelina" 57
"Thin Line Between Love and Hate" b/w "Time the Avenger" (Live) 49 32 83
1986 "Don't Get Me Wrong" b/w "Dance" 10 25 8 14 11 10 1 28 Get Close
"Hymn to Her" b/w "Room Full of Mirrors" 8 38 15 7 46
1987 "My Baby" b/w "Tradition of Love" (Extended Remix by Bob Clearmountain) 84 56 50 64 1
"Room Full of Mirrors" 28
"Where Has Everybody Gone?" b/w "Into Vienna" (instrumental) 26 The Living Daylights (soundtrack)
"If There Was a Man" b/w "Into Vienna" (instrumental) 49
"Kid" (Remix by Bob Clearmountain) b/w "Stop Your Sobbin'" (original 1978 demo version) The Singles
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" A Very Special Christmas
1988 "Windows of the World" b/w "1969" 117 21 1969 (soundtrack)
1990 "Never Do That" b/w "Not a Second Time" 81 26 4 5 Packed!
"Hold a Candle to This" 18
"Sense of Purpose" b/w "Spirit of Life" 129 72 23
1994 "I'm Not in Love" b/w "I'm Not in Love" (instrumental) 74 Indecent Proposal (soundtrack)
"I'll Stand by You" b/w "Rebel Rock Me" 10 29 21 8 12 20 16 21 7 21 Last of the Independents
"Night in My Veins" b/w "Angel of the Morning" 25 9 71 2 13
"977" b/w "I'll Stand by You" (Live) 66
"Money Talk"
1995 "Kid '95" / "The Isle of View" / "Creep" (all tracks live, unplugged) 73 The Isle of View
"2000 Miles" / "Happy Christmas" / "Night in My Veins" / "Tequila" (all tracks live, unplugged) 168
1997 Fever Pitch The E.P.: "Goin' Back" (+ 5 other artists' tracks) 65 Fever Pitch (soundtrack)
1999 "Loving You Is All I Know" 22 The Other Sister (soundtrack)
"Human" (Tin Tin Out Mix) / "The Homecoming" (Street Version) / "Human" (Class Mix) 33 17 30 Viva el Amor
"Popstar" / "Needle and the Damage Done" / "Samurai" (Street Version) 97 59
2003 "You Know Who Your Friends Are" / "Complicada" ("Complex Person" - Spanish version) 84 Loose Screw
"Time" (Junior Vasquez Remixes: Junior's Radio Version / Mixshow / Earth Anthem / Ambient Mix / Earth Beats / Tribapella / Earthstrumental / Album Version)
"Saving Grace" / "The Homecoming" 174
"The Losing" / "Don't Get Me Wrong"
2008 "Boots of Chinese Plastic" 6 Break Up the Concrete
"Love's a Mystery" 8
"Break Up the Concrete" / "Love's a Mystery" (Live)
2016 "Holy Commotion" 5 Alone
2017 "Let's Get Lost" -
"Gotta Wait" -
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Notes;

  • In 1980, "What You Gonna Do About It" (A-side) was released as a single with "Stop Your Sobbing (original demo version)" as the B-side as a special flexipop single in the UK.
  • The 1987 "If There Was a Man" UK release was accredited to The Pretenders for 007
  • In 1980, "Precious" (A-side) was released as a single in Spain with "Stop Your Sobbing" as the B-side.
  • In 1980, "Cuban Slide" (A-side) was released as a single in Japan, backed with "Stop Your Sobbing" as the B-side.
  • In 1982 "I Go To Sleep" (A-side) was released in Belgium with "English Roses" (album track) as the B-side.
  • The Pretenders also appear on the UK Singles Chart for their appearance on the 1997 Fever Pitch The EP for which their cover of "Goin' Back" is listed. The EP charted at #65 for one week on 10 May 1997.
  • The column for US Adult chart positions consists of peak positions from Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for "Don't Get Me Wrong", "I'll Stand by You" and "Loving You Is All I Know", Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart for "Human" and Adult album alternative (AAA) for "Boots of Chinese Plastic" and "Love's a Mystery". In addition, "I'll Stand by You" also charted on Adult Top 40 chart, but its peak position (#23) was lower than on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Other appearances


Year Song Album
1993 "Bold as Love" (Hendrix cover) Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
1980 "Talk of the Town" Times Square soundtrack
1981 "The Wait", "Tattooed Love Boys", "Precious"" Concert for Kampuchea December 1979 soundtrack
1982 "Back on the Chain Gang" The King of Comedy soundtrack
1982 "In The Sticks" Attack of the Killer B's compilation album
1984 "Money" (live) (Beatles cover) Revenge of the Killer B's compilation album
1984 "Show Me" (live) Greenpeace compilation album
1986 "Don't Get Me Wrong" Peter's Friends soundtrack
1987 "If there Was A Man", "Where Has Everybody Gone" The Living Daylights soundtrack
1988 "Windows of the World", "1969" (Bacharach/Osterberg covers) 1969 soundtrack
1991 "Born for a Purpose" (Alimantado cover) Tame Yourself - PETA compilation
1995 "Everyday Is Like Sunday" (Morrissey cover) Boys on the Side soundtrack
1995 "Forever Young" (Dylan cover) Free Willy 2 soundtrack
1997 "Goodbye", "The Homecoming" (Earle cover/Hynde) G I Jane soundtrack
1999 "I Wish You Love" (cover) Eye of the Beholder soundtrack
1999 "Loving You Is All I Know" (Dianne Warren cover) The Other Sister soundtrack
2002 "Get Out of London" (Interferon cover) The Wild Thornberrys soundtrack
2005 ""Stop Your Sobbing", "Back on the Chain Gang", "Middle of the Road"" Live Aid Anniversary Box Set. "Time the Avenger" and "Message of Love" also performed but not included.
2002 "Bless You" (Lennon cover) Uncut Presents: Instant Karma 2002; a Tribute to John Lennon[23]


The Pretenders' discography also includes cover versions found on their own studio albums, singles and concert rarities, including:


  • All Along the Watchtower (Neil Young)
  • Angel of the Morning (Chip Taylor)
  • Blue Christmas (Presley)
  • Both Sides of Goodbye (Williams) - with Willie Nelson
  • Can't Help Falling in Love With You (Presley)
  • Creep (Radiohead)
  • Don't Let Me Down (Beatles)
  • Forever Young (Dylan)
  • Girl Don't Come (Sandie Shaw)
  • Goin' Back (Goffin/King)
  • Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Martin/Blane)
  • Higher and Higher (Jackie Wilson)
  • Human (Divinyls)
  • I Can't Control Myself (The Troggs)
  • I Need Somebody (? and the Mysterons)
  • I Go To Sleep (The Kinks)
  • Lust for Life (Iggy Pop) - with Tom Jones
  • May This Be Love (Hendrix)
  • Money (Beatles)
  • Mystery Train (Junior Parker) - with Jeff Beck
  • Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young)
  • Not a Second Time (Beatles)
  • Positive Bleeding (Urge Overkill)
  • Rabo de Nube (Columbian traditional)
  • Room Full of Mirrors (Hendrix)
  • Sabre Dance (Kachaturian)
  • She (Parsons) - with EmmyLou Harris
  • Stop Your Sobbing (The Kinks)
  • Thin Line Between Love and Hate (The Persuasions)
  • The Loner (Neil Young)
  • Touch Me (The Doors)
  • Walk Like A Panther (Jarvis Cocker)
  • What You Gonna Do About It (The Faces)
  • Wild Thing (The Troggs)

This section should be read in conjunction with the Chrissie Hynde discography listing of collaborations and covers as a solo artist.

DVDs

  • The Isle of View (1995) [24]
  • Loose in L.A. (2003) [25]
  • 20 Years Ago Today - Live Aid (2005) [26]
  • Live in London (2010) [27]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "PRETENDERS | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Peaks in Australia:
    • Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to 19 June 1988: Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 238. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 19 June 1988.
    • Top 50 (ARIA Chart) peaks from 26 June 1988: "australian-charts.com > The Pretenders in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
    • Top 100 (ARIA Chart) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
    • "Windows of the World" (ARIA Chart) peak: "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2 May 2017". Imgur.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
    • "Sense of Purpose" (ARIA Chart) peak: "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 14 November 2016". Imgur.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Artist Chart History - The Pretenders". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  4. "Chartverfolgung / PRETENDERS, THE / Longplay". musicline.de. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  5. 1 2 "Dutch Album Chart". dutchcharts.com. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  6. "Norwegian Album Chart". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  7. 1 2 3 "New Zealand Album Chart". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  8. 1 2 "Swedish Album Chart". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  9. "Swiss Album Chart". Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  10. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "RIAA Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  12. 1 2 "NVPI Certifications". NVPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  13. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  14. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  15. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  16. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  17. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  18. "Belgian album Chart". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  19. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  20. "Spanish Album Chart". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  21. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  22. "BPI Certifications". BPI. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  23. "Uncut Presents: Instant Karma 2002; a Tribute to John Lennon: Various Artists". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  24. Discogs - the Isle of View (3 versions and tracklist) Archived 9 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  25. Discogs - Loose in L.A. (5 versions and tracklist)
  26. Discogs - 20 Years Ago Today - Live Aid (tracklist, credits, and notes)
  27. Discogs - Live in London (3 versions and tracklist)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.