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Quite honestly, I was shocked to see this for sale on Amazon for over $70 when many other retailers are selling it for more than half off that price. I had this on my Amazon wish list for a while hoping the price would come down and, by chance, I saw it on another site for a lot less. Someone isn't doing their job at Amazon.As other reviewers have said, this is a must-have for Pretender fans. I have all of their albums on vinyl, cassette and CD and this one is the icing on the cake.
The Pretenders burst onto the scene in 1980 with their self-titled debut album & top 20 hit "Brass In Pocket"-Right away,you knew they were an outstanding band-Chrissie Hynde on guitar & lead singer,Pete Farndon on guitar & vocals,James Honeyman Scott on guitar & vocals & Martin Chambers on drums-A few years back,I purchased their "Greatest Hits" CD,but discarded it when I saw this compilation was advertised on Amazon.com-It was money well spent-You get a complete overview of the group's career-In addition to the aforementioned "Brass In Pocket",you also get their other big hits such as "Back On The Chain Gang","Middle Of The Road","Show Me",& "Don't Get Me Wrong"-"Pirate Radio" also showcases key album cuts such as "My City Was Gone"-Regular listeners to Rush Limbaugh's show will recognize that particular song-He uses it as background music-There are 4 CD's plus a bonus DVD of concert footage-Don't hesistate to buy this set-It's absolutely terrific.
The video included in the box set is worth the price of the CD. The remastering of the tracks is well done. The original CD release always sounded so flat and lifeless. The only complaint is the use of a crummy demo version of "Precious" my favorite song.
I was hoping for rarities, but it mostly has all the songs from the original tracks. The DVD is the most worthwhile part, in my opinion.
Chrissie Hynde is fierce. And no one has ever made the phrase F*** off sound so sexy. The main pleasure is getting to hear her later releases in this context.
I don't think there is a female singer who can match Chrissie's attitude, delivery and snarl. I feel she truly found her vocal style and sly delivery the older she has grown.The set includes great alternate takes and thankfully the non-album soundtrack cuts, most notably her remarkable covers of Dionne Warwick's "Windows Of The World" and Morrisey's "Everyday Is Like Sunday" (listen to the chord similarity to 'Back On The Chain Gang' ). Listening to this collection it's refreshing to realize this music never sounds dated nor were they ever 'punk' - The Pretenders are pure rock and roll.
As a hardcore Chrissie fan I have purchased all her music and I disagree with one of the reviewers who felt her later output was not as dynamic as the earlier releases. She is the unchallenged queen of rock and roll.This box set is very comprehensive and beautifully compiled. Chronologically laid out it is an aural pleasure to listen consecutively to one disc after the other - which is becoming rarer and rarer with these erratic box set releases.
This is a must own box set and also would make a great gift seeing as it so NEVER sucks. Thank you Chrissie and the boys.
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