I have read somewhere that the best 'fuck off' in rock music is the 'fuck off' that can be heard on Pretenders' debut LP. It is in the very first song, "Precious", and while I have heard a million great 'fuck offs' over the years, Chrissie Hynde does it better than most. It is the intonation that renders it irresistible. In fact, I would argue that Hynde could always do that, even when she was in a songwriting slump and her songs were starting to lose their charm (I believe that she hasn't released anything that would touch the quality of that 1980 album).
This time, she does it in the chorus of "Sweetheart Like You". The way she intones 'dump like this' gives the song a new edge, and is the very reason why you would care for an album like this.
I believe this to be the best album of the month for the simple reason that I find her singing utterly irresistible. I love Chrissie Hynde's voice. I love her song choices, too. She chose not to go for the obvious albums, which is commendable. In fact, I am a little disappointed with her decision to do "Love Minus Zero / No Limit". A Dylan classic no doubt, and she performs it beautifully, but I could not shake off the feeling that it was almost too easy. Now that I think of it, I would much rather have Chrissie Hynde sing the entirety of Street Legal.
Most of this material is taken from Shot Of Love and Infidels, two great, if flawed, albums from early 80s. I have always loved the latter in particular, with its booming production and invigorated singing. Replace "Union Sundown" with "Blind Willie McTell" and add "Foot Of Pride" and you have yourself a near-classic. Back to Chrissie Hynde, she takes these semi-forgotten songs from Dylan (if there is such a thing, of course) and adds her trademark vocal edge. The opener "In The Summertime" is a revelation. Elsewhere, her "You're A Big Girl Now" and "Standing in the Doorway" just sound timeless in their wisdom and the downright gorgeous presentation.
It would be wrong to say that she totally transforms these songs and makes them her own. However, she does rethink them a great deal. She finds a new angle, a new intonation, a new line to stress. You heard these songs a thousand times before - but, somehow, you find that these are the very lines which make all the difference. The difference that you could never quite catch.
RECOMMENDED THIS MONTH:
Chrissie Hynde - Standing In The Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan
Johnny Flynn & Robert Macfarlayne - Lost In The Cedar Wood
Paul Weller - Fat Pop (Volume 1)
Sons of Kemet - Black To The Future
