Skip to main content

The Pretenders - Message of Love




The pep rally drum beat and angular guitars catch your ear right away on this tune. Chrissie Hynde's quasi-singing delivery is classic. The sound of The Pretenders on their first two albums is perfect. "Message of Love" wasn't played to death on FM and still sounds fresh to me. Hynde's message rings true:

"Now the reason we're here
As man and woman
Is to love each other
Take care of each other
When love walks in the room
Everybody stand up
Oh it's good, good, good
Like Brigitte Bardot"


Comments

Post a Comment

Trending Tracks

Jules & the Polar Bears - Good Reason

Jules & The Polar Bears is one of those bands that you want to like, but continue to remain on the fence about even after a decade of failed listens. Recently, I've been sampling bands from the late 70s and early 80s who released fake new wave albums -- major label acts who played middle of the road rock, but disguised it in skinny ties, brightly colored sweaters and catchy, Cars-y keyboard riffs. Jules & The Polar Bears are a good example. Their first record, 1978's Got No Breeding, was compared to Dylan, The Kinks and Springsteen. Personally, I hear a quirky Jackson Browne in the songwriting. Everything sounds bearded and mid-tempo, except Jules Shear, the singer. He gives the band a distinct sound with his "singing at the top of my range" yelp. But even with Shears' interesting squelch, the songs never break out of 70s rock conformity. The guitarist's resemblance to a member of Orleans or Doobie Brothers is telling. Enter 1979's "Fenêt...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Sherbs - I Have The Skill

Take early 80s Genesis, add a tad more new wave to the sauce, drop 'em in the middle of a crocodile infested continent and you've got The Sherbs -- another great example of a late 70s band with proggy tendencies transitioning into early 80s pop. The herky-jerky rhythm and loving dose of synthesizers in this tune is what stands out to me. I love the little arpeggios the dude throws in on the synths. It's just a smidge more prog than your typical new wave hit of '81. "I Have The Skill" hit 61 on the U.S. pop charts. Did you ever hear it on your FM station back in the day? Me neither. Why not, dude? Singer, Daryl Braithwaite, throws in some great middle school metaphors throughout the tune. My favorite is "I am the shoreline, you are a breaker." So Aussie! But, when he gets to the end of the verse, he casts aside figurative language and gets starkly realistic with the line, "All I can say is this life that we're living is a death defyi...
Post a Comment
Read more