Song of the Day: The Pretenders “Talk of the Town”

One of my favorite albums is the self-titled, debut album by The Pretenders. In March of ’81 an extended EP was released in the UK and US containing two more charting singles: “Message of Love” and “Talk of the Town.” The video for “Talk of the Town” featured the band on a black and white set and highlighted their street-smart attitude and fashion, finding heavy rotation on an early MTV. As a bassist, I appreciate the simplicity of Pete Farndon’s work on this track. He was known for a low-key approach and steered clear of stepping on the guitar or vocal melody. Sadly, he and guitarist James Scott would only have one more record with The Pretenders before tragedy would take both of their lives and force Chrisie Hynde to carry on and rebuild the band.

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