Very early in the history of the Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde became inured to personnel shifts within the group. She taught herself to thrive on such change as an inspiration for her work and there’s hardly an album in the group’s discography more illustrative of that self-reliance than the four-decade-old Learning to Crawl (released on 1/13/84).
This third Pretenders LP features only two of the original members from the quartet that begat the halcyon debut album (and its almost equally stylish successor). As Hynde so candidly recounts in her autobiography Reckless: My Life As A Pretender, guitarist Robbie McIntosh and bassist Malcolm Foster respectively replaced James Honeyman-Scott and Chris Farndon (both of whom grappled unsuccessfully with substance abuse issues), but only after some makeshift lineups preceding the enlistments.
However, as portrayed on the non-stop chug of “Thumbelina,” the realigned band evinced little less unity than its forebears on this sophomore Sire release (again produced in the studio by Chris Thomas). With its title in honor of Hynde’s first child (who clearly also inspired the graceful “Show Me”), the collection of ten songs also carried just as much attitude as its predecessors. But, as befits the author’s profound life changes, the expressions thereof were far more nuanced and the expanse of musical style mirrored that emotional approach.
Accordingly, the foursome charges through “Middle of the Road,” tacitly accommodating varied interpretations of the title as a reference to an easy-listening musical category and/or physical space. Such reflections arrive only after Chambers hammers out a raucous intro sound and the cut concludes with a squall of a harmonica solo (performed by the bandleader but oddly uncredited).
The temperate tone of “Back On The Chain Gang” belies its title right from the gentle chime of electric guitars at the outset (as well as Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner’s solo). Without pretensions to any Zen-like enlightenment, Hynde and company celebrate the mundane in “Watching the Clothes,” a preoccupation light years from a contemplation of the passage of time (and the inevitable ravages thereof) documented in such matter-of-fact tone on “My City Was Gone.”
This autobiographical slice of life Hynde composed about her Akron, Ohio hometown isn’t much less close to her heart than an empathetic cover of “Thin Line Between Love and Hate;” originally issued in 1971 by the R&B group the Persuaders, this interpretation features the soulful vocal and piano of Paul Carrack (Ace, Eric Clapton) and represents an effective bridge to its thematic counterpart “I Hurt You:” here it becomes clear (if it wasn’t already) that Chrissie Hynde’s voice, with the nuances of her singing corresponding to the careful craft of her lyrics, is the Pretenders’ main instrument.
Self-discipline and restraint apply to the Pretenders’ musicianship here, not to mention arrangements that vividly illustrate the structure(s) of the leader’s original songs. For instance, Hynde’s overdubbed lead vocals soar upward to meet McIntosh’s lead on the refrain of “Time the Avenger,” while the lush guitar chords of the haunting quasi-waltz that is “2000 Miles,” evoke bittersweet feelings that transcend the Christmas holiday mentioned in the lyrics.
Forty years down the line, the scope and taste of Pretenders’ 2023 album Relentless posits that album as one of the year’s best. Little surprise it is of a piece with Learning to Crawl: both LPs stand as a testament to Chrissie Hynde’s loyalty to the musical format that is two guitars, bass, drums and voice(s). In turn, these efforts are simultaneously proud validation of that concept as well as recognition of the fundamental durability of the Pretenders’ body of work.
