Back on the chain ga ng—a gain
train
The Pretenders back in business
Psychological
Services
for
Women, Men,
and Couples
r with
furey
eileen furey
BY
DR. T A N T A L U S
en years ago a girl transplanted from Ohio
to London in search of fame and fortune
released an album of tender love songs and
hard driving rockers that received plaudits from
critics and fans alike. The slower tunes became
radio favorites, especially “Brass in Pocket,”
and “Stop Your Sobbing.”
The nail chewing, venomous rockers used
the ”F ’ word, made suggestions like “let’s do it
on the pavement” (“Precious”) and referenced
the strange habits of bikers she either knew or
imagined (‘Tattooed Love Boys”). Those old
enough to remember when Flossie’s was the
Bushes may recall seeing Doctor Tantalus .
bouncing around the dance floor to “Mystery
Achievement” off that same album.
It’s been ten years since that ground
breaking album appeared and Chrissie Hynde
still calls her band the Pretenders, although the
lineup has changed steadily over the last
decade. After the 1981 release of
T
Kristine L. Falco, Psy.D.
exercise physiologist
personal trainer
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
3903 SW Kelly, Suite 210
Portland, OR 97201
223-8071
GOLD’S GYM
222-1210
Portland's N ew Gay Bar
rK Afi ’5 back room
Lounge and Restaurant
P hilippine C uisine
C o c k ta ils . JgSPt
,
A Charismatic church serving
the entire community
Prayer Praise
and Healing
with Loretta and Associates
lOOO NW 17th Avenue
Portland * Oregon
224-1772
YOUR
REAL ESTATE :
PROFESSIONAL
For information and service time:
Pastor Juanita Gates (503) 287-7759
Pastor Judy Allen (206) 892-6861
2300 N.W. 30th, Portland
V________________ ______________^
There' More
There's More
to Buying a Home Involved in the Sale
Than Finding of Your Home Than
the Right Property Finding a Buyer
M y Com plim entary
Services
CALL MILLYNN ¡AMES
(503) 232-6000
Res. (503) 234-6255 FAX 232-7032
<
z
Û
0
X I
N IS S A N - A L F A R O M E
I Start by Listening
Q U A L IT Y C O L L IS IO N R E P A IR -Q U A L IT Y C O L L IS IO N R E P A IR
ARMORY
SINCE 1934
Û
D
<I
0
Comparative Market Analysis
of your home with absolutely
no obligation involved
or
Free 90 minute initial
consultation before you begin
your home search
Professional approach to high quality
auto collision repair and restoration.
Mechanical by appointment
(503) 227-6168
1029 NW Davis, Portland, OR 97209
• Insurance Work • Pick-up/Delivery »Free Estimates
ft
<_
>
0
c
>
73 I
£ m
73
0
m
0 m
c/>
OD
m
N Z
Ò
5
(/>
C
z
J A G U A R - M E R C E D E S B E N Z - D A T S U N /N IS S A N - A L F A R O M E O - A U D I
just out y 30 V August 1990
movin’ on.
More fire is provided by such songs as
m
Pretenders II, guitarist James Honeyman Scott “Downtown”’ about her native Akron, and
“Hold a Candle to This,” in which she
and bassist Pete Famdon died directly or
comments, among other things, on Nancy
indirectly as a result of drug use.
There was some question whether the band Reagan’s handgun and interracial sex in the
Navy (“same meat—different gravy”).
could continue after such severe losses but the
If truth be told—and Nurse Conseulo is a
1983 “comeback” album. Learning to Crawl,
stickler for that—Packed! is not the greatest
proved that Hynde could take that trademark
sound and graft it onto a set of new musicians. album the Pretenders have ever released, but it
Learning to Crawl, as the title implies, was makes most other recordings on the market
seem half-baked. And considering how fresh
an album about starting over, a theme best
those earlier recordings remain, it won’t be
exemplified by one of the Pretenders’ best
surprising if ten years from now Packed! will
songs, “Back on the Chain Gang.” As a
have improved in our assessment.
metaphor for her reappearance on the music
And now for something completely
scene, “Chain Gang” is simultaneously sad,
different: Those looking for dance records this
eerie and compelling as a tribute to her lost
summer may want to pass up the obvious and
mates.
try two recent collections. The first, FFRR—
The Doctor forgets the personal reasons
Gold
On Black 1990, is a terrific sampling of
why Hynde’s next recording effort was the
soulful tunes, including D-Mob’s C’Mon and
1986 release of “Get Close.”
The album’s elegance and grace, as well as Get Your Love” and “Dirty Mind” by
Shakespeare’s Sister. Available as a double
an infusion of some funk, added a new
dimension to the Pretenders’s musical vocabu album or single CD, it’s hard to resist the
smooth sounds of Diana Brown and Barrie K.
lary.
Worth particular mention on that album was Sharpe on “The Masterplan” or Satoshi
“How much did you get for your soul?” a first- Tomie’s “And I loved you.”
class putdown of Michael Jackson accepting
On the other side of the dance universe is
“Welcome
to the Technodrome,” whose title
sponsorship from Pepsi for his tour. Such
commercial sponsors now back everyone from more than demonstrates what the listener
the Rolling Stones to the Who, but you will
should expect to find. Although both the
Doctor and Nurse Consuelo confess that this
probably never see them back the Pretenders.
“Right up to the top/Millions of kids are
music doesn’t exactly tickle our collective G
looking at you/You say ‘let them drink soda
spot (it can sometimes sound like the perfect
background music for an auto assembly plant),
pop .
It’s been a few years since that last album
it seems like a representative sampler of the
and what do you know? Yep, the Pretenders
robotic end of the dance music spectrum. Our
are back in business. Another new lineup,
favorite is Axodry’s “You.” And don’t worry:
another collection of finely crafted pop songs
We don’t know who Axodry is, either. A
and that same unique Pretenders’s sound.
German sampler, this is probably available only
Packed!—the 1990 Pretenders entry into the on CD.
summer music sweepstakes—takes up right
Finally, those in need of a Morrissey fix
where the Pretenders left off. This has spawned have already purchased the latest single,
some criticism, but if the album’s lead song,
“November spawned a Monster.” What will
“Never do That “ appears to borrow some of its that poet/queer /rocker think of next? And
riffs from “Back on the Chain Gang” then at
those in need of more mainline dance relief
least Chrissie is stealing froni) herself and not
would be better steered toward “World in
someone else. Nor does the fact that the
Motion” by New Order and England. A tribute
current recording has more mid-tempo numbers to the British soccer team, the single is great,
than might be desired by hard-core fans become even if the socially responsible thing to do
a distraction. The voice remains clear and true would be to de-emphasize soccer among those
and the tough girl on the outside with the heart rowdy and violent British hooligans who riot
of gold inside still shines forth.
whenever their team loses.
Nowhere is this more clear than on the
In August, remember to check out the tour
single “Sense of Purpose,” in which our heroine “Escape from New York,” with Deborah Harry,
asks her lover to give her some reasons to go
Tom Tom Club, Jerry Harrison, and the
on. That is somewhat ironic, since for the past Ramones. They’ll be appearing at the Arlene
ten years Chrissie Hynde has had the gump
Schnitzer Concert Hall on Tuesday, August 14,
tion. drive and yes, sense of purpose, to keep on at 7:30 p.m.