The Pretenders have a new album out. I think the only actual Pretender involved is Chrissie Hynde. It struck me that the backing band sound very much like Iggy Pop’s for Lust For Life. That band was, essentially, Tin Machine, David Bowie and all.
Not a bad album, in my view. Loving the simplicity, the grunginess and the noisy tub-thumping.
I wondered if any other bands have morphed into another. One other example I could think of was The Meters into Little Feat, or vice versa.
ip33 says
Sub Sub turned into Doves didn’t they?
Kid Dynamite says
Joy Division into New Order, shurely?
Rigid Digit says
You can hear The Jam becoming The Style Council on The Gift.
And then Weller tried to become a sort of Stevie Winwood/Traffic/Soul/Jazz-infused variety of the past (going back and moving forward in equal measure) on his first solo album.
Jammy Paul came back (a bit) on Stanley Road, and more so (with a dollop of funk) on As Is Now. After that he just sort of did what he wanted when he wanted.
He is The Changingman
(lame joke, sorry)
dai says
And with that song he wanted to be ELO …
Rigid Digit says
Whitesnake
A solid, blues-rock band mutated into the very epitome of 80s Poodle Hair Cock n Roll (complete with mid-Atlanitc accent)
Sewer Robot says
Simple Minds transformed into U2
UB40 became a pub band
Radiohead turned into a WARP Records act
Beastie Boys started as a punk band
The Isley Brothers had about 4 careers
Beck tried being Prince for an album, then thought better of it..
pencilsqueezer says
Prince turned into Ash. What too soon?
bungliemutt says
Arf
Almost Simon says
Martin Chambers on drums on the recent Jools performance so assuming that 50% of the original line-up still together on this new Pretenders album?? Couldnt see him in the video tho so maybe wrong.
Tiggerlion says
I don’t believe Chambers had a role in the studio. Dan Auerbach brought his Arcs.
retropath2 says
Yup, the recording band was Chrissie and the producers buddies. Live it is the same as the last version of the Pretenders, with Chambers, Nick Wilkinson and James Walbourne (aka RTs son-in-law and also a Rail) on bass and guitar. The reviews say a pedal steel player also, which sounds interesting.
Kid Dynamite says
Walbourne a Pogue these days as well
Black Celebration says
Or…how to do a video when you can’t be arsed to do a video. Given the footage they have, it’s impressive that they seem to have turned it into some form of perkiness.
Tiggerlion says
Indeed. It looks to me that they were aiming for something a bit Punk.
Gatz says
I’ve seen Robbie McIntosh a few teams in the last few years and never without thinking that he must be glad not to be in The Pretenders these days so he can let himself look like the man in advanced middle age that he is.
Tiggerlion says
Primal Scream became The Rolling Stones.
The Rolling Stones became The Kingsmen.
Spotcheck Billy says
Lol, spot on. If only there was a mash up of The Stones doing Louie Louie…