LEARNING TO CRAWL - The Pretenders

YEAR: 1984

LABEL: Sire

TRACK LISTING: Middle of the Road, Back On the Chain Gang, Time the Avenger, Watching the Clothes, Show Me, Thumbelina, My City Was Gone, Thin Line Between Love and Hate, I Hurt You, 2000 Miles

IMPRESSIONS: It's still 80s week. This is the Pretenders album I never thought I'd see. When half the band dies of drug overdoses, you'd probably be correct in guessing that was it for the band. However, Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers picked themselves up, rebuilt the band and came out with an even more successful album than their first two.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Middle of the Road, Back On the Chain Gang, Time the Avenger, Watching the Clothes, Show Me, Thumbelina, Thin Line Between Love and Hate, 2000 Miles

GUEST ARTISTS: Billy Bremner (lead guitar on "Back On the Chain Gang" and "My City Was Gone", rhythm guitar and vocals on "Thin Line Between Love and Hate"), Paul Carrack (piano and vocals on "Thin Line Between Love and Hate"), Tony Butler (bass guitar on "Back On the Chain Gang" and "My City Was Gone"), Andrew Bodnar (bass guitar and vocals on "Thin Line Between Love and Hate")

FACT SHEET: LEARNING TO CRAWL is the Pretenders' third album. This is the first album following the deaths of James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon featuring replacements Robbie McIntosh on lead guitar and Malcolm Foster on bass. Chrissie Hynde named the album because her daughter Natalie Rae Hynde was learning to crawl at the time they were trying to think of an album title. "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" is a cover of a Persuaders song. Before the final band line-up was completed, a "caretaker line-up" consisting of Rockpile's Billy Bremner and Big Country's Tony Butler were recruited as well as Squeeze's Paul Carrack and the Rumour's Andrew Bodnar on "Thin Line" only.