They may have called themselves The Pretenders, but Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon, and Martin Chambers were as authentic as they come.  The four-piece rock combo fused American and British styles (Hynde was the American émigré; the other three were British), bringing the swagger of punk to the craft of classic rock.  The Pretenders' hip, seemingly effortless sound was crystallized on the band's first two records (not incidentally, the only two records with the original lineup.)  Now, both Pretenders and Pretenders II will be reissued by Sire/Rhino in new 3-CD deluxe editions curated by Chrissie Hynde to mark the 40th anniversary of the sophomore set.  Due on November 5, these 12 x 12 sets contain the newly remastered albums plus demos, rarities, and live tracks (many of which are previously unreleased).  Both albums will also be available on limited edition red and white vinyl, respectively.

1979's Pretenders set the tone for the band's electrifying sound.  Though filled with pop-worthy hooks in sync with the new wave movement, its attitude was sheer punk.  Chrissie Hynde, who wrote or co-wrote ten of the album's twelve tracks, was already a well-known figure around the U.K. punk scene, and brought that brash spirit to her own band.  But Hynde knew the rules of rock before she broke them.  The Ohio-born singer-songwriter found ideal (for the moment) conspirators in the three gents from Hereford, all of whom had diverse musical influences.  "Gonna make you, make you, make you notice," Hynde belted with assurance on "Brass in Pocket," the hit single and future classic which anchored Pretenders.  She kept true to that lyric on this raw, tough, sexy and surprisingly emotional record as produced by Chris Thomas.  (Nick Lowe handled the production on a rendition of "Stop Your Sobbing" by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, with whom Hynde shared a long relationship.)  Pretenders: Deluxe Edition features Chris Thomas' album remaster and five B-sides on CD 1; eleven studio demos and eight BBC performances on CD 2; and live tracks from London's Paris Theatre (1979) and Boston's Paradise Theatre (1980) on CD 3.

Alas, the original line-up only created one more full-length record. 1981's Pretenders II followed the band's Extended Play EP and adhered closely to the sound, spirit and style of the first LP, right down to the Ray Davies cover - in this case, "I Go to Sleep."  Once again, Hynde - as vocalist and writer or co-writer of every song on the album save the Davies tune - balanced her youthful, sexually-charged persona ("The Adultress" [sic], "Bad Boys Get Spanked") with that of a mature woman reflecting on life and love ("Birds of Paradise," "Talk of the Town").  Honeyman-Scott's jangly, taut licks, Farndon's confident bass, and Chambers' hard-hitting drums all melded into one perfect unit in support of the frontwoman.  But all wasn't perfect behind the scenes.  On June 14, 1982, Pete Farndon was ushered out of the band due to his escalating drug problem.  Two days later, on June 16, James Honeyman-Scott died, a consequence of cocaine abuse.  (Farndon would die a year later, drowning with heroin in his system.)  Pretenders II stands as a powerful tribute to both musicians.  CD 1 of the Deluxe Edition offers the original album remastered by Chris Thomas; CD 2 has seven studio demos, singles, and alternates plus six cuts from a 1980 Central Park concert; and CD 3 offers eighteen cuts live in 1981 from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

These releases expand upon both Rhino's 2006 reissues and Edsel's 2015 CD/DVD sets, though the video material from the latter editions hasn't been carried over.  Both Deluxe Editions are accompanied by a book featuring liner notes by Will Hodgkinson and many rare and previously unpublished photos.  They're due from Sire and Rhino on November 5.  You'll find pre-order links and track listings below.  (Amazon links are not yet available but will be added as soon as they go live.)  Visit Rhino.com for all items, bundles, and other swag including a limited print of the "Brass in Pocket" single artwork.

Pretenders: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Sire/Rhino, 2021)

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1LP Red Vinyl: Rhino.com

Disc 1: Original album (Chris Thomas remaster) and singles

1. Precious
2. The Phone Call
3. Up the Neck
4. Tattooed Love Boys
5. Space Invader
6. The Wait
7. Stop Your Sobbing
8. Kid
9. Private Life
10. Brass in Pocket
11. Lovers of Today
12. Mystery Achievement
13. Cuban Slide
14. Porcelain
15. The Wait (Nick Lowe Version)
16. Nervous But Shy
17. Swinging London

Tracks 1-12 released as Real Records RAL 3 (U.K.) / Sire SRK 6083 (U.S.), 1980
Tracks 13 released on "Talk of the Town" U.K. single - Real ARE 12, 1980
Track 14 released on "Message of Love" U.K. single - Real ARE 15, 1981
Track 15 released on "Stop Your Sobbing" U.K. single - Real ARE 6, 1979
Tracks 16-17 released on "Brass in Pocket" U.K. single - Real ARE 11, 1979

Disc 2: Studio Demos and BBC Studio Recordings (* previously unreleased)

1. The Phone Call
2. Suicide *
3. Brass in Pocket
4. Precious *
5. The Wait
6. I Can't Control Myself
7. Stop Your Sobbing
8. Tequila
9. Kid
10. I Go to Sleep *
11. Do I Love You *

The Kid Jensen Show - 2/5/1979

12. The Wait *
13. Up the Neck *
14. Stop Your Sobbing *
15. Private Life *

The Kid Jensen Show - 7/17/1979

16. Cuban Slide *
17. Mystery Achievement
18. I Need Somebody
19. Tattooed Love Boys *

All previously released tracks on Disc 2 released on Sire/Real/Rhino 8122-74178-2 (U.K.)/R2 74178 (U.S.), 2006

Disc 3: Live material (* previously unreleased)

BBC in Concert: Paris Theatre, London - 1/2/1979

1. The Wait
2. Stop Your Sobbing
3. Kid
4. Cuban Slide
5. Brass in Pocket
6. Tattooed Love Boys
7. Mystery Achievement

Live at the Paradise Theatre, Boston, MA - 3/23/1980

8. Space Invader
9. The Wait
10. Precious
11. Kid
12. Private Life
13. Cuban Slide
14. The Phone Call *
15. Talk of the Town
16. Tattooed Love Boys
17. Up the Neck
18. Mystery Achievement
19. Stop Your Sobbing

Tracks 1-7 released as BBC Transcription Services disc CN 3504/S, 1980
Tracks 8-13 and 15-19 released as Live - Warner Bros. promo LP WBMS 114, 1980 and Live! At The Paradise Theater, Boston 1980 - Sire/Real RCV1 114, 2020

Pretenders II: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Sire/Rhino, 2021)

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1LP White Vinyl: Rhino.com

Disc 1: Original album (Chris Thomas remaster) (originally released as Real Records (U.K.)/Sire (U.S.) SRK 3572, 1981)

1. The Adultress
2. Bad Boys Get Spanked
3. Message of Love
4. I Go to Sleep
5. Birds pf Paradise
6. Talk of the Town
7. Pack It Up
8. Waste Not Want Not
9. Day After Day
10. Jealous Dogs
11. The English Roses
12. Louie Louie

Disc 2: Bonus tracks

1. Talk of the Town (Demo)
2. What You Gonna Do About It
3. I Go to Sleep (Guitar Version)
4. Pack It Up (Radio Mix)
5. Day After Day (Single Mix)
6. In the Sticks
7. Louie Louie (Monitor Mix) *

Central Park, New York City - 8/30/1980

8. Precious
9. Space Invaders
10. Cuban Slide
11. Porcelain
12. Tattooed Love Boys

Tracks 1 and 3-4 released on Sire/Real/Rhino 8122-74177-2 (U.K.)/R2 74177 (U.S.), 2006
Track 2 released on Flexipop single 006, 1981
Tracks 5-6 released as Real single ARE 17, 1981
Track 8 released on Extended Play - Sire MINI 3563, 1981
Tracks 9-12 released on King Biscuit Flower Hour/D.I.R. promo disc 365, 1981

Disc 3: Live At The Santa Monica Civic Center - 9/4/1981

1. The Wait
2. The Adultress
3. Message of Love
4. Louie Louie
5. Talk of the Town
6. Birds of Paradise
7. The English Roses
8. Up the Neck
9. Bad Boys Get Spanked
10. Stop Your Sobbing
11. Private Life
12. Kid
13. Day After Day
14. Brass in Pocket *
15. Higher and Higher
16. Tattooed Love Boys
17. Mystery Achievement *
18. Precious

Tracks 1-6, 8-13 and 15 released as Warner Bros. promo album WBMS 121, 1982
Track 7 released on "I Go to Sleep" single - Real ARE 18, 1981