Final Record Made by the Band's Original Lineup: Pretenders II Features Inimitable Chemistry Between Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott

Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Mobile Fidelity's Numbered-Edition Hybrid SACD Features Terrific Punch, Dynamics, and Pacing

Why mess with a great formula if there's no need to change? The Pretenders espoused this winning philosophy on the magnetic Pretenders II, a spectacular sophomore record that lived up to the promises of its breakthrough debut and replicated the 1979 effort's distinctive, can't-miss musical and lyrical flair.

Part pop, part new-wave punk, part R&B, part soul, and 100% pure melodic rock n' roll, Pretenders II continued to send the quartet on its quick rise to the top. The key to the record's enduring appeal lies in the chemistry between iconic frontwoman Chrissie Hynde and inventive guitarist James Honeyman-Scott. Akin to legendary pairings like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, or Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the male-female duo operates as an inseparable team, with one member rousing the other and driving them to greater heights.

Hynde's now-classic moody songwriting – at once tough, sexual, and disciplined as well as human, vulnerable, and romantic – and Honeyman-Scott's tasteful riffs and deep-rooted rhythms hit their peak here, particularly on edgy cuts such as "The Adultress" and "Message of Love," but also on touching fare such as the hit rendition of the Kinks' "I Go To Sleep."

Mobile Fidelity is honored to offer Pretenders II in the finest sound the album has ever on disc. Mastered from the original master tapes and sporting amazing improvements in dynamics, transparency, punch, imaging, and pacing, this numbered-edition hybrid SACD brings to life one of the 80s' landmark recordings in a way that not only does justice to Chris Thomas' production but puts Hynde and her musical soulmates in your listening room as if the four of them just got together for the first time, all over again.