Last of the Independents

Last of the Independents
Studio album by The Pretenders
Released	9 May 1994
Recorded	October 1993–February 1994
Studio	The Townhouse Studio, London and Sarm Studio West, London and The Wool Hall, Bath
Genre	Rock, alternative rock
Length	49:14
Label	Sire WEA Records
Producer	Stephen Street, Ian Stanley, Chris Thomas
The Pretenders chronology
Packed! (1990) Last of the Independents (1994) The Isle of View (1995)
Singles from Last of the Independents
"I'll Stand by You" Released: April 1994 (UK), July 1994 (US) "Night in My Veins" Released: June 1994 "977" Released: October 1994

Last of the Independents is the sixth studio album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde (vocals, guitar), Adam Seymour (guitar), Andy Hobson (bass) and Martin Chambers (drums). However, this line-up only plays together on one track ("All My Dreams"); the rest of the album is performed by Hynde and Seymour in conjunction with a rotating series of musicians on bass and drums. These musicians include Hobson and Chambers, as well as bassists Andy Rourke, Tom Kelly and David Paton, and drummers Jimmy Copley and J.F.T. Hood. A few other session musicians also appear, including Ian Stanley (formerly of Tears for Fears), and one-time Pretenders guitarist Robbie McIntosh, who plays alongside Hynde and Seymour on "I'm a Mother". The album marked the official return of Chambers, who had been fired by Hynde eight years prior.

The album featured several songs that Hynde co-wrote with the songwriting team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who wrote several hits for other musicians. That collaboration resulted in singles Night In My Veins and I'll Stand By You, which became a hit. ^[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[4]
Robert Christgau	[5]
Rolling Stone	(June 1994)[6] (favourable) (December 1994)[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]

Track listing[]

1. "Hollywood Perfume" (Chrissie Hynde, Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly) – 3:55
2. "Night in My Veins" (Hynde, Steinberg, Kelly) – 3:15
3. "Money Talk" (Hynde) – 3:38
4. "977" (Hynde, Steinberg, Kelly) – 3:54
5. "Revolution" (Hynde) – 4:32
6. "All My Dreams" (Hynde) – 3:12
7. "I'll Stand by You" (Hynde, Steinberg, Kelly) – 3:59
8. "I'm a Mother" (Hynde, J.F.T. Hood) – 5:18
9. "Tequila" (Hynde) – 1:13
10. "Every Mother's Son" (Hynde) – 3:41
11. "Rebel Rock Me" (Hynde) – 3:08
12. "Love Colours" (Hynde, Steinberg, Kelly) – 4:32
13. "Forever Young" (Bob Dylan) – 5:04

Note: The version of "Tequila" presented here is an arrangement of a fragment of the song. Full versions can be heard on the two-CD version of Pretenders and the Pirate Radio box set, as well as the 1995 single release of "2000 Miles" and "Happy Christmas".

Personnel[]

• Chrissie Hynde – guitar (1–3, 5–12), vocals
• Adam Seymour – guitar (1–13)
• Andy Hobson – bass guitar (1, 6, 13)
• Martin Chambers – drums (3, 4, 6, 12)
• Robbie McIntosh – guitar (8)
• Andy Rourke – bass guitar (2, 3, 5, 9–12)
• Ian Stanley – organ (5), special effects (2), keyboards (8)
• J.F.T. Hood – drums (1, 7, 13), special effects (8)
• Jim Copley – drums (2, 5, 8–11)
• David Paton – bass guitar (7)
• Tom Kelly – bass guitar (4), piano (4, 7), guitar (7)
• London Gospel Choir – choir (7)
• David Lord – string arrangement (7)
• Bob Clearmountain, Tony Phillips – mixing
• Steve Williams – engineer
• Simon Fowler – cover photography

Charts[]

Certifications and sales[]

References[]