Break Up the Concrete

Last updated

Break Up the Concrete
BreakUpTheConcrete.jpg
Studio album by
Released7 October 2008
RecordedApril 2008
StudioSage and Sound Studios (Hollywood, California)
Genre Alternative rock
Length36:49
Label Shangri-La Music
Producer The Pretenders
the Pretenders chronology
Pirate Radio
(2006)
Break Up the Concrete
(2008)
Alone
(2016)

Break Up the Concrete is the ninth studio album by rock group the Pretenders. It is their first studio album since Loose Screw in 2002. Several "exclusive" editions of the disc exist (see track listing below); each appends a new countrified version of a vintage Pretenders song, in keeping with the general sound of the album. The title song "Break Up the Concrete" was used in the opening scene of an episode of House M.D. ("5 to 9", season 6, episode 14).

Contents

The first edition of Break Up the Concrete also includes a small sheet of "handmade seed paper", which can be planted, and if cared for, promise to sprout within a few weeks. The cover art parodies the sleeve of fellow power-popper Joe Jackson's 1979 debut Look Sharp!

Break Up the Concrete was the first Pretenders album since 1994's Last of the Independents not to feature Martin Chambers on drums. In an interview, Chrissie Hynde said that she was looking for a different style, one she did not believe Chambers was capable of playing to her satisfaction. Session drummer Jim Keltner took his place in the studio, although Chambers would return for the tour in support of the album.

There were conflicting reports about Chambers' temporary ouster. Hynde claims that Keltner was actually recommended by Chambers and that he was fully aware of his replacement. Chambers, however, claimed in an interview that Hynde had not told him about being replaced by Keltner; in fact, he was unaware that an album was even being made until after the sessions were well underway. [1] In a 2016 interview, Chambers said that he gave Hynde his blessing to record the album without him, citing his reluctance to record and Hynde's reluctance to compromise on songwriting and production. [2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 74/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
Billboard (favorable) [5]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Entertainment Weekly B [7]
Paste (8.6/10) [8]
Pitchfork (6.4/10) [9]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [11]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Spin (7/10) [13]

The album has a score of 74 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews". [3] Mojo gave the album four stars out of five and said that it was "looser and more organic, and a different sonic palette for Hynde." [3] Q also gave it four stars out of five and said, "It's Hynde who steals the show with her lip-curling vibrato, part Elvis, part Dusty, never more intoxicating than on the seductive 'Almost Perfect.'" [3] The Boston Globe gave it a positive review and said that the album "just might be [Hynde's] most congenial, and certainly rootsiest, collection yet." [14]

Other reviews are average or mixed: Under the Radar gave the album six stars out of ten and said it had "a few throwaway tunes", but that it was "probably the best Pretenders album since Get Close." [15] Uncut gave it three stars out of five and said that the album might be "a bargain... but the triumphs of yore tend to expose the new album's low-fi rockabilly and country strums." [3] The Observer also gave it three stars out of five and said that Chrissie Hynde was "reinvestigating her roots with some rockabilly and a Dylan vibe." [16] The Austin Chronicle , however, gave it two-and-a-half stars out of five and asked, "Why not take the five really good tracks... and offer a stellar EP for download?" [17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chrissie Hynde, except where noted

Break Up the Concrete track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Boots of Chinese Plastic" 2:31
2."The Nothing Maker" 3:58
3."Don't Lose Faith in Me" 2:45
4."Don't Cut Your Hair" 2:14
5."Love's a Mystery" 3:03
6."The Last Ride" 3:40
7."Almost Perfect" 4:48
8."You Didn't Have To" 3:09
9."Rosalee" Robert Kidney 4:14
10."Break Up the Concrete" 2:39
11."One Thing Never Changed" 3:46
Walmart bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."I Go to Sleep" (new version) Ray Davies 2:55
13."Both Sides of Goodbye" (with Willie Nelson)
  • Jackson Leap
  • Kim Williams
4:03
iTunes Store bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Tequila" (new version) 2:34
13."Can't Help Falling in Love"4:03
14."977" (new version; pre-order only track) 4:03
Best Buy bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Biker" (new version) 2:34
13."Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" (new version)3:03

UK and Brazilian versions track listing

Disc one – The Best of Pretenders

All tracks are written by Chrissie Hynde, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Talk of the Town"  Extended Play and Pretenders II (1981)3:16
2."Kid"  Pretenders (1980)3:05
3."Back on the Chain Gang"  Learning to Crawl (1984)3:53
4."Brass in Pocket"Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott Pretenders3:04
5."Message of Love" Extended Play and Pretenders II3:28
6."Night in My Veins"Hynde, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg Last of the Independents (1994)3:17
7."Don't Get Me Wrong"  Get Close (1986)3:48
8."Middle of the Road" Learning to Crawl4:15
9."I'll Stand by You"Hynde, Kelly, SteinbergLast of the Independents3:58
10."Stop Your Sobbing" Ray Davies Pretenders2:37
11."Hymn to Her"Meg KeeneGet Close4:32
12."Precious" Pretenders3:37
13."Thumbelina" Learning to Crawl3:19
14."Cuban Slide" Extended Play4:33
15."My City Was Gone" Learning to Crawl4:27
16."Day After Day"Hynde, Honeyman-ScottPretenders II4:03
17."I Go to Sleep"DaviesPretenders II2:57
18."Thin Line Between Love and Hate"Jackie Members, Richard Poindexter, Robert PoindexterLearning to Crawl3:41
19."Fools Must Die"Hynde, Adam Seymour Loose Screw (2002)2:36
20."Up the Neck" Pretenders4:22
21."2000 Miles" Learning to Crawl3:40
22."Tattooed Love Boys" Pretenders3:00

Disc two – Break Up the Concrete

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Boots of Chinese Plastic" 2:31
2."The Nothing Maker" 3:58
3."Don't Lose Faith in Me" 2:45
4."Don't Cut Your Hair" 2:14
5."Love's a Mystery" 3:03
6."The Last Ride" 3:40
7."Almost Perfect" 4:48
8."You Didn't Have To" 3:09
9."Rosalee" Robert Kidney 4:14
10."Break Up the Concrete" 2:39
11."One Thing Never Changed" 3:46

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes. [18]

Musicians
Technical

Charts

Break Up the Concrete debuted at number 32 on Billboard's album chart in the issue dated 25 October 2008 and it stayed on the chart for three weeks. The album was issued with a 'best of' in a double-disc edition in the UK and charted at number 35 on the UK Albums Chart.

Chart (2008)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 32
UK Albums Chart 35
US Digital Albums 18
US Alternative Albums 10
US Tastemaker Albums 7
US Top Rock Albums 12
US Independent Albums 2

Certifications

Certifications for The Best Of/Break Up The Concrete
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [19] Gold100,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pretenders</span> British rock band

The Pretenders are a British-American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers. Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; Hynde has been the band's only consistent member.

<i>Pretenders</i> (album) 1980 studio album by the Pretenders

Pretenders is the debut studio album by British-American band The Pretenders, released in January 1980. A combination of rock and roll, punk and new wave music, this album made the band famous. The album features the singles "Stop Your Sobbing", "Kid" and "Brass in Pocket".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chrissie Hynde</span> American musician (born 1951)

Christine Ellen Hynde is an American-British musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band The Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alongside drummer Martin Chambers. She is the only continuous member of the band, appearing on every studio album.

<i>¡Viva El Amor!</i> 1999 studio album by the Pretenders

¡Viva El Amor! is the seventh studio album by the rock band the Pretenders, released in 1999. The band's lineup for the album is the same as that credited on 1994's Last of the Independents: Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers (drums), Andy Hobson (bass) and Adam Seymour (guitar). This time, however, the credited line-up actually plays on most of the album, although Hobson is replaced on bass by session musicians on a few cuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Chambers</span> English musician

Martin Dale Chambers is an English musician, best known as a founding member and drummer of the rock band the Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group, Chambers sings backing vocals and plays percussion. He was part of the original band line-up, which also included Chrissie Hynde (vocals/guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (guitar/vocals/keyboards) and Pete Farndon. Hynde and Chambers are the only two surviving original members, and he has served two separate tenures with the group.

<i>Learning to Crawl</i> 1984 studio album by the Pretenders

Learning to Crawl is the third studio album by British-American rock band the Pretenders. It was released on 13 January 1984 by Sire Records after a hiatus during which band members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon died of drug overdoses. The album's title of "Learning to Crawl" was given in honour of Chrissie Hynde's then-infant daughter, Natalie Rae Hynde. She was learning to crawl at the time that Hynde was trying to determine a title for the album.

<i>Packed!</i> 1990 studio album by Pretenders

Packed! is the fifth studio album by rock group Pretenders, released in 1990.

<i>Last of the Independents</i> 1994 studio album by the Pretenders

Last of the Independents is the sixth studio album by English-American rock group the Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde, Adam Seymour (guitar), Andy Hobson (bass) and Martin Chambers (drums). However, this line-up only plays together on one track ; 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, 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.

<i>Loose Screw</i> 2002 studio album by the Pretenders

Loose Screw is the eighth studio album by rock group the Pretenders, and was released in 2002. It was the first time that the Pretenders had the same credited band line-up on three consecutive studio albums.

<i>Extended Play</i> (Pretenders EP) 1981 EP by Pretenders

Extended Play is a 1981 EP released by new wave band The Pretenders. "Message of Love" and "Talk of the Town" featured on this EP were also included on their second album Pretenders II released later the same year. "Porcelain" and "Cuban Slide", outtakes from their Pretenders debut album, were included on disc two of the 2006 and 2021 remastered editions of their debut album and on the Pirate Radio box set. The live version of "Precious" on this EP, recorded at their New York Central Park performance on 30 August 1980, was finally released on CD on November 5, 2021. The booklet for disc one of the Pretenders debut album from the 2015 UK Edsel/Rhino Records box set 1979–1999 incorrectly states "Precious" is from that Central Park performance. Instead, the box set version is from their Boston performance of 23 March 1980; it is also included on disc two of the 2006 remastered edition of Pretenders.

<i>The Isle of View</i> 1995 live album by The Pretenders

The Isle of View is a live acoustic album by rock band The Pretenders, released in 1995. It was recorded in May during a live, televised performance at London's Jacob Street Studios. The Duke Quartet accompanied Chrissie Hynde for much of the performance. The title is a pun on the words I Love You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back on the Chain Gang</span> 1982 single by the Pretenders

"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song written by American-British musician Chrissie Hynde, originally recorded by her band the Pretenders and released as a single by Sire Records in September 1982. The song was included on The King of Comedy soundtrack album in March 1983 and was later included on the Pretenders' third album, Learning to Crawl, in January 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Get Me Wrong</span> 1986 single by the Pretenders

"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song by British-American alternative rock group the Pretenders. It was the first single released from the group's fourth studio album, Get Close (1986). It was also included on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987. Frontwoman Chrissie Hynde said she was inspired to write the song for her friend John McEnroe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kid (Pretenders song)</span> 1979 single by The Pretenders

"Kid" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde that was released on the Pretenders 1979 debut album Pretenders. Hynde wrote the song about a fictional boy discovering that his mother is a prostitute. The song's melodicism was attributed by guitarist James Honeyman-Scott to Hynde's growing interest in pop music. Honeyman-Scott wrote the song's solo, which he had designed over a couple of days.

<i>Stockholm</i> (Chrissie Hynde album) 2014 studio album by Chrissie Hynde

Stockholm is the debut solo album by American singer Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of the Pretenders. It was released on June 10, 2014. It features several guests such as Canadian musician Neil Young and former tennis player John McEnroe.

<i>Alone</i> (The Pretenders album) 2016 studio album by the Pretenders

Alone is the tenth studio album by English-American rock band the Pretenders. The album was released on 21 October 2016, by BMG Rights Management. It is the first Pretenders album since 2008's Break Up the Concrete, and follows Chrissie Hynde's solo debut Stockholm from 2014.

<i>Valve Bone Woe</i> 2019 studio album by Chrissie Hynde

Valve Bone Woe is the second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Chrissie Hynde. The album consists entirely of cover versions, and was released on September 6, 2019, by BMG Rights Management. The jazz-influenced album features 14 renditions from a wide variety of artists, including Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Nick Drake, John Coltrane and more.

<i>Hate for Sale</i> 2020 studio album by the Pretenders

Hate for Sale is the eleventh studio album by English-American rock band the Pretenders. It was released on July 17, 2020 by BMG Rights Management. It has received positive reception from critics.

<i>Relentless</i> (The Pretenders album) 2023 studio album by the Pretenders

Relentless is the twelfth studio album by the English-American rock band the Pretenders, released on 15 September 2023 through Parlophone. It is the first Pretenders album released through Parlophone and was preceded by the lead single "Let the Sun Come In". The band began their Relentless Tour on 12 May, which includes the UK and Ireland as well as various European, US and Canada dates up to October 2023.

References

  1. "NUVO News – Indianapolis, IN" . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  2. "Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers on Chrissie Hynde, Live Aid and playing with a Beatle". Herefordshire Live. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Critic Reviews for Break Up The Concrete". Metacritic.
  4. Allmusic review
  5. "Billboard review". Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. Blender review Archived 7 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Break Up the Concrete - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
  8. "The Pretenders: Break Up The Concrete". pastemagazine.com.
  9. "The Pretenders". Pitchfork.
  10. "The Pretenders: Break Up the Concrete" . Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  11. "Robert Christgau: CG: pretenders". robertchristgau.com.
  12. "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. "The Pretenders, 'Break Up the Concrete' (Shangri-La)". Spin.
  14. "Hynde gets to the roots". boston.com.
  15. "Break Up The Concrete". undertheradarmag.com.
  16. "CD: Pop review: The Pretenders, Best/Break Up the Concrete". The Guardian.
  17. "Review: The Pretenders – Music – The Austin Chronicle". austinchronicle.com.
  18. Break Up the Concrete (Media notes). The Pretenders. Shangri-La Music. 2008.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. "British album certifications – Pretenders – The Best Of/Break Up The Concrete". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 23 October 2022.