The Pretenders - "The Adulteress" (Fridays 1 of 3)

[royalnaz1]

up the neck

adulterss

messenger

are my favorite pretenders songs

[royalnaz1]

shes a bird. when this song breaks down around 2 minutes thats when that bass kicks ass.

[beelzabubba]

Awesome... too bad we can't get a new band like that these days....

[EdwardRLyons]

After Animal (The Muppets), Martin Chambers has to be my favourite drummer! 8-)

[royalnaz1]

the guitar work starting at 1:30 is what makes me listen to this song

[basetapes]

Happy Birthday Chrissie

[notimewarp]

I've always loved this song but just how stoned was the guy doing the sound on this? Chrissie's vocals don't really come out until half way through, the solo was way back in the mix... drums sounded good... still cool to see though!

[radcam69]

90 likes and 100% the way it should be.

[royalnaz1]

i got my beer and some oxy/percocet with the pretenders i feel good

[TheTzdope]

@royalnaz1 careful that's what killed farndon and scott!

[myryckyz]

Excuse me but the song's right  title is THE ADULTRESS and not the adulteress,,,thanks a lot for posting!

[irvan36mm]

I remember seeing this episode!!

"Fridays" was the best late night show back then. ABC's answer to SNL. Actually,waay better than SNL!!

[radcam69]

Kill the sound guy, JHS's guitar is lost in the mix.

[mcasey256]

Thanks so much for posting these! Pretenders were the best.

[basetapes]

@mcasey256 you're welcome!

[OrigKato4Ever]

This is my absolute favorite Pretenders' song. I had such a crush on Chrissie Hynde. Unfortunately I blew my speakers out on my new stereo system listening to this song cranked way up when this album first came out. :(

[DrJTG]

Exquisite Musical Genius. Thank you.

[BadRonald1]

I remember Andy Kaufman was on this. He stopped the Pertenders right when they were about to play. You can Chrissy standing there thinking What the Fu*k is this guy doing ? Andy then went into some rap about Jesus.

[agonisti]

Wow. Has the late Honeyman Scott on lead guitar.

Martin Chambers' massive drummin'...the original band. This is exceptional to have this quality video capturing a lost moment in time. Love the song btw..but I make good tea !

[MrDLOC11]

STILL FIERCE

[yoyohomey]

THIS IS FIN EXCELLENT GREAT FOOTAGE ARE THERE MORE TAPES

[breachborn]

Goodness, I love that you posted these!!!

Thank You and Bless your heart.

Peace

Brilliant Idea.

[surfercrow]

@chubsoda 1981? Not exactly the dark ages. Sure, there have been considerable jumps in sound reinforcement technology thru the years, say between say '64 and '66 (compare Dylan's "Halloween Masque" Carnegie Hall '64 to Manchester Free Trade Hall '66 w/The Hawks.... but even so, there were some killer non-lip synch (live) tv performances earlier. You Really Got Me - The Kinks,'64 for instance..This Pretenders recording, i believe, is simply a case of poor engineering, not the fault of equipment.

[typsypyg]

@surfercrow Agreed. I disagree with surfercrow also. Things haven't changed that much. You mike or DI instruments and vocals, and you friggin' run sound. Yes, there are-and always have been-factors such as each musician's stage volume to take into account and the acoustics of the venue, but the point is, sound engineers in 1981 were doing basically what sound engineers do now, and dealing with the same shit. The sound quality here is more than likely just bad mixing by the engineer.

[FunkKlock]

i need to get this album

[poopologist96]

I enjoyed all three videos of the Pretenders on Fridays. The video quality is excellent and sharp. How did you manage to make copies so clear from a show that aired in 1980-1981?

Thanks,

PG

[basetapes]

@poopologist96 the clips came from an original 3/4" Umatic tape of the show from the vaults.

[Knepperify1]

@basetapes

Now I wonder. Who would have Umatic copies of a network TV show to post to YT?

We had a 3/4" Umatic in the booth at the video club I worked in the 80s and used to copy/edit VHS-BETA. We were actually all BETA (it was better, of course) and the club closed almost to the day that BETA died.

[basetapes]

@Knepperify1 I worked on some projects related and thought that these performances were too good to collect dust in the vault.

[Knepperify1]

@basetapes

However this happened, many many thanks!

[mrahonod]

A banana? hmmmm...

[poopologist96]

Thanks for posting this and the other two videos of the Pretenders on "Fridays", it's great to see the original lineup, which unfortunately lasted only two albums and an EP. I can't help but think the Pretenders would have been even more artistically and commercially successful if the original lineup had remained intact longer, or at least with the great late guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and drummer Martin Chambers; the latter does some good drumming here and I'm glad he's still with Hynde.

[TrickyTolles64]

AWESOME~!~!!!!!

ROCK'N'ROLL!!!!

[prairiedale]

It is wonderful to see the original line up I love the Pretenders. I was into Chrissie when every other "rocker" chick was listening to Pat Benatar. My brother and sister in law saw them at SIU in the 70s and said they were awful (wasted) I think they opened for the Ramones not sure but I am not surprised by the poor sound quality.

[surfercrow]

was the soundman off, doing lines? Honeyman-Scott's guitar is buried and some pretty heavy distortion on the drums. Oh well, "great to see the original line-up"...Chrissie looks & sounds great!

[whereamigoingnow]

Great Band.

[Sincopare]

This performance is where my love affair with this band began. Late Friday TV was mandatory for a 15 year old in those days, and being a drummer I went nuts for this Brit smashing his power dots. And then the songs, the meaning, etc got into me!

[DRUMTOY2002]

@Sincopare AMEN!!!

[triuman]

Great to see the original line up.........

[fnnichols]

Saw em inD.C. 82 OR SO nILS lOFGREN DID ENCORE Ross

[trabee100]

It's an Erlewine Automatic. You can see a picture of it on the Erlewine Guitars Facebook page. Also the Erlewine Guitars website.

[wheezer]

Great video!

Back in the day you were LUCKY to see this on T.V. you jackass's!!

[beautydaddy]

@wheezer Damn right asswipe!

[fess04]

Ill start.....PHUCK AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!! Cookie cutter , stockholder KRRAPP!!!!!!

[beautydaddy]

Performances don't get tighter than this...dropped peyote for this gig.

[MrAnimatronicJesus]

Outstanding band and even better find!

[admllr]

James Honeyman Scott

d.o.b.

11-04-1956

r.i.p.

[satinstoner]

I love how the piping in james honeyman scott's shirt matches the double binding on his guitar. Does anyone know what kind of guitar that is? I can't read the headstock.

[gcrowe620]

it's a Hamer.

[satinstoner]

@gcrowe620 that's what i thought. i know JHS was a hamer guy, but the headstock doesn't look right. do you know what the model is?

[gcrowe620]

it may be a Hamer Californian

[standoffsighs]

Never thought I'd find a live video of this. This used to be my one of my favorite albums back in the... (still have that old scratched up album).

[KobezBro]

I never noticed the song title was never spelled right!

Maybe they should change it to Adultress in the dictionaries!

[admllr]

Happy B day Chrissie Hynde

1951

[fess04]

Ive watched this video like a hundred times..............i love the groove....bass and drums ......attitude.....and subject matter...this song was ahead of its time...she could sing me the phone book and i would like it :)

[earlymtv]

i saw martain chambers on letterman, hes starting to look old..sucks what age can do

[michellestmarie]

Yeah. Wait 'til it happens to you. You'll look in the mirror and say, WTF?!? Happens to me daily.

[zackieboy]

lol

[KobezBro]

was HE on letterman or just when they did Boots?

[thestevo46]

the last real 'serious' rock band,after them there was nothing......

[michellestmarie]

Not true. I know you'll disagree, but No Doubt are the last real band. They write their own songs and tour and everything. No production crap. There may be a few more...three or four, but Pretenders weren't the LAST. They ARE among the BEST.

[MfromFrance]

It is so good to see them again.

Such an emotion to see the four original together. Such a great sound and composition. Wonderful songs.

I saw Pretenders last night in Paris ; Chrissie dedicated "Kid" to Pete Farndon and James Honeyman Scott with much emotion in her voice.

[uscfchess1]

Pete Farndon — Date of Birth: 12 June 1952

RIP

[oopski]

today's socalled alternative musice could so take a lesson from these guys

[louiseduvee]

Damn! Whoever is responsible for the sound should be stuck with his mutilation of this song in Hell.

[testoster1]

That's the beauty of this clip. No lip syncing, a rock band onstage live thru their amps. Gotta love the purity of it!

[michellestmarie]

Exactly. In this day and age, they'd be forced to go on Idol or something and they'd be voted off for not showing enough belly and glitter. There's pretty much no music scene anymore. It's just a stockholder's product, like everything else.

[fess04]

youre ABSOLUTELY correct Michelle....its time for another revolution!!!!!!!!!!

[michellestmarie]

Why, thank you fess04!

[GunsOnRoof]

All great drummers should smoke bannanas.

[MfromFrance]

Good one :-))))

[admllr]

"Look at the spinster",,,

Great lyrics.

[mkm5150]

Fantastic band! Great song!

[admllr]

2 days ago (Nov 4th) if I'm not mistaken woulda been JHS's 52nd B Day.

[talpajam]

Erlewine Automatic in action...what a beautiful tone and stunning top.

[admllr]

At the very start of the video,,,what's in the drummers mouth?

[basetapes]

a banana

[admllr]

Her audio was a little weak at first but they got it turned up. Like the boots Pete Farndon was wearing. "This misery love company",,,gotta love those lyrics!

[admllr]

Correction "Does" misery love company.

[scrimple]

A great live version of one of my favourite Pretenders tracks - but did Chrissie forget she was playing a concert that night - jeans and trainers? Hardly her normal look!

[berettadreams]

if you have time to think about her clothes you're not paying enough attention to the music...

It's good to finally see a whole version of this video; it's not complete without "And here are the pretenders!"

[blahdavid]

re: scrimple's comment: I think it was to surpirse folks when she came out for the second song in her fierce "Message of Love" ruffle-drag. :-) so awesome