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The Pretenders — 281, 280

ALBUMS: The Pretenders (1980); Learning to Crawl (1983)

MVC Rating: Pretenders 4.5/ $$$; Learning 4.5/$$$

This band I just picked up on after hearing them on the radio. Strong female lead singer and good songwriter. Chrissie led the band with a sneer that offered rock and roll a direction as it moved into the Nuevo Wavo sound.

‘Learning to Cry’ was the third album and put them square in the commercial arena as New Wave examples of where the sound was going and what’s next. They just rocked and rolled people, that’s all- no more no less. I’d pick up these two albums if you don’t have any Pretenders — they are nearly Desert Island records, in and of themselves.

Brass in Pocket was their initial hit off the first album. They had strong rockers including “Precious.” The first album had a punkier sound. I don’t have the second album but I think it too was punkiel The first album had a full tank a gas, a scraping tailpipe and it looked like it might know where it is going.

Learning to Crawl proved they knew where to go. (Back) On the Chan Gang is an all time classic and ‘Middle of the Road;’ Thumbelina; My City was Gone; and 2000 Miles all deserve to be in the conversation. “I Hurt You,’ — Whew!

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Tom Petty — 282, 283

ALBUMS: Damn the Torpedoes (1979); Let me Up I’ve Had Enough (1987);

MVC Ratings: Torpedoes, 4.5/$$$$; Let me up 4.0/$$$.

Of course like nearly every Florida southern boy (at least partly) I was a big fan of the Gainesville, FL, native. He became big when I was in late high school, early college age. ‘Let Me Up’ came out about the time CD’s were taking over and I’m kind of surprised i don’t have this in CD format.

The Let Me Up album was a surprise — I don’t think I listened to it much and it has some great playing and singing on it. Jammin’ Me is a good one although it exposed what may be the reason this album was on the verge of busting out but never had the song to push that on through. Jammin’ Me has a lot of cultural references that I think are cool and most people got. But when you are raising up issues in song about the news, sometimes the stories get old in a 24-hour news cycle.

I would also like to point out here that one of Petty’s best records, unbeknownst to much of the public, was the soundtrack to the movie “She’s the One.” His masterpiece, I believe was ‘Full Moon Fever,’ but that movie soundtrack had some of Petty’s best work such as Walls Pt. 1 and 2; Change the Lock; Asshole and California.

If memory serves me correctly.

I remember we had a road trip to see Petty the main act with the DelFuegos and the Georgia Satellites. Fun time had by all. If memory again serves me correctly. There was me, Bob Carlton, Rick Bragg and Dennis Love. But that may be wrong. I know I was there.

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Protomartyr — 285

ALBUMS: Relatives in Descent (2017)

MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$$

Post-punk they call it. Pere Ubu-like. I hear Lou Reed-like vocal word play. There’s a darkness about it that almost dips its toe into Goth, like the Cure did or maybe even as far as Sisters of Mercy.

This is a record I received a year ago for my birthday and since I’ve been listening to my 678 albums in alphabetical order, I haven’t had a chance to listen this more than a few times.

Despite all the references I give above, my first reaction was a relatively obscure Midwestern group called Eleventh Dream Day. Not so much lyrically but the driving jangly guitar which sits very close to the front, along with killer bass, constantly driving the angsty words which sometimes feature the same line over and over and sometimes veer into the Captain Beefheart experimental realm.

The persistent chord-a-matic guitar strums remind me a little of my high school buddy, Paul Hammond RIP, and his work in Time Toy and Little Tigers in the heydey of the Athens, Ga., music scene.

Good stuff. Go for it if you are interested in a punky Lou Reed — hey wait a minute that would be Velvet Underground. No? Yes.

The band reminds at times of Athens, Ga. band Time Toy