Unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson speaks during a gubernatorial debate in Welches, Ore., on July 29. While Johnson has still polled far below her two major-party competitors, her candidacy has peeled off a large chunk of potential voters from the Democratic candidate in the reliably blue state. Johnson, a well-funded independent who served as a Democratic state lawmaker for two decades before resigning to launch her third-party bid, has framed her candidacy off the pair of flashpoint issues, hammering Kotek with attacks on her record. If elected, Kotek would be one of the first openly lesbian governors in the nation. ![]() Kate Brown's approval ratings (she's term-limited) and created an opening for attacks against Kotek, a former state House Speaker. Record-breaking crime and homelessness in the state have helped drive down Democratic Gov. The ultimate Pretenders song and the prime example of Hynde’s flair for a winning melody and a catchy pop hook, “Brass in Pocket” became the first new number one of the 1980s and launched the band to almost overnight fame.The close race between Democrat Tina Kotek, Republican Christine Drazan and independent Betsy Johnson is the product of several fairly rare dynamics, according to political watchers, strategists, pollsters and all three campaigns. Hynde’s bold and seductive vocal flipped rock’s traditional male posturing, with her dynamic band providing wonderfully assured backing. ![]() Yes, it’s one of those ubiquitous songs so familiar that you probably wouldn’t choose to play it at home very often, but when it comes on the radio or you inadvertently catch the video on the telly or YouTube, you can’t resist its funky swagger. There’s a beautiful melody, chiming riffs aplenty from Billy Bremner and characteristically warm vocals from Hynde, who celebrates her own resilience on a song that was a hit single in 1982. “Back on the Chain Gang” is both a moving elegy for Honeyman-Scott and a defiant statement from Hynde that, after the guitarist’s death and the departure of Pete Farndon in 1982 (he left the band before his death), The Pretenders were by no means finished. The identity of the subject of Hynde’s love and devotion is never made clear, but pop doesn’t come much more perfect or evocative than this, with her achingly tender vocal and Honeyman-Scott’s tremendous soloing – a sublime hybrid of Duane Eddy and Roy Orbison – elevating the song to classic status.Ģ) “Back on the Chain Gang” ( Learning to Crawl, 1984) This is pure, basic, rootsy rock’n’roll at its best, with new guitarist Robbie McIntosh immediately putting his own mark on The Pretenders’ sound – and yes, that’s Hynde blowing up a storm on harmonica on the outro.Ĭoming hard on the heels of their debut single, a lovely cover of the Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing”, The Pretenders retained that record’s sixties vibe for follow-up hit “Kid”. There’s at least a handful of classics on the album, none more so than “Middle of the Road”, on which Hynde touches upon the trappings of fame and the passage of time while resolutely facing up to the demands of motherhood. The Pretenders’ third record and their first without Farndon and Honeyman-Scott was much better than anyone had a right to expect. The real mystery about this song may be what, exactly, is a Cuban Slide? However, four decades on, the track remains a stunning achievement.ĥ) “Middle of the Road” ( Learning to Crawl, 1984) ![]() 6) “Mystery Achievement” ( Pretenders, 1980)īringing the debut album to a barnstorming close is the mighty “Mystery Achievement”, a full-on, bass-driven rocker with trademark tremolo vocals from Hynde, powerhouse drumming from Chambers, and Honeyman-Scott demonstrating the full range of his virtuosity.
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