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Last of the Independents
Studio album by the Pretenders
Released	9 May 1994
Recorded	October 1993 – February 1994
Studio	Townhouse, London Sarm West, London The Wool Hall, Bath
Genre	Rock, alternative rock
Length	49:14
Label	Sire, WEA
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 11, 1994 "Night in My Veins" Released: June 1994 "977" Released: October 3, 1994

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Chicago Tribune
Robert Christgau
Entertainment Weekly	A−
Knoxville News Sentinel
NME	6/10
Rolling Stone	(June 1994) (favourable) (Dec 1994)
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Select

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 (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.

In addition to a cover of "Forever Young" the band previously recorded for the film With Honors and was also featured in the end credits (which features orca footage shot by Bob Talbot) to Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, the album featured several songs Hynde co-wrote with the songwriting team of Billy Steinberg and Kelly, who wrote several hits for other musicians. That collaboration resulted in singles "Night in My Veins" and "I'll Stand by You" with the latter becoming a hit.

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

Adapted from the album's liner notes.

The Pretenders

• 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)

Additional musicians

• 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 Community Gospel Choir – choir (7)
• David Lord – string arrangement (7)

Technical

• Ian Stanley – producer (1, 2, 5, 7–11, 13)
• Stephen Street – producer, engineer (3, 4, 6, 12)
• Chris Thomas – producer (8)
• Steve Williams – engineer (1, 2, 5, 7, 9–11, 13)
• Julie Gardener – assistant engineer (3, 4, 6, 12)
• Jon Jacobs – engineer (8)
• Richard Lowe – assistant engineer (8)
• Greig Sangster – assistant engineer (8)
• Jamie Cullum – assistant engineer (8)
• Bob Clearmountain – mixing (3, 4, 6, 12)
• Tony Phillips – mixing (8)
• Stylorouge – artwork
• Simon Fowler – cover photography

Charts

Certifications and sales

References

1. "Single Releases". Music Week. 9 April 1994. p. 23.
2. "Single Releases". Music Week. 1 October 1994. p. 27.
3. AllMusic review
4. "Classic Plunder". chicagotribune.com.
5. "Robert Christgau: CG: pretenders". www.robertchristgau.com.
6. "Last of the Independents". Entertainment Weekly. 13 May 1994.
7. Campbell, Chuck (27 May 1994). "Hynde Endures, Shows Strength On New Album". Knoxville News Sentinel.
8. McCann, Ian (14 May 1994). "Long Play". NME. p. 39. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
9. "Pretenders – Last of the Independents CD Album". www.cduniverse.com.
10. "Pretenders: Last of the Independents : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 1 October 2007. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
11. Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 653. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone the pretenders album guide.
12. Wilkinson, Roy (July 1994). "New Albums". Select. p. 87. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
13. "Songwriter Billy Steinberg has Palm Springs Roots". 31 March 2017.
14. Last of the Independents (Media notes). The Pretenders. WEA. 1994.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. "Australiancharts.com – Pretenders – Last of the Independents". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
16. "Austriancharts.at – Pretenders – Last of the Independents" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pretenders – Last of the Independents" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pretenders – Last of the Independents" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
19. "Charts.nz – Pretenders – Last of the Independents". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pretenders – Last of the Independents". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
21. "Swedishcharts.com – Pretenders – Last of the Independents". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
22. "Swisscharts.com – Pretenders – Last of the Independents". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
23. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
24. "Pretenders Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
25. "French album certifications – The Pretenders – The Last of the Independants" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
26. "British album certifications – The Pretenders – Last of the Independents". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
27. "Xx Marks the Spot". Billboard. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
28. "American album certifications – The Pretenders – Last of the Independents". Recording Industry Association of America.

• The Pretenders albums
• 1994 albums
• Albums produced by Chris Thomas (record producer)
• Albums produced by Ian Stanley
• Albums produced by Stephen Street
• Sire Records albums