Middle of the POLL: The Pretenders' "Learning To Crawl" Poll

ARRRRGH
I haven't heard this in toooooooo long

MY CITY WAS GONE

No! I take that back, Time The Avenger!!! TIME THE AVENGER!!!

'Middle of the Road" by far.

actually, "Back on the Chain Gang" is a close second, but still.

Not even Rush Limbaugh has dimmed "My City Was Gone."

Alfred! I was just going to mention that band Rush earlier...not about this thread but about Runaways stuff I posted. I got embarassed about that. I thought maybe it was about Rush.

I can't comment any further on this thread, sorry.

"Middle of the Road" made me really want a Telecaster, a desire still unfulfilled. If I ever get one, it will be pink.

My mother liked Time The Avenger, I think. It's mother's day.

but I don't speak to her anymore.

"Back On The Chain Gang" has a great melody, tarnished a bit by the chain gang sounds but still gorgeous and fiercely confident. Next I would vote for "My City Was Gone"; but I'm so naive that I didn't know it had anything to do with Limbaugh.

Prediction: Watching the Clothes does not finish in the top 5.

Really, the only blah song is "Thumbelina."

When I hear "2,000 Miles" again, then I am going to have a freakout.

"Middle of the Road," with "Time (Won't Let Me) the Avenger" close behind.

When the album came out, I remember being worried whether they could pull off "Thin Line Between Love and Hate," but it's just perfect.

lots of honorable mentions, but really for me "middle of the road" vs. "back on the chain gaing." and it's a tough call. "chain gang" is such a great elegy, because it gets at something more complicated than the usual grieving/loss of in-memoriam songs. about how the world keeps going and you get sucked back into your daily life. otoh, "middle of the road" is so smart and tough and grown-up. "i can't get from the cab to the curb without some little jerk on my back."

i had the 7" of "back on the chain gang," with "my city was gone" on the flip. heckuva B-side.

"Middle of the Road," because unlike the many other great songs on this record it really doesn't have a flaw. "My City Was Gone": don't like the obviousness of "had been replaced by shopping malls." "Back on the Chain Gang": chain gang sounds. "Watching the Clothes Go Round" -- is in its own way kind of flawless, but slight. But this is tremendous through and through and "Thumbelina," "Time the Avenger," and "2000 Miles" besides those already mentioned would be the best songs on most albums.

The chain gang sounds, besides alluding to Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang," are a kind of whistling in the dark – only the daily grind can help her live with her loss.

The thing is, there are at least 5 songs on the debut that are better than anything on here.

so?

yeah the debut is better but this is the last great album she ever made too.

The debut is in my top ten of all time. It is to Learning to Crawl what Murmur is to Reckoning.

i'd say document instead of reckoning but I agree in theory.

such a great album. one of my favorite first sides ever. even though "middle of the road" is a perfect opener for me it comes down to "show me" vs. "back on the chain gang." "show me"'s one of the few hopelessly romantic aching yearning diehard love songs that hasn't diminished over time for me BUT "chain gang" bums me out in all the right ways. the entire lyrical sentiment of the song, and especially the way she sings "i found a picture of you, those were the happiest days of my life," and then later "it brings me to my knees when i see what they've done to you" strikes me as some of the most authentic forecastings of how much growing up and adulthood could suck. i still remember the video from when i was like five and being terrified by "got in the house like a pigeon from hell, threw sand in our eyes and descended like flies." that still sounds more authentically satanic to me than lots of death metal

chain gang. i think the sam cooke throwback thing totally works and that plaintive guitar riff is perfection

"2000 Miles". And this poll should have had a deadline "At Chriiistmas Tiiiiiiiime" :)

My lame April Fools gag at the talk station was to replace everyone's show liners with "My City Was Gone" (Rush was our competition.)

"Back on the Chain Gain" is one of my all-time favorite songs, so that one.

I remember being worried whether they could pull off "Thin Line Between Love and Hate," but it's just perfect.

For fucking OTM!

"Chain Gang" but it's all good.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

good god "Time the Avenger"

"Thumbelina" was robbed. Where's the Americana act that drop something like that on the reg?

this is a very good album, albums are meh, "Back on the Chain Gang" is too good to pretend you like one of the other ones more

One of an extremely tiny handful of ‘80s records that incorporates Simmons drums yet still has stripped-down almost-retro production.

The part of Chain Gang where the middle 8 returns to the verse is one of the finest moments in pop music