The Pretenders “Get Close” 1986. Today, September 7th, is Chrissie Hynde’s 70th birthday (b. 1951). Get Close, released just about 35 years ago in Oct. ‘86, was The Pretenders’ fourth LP. Hynde was the only consistent member of the band during the album’s recording (there were deaths, firings…a fair bit of drama) and she wrote the majority of material. There are two cover songs, one by Carlos Alomar, “Light of the Moon,” and one by Jimi Hendrix, “Room Full of Mirrors.” Hydne’s friend Meg Keene wrote “Hymn to Her,” a power ballad released as a single in the UK where it hit #8. Two other singles were released as well, “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” which went to #10 in the US and the UK, and “My Baby” which reached #64 on the US Billboard chart (though went to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart) and #84 in the UK. It’s an OK album overall but definitely not as strong or as catchy as their earlier releases, most likely because of the personnel drama mentioned above.