Packed!

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title: "Packed!" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["the-pretenders-albums", "1990-albums", "albums-produced-by-mitchell-froom", "sire-records-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packed!" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

Field	Value
name	Packed!
type	studio
artist	Pretenders
cover	Packed!.jpg
released	14 May 1990
studio	AIR Studios (London)
Mayfair Studios (London)
Abbey Road Studios (London)
Sunset Sound Factory (Los Angeles)
genre
length	38:38
label	Sire
WEA Records
producer	Mitchell Froom
prev_title	The Singles
prev_year	1987
next_title	Last of the Independents
next_year	1994
misc	{{Singles
name	Packed!
type	studio
single1	Never Do That
single1date	May 1990
single2	Sense of Purpose
single2date	October 1990
::

| name = Packed! | type = studio | artist = Pretenders | cover = Packed!.jpg | alt = | released = 14 May 1990 | recorded = | studio = AIR Studios (London) Mayfair Studios (London) Abbey Road Studios (London) Sunset Sound Factory (Los Angeles) | genre = | length = 38:38 | label = Sire WEA Records | producer = Mitchell Froom | prev_title = The Singles | prev_year = 1987 | next_title = Last of the Independents | next_year = 1994 | misc = {{Singles | name = Packed! | type = studio | single1 = Never Do That | single1date = May 1990 | single2 = Sense of Purpose | single2date = October 1990

Packed! is the fifth studio album by rock group Pretenders, released in 1990.

Besides band leader Chrissie Hynde, no other person is pictured anywhere within the album package. At the time the album was recorded, the only other remaining official member from the band's previous album was drummer Blair Cunningham, who plays on all tracks, though he is not credited as part of the band. As all other musicians appearing on the album are session musicians, some observers have characterized the album as a Hynde solo recording using the Pretenders name to satisfy contractual obligations. However, the lineup that recorded the album has some consistency with past studio lineups of the band: guitarist Billy Bremner, who had previously played with the band as a session musician on their "Back on the Chain Gang"/"My City Was Gone" single, appears on most of the tracks, as does bassist John McKenzie, who had played some bass on the band's previous studio album, Get Close (1986).

|rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = |rev2 = Chicago Tribune |rev2score = |rev4 = Entertainment Weekly |rev4score = B− |rev5 = Los Angeles Times |rev5score = |rev3 = Robert Christgau |rev3score = A− |rev6 = Rolling Stone |rev6score = | rev7 = Trouser Press | rev7Score = (mixed)

Track listing

All songs by Chrissie Hynde, except where noted.

1. "Never Do That" – 3:20
2. "Let's Make a Pact" – 3:18
3. "Millionaires" – 3:04
4. "May This Be Love" (Jimi Hendrix) – 2:43
5. "No Guarantee" – 3:47
6. "When Will I See You" (Hynde, Johnny Marr) – 4:53
7. "Sense of Purpose" – 3:03
8. "Downtown (Akron)" – 2:43
9. "How Do I Miss You" – 4:21
10. "Hold a Candle to This" – 3:37
11. "Criminal" – 3:49

Personnel

• Chrissie Hynde – guitar (1–3, 5–11), vocals (1–11), backing vocals (6, 7)
• Blair Cunningham – drums (1–11), backing vocals (1, 8)

Additional personnel

• Billy Bremner – guitar (1–6, 8, 9, 11), backing vocals (1, 3, 8)
• John McKenzie – bass guitar (2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11), backing vocals (8)
• Tchad Blake – guitar (4,5)
• Mitchell Froom – keyboards (2, 4–6, 9, 11)
• Dominic Miller – guitar (7, 10), bass guitar and backing vocals (7)
• David Rhodes – guitar (3, 11)
• Tim Finn – backing vocals (6)
• Mark Hart – backing vocals (6)
• Will MacGregor – bass guitar and backing vocals (1)
• Teo Miller – backing vocals (3)
• Tony "Gad" Robinson – bass guitar and backing vocals (9)
• Duane Delano Verh – bass guitar (4)
• Adey Wilson – backing vocals (3) Technical
• Tchad Blake – engineer
• Geoff Foster, Rob Jaczko, Teo Miller – studio assistants
• Jill Furmanovsky – photography

Charts

::data[format=table title="Chart performance for ''Packed!''"] | Chart (1990) | Peak position | Australian Albums (ARIA) | |---|---|---| | 55 | | | ::

References

References

1. "Happy 25th: Pretenders, Packed! – Rhino".
2. [{{AllMusic
3. "Pretenders Packed! (Sire) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) In...".
4. (1 June 1990). "Packed!".
5. CROMELIN, RICHARD. (20 May 1990). "*** PRETENDERS "Packed!" Sire/Warner Bros. : Albums are rated from one star (poor) to five stars (a classic).". Los Angeles Times.
6. "Robert Christgau: CG: pretenders".
7. (1 October 2007). "Pretenders: Packed : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone".
8. "Pretenders".
9. {{cite Ryan

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