Blondie
Reviewed on this page:
Blondie - Plastic Letters - Parallel Lines - Autoamerican - KooKoo - The Hunter- Debravation
Along with the Talking Heads, Blondie gets much of the credit for
creating New Wave, a late 70s version of rock and roll that moved
away from blues and extended macho guitar solos in favor of punchy,
catchy tunes, thoughtful (and/or humorous) lyrics, and cheesy
keyboards. Both groups were broader than that stereotype, but
Blondie was more successful at imitating other styles, topping the
charts with disco, rap, and syrupy pop hits without losing their
artsy, tongue-in-cheek sensibility. A huge part of the band's
success is attributable to lead singer Deborah Harry, who made
intelligent use of her lovely, clear voice and model-like looks,
right on the line between pop icon and self-satire. Drummer Clem
Burke was the only top-quality musician in the band, but Blondie
was about stylistic, not instrumental, virtuosity.
It was a tough balancing act to maintain, and the band soon ran out
of steam. After the breakup, Harry released numerous solo
albums with punning titles like Def, Dumb and Blonde; she's
never had significant chart success, though. Burke went on to play
with the Eurythmics and others. The group recently reformed and
released a new album in early 1999.
There's a very thorough Blondie Home Page in Australia. The Deborah
Harry Home Page has a ton of info, covering her career before,
during and after Blondie. (DBW)
Personnel:
Deborah Harry, vocals; Chris Stein, lead guitar;
Jimmy Destri, keyboards; Clem Burke, drums; Fred Smith, bass.
Smith left to join Television, 1975, replaced by Gary
Valentine. Valentine left 1977, replaced by Frank
Infante, rhythm guitar, bass. Nigel Harrison, bass,
joined 1978.
 Blondie (1976)
An "Instant Record" produced by
Richard Gottehrer. At this
point they're mostly playing kitschy 50's rockers ("A Shark In Jets
Clothing"), either fast or slow (the cool ballad "In The Flesh"),
and mostly the riffs are catchy if familiar: "X Offender," "Look
Good In Blue," "Little Girl Lies." The guitars are very quiet,
leaving lots of room for Burke's flashy drumming and Destri's over-the-top synth and organ, which get oppressive at times ("In The
Sun"). They experiment a bit with the funky "Man Overboard" and
sound effects on "The Attack Of The Giant Ants," more B-movie camp,
and get close to punk with "Rip Her To Shreds," though Harry's
vocals stay detached. One particularity of this album is Valentine's
exceptional, articulate bass lines, not heard on any other Blondie
album. (DBW)
 Plastic Letters (1977)
This time around the band sharpened their focus: they dropped the
punk trappings and experimentation, toned down the keyboards, and
added Infante on guitar, giving them a more traditional rock sound.
The tunes are all short, either fast or midtempo, and they start to
sound the same despite some good melodies: "(I'm Always Touched By
Your) Presence Dear," "Kidnapper," "Denis" - where Harry gets to
use her high school French. The straightforward sound does leave more
room for Burke to shine, making this the best record to study his
technique. Produced by Gottehrer. (DBW)
 Parallel Lines (1978)
They added Harrison on bass, and hooked up with producer Mike
Chapman, who would stay with the group for the duration, and
suddenly they start to sound like a great 70s pop band (that's
not a contradiction in terms). Harry is harder-edged than
most of the real punk singers on the obsessive "One Way Or Another"
and the weary, spiteful "Just Go Away"; she also belts out the
speedy rockers "Hanging On The Telephone" and "11:59." There's also
catchy pop like "Sunday Girl." But the big hit (their first #1) was
the disco "Heart Of Glass" with irresistable melodic and lyrical
hooks, and pure, gorgeous lead vocals. Crafty guitarist Robert Fripp adds ethereal guitar to the
atmospheric "Fade Away And Radiate," which is either creepy or
silly, depending on your mood. The only obvious nod to their retro-50's roots is their cover of Buddy Holly's "I'm Gonna Love You
Too"). (DBW)
Eat To The Beat (1979)
The title track was another mock-disco track but not very amusing;
"Dreaming" is a better example of their New Wave/disco hybrid. The single "Atomic" is just dull despite rockabilly affectations including twangy guitar; the B-side "Die Young Stay Pretty" is engaging faux reggae. Just after the release of
this album, the band had another #1 single with "Call Me," co-
written by disco king Giorgio Moroder for the American Gigolo
movie soundtrack. (DBW)
 Autoamerican (1980)
Recklessly eclectic, reflecting either that the group's phenomenal
success was allowing them to stretch out, or that they were
unfocused and desperate. Either way, the number of different styles
approaches the White Album.
Stein indulges himself with modern classical music on the
instrumental "Europa," but mostly what's on display here is Harry's
chameleon vocals: she pulls off nightclub jazz on "Faces," disco
("Live It Up" with Wah Wah Watson on
guitar), sappy balladeering ("Follow Me"), and even a "Honey Pie"-like 20's number, "Here's Looking At You." Then there are the two
#1 singles: "Rapture" is a brilliant dance song that is either a
parody of rap or the real thing or both; "The Tide Is High" is an
old pop tune with artificial reggae flavoring. They throw in just
a couple of typical keyboard-led rockers: "Do The Dark" and "Walk
Like Me," both by Destri. The album is so disjointed it doesn't
build momentum, but it's consistently interesting. (DBW)
 KooKoo (Harry: 1981)
For Harry's first solo album, she and Stein got together with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, which you might think would be a natural given the Chic stylings of "Rapture." But it's a classic lo-brid, as Harry's arch, chilly vocals strip any emotional impact from the disco tunes ("Backfired" would have been terrific with, say, Jocelyn Brown singing)
and when Rodgers and Edwards tackle New Wave they just end up sounding silly ("The Jam Was Moving"). The crew tries on musical styles like dresses in a department store - reggae ("Inner City Spillover"), torch ballad ("Now I Know You Know), rap ("Military Rap") - but the best song is the closest to early Blondie, the snappy rocker "Under Arrest." The musicians include most of Chic's regulars plus a few wildcards like Spud & Pud Devo.
(DBW)
The Hunter (1982)
Supposedly the band had completely lost interest by this point, and
recorded this just to fill out their contract. It's a quiet record,
often to the point of being boring (the flop single "Island Of Lost
Souls"), mostly synth-pop with minimal guitar. Harry writes some
interesting lyrics ("War Child" about, well, war children; "Little
Caesar" written from the perspective of a male prostitute), but her
singing throughout is so emotionless you may have trouble staying
awake. The cover of Smokey Robinson's
"The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" is as professional and
lifeless as the rest. (DBW)
Rockbird (Harry: 1986)
"French Kissing (In The USA)" was the single. (DBW)
Def, Dumb And Blonde (Harry: 1989)
Debravation (Harry: 1993)
About half of this album is early 90s high-energy dance music with
low-energy vocals - it often sounds like outtakes from Madonna's Like A Prayer, most
embarrassingly with the Catholic imagery on "Communion." Things get
better when Chris Stein updates Blondie's signature sound on lite
rockers "Dancing Down The Moon" and "The Fugitive," plus the slow,
disconcerting "Dog Star Girl." (DBW)
No Exit (1999)
A new studio album by most or all of Blondie's original lineup. Burke,
Destri, Harry and Stein are definitely involved. It's been getting
plenty of hype; the first single, "Maria," didn't grab me, but I'll keep
an eye out for the complete disc.
(DBW)
Necessary Evil (Harry: 2007)
Must avoid... obvious joke... about title...
(DBW)
Panic Of Girls (2011)
I guess once The Cars got back together this was inevitable.
(DBW)
Just go away.
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