Call Upon The Author

When it comes to Blondie it’s difficult to choose which album should be called a classic, they have so many brilliant songs spread across so many great albums. ‘There’s Eat To The Beat’ which has Dreaming and Atomic, then ‘No Exit’ with the amazing comeback single Maria which is quite possibly one of their best songs. To make the choice even harder there is also ‘Autoamerican’ which is full to the brim with fantastic songs from Call Me to Rapture (which just recently celebrated its 30th anniversary).
Yet in the battle of Blondie discography there can be only one that makes it to the top, and in my opinion it has to be their third studio album. ‘Parallel Lines’, released in 1978, put Blondie at the top of their game.
There are so many songs on this record that can stand the test of time, that people just know automatically without really knowing who the band is. Hanging On The Telephone happens to be an example and is also a brilliant way to start an album, it’s lively, catchy and the perfect way to get hooked.
Of course it isn’t the only classic Blondie track to make an appearance on the album. The third song in is the calmer and refreshing Picture This. While the band famously donned T-shirts saying ‘Blondie is a group’ there is no doubt that it is Debbie Harry’s voice that makes it such a brilliant track. Don’t get me wrong everything else is great but Harry’s voice is so powerful you don’t really get a chance to pay attention to the music that is being belted out.
Pretty Baby is another great one, for me it’s one of those that you easily forget about but when it turns up on the computer the next three minutes are brilliant, the same can be said for 11:59.
Heart Of Glass, became an unlikely hit. Not everyone was especially pleased with the final result but it is one of their most famous tracks, and rightly so. It stood out because it was so different from their other stuff and it’s an enjoyable listen. It’s not all about the lyrics and vocals it’s about the music that goes with it and how innovative the band is.
Obviously there’s one song that I’ve neglected to mention and that is simply because the best should be saved for last. I came late to Blondie, in fact it was just a couple of years ago that I started to listen to them properly but there is one song of theirs that is firmly entrenched in memories of my childhood. One Way Or Another is perhaps my favourite song from this band, the only contender is Maria. Everything about it is lively. I was lucky enough to see Blondie live in Bournemouth just over a year ago and even the audience was lively when the song came on, of course nobody really knew the words. It’s just amazingly energetic and. For me, the best thing about this song is that introduced me not just to one of my favourite bands but also one of the best bands to come from the new wave era.
Although they’ve been around for years Blondie still haven’t stopped working, their new album Panic Of Girls is out now and while it takes a few listens to warm up to it, it sounds like they’ve never been away.