621 Blondie - Blondie (1976)

 621 Blondie - Blondie (1976)

Studio Album - New Wave



About the Act:

Blondie are and were a New Wave band from New York City. They were formed in 1974, released their first album in 1976, had loads of success, particularly in the UK and Australia (they were considered a bit of an underground band in the US). They released 5 more albums before disbanding in 1982. For a while, their front-person and singer Debbie Harry, had a solo career, with mixed success. In 1999 they reformed and had a major hit with the single Maria. They have squeezed out four more studio albums and are still going.

They were and are an iconic band, sitting on the poppy side of punk they brought some of the energy and attitude from punk into the mainstream. At times they sound like a rocked-up version of 1960s Girl Group music, but are actually quite varied in sound. Debbie Harry's voice is very recognisable, and the backing has a somewhat unusual use of rock organ.

About the Album:

This was their first album. Some critics really hated it at the time.

My History with this Album:

I know some of the songs, but I don't have a copy of this album.

Review:

This is Punk Lite, for those who want a little bit of rebellion, but not too much, and a little bit of that feeling of raw energy, but still actually quite like a tune, and to be able to sing along. And that, in a nutshell, could be a broader description of New Wave. I was 11 when this album was released, and back in those days, the charts were a thing. You followed the charts. You listened to the chart show on Sunday, you talked about the new entries with your friends on Monday. People really paid attention. And a hit single meant a LOT of sales in those days.

Over the next few years, Blondie were all over the charts like a rash. A very pleasant one. They had energy and attitude, and an attractive but slightly enigmatic singer. They had a sound. This was where all that started. This was... well it wasn't disco. That was the other thing happening at the time, and let me tell you, disco was not cool. It maybe wasn't as uncool as Max Bygraves and Des O'Connor, but New Wave was what the cool tweens were into.

There are not that many hits on this album, but you might know In The Flesh and Rip Her To Shreds. I did. Comparatively speaking, this album is less polished and more raw at times than what was to come. The song writing is strong and sassy. There's a good peppering of mild innuendo, and a splattering of different stylistic tones, including quite an element of girl group feeling (especially things like Leader Of The Pack), a bit of mild reggae, and some heavier stuff, some more frantic stuff. It's pretty much all radio-friendly and immediate, but it has stood the test of time. There's an intelligence behind it.

Whatever happened to pop? Do I have rosy-tinted hindsight? For me, put this next to Nicki Minaj and, well, I hope you get the point. Stupid Ho vs Rip Her To Shreds. Pfff.

I liked it. 

7.8/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/54V45InMvJ6uVtRtO6h1Co

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI6kLIhBBwmSLILiQiV6mLlOo0SAg3NOv

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blondie_(album)



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