Product Description

Recorded in 1976, Blondie's self-titled debut was part of the New York City/CBGB's crowd's initial salvo of punk/new wave, radically different from anything in the American mainstream at the time. While other CBGB scenemakers strove for either artiness (Television) or primitivism (Ramones), Blondiewas always about pure pop, served with a healthy dose of irony. Its early-'60s rock & roll/girl-group roots were never so apparent as on this album--"In the Sun" sounds like a classic slice of sunny '60s West Coast pop, while "In the Flesh" reaches even further back for a '50s ballad feel.
The sly lyrics, Debbie Harry's knowing delivery, and especially Jimmy Destri's gloriously cheesy organ riffs make it apparentthat revivalism was never Blondie's intention; the band simply used the past to hijack the punk present and lay claim to a new wave future. Over the next few years, countless groups would adopt the template laid down on the first couple ofBlondie albums, with varying degrees of success, but, as this recording makes plain, Blondie did it first and best.

Track Listing

1. X Offender
2. Rifle Range
3. Look Good In Blue
4. In The Sun
5. Shark In Jet's Clothing
6. Man Overboard
7. Rip Her To Shreds
8. Little Girl Lies
9. In The Flesh
10. Kung Fu Girls
11. Attack Of The Giant Ants
12. Out In The Streets
13. Thin Line
14. Platinum Blonde
15. X Offender
16. In The Sun (2)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24290 in Music
• Released on: 2001-09-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Customer Reviews

AMAZING PUNK CHICK
IT HAS TO BE SAID "BLONDIE" AMAZING LOOKER AND VOICE, MAGIC PERFORMANCE.HAS THE MAGNET VIBES THAT ENTICES YOU INTO THE PUNK ROCK SCENE.BEING AN OLDER ROCKER NOW AS IS BLONDIE.LOVE THE GREAT ICON THAT SHE IS.THEY STILL SOUND AS GOOD LIVE AS ALWAYS.FOR ME SHE IS STILL TOP OF THE TREE.ENJOY.

Not as punk as they make out
I heard from a friend that apparantly Blondie was a punk band when they first started out. So this being the debut album, I thought this would be the most heavy album by them, but I was dissapointed though to tell you the truth it's pretty good none the less.

This album sounds like a hybrid of old style punk (think Ramones) and new wave music, though it's hard to judge which genre it favours but it still makes for a good album.

However if you're expecting distorted raw powerchord based punk then don't buy this, fans of new wave music would most appreciate this.

Highlights are "X Offender", "In The Sun", "Man Overboard", "Rip Her To Shreds" and "Attack Of The Giant Ants". With "In The Sun" being probably the best track in my opinion.

Hipshaking sixties music from the sleazy seventies
Before they became the property of big business, Blondie earned a reputation as one of the pioneers of the new wave. Deborah Harry had apparently once clicked finger cymbals with an obscure hippy band, but Blondie started as a fun, no-nonsense pop band with a dirty undercurrent. These three-minute, uptempo, beaty songs recall girl groups such as The Shangri-Las and garage bands, with their multi-tracked female vocals and James Destri's dated organ flourishes. Yet the titles of the best-known songs here, 'X Offender', 'In The Flesh' and 'Rip Her To Shreds', betray the darker themes of a later era.

Clem Burke's drumming shouldn't be underestimated either. His retro-oriented style gives the music a freshness that's rare for 1976. Other highlights include 'A Shark In Jets Clothing' and 'Rifle Range'. The former starts out like The Stranglers at their most mischievous, the latter is a fast number that featured as a bonus on the 12" of 'Heart Of Glass'. This album is one you play over again straight away after hearing it and is well worth buying.