Product Description

'Parallel Lines' was originally released in 1978 from new wave/punk band Blondie. This was their third album and the one which broke the band internationally. Includes their two 1979 number one singles 'Hanging On The Telephone' and 'Sunday Girl', as well as 'One Way Or Another' and 'Heart Of Glass'. This remastered version includes four bonus tracks previously unavailable on the CD originally released in 1994.

Track Listing

1. Hanging On The Telephone
2. One Way Or Another
3. Picture This
4. Fade Away And Radiate
5. Pretty Baby
6. I Know But I Don't Know
7. 11.59
8. Will Anything Happen
9. Sunday Girl
10. Heart Of Glass
11. I'm Gonna Love You Too
12. Just Go Away
13. Once I Had A Love
14. Bang A Gong (Get It On)
15. I Know But I Don't Know
16. Hanging On The Telephone

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2167 in Music
• Released on: 2001-09-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Amazon.co.uk Review
The third album from the most successful of all the bands to spring from the New York punk scene, Parallel Lines is perhaps the definitive Blondie album. Produced by pop svengali Mike Chapman, it epitomises the astute mix of new wave chic and pop sensibility that spawned four hit singles from the album, and gives Debbie Harry's voice a platform of sleek professional pop that it had previously lacked. "Hanging On The Telephone" is a driven, up-tempo gem, "Picture This" soars deliciously around blissful melodies, while "Heart Of Glass" flirts seductively with disco. And it's proof of the album's mettle that tracks like "Fade Away And Radiate" are just as impressive as the singles. --Amber Cowan

Customer Reviews

Remastering at it's best.
I agree with most of the other reviews that this is the best Blonde album. Although I've got a lot of the tracks already, my existing CD (The Complete Picture) is over a decade old, so I was after a brighter sound.

This remastered version certainly delivers the goods. It sound bright and sharp, without being over-engineered, a problem I found with Greatest Hits: Sight And Sound, where the band seemed to be playing seperately then put together.

Amazons's bargain price is the icing on the cake.

One of those iconic albums
'Parallel Lines' is one of those rare albums that can boast huge popular success alongside a good measure of credibility. It doesn't enjoy total critical acceptance, something that can be understood by listening to Blondie's equally enjoyable but more subversive debut album. Bringing in Mike Chapman, a Pete Waterman of the 1970s, to produce the album was probably calculated to maximise Blondie's commercial potential, and it worked. 'Parallel Lines' isn't a soft and fluffy album, but it isn't as abrasive as their earlier work.

'Hanging On The Telephone', one of my favourite Blondie songs, represents the old, punk-oriented style. It and 'Picture This' were the first big hits from the album, but were eclipsed by the stellar 'Heart Of Glass' and 'Sunday Girl'. 'Heart Of Glass' saw Blondie defect to the disco bandwagon, but at least it's still a great record. The 12" version soon sold out. The album is packed with great tunes and enthusiasm, bolstered by one of rock and roll's best drummers, Clem Burke. Sometimes, as on 'Just Go Away', they're a bit wacky, but this is one of those pop albums you can't go wrong with.

Pop Perfection
Blondie never got better than this. I don't think there's a track on here that I have to skip past. Every one really is a winner.

Parallel Lines is by a band at the peak of their powers. They couldn't do any wrong and the quality of their songwriting on this album is stunning. Singles are: "Hanging On The Telephone", "Picture This", "Sunday Girl" and of course, the Disco Song, "Heart Of Glass". There's more to this that a clutch of fine singles though, some of the album tracks are simply stunning: "One Way Or Another", "Will Anything Happen" and my personal favourite Blondie song "11:59", three minutes of pop perfection from Jimmy Destri.

It's nice to get a few extra unreleased mixes, demos and that, but at the end of the day, they're unnecessary. The 12 tracks are enough.

Pop perfection.