PURE RAPTURE - BLONDIE TURNS 30!

Things to do before Blondie turns 30:

Be a popular punk band at CBGB’s. Check.
Have a #1 record. Check (times four).
Do pop, rock, disco, and reggae. Check.
Have a successful comeback. Check.
Be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Check.

Before Pink, Christina, and Britney, Debbie Harry and her boys ate to the beat and showed women everyone how to rock – and pop, and reggae, and disco, and hip-hop, and rap!

The last time we really heard from Blondie was in 1999 with the release of the critically acclaimed No Exit, which contained “Maria,” a song that went to #1 in 14 countries. The USA, sadly, was not one of them, but their reunion tour was a huge success. Exit picked up where they had left off in 1982 with The Hunter. Although not well received by the public, this disc contains a rare, upbeat tune by Jimmy Destri, “Danceway,” and the original title track intended for the James Bond film “For Your Eyes Only.”

1980’s Autoamerican is probably the best example of how diverse their music is with the reggae “The Tide is High” and “Rapture,” America’s first rap song to reach #1.

In the same year they had another #1 song with “Call Me,” from the movie American Gigolo.
The year prior saw the release of Eat to the Beat, which was also released as the first full- length video album with “Dreaming” and “Atomic.” Arguably their best sounding release, it was the follow-up to 1978’s masterpiece Parallel Lines. You might recall “Heart of Glass” and “One Way or Another” catapulting them into the spotlight and the mainstream. Filled with infectious rock and pop, Lines became the band’s first Top Ten Album.

1977’s Plastic Letters contains many songs penned by keyboardist Jimmy Destri, and it may be the best example of their early punk days. Examples include “(I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear” and “Denis.”

But it all started in 1976 with their self-titled debut containing “X Offender, “Rip Her to Shreds,” and “In the Flesh,” songs made popular at CBGB’s in New York and in the UK.

Jump, jump thirty years later, Blondie is releasing Sound & Vision chronicling their singles and videos.

Like the song says, Debbie’s voice may be “cold as ice cream, but still as sweet,” and she knows how to use it!