Plastic Letters

Blondie's sophomore effort, "Plastic Letters" is sprinkled with high intensity. It's fast-paced and incredibly quirky. "Plastic Letters" is probably the band's most underrated album. It's so unique. At first listen, you might think this record is choppy and disjointed, but once you keep listening to it - you begin to realize "Plastic Letters" is the real deal. The opener, "Fan Mail" is about an overzealous fan. "Fan Mail" is a genius track full of futuristic synths, cryptic lyrics, (keyboardist Jimmy Destri was a brilliant songwriter) and finishes with a sexy growl courtesy of Debbie Harry. It's the BEST and most innovative track. "Denis" is a good cover but not Blondie's best cover. "Denis" is the weakest track. It's the only misstep you will find on "Plastic Letters". The intensity picks up again on the eerie, "Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)" which is about a tragic plane crash. "Youth Nabbed As Sniper" and "Contact In Red Square" contain dark elements of pop and punk. The tempo slows down a bit on the charming, "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear" written by former bassist, Gary Valentine. Rhythm guitarist, Frank Infante joined the band and he proved what an amazing guitarist he really was (he also plays bass as well). The next 4 tracks are the most energetic and some of my personal favorites, starting with the manic, "I'm On E" and the salty, "No Imagination". Debbie gets to flex her songwriting muscles on the breezy, "Love At The Pier" and the melodic, "I Didn't Have The Nerve To Say No". I like how Debbie can sing any genre of music especially on the bluesy, "Kidnapper". She truly was a force of nature. And I'm sure it wasn't easy being the only female in the band. She was not only beautiful but a charismatic, brave, intelligent, and most importantly, a gifted vocalist. Every guy wanted her, and every girl wanted to be her. "Detroit 442" is a rip-roaring good time and the album closer, the laid-back but unnerving, "Cautious Lip" will leave you feeling slightly jarred and Debbie's scream at the end WILL startle you. This record was produced by Richard Gottehrer who also produced the band's self-titled debut album. He was the band's biggest cheerleader. You can FEEL how much he respected and admired this band through the music he helped shape and bring to life. The genius of Debbie, Chris, Jimmy, Frank, and Clem were evident. Some band's take a while to discover their sound and potential, but it's pretty clear they always had it right from the start. "Plastic Letters" might not be the band's most popular album but it's definitely one-of-a-kind. Enjoy!

Blondie would probably never have had a hit without disco. The song "Heart of Glass" topped the charts and moved Blondie in the direction of disco and dance pop, producing other similarly dance-inflected songs such as "Call Me," "Rapture", "Atomic", and others.But there was a darker side to Blondie. They were actually on the forefront of the CBGB New York style punk rock scene, although Blondie was far more "pop" than most of their contemporaries. Their second album Plastic Letters featured song titles seemingly ripped from tabloid headlines, such as "Youth Nabbed As Sniper", "Love at the Pier", "Bermuda Triangle Blues", "Fan Mail", and others. The songs were dark, short tributes to obsessed fans, child snipers, pop psychics, and other nowhere people, and the album is truly the most difficult and inaccessible record the band ever made. Indeed, its only real "hit", in Europe at least, was a cover of the Randy and the Rainbows single "Denise", changed to the mail gender by turning "Denise" into the French name "Denis".Still, when the album has time to work its spell, it remains a forgotten classic.The bottom line: the album may take time to grow on you, but after all these years it has slowly become my favorite of all Blondie albums. Long after I've become overly familiar with other albums in the band's catalog I am still intrigued by the cleverness and (can I say it?) maturity of this album. If you like Blondie strictly to hear sugary pop candy, you may not like Plastic Letters. If you're willing to hear a still-catchy, but more adventurous side of the band--buy it!

This is a precursor to much better albums. I like this band, so I enjoy it. But it is not as catchy as some of their other other stuff.