Blondie

Brilliant first album, great to have it back☺️

The reissued, remastered version of Blondie’s self-titled debut album is a fantastic update to their 1976 classic. This album set the stage for Blondie’s unique sound, blending punk rock with hints of pop and new wave, and includes standout tracks like "X Offender" and "Rip Her to Shreds."The remaster brings a new level of clarity and depth to each track, highlighting Debbie Harry's edgy vocals and the band’s raw energy. This edition is perfect for longtime fans and newcomers alike, offering a fresh listening experience that captures Blondie’s roots. A must-have for any collection!

1978 and Debbie Harry, then riding high in the charts with "Denis" was the pin-up girl of the sixth form common room along with a selection of Page 3 models, notably Sam Fox and Linda Lusardi, and Charlie's original Angels. But before the fame and the pop hits there was Blondies' eponymous debut, released largely unnoticed in 1976. With a different Blondie sound, or perhaps I should say with many different sounds ranging from early '60s surf, pop-rockabilly, and girl group, through late '60s cool sophistication to mid '70s glam and punk, it's almost like they had been in the dressing-up box and were trying everything on to see what suited them.And on the whole it's the punkier tracks that worked better then, and looking back now from a distance of forty plus years these are the ones that still work better, and they're the ones that give more of a clue of the direction that the band would follow to find fame.Opener and lead single "X Offender" is just such a track, its structure, timing and layers of sound are near perfect, however second track "Little Girl Lies" which opens with a Dick Dale style guitar solo sounds as though it belongs in 1962 and not 1976 with its mix of surf rock music and girl group vocals, its' OK but it was never going to be the basis for a pop future in the late '70s. "In The Flesh" is pure Phil Spector girl group, think the Ronettes perhaps or the Crystals, but it doesn't have Spector's Wall of Sound production and just doesn't do it for me [surprisingly IMO this was the second single released from the album]. "Look Good In Blue" has something of the late 60s cool sophistication about it and sounds as though it could have come from one of those "Music To Watch Girls By" compilations, while next up "In The Sun" is the closest to the future Blondie sound with its punky-edge fuelled by Clem Burke's drum-fills, I love it. The final track on the original first side, "A Shark In Jet's Clothing" has a clever title and a very Stranglers-esque organ lead from Jimmy Destri, but it's very thin sounding and that's a problem common to many of the tracks here."Man Overboard", the opening track on the second side is similarly thin sounding; both this track and "A Shark In Jet's Clothing" are interesting but need a bit more welly to hit the spot. Elsewhere on side two, third single "Rip Her To Shreds" is probably the best track on the album, it's spikey with some nice guitar work from Chris Stein; while "Rifle Range", another with a late '60s vibe, runs it a close second and at three minutes forty-one seconds it's the longest track on the album and one that gives everyone a chance to show what they can do. The last two tracks "Kung Fu Girls" and "The Attack of The Giant Ants" are fun if not entirely serious, particularly the latter with it's B-movie sound effects [and I wonder whether these might have influenced the Rezillos].My 2001 re-issue then has five bonus tracks including demo versions of "X Offender" and "In The Sun", apart from the first of two these bonus tracks, the Dusty Springfield sounding "Out In The Street" and the punky "The Thin Line" these add little to the album.So it's not the punk-pop powered Blondie that was to come later; it's a pot pourri of styles, some work some don't but overall its interesting to hear the band before they coalesced around the Blondie sound and hence the four stars. But in all honesty it's probably one that's more for rock historians than for lovers of the "Sunday Girl", "The Tide Is High" or "Rapture.

WOW What An Album This Truly Is, To Think That This Album Is Blondie Debut Album ( Yeah I Know Incredible Isn"t It)Is Really A Great Achievement By Any Group/Band, Starting Out.Although Blondie Had Been Tagged As A Punk Rock Group When They Played Alongside Their Punk Hero"s , (THE RAMONES AND PATTI SMITH,) At The Famous CBGB Venue, All Blondie Wanted To Do Was To Play Their Songs And To Be Heard,Playing Some Rock, Punk Music , Soon The Band Started To Gain A Following Of Their Own With Increasing Popularity And Stage Presence .In 1975 Blondie Began To Record Their Self Titled Debut Album And What A Fantastic Album It Is,Right From The Start Of The Needle Touching The Vinyl On The Turntable , We Hear The Soft Vocal Tones Of Deborah Harry Then After The First Four Lines Of The First Track X OFFENDER , Debbie Lets Loose With Her Stunning Voice (she can read me my rights anytime) .Each Track Afterwards Is Brilliant And Not Really A Bad Track On It, The Album Is Pure Solid Rock With Some Punkish Style As Well , That Blend Together Superbly , It Was Clear To Anyone That Blondie Were Here To Stay For A Very Long Time ...And They Are Still Going Strong 40 Years On,So It Makes Perfect Sense To Release Blondie"s Albums Again On Vinyl And To Be Given The Remastered Treatment With A 180 GRAM HEAVYWEIGHT L.P. RECORD EDITION, Which Is So Amazing Than The Original Release Because Of The Fantastic Sound Quality That We Hear On This Excellent Album...So I Most Strongly Recommend That You Buy This Album On Vinyl And Transport Yourself Back To 1975 And Enjoy The Fantastic BLONDIE. ......GO BUY IT NOW.

Surprised by just how good and fresh this debut album sounds even today.Previously I only had a blondie greatest hits compilation which I found very hit and miss. I was a teenager at the time but there were so many great `new wave` bands at the time that one had limited funds and money to follow all of them.Blondie were commercially the most successful of the American ones and give or take Talking Heads deservedlyBlondie`s debut and 3 rd albums are 5 star albums - pity about the 2nd & 4th which I`ve now listened to and clearly were full of weaker material left off the debut and 3rd albums

Blondie the first album from Blondie, is excellent. It included five bouns tracks from Instant Records and from Private Stock.

I bought this album back in the late 70's when I was still at school. Debbie Harry was just the 'Best Thing' ever! The tracks wereexcellent! The years have passed but on listening to this album the memories came rushing back with a vengeance!! I have got all of Blondies albums on vinyl but this for me is the best of them all.

Was very pleased with the product thanks