"Parallel Lines" by BLONDIE – September 1978 US and UK Third Studio Album on Chrysalis Records – Featuring Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, James Destri, Frank Infante, Nigel Harrison and Clement Burke (September 2001 UK Capitol/Chrysalis Expanded Edition CD Reissue and Remaster with Five Bonus Tracks – Kevin Bartley Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...One Way Or Another..."

 

It's almost impossible to think of it in my geriatric rotund-waistline dotage, but in six years time – September 2028 to be exact – that hardy perennial of the bargain bin secondhand record shop "Parallel Lines" by Blondie will be an astonishing 50-years old. A half a bleeding century – what! And frankly Frank – on a re-listen in May 2022 – the wee little blighter rocks and then some.

 

Blondie knew they had up the game after the rapid fade out of the "Plastic Letters" album in February of that mercurial year – 1978. The three singles had done well in the British Top 20 - "Denis" to No. 2, "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear" to No. 10 and "Picture This" to No. 12. It was probably the huge popularity of front-lady Debbie Harry and the irresistible bop of "Denis" that saw their second studio platter "Plastic Letters" reach No. 10 on the UK LP charts – somewhat of an improvement over their 1977 debut that didn't chart at all.

 

But when the American band went into the studio in June and July of 1978 with strict disciplinarian Producer Mike Chapman (an Australian) of the famous Chinn/Chapman partnership (countless hits on RAK Records including wads of British chart toppers) - the precipice-ensemble knew that it was time for a world-beater – even if they could barely handle the egos doing overtime in the volatile six-piece line-up fronted by a former Playboy Bunny who was dating the Guitarist (Debbie and Chris).

 

And "Parallel Lines" delivered that - laden with more hit singles than you could shake a stick at - which duly propelling the sexy stripped beast to the top - their first album to reach No. 1 in England and an impressive No. 6 Stateside. "Parallel Lines" was so big for this great American crossover band that their self-titled debut "Blondie" finally charted in March 1979 on the back of its hard-won success, albeit at a more modest No. 79.

 

Indeed, re-listening to this fantastically good CD Remaster of door number three – it's a blast to hear that the former always-in-the-sales-bin album has clearly stood the test of time – chock to the gunnels with Seventies Pop, Rock, Punk, New Wave, Buddy Holly Rock and Roll and yes even Disco. To the details my peroxide parishioners...

 

UK released September 2001 - "Parallel Lines" by BLONDIE on EMI/Capitol/Chrysalis 5335992 (Barcode 724353359928) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster with Four Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows (56:57 minutes):

 

1. Hanging On The Telephone [Side 1]

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 [Side 2]

8. Will Anything Happen?

9. Sunday Girl

10. Heart Of Glass [Extended Disco Mix of 5:50 minutes]

11. I'm Gonna Love You Too

12. Just Go Away

Tracks 1 to 12 are their third studio album "Parallel Lines" - released September 1978 in the UK on Chrysalis CDL 1192 and Chrysalis CHR 1192 in America. Produced by MIKE CHAPMAN – it peaked at No. 1 in the UK and No. 6 in the USA.

 

BONUS TRACKS:

13. Once I Had A Love (aka The Disco Song) – 3:16 minutes

Previously Unreleased 1978 Version – Recorded May 1978 at The Record Plant in NYC and Produced by Mike Chapman

14. Bang A Gong (Get It On) (Live) – 5:27 minutes

Cover Version of the Marc Bolan T.Rex hit from 1971 and given its US title – recorded live November 1978 at the Paradise in Boston

15. I Know But I Don't Know (Live) – 4:33 minutes

Recorded live November 1978 at the Walnut Theatre in Philadelphia

16. Hanging On The Telephone (Live) - 2:21 minutes

Recorded live 1980 in Dallas, Texas

 

BLONDIE was:

DEBORAH HARRY – Lead Vocals

CHRIS STEIN – Guitars, 12-String, E-Bow

FRANK INFANTE – Guitar

JAMES DESTRI – Keyboards

NIGEL HARRISON – Bass

CLEMENT BURKE – Drums

Guest:

Robert Fripp of King Crimson plays Guitar on "Fade Away And Radiate"

 

The 8-page inlay is a pretty if not fairly basic affair, not surprisingly containing a page of relevant 7" picture sleeves (Dutch and Japanese in particular as well as the different artwork in Holland to the album) and some photos of the band from the period. On top of that you get a lay of the land set of liner notes provided by original producer MIKE CHAPMAN (written May 2001) on how he whipped the casual Americans into rehearsal shape – a fair and entertaining read. There are a further two pages of recording/reissue credits and the 24-Bit Digital Remaster from original tapes has been done by KEVIN BARTLEY at Capitol Mastering. Given what I was used to before on LP, you have to say that the Audio so damn good - way punchier - the clarity on kick-ass tracks like "One Way Or Another" or the dense Fripp-o-tronic guitars of "Fade Away And Radiate" almost unnerving at times. To the lithesome tunes...

 

That opening pring-pring phone dial, then a wall of voices and guitars for "Hanging On The Telephone" come a-blasting out of your speakers. What a hit this "I can't control myself... " song was - hardly surprising it went to No. 3 in the singles chart. Seriously great Punk attitude in the brilliant "One Way Or Another", one of my fave-raves by them – Debbie singing like her life depends on it. More telephone imagery in "Picture This", the third gem in a row, and I had forgotten about that cool solo – all I want is 20/20 vision – the remaster gives it to you. We veer away from Hitsville and go out there into US New Wave weirdo-land for "Fade Away And Radiate" – silver pictures moving slow – hidden voices – Fripp conjuring up dreams on the screen with his distinctive guitar work. You will have to give this one some welly, but the power is there – especially when that solo kicks in at 2:44 minutes. "Pretty Baby" is US New Wave meets 60ts Girl Group – easily could have been another radio-friendly hit. And Side 1 ends with a return to a King Crimson riff/vibe for "I Know But I Don't Know" – a Frank Infante menace song with fantastic riffage where more than a few slashes are reminiscent of The Stooges stalking the stage.

 

Side 2 opens with the slightly awkward "11:59" – a song that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be – those piano changes and that Elvis Costello organ though a bit better now through the Remaster. Better for me is "Will Anything Happen?" – surely one of the LP’s forgotten moments – a Jack Lee song – the man who would gift them "Hanging On The Telephone" and later on see his "Come Back And Stay" done by Paul Young. Chris Stein could write an annoying hit too – but who would have thought that something like his very-Cars "Sunday Girl" would go to No. 1. And yet it did.

 

And speaking of such - then comes the monster "Heart Of Glass" – a Stein/Harry winner that despite or because of its ooh-ooh-ah glitterball Disco beat became another chart topper for Blondie. You also notice that this is the Extended Disco Mix of 5:50 minutes over the LP's original 3:54 minutes without being announced as such (whether you like it or not). Capitol could have put the LP cut here (as it should be) and the Extended Version in the Bonuses? Some will see this near six-minute boogie as a Bonus while others may feel that the shorter/edited LP cut is what they were used to. 

 

We then get a cover of the 50ts Buddy Holly classic "I'm Gonna Love You Too" and I can never work out if its cack or genius (not a rave on for me really). The album ends on a slyly bitter Debbie moment with her "Just Go Away" – a boo-hoo go-away big mouth jaunt. To the Bonuses, which typically are both very good in some instances and only-O.K. in others...

 

The first extra is bizarre – a Previously Unreleased early attempt at the Disco of "Heart Of Glass" recorded in New York with Producer Mike Chapman in June 1978. Not a patch on the finished extended version on offer here – still – you can hear the winner is in there somewhere – they just need to chisel it out. Far better is the lowdown and dirty live Rock Riffage of the T.Rex classic "Get It On" where ending a gig, Blondie sound dangerous and cool – The Clash meets The Motels. For sure the live sound could be better – but the power is there and the band are playing like a beast – ripping into the Marc Bolan chug with guitar abandon. I love this. The other two live cuts also give you a real indication of what a tight unit Blondie was when they hit the stage – manic but always held together. Fans will love them, but casual listeners will go back to the LP every time. 

 

"...Thought it was the real thing, but I was so blind...love is so confusing..." Debbie sang all those years ago.

 

Well, I would not be confused in the slightest about buying this wickedly good CD Reissue and Remaster. Blondie were a great band – and "Parallel Lines" is their sexy-hot-pants of a moment - remember their Hearts of Glass this way...