Blondie [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Rating

Album: Blondie [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	X-offender	More Info...	0:03
2)	Little Girl Lies	More Info...	0:02
3)	In the Flesh	More Info...	0:02
4)	Look Good in Blue	More Info...	0:03
5)	In the Sun	More Info...	0:02
6)	A Shark in Jet's Clothing	More Info...	0:03
7)	Man Overboard	More Info...	0:03
8)	Rip Her to Shreds	More Info...	0:03
9)	Rifle Range	More Info...	0:03
10)	Kung Fu Girls	More Info...	0:02
11)	The Attack of the Giant Ants	More Info...	0:03
12)	Out in the Streets	More Info...	0:02
13)	The Thin Line	More Info...	0:02
14)	Platinum Blonde	More Info...	0:02
15)	X Offender (Private Stock Single Version)	More Info...	0:03
16)	In the Sun (Private Stock Single Version)	More Info...	0:02

Album: Blondie [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	X-offender	More Info...	0:03
2)	Little Girl Lies	More Info...	0:02
3)	In the Flesh	More Info...	0:02
4)	Look Good in Blue	More Info...	0:03
5)	In the Sun	More Info...	0:02
6)	A Shark in Jet's Clothing	More Info...	0:03
7)	Man Overboard	More Info...	0:03
8)	Rip Her to Shreds	More Info...	0:03
9)	Rifle Range	More Info...	0:03
10)	Kung Fu Girls	More Info...	0:02
11)	The Attack of the Giant Ants	More Info...	0:03
12)	Out in the Streets	More Info...	0:02
13)	The Thin Line	More Info...	0:02
14)	Platinum Blonde	More Info...	0:02
15)	X Offender (Private Stock Single Version)	More Info...	0:03
16)	In the Sun (Private Stock Single Version)	More Info...	0:02

Tracks

1. X Offender

2. Little Girl Lies

3. In The Flesh

4. Look Good In Blue

5. In The Sun

6. A Shark In Jets Clothing

7. Man Overboard

8. Rip Her To Shreds

9. Rifle Range

10. Kung Fu Girls

11. The Attack Of The Giant Ants

12. Out On The Streets

13. The Thin Line

14. Platinum Blonde

15. X Offender

16. In The Sun

Performer Notes

Blondie: Deborah Harry (vocals); Chris Stein, Gary Valentine (guitar, bass); James Destri (piano, organ, synthesizer); Clement Burke (drums).
Additional personnel: Ellie Greenwich, Micki Harris, Hilda Harris (background vocals).
Producer: Richard Gottehrer.
Reissue producer: Kevin Flaherty.
Recorded at Plaza Sound Stuidos, New York, New York in August & September 1976. Originally released on Private Stock (2023) in January 1977, reissued on Chrysalis (1165) in September 1977. Includes liner notes by Mike Chapman.
All tracks have been digitally remastered using 24-bit technology.
Composer: Marty Thau.
Personnel: Debbie Harry (vocals); Gary Valentine (guitar, bass guitar); Chris Stein (guitar); Jimmy Destri (piano, grand piano, Farfisa); Clem Burke (drums); Ellie Greenwich, Micki Harris, Hilda Harris (background vocals).
Audio Remixer: Craig Leon.
Liner Note Author: Richard Gottehrer.
Recording information: Plaza Sound Studios, New York, NY (08/1976-09/1976).
Photographers: Jonathan Postal; Ray Stevenson; Bob Gruen.
Recorded in 1976, Blondie's self-titled debut was part of the New York City/CBGB's crowd's initial salvo of punk/new wave, radically different from anything in the American mainstream at the time. While other CBGB scenemakers strove for either artiness (Television) or primitivism (Ramones), Blondie was always about pure pop, served with a healthy dose of irony. Its early-'60s rock & roll/girl-group roots were never so apparent as on this album--"In the Sun" sounds like a classic slice of sunny '60s West Coast pop, while "In the Flesh" reaches even further back for a '50s ballad feel.
The sly lyrics, Debbie Harry's knowing delivery, and especially Jimmy Destri's gloriously cheesy organ riffs make it apparent that revivalism was never Blondie's intention; the band simply used the past to hijack the punk present and lay claim to a new wave future. Over the next few years, countless groups would adopt the template laid down on the first couple of Blondie albums, with varying degrees of success, but, as this recording makes plain, Blondie did it first and best.

Professional Reviews

Spin (11/01, p.137) - "...Their inauspicious 1976 sock-hop debut..."

Entertainment Weekly (9/21/01, p.85) - "...Lays the pulpy melodrama on thick, with Debbie Harry coming on like a harried femme fatale..." - Rating: B+

Q (5/02 SE, p.134) - 4 stars out of 5 - Included in Q's "100 Best Punk Albums".

Q (10/94, p.135) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Winking at their generation's fondness for trash culture, Blondie's pastiches of Brill Building pop swaggered with conviction..."All tracks have been digitally remastered.