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Blondie is an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The band was a pioneer in the early American punk rock and New Wave scenes. Its first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in Australia and the United Kingdom, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of a third album in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles and was noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop and reggae, while retaining a basic style as a New Wave band.

Lead singer Deborah Harry achieved a level of celebrity that eclipsed other band members leading to tension within the group. Following a poorly received album, and with core member Chris Stein diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease, the group disbanded in 1982.[1] As members pursued other projects, Blondie's reputation grew over the following decade and the group reformed in 1998, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom the following year. The group toured and performed throughout the world over the following years, and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the RockWalk of Fame in 2006.[2]

Early career

In the early 1970s, Chris Stein moved to New York City, and inspired by the New York Dolls, aimed to join a similar band. He joined The Stilettos in 1973 as their guitarist and formed a romantic relationship with one of the band's vocalists, Deborah Harry. A former waitress and Playboy Bunny,[3] Harry had been a member of the folk-rock band, Wind in the Willows, in the late 1960s. In 1974, she parted ways with The Stilettos and Elda Gentile, the band's originator. Stein and Harry formed a new band with drummer Clem Burke, keyboard player Jimmy Destri and bass player Gary Valentine. Originally billed as "Angel and the Snake"[4] the band soon renamed themselves "Blondie" in late 1975. The name was taken from comments from truck drivers who called "Hey, Blondie" to Harry as they drove by.[5]
Audio samples:
"In the Flesh" (1977) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
Blondie achieved their first hit single with the ballad "In the Flesh", after it was played by mistake on an Australian television program.
"Rip Her To Shreds" (1977) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
Harry's aggressive vocals on this track are typical of the band's early style.
"Denis" (1977) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
Blondie's first European hit added a danceable pop music beat to their established new wave sound.
Problems playing the files? See media help.

They became regulars at New York's Club 51, Max's Kansas City, and CBGB.[6] They got their first record deal with Private Stock Records in the mid-'70s and released their debut album Blondie in 1976,[2] along with the single "X-Offender". Private Stock Records was then bought out by the UK-based company, Chrysalis Records, and the first album was re-released on the new label in 1977[2] along with the single "Rip Her To Shreds". By this time, Valentine had been replaced by Nigel Harrison, and another guitarist Frank Infante had been added. Rolling Stone wrote about Blondie for the first time in August 1977[7] and observed the eclectic nature of the group's music, comparing it to Phil Spector and The Who and commented that the album's two strengths were Richard Gottehrer's production and the persona of Deborah Harry, saying she performed with "utter aplomb and involvement throughout: even when she's portraying a character consummately obnoxious and spaced-out, there is a wink of awareness that is comforting and amusing yet never condescending." It also noted that Harry was the "possessor of a bombshell zombie's voice that can sound dreamily seductive and woodenly Mansonite within the same song".[8]

Their first commercial success occurred in Australia in 1977, when the music television program Countdown mistakenly played their video "In the Flesh", which was the b-side of their current single "X-Offender".[2] Jimmy Destri later credited the show's Molly Meldrum for their initial success, commenting that "we still thank him to this day" for playing the wrong song.[9] In a 1998 interview, bandmember Clem Burke recalled seeing the episode in which the wrong song was played, but he and Chris Stein suggested that it may have been a deliberate subterfuge on the part of Meldrum. Stein asserted that "X-Offender" was "too crazy and aggressive [to become a hit]", while "In the Flesh" was "not representative of any punk sensibility. Over the years, I've thought they probably played both things but liked one better. That's all." In retrospect, Burke described "In the Flesh" as "a forerunner to the power ballad."[10]

Blondie, 1976. From left to right : Gary Valentine, Clem Burke, Deborah Harry, Chris Stein and Jimmy Destri.

The single and album each reached the Australian top 5 in October 1977, and a subsequent double-a release of "X-Offender" and "Rip Her to Shreds", was also popular. A successful Australian tour followed in December, though it was marred by an incident in Brisbane when disappointed fans almost rioted after Harry cancelled a performance due to illness.[11]

The following year they released their second album, Plastic Letters which Chrysalis Records promoted extensively throughout Europe and Asia.[2] The album's first single which won them their first Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocals Performance "Denis", a cover version of Randy and the Rainbows's 1963 hit, reached number two on the British singles charts, while both the album and the second single, "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear", each reached the British top ten, making Blondie one of the first American new wave bands to achieve mainstream success in the United Kingdom.[2]

All Music Review later described Plastic Letters as inferior to its predecessor, saying that with the exception of the two singles, it appeared to have been constructed from "leftovers" from the Blondie album. It noted that Gottehrer's production could not compensate for the "pedestrian musical tracks" or save the album from "general mediocrity".[12]

Mainstream success
Audio samples:
"Heart of Glass" (1978) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
Although Blondie received some criticism for adopting a disco sound, "Heart of Glass" became their first U.S. hit.
"One Way or Another" (1978) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
More typical of their new wave sound, this song was one of several Blondie songs dealing with the theme of obsessive love, and was a hit in the U.S.
"Call Me" (1980) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
The biggest hit of Blondie's career, "Call Me" was an early example of Europop featuring a strong use of synthesisers.
"Rapture" (1980) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
Harry's vocal performance included a lengthy rap, and was one of the earliest rap-influenced songs to achieve mainstream success in the U.S.
Problems playing the files? See media help.

Parallel Lines, their next album, was produced by Mike Chapman and eventually won them a Grammy for Best Rock Album. Its first two singles were "Picture This" and "Hanging on the Telephone." "Heart of Glass" was their first U.S. hit and garnered them another Grammy for Best Disco Recording. It was a reworking of a rock song that the group had performed since its formation, but updated with strong elements of disco music. Clem Burke later said the revamped version was inspired partly by Kraftwerk and partly by the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive," whose drum beat Burke tried to emulate. He and Stein gave Jimmy Destri much of the credit for the final result, noting that Destri's appreciation of technology had led him to introduce synthesizers and to rework the keyboard sections.[10] Although some members of the British music press condemned Blondie for "selling out," the song became a popular worldwide success. Selling more than one million copies and garnering major airplay, the single reached number one in many countries including the U.S., where until this point they had been largely considered an "underground" band. The song was accompanied by a music video that showcased Deborah Harry's hard-edged and playfully sexual persona, and she began to attain a celebrity status that set her apart from the other band members, who were largely ignored by the media.

Blondie's next single in the U.S. was a more aggressive rock song, "One Way or Another," which picked up a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocals Performance, and it reached the top 10 but the band's greatest success continued to be in the UK, where an alternate single choice, "Sunday Girl," became another number one smash.

Their fourth album, Eat to the Beat, was well received by critics as a suitable follow-up to Parallel Lines but in the U.S. it failed to achieve the same level of success.[2] In the UK, the single "Atomic" reached number one, "Dreaming" number two, and "Union City Blue" was another substantial hit, while in the U.S. they achieved far lesser success.[2]

Deborah Harry worked with the Italian songwriter and producer Giorgio Moroder, who had been responsible for Donna Summer's biggest hits, and they composed the song "Call Me" for the soundtrack of the film American Gigolo. The song became the biggest hit of Blondie's career, spending six weeks at number one in the U.S. and becoming a hit throughout the world.[2] Their album Autoamerican was released shortly thereafter and contained two more worldwide hits, the reggae-styled "The Tide Is High" and the rap-flavored "Rapture", each hitting number one in both the U.S. and UK.[2] "Rapture" was the first song containing elements of rap music vocals to reach number one in the U.S. and helped introduce the then underground rap genre to a larger audience. "Rapture" would be their only single to do better on the U.S. charts than in the UK, where it peaked at number five.

Hiatus, The Hunter, and breakup

Following their success of 1978-80, Blondie took a brief break in 1981. That year, Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri both released solo albums; Stein helped out with Harry's album, and Burke with Destri's. Also in 1981, Blondie was offered the chance to compose and perform the theme to the new James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, but the track that was written was ultimately rejected by the film's producers who then passed the offer to Sheena Easton. Blondie's composition for the film was, however, included on their next album.

The band reconvened in 1982 to record and issue The Hunter. In contrast to their earlier commercial and critical successes, The Hunter generally received lukewarm-to-negative reviews, and failed to hit the top 20 in the US top charts. The album did spin off two fairly minor hit singles: "Island of Lost Souls" (#11 UK, #37 US), and "War Child" (#39 UK).

With tensions within the band on the rise due to the commercial decline and the constant press focus on Harry to the exclusion of other band members, events reached a breaking point when Stein was diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening illness. In mid-1982, Blondie announced their break-up.

Stein and Harry (a couple) stayed together, and retreated from the public spotlight for a few years. After Stein recovered from his illness, Harry resumed her solo career in 1985, with active particpation from Stein in all her recordings. Meanwhile, Burke became a much-in-demand session drummer (and played for a time with Eurythmics), and Destri also maintained an active career as a producer/session musician.

Regeneration
Audio samples:
"Maria" (1999) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
"Maria" recalled Blondie's late 1970s new wave style and was a number one single in the UK
Problems playing the files? See media help.

During the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, Blondie's past work was recognised by a new generation of fans and artists such as Madonna,[13] and Chrysalis Records released several collections of remixed versions of some of their biggest hits. Speaking in 1998, Clem Burke said he had recognized elements of Blondie in the band No Doubt, while Harry commented that she began to realize "our reputation had grown since we stopped".[10]

In 1996, Stein began the process of a Blondie reunion and contacted Destri, who was then producing, and Burke. In 1998 the band reformed without Harrison and Infante, who had unsuccessfully sued to prevent the reunion under the name "Blondie". The resulting album, No Exit, described by Jimmy Destri as "15 songs about nothing",[10] reached number 3 on the UK charts, and the song "Maria"—which Destri had written while in high school[14]—became Blondie's sixth UK number one single. During this time Harry also worked as a vocalist for the avant-garde jazz troupe, The Jazz Passengers, having collaborated with them on their 1997 debut album Individually Twisted.

"Atomic" is featured in the 2002 PlayStation 2 videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as part of the New Wave radio station Wave 103.

They released the album The Curse of Blondie in October 2003, followed by the single "Good Boys". As of 2004 Jimmy Destri has retired from touring, leaving only Harry, Stein and Burke from the original lineup appearing at live shows.[15]

Blondie performing in September 2006.

In 2006, a mash up of Blondie's "Rapture" and The Doors "Riders on the Storm" was released as a single titled "Rapture Riders", and reached the top 30 on the Australian ARIA charts, and the top 10 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club chart in the U.S. Neither Harry nor Stein were involved in the song's production, but Harry commented that the song was "Amazingly good... It's rare that I really love something"[16] and Stein also approved of the song, the two allowing it to be included on Blondie's Greatest Hits: Sight & Sound album.[17]


Legacy

By 1982, the year the band broke up, Blondie had released six studio albums, each exhibiting a stylistic progression from the last. The band is known not only for the striking stage persona and vocal performances of Harry but also for incorporating elements in their work from numerous subgenres of popular music, reaching from their punk roots to embrace new wave, disco, and hip hop.

In March of 2006, Blondie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All six members from the "Parallel Lines" era lineup were invited to the ceremony, which led to an on-stage spat between the extant group and their former bandmates Nigel Harrison and Frank Infante when the latter asked to be allowed to perform with the group at the ceremony - a request refused by Harry.[18]

A BBC documentary on the group, aired Friday, July 21, 2006, discussed a new legal battle Nigel Harrison and Frank Infante have undertaken against the present day band (most likely over terms of their implied 'partnership' agreement as members of Blondie). This has something to do with the frosty reception they received from Harry and Stein at the induction.[19]

On May 22, 2006, Blondie was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame at Guitar Center on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard. Especially important regarding Blondie's Rock Walk induction is the fact that currently, Rock Walk inductions are voted on by previous Rock Walk inductees, making this truly a musician's award.[20]

They were the only American act to reach number one in the UK singles charts in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Coincidentally, their last number one hit, "Maria", topped the UK charts exactly twenty years after their first chart-topper "Heart of Glass" in 1979.

[edit]
Discography
Studio albums
Year Album US UK
1976 Blondie - -
1977 Plastic Letters 72 10
1978 Parallel Lines 6 1
1979 Eat to the Beat 17 1
1980 Autoamerican 7 3
1982 The Hunter 33 9
1999 No Exit 18 3
2003 The Curse of Blondie 160 36
Compilations
Year Album US UK
1981 The Best of Blondie 30 4
1988 Once More into the Bleach - -
1991 The Complete Picture - The Very Best Of Deborah Harry And Blondie - 3
1993 Blonde And Beyond: Rarities & Oddities - -
1995 Beautiful - The Remix Album - 25
1995 Remixed, Remade, Remodeled - -
1997 Picture This Live (Capitol Anniversary Series) - -
1998 Atomic - The Very Best of Blondie - 12
1999 Atomic/Atomix - The Very Best of Blondie - 12
1999 Livid - -
2002 Greatest Hits - 38
2004 Live By Request - -
2006 Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision - -



(The Blondie), американская вокально-инструментальная группа. Состав: Дебора Харри (Deborah Harry, р. 1946), Крис Стайн (Chris Stein, р. 1950), Гэри Вэлентайн (Gary Valentine), Джеймс Дестри (Jimmy Destri, р. 1954) и Клемент Бэрк (Clement Burke, р. 1955). Название квинтета, исполнявшего музыку «новой волны», все более ассоциировалось исключительно с солисткой – эффектной блондинкой Дебби. Именно ее неоспоримое лидерство и привело к быстрому распаду группы уже в начале 1980-х годов.

Из всех участников «Блонди» только Дебби Харри имела серьезную музыкальную подготовку. С детства она увлекалась музыкой, особенно классическим рок-н-роллом конца 1950-х годов и фолк-роком начала 1960-х годов. В конце 1960-х годов дебютировала в составе фолк-рок-группы «Уинд ин зе уиллоуз» и тогда же выпустила первую пластинку. После этого группа распалась, и Дебби перебивалась случайными заработками. К середине 1970-х годов музыкальный Нью-Йорк бурлил: появились десятки новых команд, которые экспериментировали с новыми музыкальными формами, ища альтернативу «мейнстримовскому» року. Дебби чутко уловила веяние времени и начала выступать с некоторыми из них – «Стиллтоуз» и «Энджел», – пока, наконец, не появилась группа «Блонди».

Группа возникла в начале десятилетия стараниями самой Дебби и гитариста Криса Стайна. На первых порах, пока ее состав не устоялся, «Блонди» выступала в клубах Нью-Йорка. В 1976 их заметили завсегдатаи двух центров «новой волны» – клубов «Мэксиз» («Max's») и «CBGB». В отличие от многих команд «новой волны», сознательно отказывавшихся от контрактов со студиями звукозаписи, участники «Блонди» решили войти в мир «большого шоу-бизнеса». Но надежды на быстрый успех не оправдались. Позднее Дебби вспоминала: «Нас в Нью-Йорке никто не проталкивал, у нас не было знакомых ни в газетах, ни на радио, ни на телевидении». Отсутствие финансовой поддержки пагубно сказывалось на технической стороне дела, группа располагала устаревшей аппаратурой. Дестри признавался: «Я и понятия не имел, что Дебби умеет петь, пока мы не записали первую пластинку. На сцене под грохот нашей аппаратуры я и расслышать-то ее как следует не мог». В 1975 у звезд «новой волны», таких, как «Рамоунз» или Патти Смит, уже были контракты. До «Блонди» очередь дошла в 1976, когда одна небольшая фирма записала альбом Blondie, появившийся в продаже в начале 1977. Тогда же группа отправилась на гастроли в Лос-Анджелес – «разогревать» аудиторию для «Рамоунз». Тем временем первый альбом «Блонди» упрямо полз вверх по строчкам чартов, и кое-кто из критиков поговаривал, что новая группа может стать американским ответом шведскому квартету «Абба». Второй альбом «Блонди» выпустила на британской студии, но Пластиковые буквы (Plastic Letters) оказались шагом назад по сравнению с успешным дебютом. Все же музыканты не пали духом, и уже в следующей пластинке Параллельные линии (Parallel Lines) показали лучшее, на что были способны. Сингл с этого диска Стеклянное сердце (Heart of Glass) быстро стал мировым бестселлером.

После Стеклянного сердца «Блонди» во главе с сексапильной блондинкой-солисткой стала героями прессы. И тогда же остальным участником квинтета приходилось доказывать, что они не только аккомпаниаторы Дебби, но и сами чего-то стоят. Однако приметы внутреннего разлада уже были налицо. Последующие альбомы группы продолжали иметь коммерческий успех, однако альбом Автоамериканец (Autoamerican, 1980) знаменовал закат популярности «Блонди». Сборник лучших хитов группы The Best of Blondie (1982) стал предпоследним аккордом. Последнюю же точку в истории «Блонди» поставил Охотник (The Hunter, 1982).
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