At some point, there are bands that will “One Way Or Another” end up on the chopping block. A perfect example would be Blondie and that’s who is up for review today. Let’s take a look………
Blondie- if I had to describe their debut album, I would say it’s the perfect mixture of pop punk, sixties pop, with a touch of surf rock. There’s just something about this album and albums like this that really kind of take you to that time when it was made. It’s a very fun album and I have no choice but to give it 9/10.
Standouts: Little Girl Lies, Rip Her To Shreds, In The Flesh
Plastic Letters- I wouldn’t say this exactly picks up where the previous album left off, but it’s definitely in that same vein. I would say this song or maybe just a tad slower and this album maybe isn’t quite as memorable as the previous record. Still though it’s a great follow up and I’m going to give it 8/10.
Standouts: Bermuda Triangle Blues, Love At The Pier, Contact In Red Square
Parallel Lines- oh yes, if you were wondering where that song “Heart Of Glass” came from this is the album. Aside from that particular track this is what I would call the definitive Blondie record. Everything that you like about this band is on this record. It’s got several other classics and if I was gonna start with any of their records, this would probably be the one. I’ll give it 10/10.
Standouts: I Know But I Don’t Know, Just Go Away, 11:59
Eat To The Beat- following up a great record can be an impossible task at times however, this is one of those records that is an exception. It doesn’t really have that punk sound that was on the previous record instead it goes for more of a pop oriented sound. Definitely a very worthy follow up and I will give it 9.5/10
Standouts: Eat To The Beat, Atomic, Dreaming
Autoamerican- this one’s a pretty interesting record because well it does contain elements of pop rock it kind of explores other genres. There’s definitely some jazz and blues as well as some orchestral elements. Probably their most interesting record thus far and I’m going to give it 9/10.
Standouts: Here’s Looking At You, Faces, Live It Up
The Hunter- so this is actually a concept record. The concept is pursuing one’s Mount Everest. Fun fact, the song “For Your Eyes Only” was originally meant for the 007 film of the same name however, the producers wanted Blondie to work with composer Bill Conti and Michael Leeson. They refused and the track went to Sheena Easton instead. Aside from that I think the record is different and I can respect the fact that they wanted to go for a change and sound however it’s not what I would revisit. I’ll give it 7/10.
Standouts: For Your Eyes Only, Danceaway, War Child
No Exit- so there was a 17 year gap between this album and the last album and I wouldn’t say it feels like a comeback album, but it’s another one of those albums that has several different types of music. Some of those include ska, jazz, pop, and country. Again, I do respect the fact that they wanted to try something different but as a whole this album is just OK. I’ll give it 6/10
Standouts: Nothing Is Real But The Girl
The Curse Of Blondie- I guess they wanted to go for this sort of weird pop sound. I don’t know, it’s kind of hard to describe, but I really don’t know what they were thinking with this one. I didn’t really care for this and I’ll give it a score of 3/10
Standouts:
Panic Of Girls- again another very kind of forgettable album. It feels sort of like more of the same and another one that I just really couldn’t get into. I find this album to be long and boring and couldn’t wait for it to end. It’s not completely unlistenable, but I also wouldn’t come back to it. I’ll give it 3/10.
Standouts:
Ghosts Of Download- I don’t know what direction this band is seemingly going in, but I think it’s safe to say at this point they aren’t really trying to recapture their early sound or trying to sound anything like it. This is another one of those albums where things just seem to drag on and on. Yet another one I couldn’t get into. I’ll give it another 3/10
Standouts:
Pollinator- so this is one of those albums that had several different writers, including Sia, Charli XCX, and Johnny Marr and you can tell. I feel like this album sort of suffers from an identity crisis because it’s sort of just all over the place. Again couldn’t really get into it, didn’t really care for it and won’t be revisiting it anytime soon. I will say, though there are moments of greatness, but as a whole this album just falls flat. I’ll give it 4/10.
Standouts: Too Much
I think I’ve been starting to know about these legacy acts is they are good up to a certain point. Now when it comes to Blondie, their best stuff was in the 70s and 80s and you cannot deny those classic albums. Those albums are classic for a reason and the hits are also classics for a reason. If you’re going to get into this band, I would definitely say stay within the 70s and 80’s.
Final Grade: B
Album Rankings:
- Parallel Lines
- Eat To The Beat
- Blondie
- Autoamerican
- Plastic Letters
- The Hunter
- No Exit
- Pollinator
- Panic Of Girls
- Ghosts Of Download
- The Curse Of Blondie
Sinister Reviews 