Originally Released: 1978
Reissue with Bonus Material: 2001
Chrysalis Records
The late 1970's seems to me like a "Lost Generation" when it comes to pop music. Most people associate that era with either disco or the heavy metal lite of bands like Kansas or Styx. What gets lost in the mind numbing beat and pretentious bombast is New Wave, the rock movement that grew out of the ashes of the Punk revolution. New Wave appealed more to the college audience, featuring artists like Elvis Costello and Talking Heads, whose lyrics were a bit more sophisticated, and in the case of Talking Heads could be downright esoteric. There was also a tendency to reference the pop of the 1950's and early 60's. I heard one commentator say it was like 50's Rock and Roll with better equipment.
One of the biggest acts from that time was Blondie, who emerged from the same Manhattan scene, centered at the now defunct club CBGB, that had given birth to the Ramones, Patti Smith and the fore mentioned Talking Heads, among many others. I recently stumbled upon their old classic, Parallel Lines, in the discount bin and couldn't resist. Most albums from my childhood (Parallel Lines came out when I was in junior high), never seem as good upon a fresh listen as they did back in the day, but in the case of Blondie's Magnum Opus, it actually surpasses what I remember.
Blondie had the relative novelty of featuring a female lead singer, Debbie Harry. But this was no gimmick, as some of their CBGB rivals tried to insinuate. Harry sports a powerful voice, that can also be very subtle and expressive. On Parallel Lines we get the aggressive growl of "Hanging on the Telephone" and "One Way or Another," but also the heartbreak and longing of "Picture This" and "11:59," not to mention the mysteriously seductive "Fade Away and Radiate." When I did a little research I realized that Harry was a bit older than her musical contemporaries, so she was able to bring a more mature human experience to a form normally preoccupied with teenage angst. It's been said that Harry was a precursor to Madonna, which may be true. But with Madonna, and today Lady Gaga, being sexy is an act, something put on to shock or surprise. In other words sex is used, indeed, as a very self conscious gimmick. With Debbie Harry you got the feeling that she was trying to be sexy, for sure, but that she didn't have to try all that hard. Part of her appeal was her talent, and when you got that you don't need to make "dirty books" or dress in flank steaks to make an impression.
On the album Blondie sticks close to that revamped 50's sound so typical of New Wave, with nods to Buddy Holly , the "girl groups" of the 60's, as well as touches of reggae and disco that were popular at the time. It's also known for containing their biggest hit "Heart of Glass;" one of the great singles of that era whose disco beat actually renders it oddly out of place here amid the Rock and Roll revivalism. But that's a trifle. This is the rare album that really is consistently good from beginning to end due to strong song writing from Harry, guitarist Chris Stein and keyboard player James Destri, working together and separately, and the steadying hand of Australian born producer Mike Chapman, who had previously made a name for himself in the UK.
In the age of the CD (now it self coming to a close) record companies have this compulsion to add "bonus" tracks to reissued classic LP's, and here, as in most cases, it's unnecessary. An early demo of "Heart of Glass," when it was still known as "The Disco Song," is interesting for historical purposes, and the three live cuts, including a cover of the old T. Rex nugget "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" are nice to listen to once, but that's about it.
So if you have the chance be sure to revisit, or listen to for the first time, this lost gem from an all but forgotten time in Rock music. It's more than worth it, even if you have to pay full price.
