As I sat to reintroduce myself to this classic band I still find it hard to believe their first record came out nearly twenty-five years ago.

Back in a time where the music scene was ripe for something new and innovative, along comes this underground visionary that would eventually steal the scene from under our noses and go on to be both revered and revoked, and not necessarily in that order.

For me as a young listener first becoming acquainted with anything not named Kiss,
Blondie's music was new, different, enticing… to say nothing of the petite blonde front woman who seemed to capture my attention at a time when pre-adolescent wanderings first reared their ugly head…

Hers was a pretty face with a voice to match and before long I was drawn in.

When most people think of this band, and lest we forget that as musicians they were all far ahead of their time, they did some very innovative things, crossing borders, erasing boundaries, embracing and impacting everything from New Wave, to Punk, to Pop, to Disco… and who knows how far it could've gone?

And if we're to believe all we read, out of the studio, such an energy and talent should lend to the creative exploits that would ultimately adhere to the taped outcome. Something surely did happen, sometimes great, sometimes not so great, but usually interesting enough.

Blondie arrived at the same time and from a similar place as would other innovators as The Ramones, B-52's, and Talking Heads, bore of the NYC underground and precursors to a new musical revolution that would lead the charge into a wide open eighties decade.

But Blondie unto itself was different and yet it characterized all of these things, quite
unusually. The music embodied all that was bold and exciting about the late greats of the past that our parents got themselves hooked on, yet there'd be no way to ever approve of this.

Blondie were experimental and haphazard all in one studio session and their music was strange and at times beautiful and little could they have known there'd never be another like them… until they themselves put it all aside to regroup a few years back.

These six reissues capture the passion and essence that made Blondie such a phenomenon. Surprising to some maybe, yes the band did have six albums to go with some seven years together-they were more than just "Heart Of Glass," "Call Me," and "Rapture," the big name hits that exemplified their solid gold popularity that peaked during the '79-'80 season.

Blondie offered more and in fact were much deeper than any pre-fabricated hit making Pop machine could ever be… and yet they were able to master the art when the feeling compelled them.

Each disc from this collection features bonus tracks by way of outtakes, covers, and remixes, remastered, repackaged and ready to ride the high tide again.

Special features also include interesting behind the scenes commentary and photos that take the listener on the sometimes bumpy ride of the production process which seems to make child rearing seem like a holiday.

Before the success came, we get a glaring look at a group still getting their wings, growing up the hard way before the fruits of their labor were eventually rewarded. Internal friction ate away at the bands' success, though the potential was still there to the end even if
the results would not be-"The Hunter," the bands' last release in '82, following the multi-platinum success of its' "Autoamerican" predecessor, released at any other time could've been big;

As it was, it didn't have a prayer and the results reflected as much; the excuses came, and
unfortunately, so too did their inevitable dissolution.

Fast forward twenty years, suddenly standing perfectly still, and Blondie, back in a big way, can never make the clever impact they did in the beginning, but with the latest release of this fresh set of reissues, they're all but guaranteed they'll never be forgotten.

Released by Chrysalis/Capital Records

Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu]
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