|
|
|
Blondie
In the late seventies, the music landscape was eclectic, with bands finding
success with disco music, hard rock, and pop rock. The punk movement and new
wave scenes were just starting to blossom.
Deborah Harry's band Blondie took elements from all these sources and
blended them together to achieve world recognition with a string of successful
transatlantic chart toppers.
The breakthrough third album by the group, 1978's "Parallel Lines"
proved that Blondie/Deborah Harry deserved the accolades they achieved and the
Grammy Award. With infectious singles such as "Heart Of Glass" and the
gritty "One Way Or Another," the band showed their resourcefulness and
unique blend of music styles to create major commercial success. With
"Call Me," a number one single from the movie "American Gigolo"
(starring Richard Gere), they proved to be one of the most successful bands of
the late seventies.
Blondie's fifth album, released in 1980, provided two more number one hits
the rap-textured "Rapture" and the Caribbean-flavored "The Tide Is
High."
After a poorly received sixth album, tensions within the band were high as all
the members of the group pursued solo projects. Legal problems abounded and
with band member Chris Stein's illness and Deborah Harry's continuing
celebrity status, the group broke up.
But the groundwork has been laid and Blondie remains one of the top pioneers in
early American punk, new wave and rock 'n' roll. In fact, Stein
recovered from his illness and in 1999 the group reformed and released a lp
called 'No Exit' which reached number three on the UK charts. The
group toured and performed throughout the world and in 2006 Blondie was
inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The rock 'n' roll era is
a better place because of Blondie, as they were a major influence on so many
bands and people.
Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and
operates www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can secure your
copy of his
ebook called "The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting."
Robert can be contacted at robert@collectingvinylrecords.com. |
