Parallel Lines [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Blondie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1979
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00005MNP8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,514 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Until 1978, Blondie was perceived mostly as a '60s-referencing, British-Invasion-meets-girl-groups band. With veteran producer Mike Chapman at the helm for their third album, though, everything changed for this group bred from the New York punk scene. Honing in on Blondie's strongest points--Deborah Harry's come-hither vocals and Clem Burke's powerhouse drumming--Chapman helped recast the band to the power pop side of new wave, and with impressive results. Driven by the punk-meets-disco chart-topping hit, "Heart of Glass," and the herky-jerky "One Way or Another," as well as a muscular cover of the Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone," Parallel Lines established Blondie as major stars. --Billy Altman

Product Description

Blondie's songs and sultry swagger hit the tipping point in '78 and they leapt from hip new-wave band to full-fledged pop stars. Along with their all-time classics Heart of Glass and One Way or Another and the rest of the LP, this set includes a booklet with the album's photo session and a DVD with Heart of Glass; Picture This , and Hanging on the Telephone promo videos plus Sunday Girl from Top of the Pops !

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Landmark In The Pop Music Lexicon; Essential May 25, 2002

By Gary F. Taylor HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

BLONDIE kicked around for several years and released a couple of albums without developing more than a very localized New York following, where the band was generally considered a sort of punk-pop fusion--and then in the late 1970s came PARALLEL LINES, which vaulted them to a superstardom seldom seen even in the high profile music world. And listening to the recording today it is easy to understand why: absolutely everything about the album is perfect.

As a whole, PARALLEL LINES manages to walk a fine line between several different musical styles. Most of the tracks have a bouncy, almost bubble-gum feel: catchy and memorable with driving rhythms. But the arrangements are anything but bubble-gum: they rely on a mix of synthesizers and traditional drums-bass-guitar in a way that essentially defines the entire "new wave" sound of the late 1970s. And the lyrics, often savage, frequently satircal, and always memorable, are edgy and witty and sharp and about as far from pop as one can get.

All of that would have been enough to make a hit album--but BLONDIE also had the front singer to end all front singers: Debbie Harry, who mixed tough and sexy and pretty and naughty to tremendous effect--and whose full-throated voice actually contrived to SOUND blonde. Whether we're talking about the sleek, disco-like "Heart of Glass" or the punk-edged "Just Go Away" or the new wave "Fade Away and Radiate," the music here suits her unique voice perfectly--and the result is a truly flawless group of recordings that set the standard for the next decade. Blondie would do several more recordings before the band collapsed, and some of them would be very good--but PARALLEL LINES is IT, a landmark in the pop music lexicon. This remastered release, which includes a couple of live recordings for good measure, is an essential in any pop music library. Strongly recommended.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BLONDIE'S FINEST HOUR February 18, 2003

By Ashley Blair

Format:Audio CD

Parallel Lines is nothing less than a Masterpiece. Constantly ranked in the Top 100 best albums of all time, not to mention sellers of all time, some 21 million copies internationally by 2003. Blondie soared to superstar status not only on the music charts 1978-1979 with this album, but forever placed them as POP ICONS. Blondie are truly among rock music's elite. If ever there was a perfect POP/ROCK Album, Parallel Lines is it. In a time where 6 singles off 1 album was unheard of, Blondie did the unthinkable and rode the International charts. Deborah Harry is simply sweet as honey, on songs like "Pretty Baby" and "Sunday Girl" a UK #1 in 79. Although "Sunday Girl" was the 5th biggest sellling single in the UK in 1979, it was never released in the USA, but recieved a fair amount of FM airplay. Parallel Lines is not without it's edgy moments, as evident on songs like "11:59", "One way or another" and "Hanging on the Telephone", we see Deborah Harry singing with frantic release. The world would forever be changed with the release of the Mega Smash "Heart of Glass", without a doubt one of the 50 biggest rock songs of all time. The techno beat of "Heart of Glass" sold millions of copies worldwide, hit #1 in the US/UK/CAN and some 19 other countries. The number #2 song of the year in the UK, Heart of Glass is still as vibrant a song today, as it was in 1979, fresh and still ultra cool. The technobeat of "Heart of Glass" inspires Dance music even today. Parallel lines rode the charts for 2 years and was the #9 USA and #1 UK best selling album of the year in 1979. Parallel Lines was produced by legendary producer "Mike Chapman", who produced 3 other all time classics, all from 1979. Pat Benatar's "In the heat of the Night", The Knack's "Get the Knack" and another 1979 BLONDIE album "Eat to the Beat". Parallel lines is an outstanding album, full of intelligent and catchy lyrics, and great grooves. This album does not have a weak track on it, this is a consumers dream, full of value and rock history. Parallel lines is a Classic album in every sense.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice for the video November 28, 2008

By Scott Coblio

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let's face it--there are a thousand versions of "Parallel Lines" available on CD by now--and almost all of the songs from it are on the more comprehensive compilations as well. This oddity has its pros and cons--I'll start from the outside in.

The original cover artwork has been kind of mangled, not quite sure what they were going for here. The album title is Parallel Lines and they removed the parallel lines. The lyrics for Debbie's unfinished poem from which the title came show the first three lines out of order (it should read, "the lines on the pages, the lines on the screen, the lines I have written that you read between...")

There are only 2 or 3 photos from the outtakes for the cover picture--aside from these the opportunities for an exciting booklet appear to have been wasted. The back cover picture by Roberta Bayley is a live shot from 1979--when Debbie was playing the shaggy-haired rock goddess, as opposed to the more retro and vampy pop siren of "Parallel Lines". Can't we keep the eras straight?

Lest I sound nitpicky, I'll get to some of the good aspects of this disc. The sound quality is great, just as good as (but no better than) the 2001 remaster. There are some good bonus tracks, most notably the all-French "Sunday Girl", although I have to say the mix on this song is vastly inferior to the one available on "Once More Into the Bleach", which boasts much higher fidelity coupled with a brighter vocal mix on Debbie. When the song fades with Debbie's forlorn "I got the blu-u-u-u-u-u-es...." you can really hear it on "Bleach"--here, its all but lost. Still, as they say in the video editing biz, "they won't miss what they never saw..." and it's still nice to have the song included.

The video disc is a nice consolation prize for a somewhat flimsy booklet & lack of extras--although most of them are available elsewhere, there's a great bonus in the form of a 1979 lip-synch appearance on "Top of the Pops" where the band performs "Sunday Girl", Debs in her black and white striped sailor dress, oversized sunglasses and red tights, Clem's drumset out front, the boys mugging playfully (Chris Stein was actually a handsome devil at the time!) I've seen this clip on bootleg TV compilations and it's always been one of my favorites. Top of the Pops was an excellently filmed show and I wouldn't mind having all of Blondie's appearances on it. (There's a particularly good live version of "Denis" with Debbie in red shirt and thigh boots that ranks as one of the bands best live TV appearances ever). Are you listening, BBC?

All in all, the low price makes it worth picking up for the video alone. But when is someone going to come up with a beautifully packaged, comprehensive book or box set on Blondie?