Parallel Lines (W/Dvd) [Deluxe Edition, Collector's Edition]

Blondie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Deluxe Edition, Collector's Edition
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B0018TLRT0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,567 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Hanging On The Telephone

2. One Way Or Another

3. Picture This

4. Fade Away And Radiate

5. Pretty Baby

6. I Know But I Don't Know

7. 11:59

8. Will Anything Happen?

9. Sunday Girl

10. Heart Of Glass

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Picture This (promo video) (DVD)

2. Hanging On The Telephone (promo video) (DVD)

3. Heart Of Glass (promo video) (DVD)

4. Sunday Girl (TOP OF THE POPS) (DVD)

Editorial Reviews

EMI Records will releases an expanded 30th Anniversary Edition of Blondie's Parallel Lines album, which has sold more than 20 million copies around the world since its 1988 debut. The commemorative CD/DVD release adds four bonus audio tracks, three classic music videos and a previously unreleased TV performance from the BBC's "Top Of The Pops" to the album's original tracklist, as well as a booklet containing the original album photo session. The multi-platinum selling Parallel Lines includes their first two UK number one hits Heart Of Glass and Sunday Girl, the top five single Hanging On The Telephone as well as the Blondie classic One Way Or Another.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

Scott Coblio "kookoo guy" (West Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Parallel Lines (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

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?

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, July 11, 2008

By 

Raul "Music Fan" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parallel Lines (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

I was very excited about seeing a 30th anniversary release of this landmark album, but was disappointed to see that it still contains the boring disco version instead of the original version of "Heart Of Glass". I would've rather seen the original version and the disco version as a bonus track of Heart Of Glass like it was done on the Gold Disc released in '94, which I'm lucky to own.
I loved the alternate shots of the Parallel Lines photo sessions, wish they had included more though, and wish they had included lyrics, more liner notes, and better packaging, after all this is supposed to be a "Deluxe Edition"?
The DVD is nice, but should've included more video footage, it falls short.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the BEST, July 20, 2008

By 

Michele (PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Parallel Lines (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

This album is still as fresh as it was 30 years ago! There is no better band around. Blondie ROCKS!!