Customer Reviews

Platinum Collection

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

. . . And unfortunately, that's not quite what you get here. Although there is a lot of good stuff.

So let's go through that first. This - unlike either of the one-disk "best-ofs" - goes through the Blondie repertopire in chronological order, so we see their beginnings as part of the CBGB's crowd, but with a '60 flair (BLONDIE - "X-Offender," "Rip Her to Shreds," "Kung Fu Girls," "In the Flesh"; PLASTIC LETTERS - "Contact in Red Square," "I'm on E") evolve into more pop-ish leanings (also PLASTIC LETTERS - "Denis," "[I'm always touched by your] Presence, Dear") then into full-on new wave/power pop chart-toppers (all the songs here from PARALLEL LINES, EAT TO THE BEAT), and into stylistic expansions and more success (AUTOAMERICAN - "The Tide is High," "Rapture") before their decline in 1982 (although three of the four songs from THE HUNTER are okay, just one listen to "Little Caesar" tells you this). The b-side only "Poets Problem" (great) and "Suzy and Jeffrey" (surreal, but funny - a very Shangri-la-esque tale of two doomed engaged lovers, complete with car-crash sound effects!) are also here in their context. The accompanying booklet is terrific, with a single/album discography, many pictures - including album and U.S./British/overseas single covers - and very insightful song commentary from all the band members, except Chris Stein and Debbie Harry (alas).

What's bad? Well, for one thing, several of the songs are shortened (originals on left, PLATINUM on right):

*"Rapture" 5:36 -> 4:57 (no third sung verse, much shorter guitar solo)
*"The Tide is High" c. 4:50 -> 4:20
*"Island of Lost Souls" c. 4:10 -> 3:50
*"Atomic" 4:40 -> 3:50 (no bass solo - which is mentioned in the song commentary!)
*"Heart of Glass" 5:50 -> 4:10 (of course, the one here _was_ the album version in the U.S. 'till the 2001 rerelease, or if you had the 1978 LP [or BLONDE AND BEYOND]; the version on THE BEST OF BLONDIE [now BLONDIE: GREATEST HITS] is 4:33. Although, the PLATINUM version isn't as short as the version I usually hear on the radio, which can't go past 3:40.)

Chrysalis did a similar thing to a double CD Pat Benatar collection also released in 1994. Also, we don't have the "franglais" version of "Sunday Girl" (damn). For another thing, the 1975 demos (which are good, especially [IMHO] "Out in the Streets," "Platinum Blonde," and "Once I Had A Love" - and they're demos, so don't expect that much of them in terms of glossy production - although the first 3 sound much better than they do on the BLONDIE 2001 version; you also can't get "Puerto Rico" anywhere else, even if it should have been on BLONDIE 2001) could have been put first, as they go before BLONDIE. (This is important when it comes to "Once I Had a Love"'s morph into "Heart of Glass.")

However, if your favorites aren't here, blame the people who decided what went on what single in the first place - for instance, almost all of PARALLEL LINES is here (11 out of 12), and the one left off is "Pretty Baby," (damn!) which could have been the b-side to the UK "Heart of Glass" 7" instead of "Rifle Range" (from BLONDIE!!!!), and "Little Caesar" and "Dragonfly" from THE HUNTER could have been dropped for "English Boys" and "Danceway," "Victor" or "Shayla" or "Eat to the Beat" for "Sound-A-Sleep," . . . etc. (More from PLASTIC LETTERS - like "Fan Mail," "Love at the Pier," "Bermuda Triangle Blues" - could have been included instead of the two lousy remixes.)
The only missing song that really should be here is "In the Sun," one of the best from BLONDIE and the b-side of the very first single Blondie cut, with Private Stock in May 1976. Conveniently, that single isn't on the discography (which starts with a UK release of "In the Flesh" in March 1977).

Of course, if you've never really "gotten into" Blondie, but want to, this isn't a bad place to start. (Hey, it worked for me!)

On a whim (and a shortage of money keeping me from purchasing something I truly desired at the time) I purchased "Blondie: The Platinum Collection" simply because the store had nothing else, and I really liked "Heart Of Glass". One year later, I'm still discovering new songs I love out of this extensive 47 song set. This collection places all of Blondie's 45rpm 7" records (A and B sides) on two compact discs along with 5 1975 demo's that give insight into their early sound, including the first run-through of what would become "Heart Of Glass" called "Once I Had A Love". Packed with a thick color booklet with an essay about the group, exclusive comments on each track by some of the bandmates, photo's dujor (including worldwide single and lp covers) and a majorly cool cover, this is one CD every collection should own. Standout tracks are: "Man Overboard", "Poets Problem", "Fade Away And Radiate", "HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE", "Dreaming", "Union City Blue", "Call Me", "Walk Like Me", "War Child", "Rapture" and of course, "Heart Of Glass". The 2 bonus remixes on the end that preview remixes released a year after this collection on "Remixed Remade Remodeled" are equally incredible. You may want to invest in that cd as well (btw-the aforementioned remix album is also available in the UK in a new package with quite a few different mixes...it's called "Beautiful"...check it out!)

MATT STOUT October 1, 1999

I was originally given this double CD for my 20th birthday, it's one of the best presents I've ever recieved. It's probably the only CD I could listen too, no matter what mood I find myself in. Dehorah Harry and Chris Stein make a wonderful team, in addition to the other members of this band. Their music blends 80's fun with 50's sweet nostalgia at times, then turns fast and crazed with punk, then when you least expect it, we have disco! They were definitely a group that stayed a step ahead of the others. Heart of Glass is TIMELESS as well as Call Me, The Tide Is High, Atomic and many others found on the Plantinum Collection. It is a must for every man and woman :) I for one will never tire of the music and lyrics found on this collection. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! 6,7,8,9,10 Stars! You will not be dissappointed, guaranteed!

this is a good album that just misses getting 5 stars because of its disproportionate emphasis on Blondie's early career - there's only 3 tracks here from AutoAmerican! Too many tedious demos and a couple of throwaway remixes at the end make Blondie sound disposable. However, if you're not going to buy their individual albums The Platinum Collection is the way to go.

You can't go wrong with this. It traces Blondie's career from the early albums through their pre-reunion break-up. The sound quality is excellent. There are some duds, but pretty much everything worth having is here. The only notable omission for me was "Accidents Never Happen," for which you'll have to buy the "Eat to the Beat" album. When Blondie was at their best, which was often, they were a unique fusion of Rock, New Wave, Disco and Bubble Gum -- great lyrics, bouncy tunes, and Deborah Harry's incomparable voice.

this is the treasure chest, the lost bounty, the most AWSOME collection of her best and most acclaimed and not acknowledged hits that I have come across and I OWN 99.99 percent of all her music, if you are a oldcbgb cronie or a new blood just discovering her then this is the best you can get- it has just about all her greatest and radio hits and then some lost in the toybox songs(Critics flapping unknowing mouths)If you are hard core then this is a must have for the collection if you want to waste money picking and choosing from her seperate albums then do so- but you may find your shopping list on these 2 discs.......P.S. ATOMIC rocks still

So many little singles - so little time! Luckily, this compilation lovingly archives all the highlights from this band's career until mid 80's demise. What's really cool for old geezers like myself is that the punk years get a good deal of attention on disk #1 (unlike the limited "Best of" album we all had to suffice with for the last 10 years...this is so much better!) Liner notes and interviews with the band add context and dimension to this timeless, talented group that crossed genre's (Punk, New Wave, Disco, Early Hip hop), dancefloors, and New York clubs to become a major influence in American Pop.

I really love this collection. The songs are tight and the insturmentation rocked as well. I recommend it to anybody who loves 80's music and new wave/punk. It makes a great listen whenever you are out or with your friends.

I was familiar with Blondie's music from Parallel Lines on. I missed the early work they did. This is a refresher course for those who missed out. There are some real treasures here. The fast-punk drumming of "Detroit 442" and Kung-fu Girls are lots of fun. I bought all the CDs. If you don't want to do that, this compilation is representative, at least of the early stuff.

I

This collection is really huge. More than 2 1/2 hours is even too much to listen to after a while. Here are presented the singles and their backing tracks, which leaves little unheard from the original albums. The music is fantastic, and you can see the progression of the music from punk and rock (the first cuts are fantastic, rigth now I can't get get 'Man Overboeard' out of my head) to Disco and that rap thing Rapture. The bonus unreleased tracks are jems, they're really something! Especially, no, all of them. The European version replaced the cover with the cover of the inside booklet. Get also the Atomic collection from Europe, with a bonus disc including Disco versions, Extended Mixes and other jems,