Blondie: Unseen 1976-1980 (Paperback)

by Roberta Bayley (Author) "Debbie and Chris went to CBGB's a lot, especially after they moved to the Bowery..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Jimmy Destri, Parallel Lines (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The zenith of the band can be seen again in photographer Roberta Bayley’s Blondie: Unseen 1976–1980. Covering the band from their CBGB gigs to their global success, the book features a nostalgic handwritten foreword by Debbie Harry and many unseen images." – Mojo

"From their very early days at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s, Roberta captured the band at work and play. This book documents those days, offering as much an insight into the life of Debbie herself as into this unique period of music and fashion." – I-D

"Debbie Harry goes from beautiful girl next door to stunning, glamorous new wave pin-up across 137 pages. Whether she’s fashioned a zebra print dress out of a pillowcase from the rubbish, or wearing more available-to-the-average-girl clothes at Max’s Kansas City in 1976, she’s always had 'the look'." – Record Collector

"This fantastic book is a photographic memoir of Debbie Harry’s Blondie at their most exciting and important . . . These incredible pictures capture the whirlwind of activity and excitement surrounding Blondie in these explosive times. Throw in introductions by both Harry and Bayley and you have one of the most insightful and artistic portrayals of a punk and pop icon you’re likely to come across. Stunning . . . a must have for Blondie fans." – Writers’ News

"An unseen photo-story shows the late–70s New York rock scene in a fresh light in Blondie Unseen 1976–1980." – Dazed Confused

"Sometimes crazy, frequently sexy and impossibly cool…Debbie Harry was the perfect subject for Roberta Bayley, legendary photographer of the New York punk scene." – The Sunday Telegraph

Product Description

This stunning visual memoir portrays a unique period in music and fashion. Shot by Roberta Bayley, one of the New York punk scene’s most prominent photographers, the photographs chronicle the band from its earliest days, performing before hard-to-please crowds at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s, to global superstardom at the end of the 1970s. At every stage, Bayley was present to record Blondie’s swift, dramatic rise to the top. Featuring 235 candid photographs, many previously unpublished, Blondie Unseen 1976-1980 offers a fly-on-the-wall visual perspective of life with the band during these tumultuous years. Bayley’s talent for being in the right place at the right time ensures that her photographs capture the truth of the moment in a dramatic and revealing manner. The images, enhanced and complemented by Bayley’s own first-hand descriptions, provide an inimitable evocation of one of pop culture’s most creative and exciting periods.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Plexus Publishing (April 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 085965396X
• ISBN-13: 978-0859653961
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #551,736 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blondie Up Close and Personal!, March 29, 2007

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

Roberta Bayley's images of Blondie rank up with the best. Her pictures from the "Heart of Glass" video shoot are certainly some of the most iconic shots of Debbie ever taken. The band gave Roberta carte blanche to shoot both onstage & behind the scenes, and that she did from 1976 to 1979. Lucky for us, since these were the band's most interesting years as a cohesive, artistic unit, and also when Debbie was at her most stunning-looking. Much is revealed about the relationships at work within the band during their meteoric rise to the top. The pictures tell most of the story; but Roberta's brief-but-insightful text guides the reader artfully to their own conclusions by describing the time & place without over-interpretting it for us. The earliest shots show a gaggle of punky twenty-something kids with a gawky and girlish frontwoman, still in her thrift-shop threads and suspended in a state of seemingly perpetual adolescence. In a three-year span, we see the band get slicker and Debbie more mature in her visual presentation, but it all seems to get less and less fun for our heroes as they go along. Thankfully, Roberta knows when to leave a party--her chronicle ends in 1980 when the band was at its commercial (if not artistic) peak--so we get to vicariously experience Blondie's thrilling ascent to fame without having to witness their sad demise. A must for every fan.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexy, stylish, stunningly beautiful... that's DEBORAH HARRY., June 28, 2007

By	Lawrence C. Vysocky "luvfaithfull" (enfield, n.h. United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

ATTENTION...all you Debbie/Blondie fans out there. This is one book not to miss. A must have. I own countless books on Debbie & Blondie, and this is by far the best book where photographs of Debbie and the band are concerned. Beautiful black & white and color photos abound. The shots taken for the Parallel Lines album are unbelievable. What a gorgeous woman! Talent,style,beauty...Debbie in her prime had it all. There's a great full page photo of Debbie & the band taken on a street corner in N.Y.C. in B&W that just has that great New York City summertime Rock & Roll feel to it. Again this book is loaded with great photos at different shows, on the road, backstage, etc...And the price of the book is a BARGAIN! I can't believe this book was'nt double the price.