They rocked and were pretty versatile. Mixing rock, with reggae and even rap! Debbie Harry in my opinion is like the original Gwen Stefani! Cool as hell, with lots of style.

I have their greatest hits but would love to get an album. Can you guys recomend one to me? Which one is funkiest? My favorite tracks by Blondie are "atomic" and "rapture". Is there a particlular cd that generally has that kind of sound?

cheers!

Start with Parallel Lines, their masterpiece.

-One Way Or Another
-Hanging On The Telephone
-Sunday Girl
-Heart Of Glass
-Picture This
-Pretty Baby

Brilliance!

But Debbie ain't the original anyone. She didn't rely on gimmicks like Gwen does - she was effortlessly sexy and had truly stunning stage presence (still does if you've ever seen them live...but I hear their 70's stage shows were incredible). Like Tina Turner, there's no duplicating her.
[Edited 1/26/05 11:52am]

This CD is their best

Don't you think the lead singer of Goldfrapp and Gwen sound like her sometimes ?

variety1317 said:

Debbie had what I like to call an ice cream voice. There was just something about it. I'd say one of the sexiest voices ever. Gwen and Allison really can't compare - Gwen reminds me of Cyndi Lauper, actually.

Listening to 'Dreaming' right now.

They have never been properly recognised for the rock/dance crossover they propagated.

BinaryJustin said:

The drums are so damn good on that, eh?

I like Blondie a l'il bit.
Debbie is truly one of a kind, and try as they may nobody can match her. Gwen is fun and cute, but nowhere near as wickedly cool as Debbie. They lost some fans when they incorporated some disco into their act, but that was the fan's loss. Nobody mixed punk/new wave like Blondie - Imperial Teen comes close, but as much as I love them, even they can't match it.

voicescarry said:

And super sexy on Denis!

VoicesCarry said:

I've also heard that Auto American is supposed to be one of their best? Would you say it's good too? what is the difference between that one and Parrell Lines?

Debbie Harry was stunning back in the day! So beautiful. I think Gwen is really pretty too and there is definitely something about her but you're right, she's no match for Debbie!

dancerella said:

Autoamerican is also a very good album. This one is really where you can hear the disco, hip-hop and reggae influence. I know people that LOVE Blondie but don't love this album. It had a couple of big hits (The Tide is High and Rapture), but those were the only singles to be released. It's a strange album, but one that's worth owning if you really wanna explore how wide-ranging their sound could be.

Autoamerican . First album I ever bought at the ripe age of 11..remember wearing that thing out.

I got to dance with her once . . .to 'Tighten Up' by Archie Bell and the Drells.

Kinda religious experience.

dancerella said:

Autoamerican was the beginning of the end. Most hardcore Blondie fans really don't care for this record, because it has two hits and the rest is sort of trash. I don't listen to it often. The remastered version is better than the original LP, because it includes Call Me (the long version), the disco mix of Rapture, and Suzy And Jeffrey, a minor classic B-side.
[Edited 1/26/05 15:19pm]

VoicesCarry said:

so what are the styles on parallel lines? i really think i might like autoamerican more because i liked the rap, disco stuff they did but i'm curious about the other album too.

VoicesCarry said:

It's one of those songs that you can't listen to quietly. You have to crank up the volume and hear it loud.

dancerella said:

It's really a rock and roll record with dance influences. One Way Or Another and Hanging On The Telephone are superb rock songs with a 50's influence (they even cover the Buddy Holly classic I'm Gonna Love You Too). Sunday Girl is a light midtempo number with a stunning melody and a girl group influence. Ditto Picture This, which has really touching lyrics. Heart Of Glass is a pure disco jam with intricate instrumentation. If you have Greatest Hits, you can sample the Parallel Lines tracks from there. They were a very good singles band, but I would say the only indispensable albums of theirs are Parellel Lines and its followup, Eat To The Beat.

The thing is that Autoamerican really doesn't carry the quality or the sound of Rapture or The Tide Is High through for the whole record.
[Edited 1/26/05 15:57pm]

VoicesCarry said:

hmmm.....ok, i may have to try to listen to samples of both cd's before making a decision. by the way, have you heard of an artist called Cristina? She did disco rock around the same time as Blondie. chck out the cd "doll in the box"! it's pretty good.

Blondie is one of the few New Wave bands I don't like.

NWF said:

That's ok We still you.

VoicesCarry said:

I did like "Rapture" though.

VoicesCarry said:

I just remembered that I work with a die hard Blondie fan, so I asked him which one would he recommend and he said "eat to the beat"! Do you have that one? How would you describe it? He said it was more pop/rock and very under rated.

"Rapture"