Blondie will release its first studio album for Epic, "The Curse of Blondie," Sept. 18 in Australia and Japan and Oct. 6 in Europe. The band's manager, Allen Kovac, is understood to be in negotiations for a North American deal for the album. The single "Good Boys" will be released internationally Sept. 22.

The new set falls under a deal struck in 2001 between Sony Music International (SMI) and Kovac's now-defunct Beyond label, after its arrangement with BMG collapsed. SMI's deal also included rights outside the U.S. for Blondie's 1999 album "No Exit," which featured the hit single "Maria," and the subsequent "Live" set.

Next month, Blondie will begin a tour of Australia and Japan, its first since 1978. A European outing starts in late October. In related news, original keyboardist Jimmy Destri is back on board and will be performing with Blondie during the upcoming gigs.

Here are Blondie's tour dates:

Aug. 2: Osaka, Japan (Summer Sonic Festival)
Aug. 3: Tokyo (Summer Sonic Festival)
Aug. 7: Brisbane, Australia (Festival Hall)
Aug. 8-10: Sydney (State Theatre)
Aug. 12: Wollongong, Australia (Entertainment Centre)
Aug. 13: Melbourne (Palais Theatre)
Aug. 17: Perth, Australia (Burswood Theatre)
Nov. 5: Paris (Casino)
Nov. 11: Liverpool, England (Academy)
Nov. 12: Leicester, England (De Montfort Hall)
Nov. 14: Cambridge, England (Corn Exchange)
Nov. 15: Birmingham, England (Academy)
Nov. 16: Portsmouth, England (Guildhall)
Nov. 18: Manchester, England (Apollo)
Nov. 19: Glasgow (Academy)
Nov. 21: Nottingham, England (Royal Centre)
Nov. 22: Newcastle, England (City Hall)
Nov. 23: Preston, England (Guildhall)
Nov. 25: London (Shepherd's Bush Empire)
Nov. 27: Brighton, England (Brighton Centre)
[This message was edited Wed Jul 16 5:21:15 PDT 2003 by twink69]

I can't wait! It BETTER be released in the US. Do you know a tracklist? Is "Goldenrod" going to be on it?

Anyone got a tracklist?

1. Shakedown
2. Good Boys
3. Undone
4. Golden Rod
5. Rules For Living
6. Background Melody (The Only One)
7. Magic (Asadoya Yunta)
8. End To End
9. Hello Joe
10. The Tingler
11. Last One In The World
12. Diamond Bridge
13. Desire Brings Me Back
14. Songs Of Love