Debbie Harry by Andy Warhol
 
How can it be that we haven’t yet covered Blondie on this blog? What a tragic oversight! One that I must redress immediately…

I absolutely loved Blondie when I was a kid, after discovering them on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert when I would have been about ten. I recall being transfixed by how beautiful Debbie Harry was and thinking how cool she dressed. I had never seen a girl who looked like this before… and I was quite impressed. Debbie Harry made a strong impression on my young mind that a keen and idiosyncratic fashion sense most probably signaled a female creature of high intelligence (nearly, but not always, true). I was a fan from that moment on, believe me when I tell you…

The first Blondie song I heard on that day was In The Sun. I danced and pogoed around my grandparent’s living room in my socks, sliding on the floor as I did so. Watch the clip below. It was an exhilarating thing to see something like this back then. I was a kid very attuned to rock music—the way most ten-year-olds today are into SpongeBob SquarePants—and Blondie was a real sit up and pay attention change of pace from Foghat, Uriah Heap and REO Speedwagon, the groups normally seen on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.
 

 
Completely aside from the insanely sassy gorgeousness of Debbie Harry, Blondie really stood apart musically from everything else that was going on at the time. Their songs were catchy, upbeat and fun. Despite their CBGBs pedigree, they really were never punks. There was a knowing calculation behind their persona, a campy, cabaret vision of ‘60s girl groups and Farfisa-infused garage pop.

For my money, the greatest artistic statement made by the band is 1980’s Autoamerican, an album reviewed poorly when it came out and that has never really been properly re-evaluated by either critics or audiences.

Autoamerican has aged very, very well. It doesn’t sound like anything else other than Blondie and so is a bit timeless in that sense. The opening track, Europa, a brooding modernist instrumental that dissolves into a spoken word rant from Harry extolling the virtues of cars. It’s an amazing song and a cool way to open the collection. The album contains both The Tide is High (originally a late ‘60s rocksteady hit in Jamaica for the Paragons and U-Roy—I bow to their genetic coolness for knowing about this song then) and Rapture, the song that, more than any other piece of music introduced the world to the concept of what rap music was. It’s a masterpiece of pop. I listened to it three times today—quite loud—and the skill, charm and verbal dexterity with which Debbie Harry casually rattles off her dada-hipster rhymes still astonishes 30 years later. It’s got a groove as funky as one written by James Brown, Prince or George Clinton, a feat almost no other white group can lay claim to.
 

 
My favorite moment on Autoamerican is T-Birds, a soaring piece of road music featuring angelic backing vocals courtesy of Flo and Eddie. If you’ve never heard Autoamerican before—and you call yourself a music fan—get your hands on it and give it a chance. Truly Autoamerican is one of the great lost albums of the New Wave era.
 
Bonus clip: Blondie do a cover of Goldfinger on German television’s Musikladen show: in 1977:
 

Everything I needed to know in life, I learned in a Blondie song.

(Great posts lately by the way) I recall Blondie the first time around. What stood out then - and still now - is the absolutely uncool band. They always seemed unable to even bring a minimum of requisite stance in the beginning period (see keyboard, first video) and came off like first- timers-on-stage-waving-to-mom types, or mannequins. Yes even Stein, although obviously he was with Harry so it was different in plan. None of them seemed believable without Harry, which obviously wasn’t true the other way around. And since she wasn’t a “dumb blonde” front singer, it seemed like a missed opportunity, it always made one wonder how she would have been with a real band in that first phase. The first video is still interesting as an artifact because she is wearing full length pants and the shirt covers her arms and body. It’s surprisingly refreshing, she’s not yet “Blondie”, she hasn’t branded to the icon status of her mini and make-up. Strange to see. As for any album, I think Blondie is a singles band, and its the all important atitude in Deborah Harry’s voice and delivery, a certain sexuality from a combination of restraint with growl, borderline comic deadpan cool irony and yet emotionality, that sets them apart then and now.

There’s a great live track of Blondie doing Bowie’s “Heroes” with Robert Fripp on lead guitar, but they must have had a microphone problem or something because the first half features a badly dubbed-in vocal by Debbie.

When you arrive at her actual vocals live over Fripp’s guitar, you realize why they chose to release this obviously-flawed track anyway.

There is nothing like a Blondie song or album (CD).  They are not just a group of songs on a track list, they are works of art.  Each and every song is like a true work of art.  I would say they are the most influentual US Band ever.  Their music is a current sounding today as it was when it was released, mainly because they are always way ahead of their time.  They have a new CD coming out in the summer, rumor has it June 2010 called Panic of Girls.  Can’t wait - hope it is a whopping smash.  Dreaming from Eat to the Beat is probably the best Rock ‘N Roll song ever written.  I love Autoamerican, but the true forgotten gem is Eat To The Beat.  Parallel Lines is and always will be a Diamond Selling Classic.  Heart of Glass still sounds as fresh as the first time I heard it.  Blondie ROCKS!

I loved Autoamerican too.  I was 14 when it came out.  I still remember Casey Kasem announcing that ‘Rapture’ was the number one song for a second week in a row…  Blondie indeed rocks!

Autoamerican had long been my favorite album ever. It was released during my second year of college and just got better with every play. One must listen to it on a good system with good headphones to fully experience the brilliant arrangements, instrumentation, and mixing. Be sure to listen to the very end of “Follow Me” for some interesting commentary from a band member. And just what the heck does Debbie say during “T-Birds” anyway? Debbie’s vocals are sublime throughout, and Autoamerican is definitely Blondie’s coolest album.

In 1994, Chris Stein told me that the person saying “You’re not really gonna put this on the album, are you?” that you can hear at the end of Follow Me is Clem Burke, and he wasn’t referring to the ocean sounds as I had always thought; rather, he was referring to THE SONG!

Glad to see all the warm appreciation for Blondie, though I never felt Autoamerican was up to the standard of Eat to the Beat or Parallel Lines. Personal preference maybe (but good call on the excellent T-Birds). I agree with Bob Ashworth that Dreaming (and ETTB in general) was Blondie’s greatest achievement. Those who like Debbie’s work on Rature might like Backfired, the standout funk track from Debbie’s first solo album, KooKoo.

Their 1982 album, The Hunter, is the lost classic that never was. ETTB and Autoamerican are has-beens, but The Hunter is a never-was, which is a shame. Chrysalis made a mistake in trying to repeat the ska success of The Tide is High by making the unremarkable reggae-tinged Island of Lost Souls the lead single from The Hunter, and it was all downhill from there. But the album has some great tracks on it, in particular the amazing Orchid Club.

Parallel Lines and Eat To The Beat are really outstanding achievements and it’s almost impossible to believe that they are out over 30 years now.  Autoamerican was never a favorite of mine, although I think that “Angels on the Balcony” is just extraordinary.  I had a few other favorites on that album as well.  “Live It Up” is actually a really early song, written and performed around 1974.  I thought “Rapture” was interesting but I’ve never been a fan of anything resembling rap, and I also really dislike “Tide” (and “Backfired”) but that’s just me.  If they never did Tide again at a show, I’d be so delighted… I really don’t know why it’s *that* one that was so successful and obligatory to perform… to me it feels flat in comparison to anything on the previous albums and uncharacteristic of Blondie.  I totally agree that “Orchid Club” is amazing.  Someone emailed Chris what I thought was one of the greatest suggestions I’ve ever encountered: to open the shows on the upcoming tour with it.  The idea went over quite well, although I don’t know if they will.  What I do know is that when I played it, imagining being in the dark in all the excitement of a Blondie gig about to begin, I could barely contain my enthusiasm.

After years (decades) of listening, I figured out the first part of the speaking in T-Birds.  I am proud to present them here, as I believe this is quite a feat.

Two thousand years ago
A great race of roller derby warriors lived in South Central LA
They had many gods

In the next decade I am hoping to figure out the next two lines.
Why this wasn’t the third single from AutoAmerican, I’ll never know.

Autoamerican is one of the best Blondie albums ever. Since Europa until Follow me, all the tracks are original, different and beautiful. T-Birds is one of my fabs. Rapture of course is now a classic, and It was a pure innovation.
Here’s looking at you sounds very nice… marilyn monroe inspired?.. Angels on the balcony should be a hit.. I love the atmosphere!
Definitely, is not forgotten. It’s one of the best albums ever, it’s part of the history.

Nothing about fucking blondie is classic, not even your lust Richard. put it back in your pants son.