While poking around the t00bz, I ran into some old live recordings of Blondie from the days before they released their first album. The band sounds rawer, almost garage-y, providing a nice, sludgy background to Debbie Harry's high, clear vocals:
There's an even older video of a recording by a proto-Blondie... it's short and sweet, but incomplete. It's a nice little snapshot, and one listen is enough to tell you that the band was destined for bigger and better things.
One thing that I did not know about Miss Harry- she was in her 30's when Blondie's first album came out. This flies in the face of modern entertainment conventions, when pre-packaged teen popstars are churned out by the Entertainment Industrial Complex like such much sausage. Debbie was smart, sarcastic, and sexy as hell, a combination that a younger singer would find hard to pull off.
As an added bonus, here's the original version of the song which got all Disco'd up and released as monster hit Heart of Glass:
Quite a different sound, eh? I've long thought that Debbie and the Band had their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks when they recorded Heart of Glass, it's very different from the rest of the "Parallel Lines" album. Of course, jokey one-offs becoming monster hits is not all that rare.
The band sounds rawer, almost garage-y...
ReplyDeleteWhen their first record came out, it was in the constant rotation with the Clash, Ramones, and other collage favs.
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Of course, jokey one-offs becoming monster hits is not all that rare.
ReplyDeleteSee also Eleanore.
Loved Blondie back in the day. I can remember going to the roller skating rink on Friday nights and skating to Heart of Glass and One Way or Another.
ReplyDeleteWhen I bought the album, my favourite song was "Fade Away and Radiate".
Great stuff. :)
((Hugs))
Laura
Blondie also did a very early video of that song I can't remember the name of right now--- where the people meet, dance cheek to cheek, toe to toe, don't move to slow...
ReplyDeleteShe was definitely punk. I like the song she did at the no-nuke concert too--- do you want to have a war? She's a natural performer and was tres hot.
Rapture is the name of the song you're thinking of, Wiley.
ReplyDeleteBBBB knows that this is the place where I mention that I've seen them play - twice. Once on the Escape From New York tour, and once on the No Exit tour.
When their first record came out, it was in the constant rotation with the Clash, Ramones, and other collage favs.
ReplyDeleteBlondie, Clash, Ramones... it's like a punk holy trinity!
See also Eleanore.
Hey, it happens... although that is one catchy tune.
When I bought the album, my favourite song was "Fade Away and Radiate".
Yeah, that song featured Robert Fripp on guitar.
Blondie also did a very early video of that song I can't remember the name of right now--- where the people meet, dance cheek to cheek, toe to toe, don't move to slow...
She was ahead of her time, and was well aware of musical trends.
BBBB knows that this is the place where I mention that I've seen them play - twice.
I swear, if you got cut, music would flow, instead of blood.
Spiced beer, more likely.
ReplyDeleteSpiced beer, more likely.
ReplyDeleteThe spice must flow!
Yeah, I always thought that Blondie didn't get enough respect from doods that I would normally expect to like them. I don't know if it's because of Debbie Harry, but I do know that they cited "Rapture" as one reason they didn't like Blondie. Which I think is unfair, because I've always thought it was clearly tongue-in-cheek. And, really, it's a damn good song, even if it is a joke.
ReplyDelete