Foxhound
retired
Official Website
Blondie (1976)
Plastic Letters (1978)
Parallel Lines (1978)
Eat to the Beat (1979)
Autoamerican (1980)
The Hunter (1982)
No Exit (1999)
The Curse of Blondie (2003)
Panic of Girls (2011)
Blondie was formed in New York City in August of 1974 by guitarist Chris Stein and former Playboy bunny turned singer Deborah Harry out of the remnants of their previous band, the Stilettos. Originally calling themselves Angel & the Snake, the band underwent more than a bit of personnel turnover initially but after just over a year the lineup was finalized as follows:
Deborah Harry - Vocals
Chris Stein - Guitar
James Destri - Keyboards
Gary Valentine - Bass
Clement Burke - Drums
The band was renamed Blondie in late 1975 after the shouts Deborah got from truckers passing them on the road. By this time they had become regulars at New York punk emporiums Club 51, Max's Kansas City and CBGB.
On the strength of its popularity with club patrons, the band secured a contract with Private Stock Records in 1976 and released the debut album "Blondie" in early 1977.
Blondie - January 1977
U.K. #75, Australia #14
"X-Offender" was chosen as the band's first single but wasn't much of a commercial success:
When a video of the B-side, "In the Flesh", was perhaps mistakingly and perhaps not aired on the Australian television program "Countdown", it rocketed up the Australian charts to #2. Not surprising to me at all since "In the Flesh" remains perhaps my personal favourite Blondie track:
Gary Valentine left the band midway through 1977 and the band recorded the tracks that would end up as its second album as a four piece band similar to the Doors:
Deborah Harry - Vocals
Chris Stein - Guitar
James Destri - Keyboards
Clement Burke - Drums
Before these tracks were released though, Chrysalis Records bought out Blondie's contract with Private Stock Records in August of 1977 and rereleased the band's debut album in October. Blondie's second album was released early in 1978:
Plastic Letters - February 1978
U.S. #72, U.K. #10, Australia #64
The first single from the album, "Denis", a cover of the 1963 Randy & the Rainbows hit, reached #2 on the U.K. charts:
Surprisingly, it didn't chart on Billboard in the U.S. despite being another of my personal favourites by Blondie. The second single, "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" reached #10 in the U.K.:
Once again it didn't make the Billboard charts in the U.S. though.
Anyone that can't wait for my next installment on Blondie can read this excellent writeup on the band from the Barnes & Noble site here:
Biography from Barnes & Noble
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