There is a tendency to forget how early, how progressive and how important Blondie have been in the formation of what is now considered alternative music. Someone at Chrysalis Records apparently is trying to remedy this, as two compilations have been released in the past year (release varied between US and Europe). The scope of the compilations varies, but the conclusion drawn from listening to either or both collections is inescapable: Blondie was, and still remains, a great band.
Blondie also heralded a significant change in the fortunes of alternative music: they reached number 1 four times, made six albums over five years, and completely changed expectations - both in the record indusrty and, perhaps, with musicians - of what alternative music could produce. For most of rock history, underground or unusual music rarely made much impact on the charts, and rarely provided extended careers. Of course, innumerable one- hit wonders managed to breach the charts (Troggs, Seeds), and a few bands gained notoriety and influence without chart success (MC5, Stooges, VU). The Doors and Black Sabbath make strong candidates as successful alternative bands, but these bands failed to change industry thinking: the Doors' sales figures didn't trigger an industry search for (or widespread radio access to) bands that were unusual or unique. On the contrary, the Doors' rise caused interest in other California bands that sounded just like them, most notably Iron Butterfly. And despite Sabbath's otherworldly effect, they had emerged from the same heavy blues ideal that produced mainstream acts from the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith.
Blondie's success did not send companies back to New York to find another band just like it. The immediate effect of Blondie's breakthrough meant an industry spending spree that brought to prominence bands like the Knack, the Romantics and the Police. But the larger implication was even more important: a complete redefinition of alternative music. Blondie seemed to show the industry that almost any music might have commercial potential. Their success set the stage for a wider acceptance on the part of big labels of things that were simply different - Goth, post-punk, New Romantics, as well as narrowly defined New Wave. An unusual band could be expected to bring a substantial audience around to its point of view - even if that point of view was starkly different from dominant norms.
This idea is predicated on the notion that Blondie was very different from the pack when they emerged on vinyl in 1977. Given fond memories of Blondie all over the radio from 1979 on, it is important to remember that guitar music in 1977 centered around bands like KISS, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. While Blondie chewed familiar 60s influences - Phil Spector girl-groups, surf guitars, percussion styles and pop structures from British Invasion bands - they blew a very unusual bubble. In fact, as the Platinum Collection booklet notes, as a result of the foreigness of Blondie's music and appearance some people initially thought they were French.
The first UK single, "X Offender" (included on both compilations), is a perfect example of the band's idiosynchrosies. Opening with a spoken-word passage lifted form the Ronnettes or Chiffons, the song then heads into a quick, rolling pace reminiscent of a small-time "Born to Run." An amateurish surf-twang solo creates a diversion, then Deborah Harry coos to the fade-out like a 50s balladeer. Rock crafted from non-rock, non-blues fascinations and retaining the structures of the poppy influences.
Blonde and Beyond emphasizes this pure-pop side of Blondie. Short, sugary, guitar-based titles interrupted only by the calypso "Island of Lost Souls" and the original "Heart of Glass (Disco Version)." Included are four previously unreleased songs (including a pre-disco version of "Heart of Glass") and a number of others that qualify as extremely difficult to find, primarily five non-album b-sides from US and UK 12" singles. Aside from the ten unreleased and rare tracks, nine album tracks fill out the compilation. The collection is not chronologically ordered, rather the songs demonstrate the consistency and continuity of Blondie's pop sensibilities. Taken together, they make a very good case on behalf of Blondie's skill and taste. Also included is a booklet that contains a complete discography and some good pictures.
11 of the 19 songs on Blonde and Beyond are not on the double CD Platinum Collection. The two CDs bring together 47 tracks in order to cover the entire career of Blondie: every US and UK 7" (A and B-sides), plus five brilliant early demos (previously unreleased), and two new (disposable) remixes. Platinum Collection is arranged entirely chronologically except that demos and remixes close out the compilation. Among the demos is a bare version of "Heart of Glass" (called "Once I Had a Love") without any disco studio technology. [The version on this compilation is better than the similar one on Blonde and Beyond.] The demos are, however, the only unreleased material here, and many of the b-sides were album tracks. Obviously, all the hits are included, and Platinum Collection is far superior to the old Best of Blondie which came out even before Blondie's final album. The extensive booklet contains complete discography, many pictures including the cover of each single, and commentary on each track by band members other than Debbie Harry.
Blondie's coexistence with, and eventual surpassing of, standard cock-rock in the charts signalled a major shift. Certainly without the monetary returns of Blondie, major labels would never have embraced New Wave as they subsequently did. None of Blondie's New York comrades bludgeoned the musical status quo in the same way with the possible exception, later, of the Talking Heads. The spectacle of the Human League or the Waitresses being promoted alongside the J. Geils Band or Foreigner would have been unthinkable without Blondie to prove that the charts could accomodate music that bridged or broke stylistic barriers. Considering that many off the original post- Blondie signings are still around, Blondie's direct influence on today's music scene is not easily discounted. IRS Records, for example, soon signed both the Go-Go's and contemporary taste-makers R.E.M.
This point is well made by either compilation. Unfortunately, the organizers at Chrysalis have managed to balance the material so that both collections are desirable, whether or not you already have the original albums. Neophytes might prefer Blonde and Beyond, as it stands up particularly well next to contemporary bands. But people who still remember listening to Blondie at the pool will certainly want the singles on Platinum Collection ("Call Me," "Atomic," "The Tide is High," and "Rapture") that are missing from Blonde and Beyond.
- Tim Mohr
