Blondie - Parallel Lines
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Free Music Notes for Parallel Lines
Free Music Review: BLONDIE'S MASTERPIECE
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a masterpiece of rock and roll. End of story. If you don't own this you are seriously weak.Free Music Review: Great Album
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of my favorite albums. Every song is great. I have no complaints.Free Music Review: Enthralling pop endeavour
Hit: 4 Stars
Let's get one thing straight: Blondie is a bit of an uneven band. Their discography is, for the most part, devious, as much as it's pop-inclined and hit-filled. But with Parallel Lines in 1978, they made it big. It's no wonder: "Lines" is a monster of a record. It's poppy, it's melodic, it's cool, it's punchy and, more importantly, it's femme. The feminine touch that the whip-smart Deborah Harry brings to the band is both unprecedented and unique. Her zombie voice in "One Way Or Another", her unimpressed looks in "Heart Of Glass", her mesmerizing posture -- it's all deadly. The duochromatic facade that is this album serves her well to show off her smarts and take the advantage of being in a self-assured, competent band. And as drums thump and guitars drill, Harry talks of love, loss and lust, all with a style of her own.
"Lines" was both a critical and a commercial success and it's simply one of those albums: it's gonna impress you. Not a single throwaway track in sight, the album is a pure gem of the 1970s, but it surpasses the decade completely because it's timeless. Other than being unforgettably catchy, it's also heartfelt, vivid and powerful. Under the glossy surface lies a majestic celebration of emotion. Enchantment, ambivalence, infatuation and passion are just some of the things the band covers. Never stale or limp-wristed, Parallel Lines pushes all the buttons of the listener and is an indisputable call to the dancefloor that no one should miss. Surely, "today can last another million years", but the album is a rush of emotions, of body and of mind.
Don't let the saccharine aftertaste fool you: you're listening to a masterpiece there. Regardless of how you look at it, Parallel Lines is feelgood music. It constantly reassures you that strength will find its way in your life and it will grab you by the throat and enthrall you. Even if you want your rock to be more macho, a little dose of Blondie's estrogen won't hurt. We could dissect each and every song and say why it's a winner, but there's no point. Everyone who's been around for at least two decades has heard these gems. It's your choice: either dismiss it as a slick, easy-on-the-ears work from the punk/new wave era or let it enter your life. After all, it's made to stay there as much as you want it to.
Free Music Review: Picture this
Hit: 4 Stars
Blondie was my first introduction to punk music back in the early '80s but at the time I didn't know. I simply loved what I heard. Reissuing the band's albums was a wise move because thte production back then was murky and flawed. My only Blondie cds I own prior to the reissue of "Parallel Lines" is "The Best of Blondie" and their recent "No Exit". The band's best of collection was my first exposure to Blondie's endearing music. I figure now with the reissues I ought to expose myself to the songs I haven't heard by the band by starting off with the band's seminal classic "Parallel Lines".If I thought the production on "The Best of Blondie" was horrible, I can't fathom what the original "Parallel Lines" sounded like. The production on this album is clean yet raw at the same time. Three of my all time favorite Blondie songs are on this album: "One Way Or Another", "Sunday Girl" and "Heart of Glass". Those songs remain timeless classics with me and they can never sound dated to me. My favorite songs that I never heard by Blondie are "Pretty Baby", "Just Go Away", and "Fade Away". When I first heard "Once I had a Love (aka The Disco Song)", I immediately did a double take on the song. I thought my cd player skipped and replayed "Heart of Glass" which isn't necessarily a bad thing since I love "Heart of Glass" so much. "Parallel Lines" reminded me why I have always loved Blondie and never stopped loving their music. A lot of so-called punk bands today could learn a thing or two from Blondie's music if they want to their music to remain relevant to the masses over the years like Blondie's music has become.
Free Music Review: Shimmering Blondie
Hit: 4 Stars
Blondie's previous album, "Plastic Letters" showed them coming into a true form. Although all the ingredients for a smash were there, they were -- sometimes awkwardly -- mishmashed together. Blondie showed a penchant for brilliance within chaos, and with "Parallel Lines" the brilliance was allowed to shine through. Mike Chapman shellacked the CD with glossy production, creative hooks, and repeatedly attacks the listener with sheer brilliance. "Hanging On The Telephone" is Debbie Harry at her most ferocious; "Picture This" at her most vulnerable. For all it's thrilling, epic highs, however, one can't help but find fault. "Pretty Baby" and "I Know But I Don't Know" (which probably would have fared much better had they not been wedged between the broody "Fade Away And Radiate" and the accessible, riff-laden "11:59") seem to fall somewhat flat, and after their smash "Heart Of Glass," the tracks seem to lack the resonance that the first three-quarters of the album was filled with.
Although it is wildly uneven, the first four tracks of "Parallel Lines" are alone worth nearly any price. This is Blondie in their most accessible form, with all the trademark classics. This is not an album to miss.