Blondie - Parallel Lines
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Free Music Notes for Parallel Lines
Free Music Review: "Millions of young guys once had a love and it was a gas"
Hit: 5 Stars
Back when Blondie was being hailed as the biggest new-wave band in pop music by fans and critics alike, there were also just as many critics that quickly dismissed Blondie as "bubblegum pop," and one group that would never have staying power. But I think it's been observed enough how the group has had the last laugh. Parallel Lines helped establish Blondie as a serious music group and turned their cult following into commercial success. This album is also the first where Debbie Harry's voice gets sharpened with the sensibility of a sweet, vulnerable girl one minute to sultry and rapturous behind disco grooves the next. The album made punk, pop, and disco shake hands, which was a method unheard of in 1978. Songs like "Hanging on the Telephone," "Picture This," "Pretty Baby," and "Sunday Girl," have become irresitable pop gems, while "I Know But I Don't Know," and "Fade Away & Radiate," featuring a terrific guitar lick by Robert Fripp, are punk-driven classics. Last but not least are the two hits that are forever getting played on the classic rock stations of today in "One Way or Another," and "Heart of Glass." And how has Debbie Harry played out as lead singer after all these years? As Rolling Stone stated when this album was ranked #140 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, "Madonna was surely watching."Free Music Review: Gets better with every listing...
Hit: 5 Stars
This is truly a great album. Listen after listen, it gets better. The songs range in style, but all have the same flavor. Just because Deborah Harry is the "star" of the band, does not lessen the impact of the other players. I especially like Jimmie Destri's sparse synths and kickin' organs. Harry's singing is the standout though, her voice floats between soft whispers and throaty screams. Usually within the same song.
Standout tracks for me are "Pretty Baby", "11:59", "Will Anything Happen", and "Hangin' on the Telephone". All are great new wave rockers. Even though "Heart of Glass" and "One Way or Another" are the recognized hits of the album, they don't overshadow the other songs (unlike most albums where the hits blow the other songs away).
One great cameo is Robert Fripp of King Crimson. He adds spacey guitars to "Fade Away". This is probably the coolest song on an album of amazing tunes. Sinister Synthesizers over the dark song and wonderful vocals by Harry. It shows how a great guest appearance can really add to an album.
Not only is this a great album by an underrated band, but a great album overall.
Free Music Review: The Peak of a Mercurial Band
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard Blondie's "Parallel Lines" LP while browsing at the Tower Records store in Westwood, near UCLA in 1978. By the time I heard the opening chords of the second song, I had a copy of the LP in line for the cash register.
Years have passed since, and a lot of Blondie's original fans were turned off or confused by some of their subsequent efforts. For those of you that used to really love Blondie, take another listen to Parallel Lines, and you'll immediately recall why. You probably haven't heard "Will Anything Happen," "11:59," "Pretty Baby," "Sunday Girl," or "Fade Away and Radiate" for a while, but they've held up pretty well. Add the classics "One Way or Another," "Hanging on the Telephone," and "Heart of Glass," and another listen to Parallel Lines is like running into an old friend.
This disk includes bonus tracks that reveal the band's live power, especially the fine power drumming of Clem Burke and Debbie Harry's rock diva vocal abilities, especially on a relatively raw version of "Bang a Gong."
Free Music Review: Blondie's Finest!!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the first Blondie album I ever bought apart from the greatest hits CDs, and it was worth every penny!!! It is my favorite Blondie album, and there is not one song on this album that is not fun to listen to and sing along to! Every song sounds like a radio hit! My favorite is, of course, "Heart of Glass." It has such a smooth and polished sound to it that you can't help but sing along! "Hanging on the Telephone" is another standout among standouts. "11:59" is upbeat and pure pop. "Sunday Girl" sounds like it could have been a girl group song. Debbie's attitude really shines through on "Just Go Away." The interesting lyrics and drum beats (especially in the beginning) make "Fade Away and Radiate" an unforgettable song. Some music goes out of style as the years go on, but "Parallel Lines" is definintely an exception. Any fan of Blondie or just pop music in general is almost sure to find this album a real gem and a standout in their album collection!Free Music Review: Blondie opened a door with this album for pop music in the years to come.
Hit: 5 Stars
I have never been a huge fan of 70's music that was not made by bands like Pink Floyd or Joy Division. But Blondie made an album I realised as soon as I listened to it that created a path for a lot of bands in the years to come.
This is a fun album that has it all. Bubblegum songs to play on the radio, memorable ones meant to be timeless (a.k.a. Heart of glass, Picture this, Hanging on the telephone) and even other ones to take Blondie serious (Fade away and radiate, 11:59).
"Parallel lines" was an album that opened a door for bands like No doubt or Sublime (to mention relevant ones) in order to come up with an identity on punk, pop or even reggae. This said I must point out that this album was a pionner for many other ones with the same style and with the same attitude but, honestly as I read it in a book somewhere: "Parallel lines" has been an album that many bands have tried to "reproduce" but it has never been matched.