Maps of Music

Blondie (1976)

Where the lyrics of Blondie take you, and where it was really made.

The debut album was first released by one label, dropped after weak sales, and reissued later that same year by another label.

Key places

Plaza Sound Studios, New York (1976)

Recording site Plaza Sound Studios — The album was recorded at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City, according to the release credits. The pin marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Blondie is the debut studio album by American rock band Blondie
• Released December 1976 by Private Stock Records
• Chrysalis Records bought the rights in August 1977 and reissued the album that September
• The first single "X Offender" was originally titled "Sex Offender"; radio stations would not play that title, so the band renamed it
• Sales were disappointing and publicity was poor, so the band ended its contract with Private Stock

Background

• The band signed with Chrysalis Records in mid-1977
• The Chrysalis reissue came out together with the second album Plastic Letters and the single "In the Flesh"
• The album charted at No. 75 in the UK in early 1979, when the band had become very popular there
• Producer Richard Gottehrer had worked with the Angels and other artists of the 1950s and 1960s
• Much of the music carries the girl group sound of that era
• In a 1978 interview Debbie Harry said the band never meant to be retro and called that description "quite a shock"
• Harry also rejected labelling the music as pop, insisting Blondie played new wave

Recording

• Release credits list the album as recorded at Plaza Sound Studios
• Engineer Rob Freeman, assistant engineer Don Hünerberg
• Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound
• Remix and engineering credit: Craig Leon

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in New York City in 1974 by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein.
• Originally billed as Angel and the Snake, then Blondie and the Banzai Babies, shortened to Blondie by October 1974.
• The name came from truck drivers who catcalled "Hey, Blondie" to Harry.
• Became regular performers at Max's Kansas City and CBGB, part of the mid-1970s new wave scene.
• Debut album Blondie (1976) was not a commercial success; the band signed with Chrysalis Records in 1977.

Members

• Core members: Debbie Harry (vocals), Chris Stein (guitar), Clem Burke (drums), Jimmy Destri (keyboards).
• Other former members included Gary Valentine, Frank Infante, Nigel Harrison, and Fred Smith.
• Clem Burke died of cancer on April 6, 2025.

Career

• Breakthrough came in Australia and the UK with Plastic Letters (1978) and the hit single "Denis".
• Parallel Lines (1978) became their most successful album, selling about 20 million copies worldwide; "Heart of Glass" topped the UK and US charts.
• Further hits included "Call Me", "The Tide Is High", and "Rapture", the first rap-featuring song to reach US number one.
• The band disbanded in 1982 after The Hunter, reformed in 1997, and had their sixth UK number one with "Maria" in 1999.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006; has sold over 40 million records worldwide.
• Pollinator (2017) peaked at number four in the UK; a new album, High Noon, is scheduled for February 26, 2027.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Ken Tucker reviewed the band for Rolling Stone in 1977 and called the album a playful exploration of Sixties pop mixed with trendy nihilism
• Tucker found that the songs work on at least two levels: as peppy but rough pop, and as distanced, artless avant-rock
• Tucker praised Debbie Harry's performance as carried out with utter aplomb and involvement
• Giovanni Dadomo of Sounds gave the album a two-star rating and called it a pretty dumb affair
• Dadomo found the production almost totally bland and lacking depth and colour
• Dadomo named the Farfisa organ as the main highlight

Reappraisal

• In 2020 Rolling Stone placed the album at number 401 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
• The same magazine ranked it 75th on its list of the 100 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time

Records

• Reached No. 14 in Australia, where the band had earlier had a top-3 entry with "In the Flesh"
• Charted at No. 75 in the UK in early 1979
• Certified gold by the BPI in the UK, with more than 100,000 copies sold

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The first single's title changed from "Sex Offender" to "X Offender" because radio stations would not play the original title.
• The 2001 reissue added five bonus tracks, three of them from a 1975 demo recorded by Alan Betrock.
• "Platinum Blonde", one of the bonus tracks, was the first song Debbie Harry wrote.
• The original single versions of "X Offender" and "In the Sun" are mixes that differ from the album versions.
• The Chrysalis reissue arrived alongside the second album Plastic Letters.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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