Released in 1978, it was their third album, and also their most popular and best selling. Produced by Mike Chapman.

 

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c170/brian91/Blondie_-_Parallel_Lines.jpg

 

Line up

Deborah Harry - vocals

Chris Stein - guitar, 12-string guitar, E-bow

Frank Infante - guitar

Jimmy Destri - keyboards

Nigel Harrison - bass guitar

Clem Burke - drums

Robert Fripp - guitar on "Fade Away and Radiate"

 

 

Track Listing

 

Hanging on the Telephone (Jack Lee)

One Way or Another (Nigel Harrison, Debbie Harry)

Picture This (Jimmy Destri, Deborah Harry, Chris Stein)

Fade Away and Radiate (Chris Stein)

Pretty Baby (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein)

I Know But I Don't Know (Frank Infante)

11:59 (Jimmy Destri)

Will Anything Happen (Jack Lee)

Sunday Girl (Chris Stein)

Heart of Glass (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein)

I'm Gonna Love You Too (Joe B. Mauldin, Norman Petty, Niki Sullivan)

Just Go Away (Deborah Harry)

 

 

Some stand out songs on this album for me, and a great favourite of mine from the late 70’s.

Hanging on the Telephone……Just love the opening line from this song….I'm in the phone booth, it's the one across the hall …….as soon as I hear it I turn the volume up. I just shiver when she sings …Oh, I can't control myself.

 

A brilliant song.

One Way or Another…. Although not released as a single in the UK, it is a very popular song.

 

Picture This…. This was the first single of the album, and still sounds great today.

 

Fade Away and Radiate. …Great album track, often forgotten song.

 

Pretty Baby….not one of their better tracks but still ok, with a sort of 60’s sound.

 

I Know But I Don't Know …Pretty good album track, could have been a single.

 

11:59.…. Good album track.

 

Will Anything Happen……Catchy tune with good beat.

 

Sunday Girl…..Number 1 song in the UK, very popular song and easily recognisable as a Blondie song.

 

Heart of Glass…..Huge number 1 song in both UK and the USA.

 

"Heart of Glass" was originally recorded in 1975 under the name "Once I Had a Love," and was much slower with a blues/reggae vibe to it. The song was frequently performed on tours, then was re-recorded with the same title in 1978, when the song was made a bit more rock-oriented. When Blondie recorded the album Parallel Lines, disco was big on the music scene, and producer Mike Chapman decided to give the song the disco twist that made the song what it is today, and one of the best-known Blondie recordings. For the single release the track was remixed by Chapman with the double-tracked bass drum even more accentuated.

 

 

I'm Gonna Love You Too…..This song was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets in 1958. A much faster up-tempo version with Debbie’s superb vocals.

 

Trivia

In 2007, a rare home video of Paul McCartney singing an acoustic version of this song was put on the chronology menu of the first disc of his latest DVD, The McCartney Years.

 

 

Just Go Away….. A typical album track to fill up the album, catchy chorus though.

 

One of those few albums that I would call "perfect". Every track a winner, from those you may know to those you should know.

 

All in all, the album not only highlights the diversity of Blondie as a band, but the diverse potential of new wave punk as a rock genre

 

 

thought 'parellel lines' was blondies pinacle. i rated very highly their earlier '60's' phase as depicted here but went off blondie when they went all disco...

 

this is one album i own!

Parallel Lines is a true classic album and I like more than Dare, the other choice so far. The singles off the record are brill but the absolute standout track for me has to be Fade Away and Radiate. Classic guitar treatments from Robert Fripp, a superb vocal from Debbie Harry and it reminds me of a great time in my life.

 

Seems like everyone had this one as they were always ubercool!