Parallel Lines

I had this album when I was a teenager and played it SO many times. It's a classic album in my opinion, just LOVE this music. This one plays wonderfully, solid weight, great sound quality

Great as always

"Parallel Lines" is one classy AND classic record. The band underwent some changes back in 1978. They added bassist Nigel Harrison to the line-up, and this was their first record produced by Mike Chapman. Chapman would go on to produce the band's subsequent records, "Eat To The Beat", "Autoamerican", and "The Hunter". Chapman was a very different producer than Richard Gottehrer (who produced Blondie's first 2 studio albums). Gottehrer supported and nurtured the band's signature sound, whereas Chapman pushed the band to expand and strengthen their musical palette. Chapman thought each member of the band had something special to offer, but he felt the band lacked focus and needed a better work ethic. He demanded tighter arrangements and every note had to be close to perfection. So basically, he wanted them to practice, practice, practice! That discipline and extra encouragement resulted in a flawless and iconic album. "Parallel Lines" is an incredible, quintessential work of art. The glittery, disco juggernaut, "Heart of Glass" changed everything and the band finally broke into the mainstream. The rest of the album proved Blondie wasn't a fluke or a one-trick pony. Every track on "Parallel Lines" is brilliantly written and sung. "Parallel Lines" has a clever balance of new wave, rock, punk, and pop. The aggressive opener, "Hanging On The Telephone" and the ferocious, "Will Anything Happen?" have gorgeous, blistering guitar licks and effortless tempo changes. "Picture This" is beautifully haunting and the epic, "Fade Away And Radiate" is filled with picturesque lyrics (Chris Stein's crowning achievement) and a coquettish vocal by Debbie Harry. "Pretty Baby" and "Sunday Girl" are the pop gems. They are rich in melody and deep in lyrical content. The awesome, "I Know But I Don't Know" has a killer drum solo by Clem Burke, and keyboardist Jimmy Destri continues to deliver the goods on the anxiety-ridden, "11:59". The band were mostly at each other's throats for the majority of their career but when it came to writing great, meaningful music - it was complete and utter magic. The revenge-seeking, "One Way Or Another" and the chilly, "Just Go Away" highlight Debbie's fiery and sarcastic sense of humor. And there's a fabulous cover of Buddy Holly's, "I'm Gonna Love You Too" which has a cool, unexpected fusion of doo-wop and punk. Some albums don't age well, but it's safe to say that "Parallel Lines" isn't one of them. It still sounds fresh, innovative, and gutsy all these decades later. I don't consider "Parallel Lines" to be Blondie's best album, (that honor goes to the sophisticated, "Autoamerican") but I do think it was their most accomplished. Enjoy!

Blondie is a fantastic band and this record is their crown. Parallel Lines was the statement of what was about to arrive with the 80's. Time has no passed for Debbie's haunting, sweet and rocking voice and the guys musical talents. Great collection of rhythms from rock, to pop, ballad, disco, new wave. They contributed to change the sound of music that finally declared the 60' and 70's were done for good (not that is anything wrong with that), and a new generation was taking over. Plenty of stories about Blondie, I first got the single of "Heart of Glass" which like probably thousands of kids did after seeing the video on television, which BTW today has close to 300 million views in YT. But what truly got me hooked to the band was the B side "11:59", back then as a teen I never heard anything like that. Then managed to get their first two records and religiously waited for everything they produced after that.Got the three different cd versions of Parallel Lines, the first cd release, the 2001 Remaster, and this 30th Deluxe Anniversary edition. The best quality is from this Deluxe anniversary release, which has a better remaster with more depth and clear sound as you never heard in this record before. One just wish that someday Parallel Lines will get the Super Deluxe treatment it deserves with more memorabilia and a 5.1 remix, HiDef audio, etc. Perhaps for the 50th anniversary. In the meantime enjoy this New Wave masterpiece.

Remember the line in "Men in Black" where Tommie Lee Jones tells Will Smith, "This means I have to buy a new copy of the White Album" after showing him a futuristic audio device? Well, I only have one version of the White Album, but I've bought PARALLEL LINES in every form it's been released. Not because I no longer have the equipment to listen to it, mind you, but because I wore them all out! My purchase of this CD was due to the grief I still felt for the cassette tape, which met a sorry end in my clock radio set.The remastered version does not disappoint. It takes you right back to 1978, when we found out that punk didn't just mean Johnny Rotten's verbal sputum or the political pessimism of the Clash. Punk could be Fun! Debbie Harry's versatile, clear-as-a-bell voice is the highlight, from the opening growl on "Hangin' on the Telephone" to the oozy sweetness of "Sunday Girl". It exudes mystery in "Fade Away & Radiate", utter desperation in "Will Anything Happen" and "11:59", and sarcastic poutiness in "Go Away" and "Pretty Baby" (an ode, by the way, to Brooke Shield's scandalous child character in the movie of the same name).The bonus tracks I can take or leave. I like the live version of "Hangin' on the Telephone", but "Once I had a Love" is a weak version of "Glass". The cover of Marc Bolan's "Bang a Gong" is an interesting element, since it brings the number of gender-bending songs to three (including "Baby" and "Sunday Girl"), but not an especial showcase for the band. Never mind, this is still at the top of my list of discs I would take to a desert island (along with the corresponding audio equipment!).