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Blondie is a 12 time Grammy Award-winning
American rock band that first gained global
fame in the late 1960s. The band was a
pioneer in the early American punk rock and
New Wave scenes. Its first two albums
contained strong elements of these genres,
and although successful in Australia and the
United Kingdom, Blondie was regarded as an
underground band in the United States until
the release of a third album in 1978. Over
the next three years, the band achieved
several hit singles and was noted for its
eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating
elements of disco, pop and reggae, while
retaining a basic style as a New Wave band.
Lead singer Deborah Harry achieved a level of
celebrity that eclipsed other band members
leading to tension within the group.
Following a poorly received album, and with
core member Chris Stein diagnosed with a
potentially fatal disease, the group
disbanded in 1982.[1] As members pursued
other projects, Blondie's reputation grew
over the following decade and the group
reformed in 1998, achieving renewed success
and a number one single in the United Kingdom
the following year. The group toured and
performed throughout the world over the
following years, and was inducted into both
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the
RockWalk of Fame in 2006.[2]
Early career
In the early 1970s, Chris Stein moved to New
York City, and inspired by the New York
Dolls, aimed to join a similar band. He
joined The Stilettos in 1973 as their
guitarist and formed a romantic relationship
with one of the band's vocalists, Deborah
Harry. A former waitress and Playboy
Bunny,[3] Harry had been a member of the
folk-rock band, Wind in the Willows, in the
late 1960s. In 1974, she parted ways with The
Stilettos and Elda Gentile, the band's
originator. Stein and Harry formed a new band
with drummer Clem Burke, keyboard player
Jimmy Destri and bass player Gary Valentine.
Originally billed as "Angel and the Snake"[4]
the band soon renamed themselves "Blondie" in
late 1975. The name was taken from comments
from truck drivers who called "Hey, Blondie"
to Harry as they drove by.[5]
They became regulars at New York's Club 51,
Max's Kansas City, and CBGB.[6] They got
their first record deal with Private Stock
Records in the mid-'70s and released their
debut album Blondie in 1976,[2] along with
the single "X-Offender". Private Stock
Records was then bought out by the UK-based
company, Chrysalis Records, and the first
album was re-released on the new label in
1977[2] along with the single "Rip Her To
Shreds". By this time, Valentine had been
replaced by Nigel Harrison, and another
guitarist Frank Infante had been added.
Rolling Stone wrote about Blondie for the
first time in August 1977[7] and observed the
eclectic nature of the group's music,
comparing it to Phil Spector and The Who and
commented that the album's two strengths were
Richard Gottehrer's production and the
persona of Deborah Harry, saying she
performed with "utter aplomb and involvement
throughout: even when she's portraying a
character consummately obnoxious and
spaced-out, there is a wink of awareness that
is comforting and amusing yet never
condescending." It also noted that Harry was
the "possessor of a bombshell zombie's voice
that can sound dreamily seductive and
woodenly Mansonite within the same song".[8]
Their first commercial success occurred in
Australia in 1977, when the music television
program Countdown mistakenly played their
video "In the Flesh", which was the b-side of
their current single "X-Offender".[2] Jimmy
Destri later credited the show's Molly
Meldrum for their initial success, commenting
that "we still thank him to this day" for
playing the wrong song.[9] In a 1998
interview, bandmember Clem Burke recalled
seeing the episode in which the wrong song
was played, but he and Chris Stein suggested
that it may have been a deliberate subterfuge
on the part of Meldrum. Stein asserted that
"X-Offender" was "too crazy and aggressive
[to become a hit]", while "In the Flesh" was
"not representative of any punk sensibility.
Over the years, I've thought they probably
played both things but liked one better.
That's all." In retrospect, Burke described
"In the Flesh" as "a forerunner to the power
ballad."[10]
Blondie, 1976. From left to right : Gary
Valentine, Clem Burke, Deborah Harry, Chris
Stein and Jimmy Destri.The single and album
each reached the Australian top 5 in October
1977, and a subsequent double-a release of
"X-Offender" and "Rip Her to Shreds", was
also popular. A successful Australian tour
followed in December, though it was marred by
an incident in Brisbane when disappointed
fans almost rioted after Harry cancelled a
performance due to illness.
Tags : debbie harry deborah chris stein jimmy destri the tide is high darth vader 1980 autoamerican pop star wars |
