Blondie

Points of information: Blondie's first bass player was Fred Smith who left to join Television and was replaced by Gary Valentine who left for a stellar solo career and was replaced by Nigel Harrison. Frankie "The Freak" Infante joined as lead guiter player in '77. He did play bass on some tracks, presumably during the time after Valentine left and before Harrison joined. BLONDIE were very popular in the Max's Kansas City / CBGB days, but nobody (with the exception of Richard Gottehrer) would have voted them most likely to succeed at the time. That honor would probably have gone to THE PLANETS, but they had a damager, not a manager so it's unlikely you've ever heard (of) them.

The "No Doubt" of their day, if "No Doubt" had talent, taste and a sense of humour that is.

blondie and the ramones (then blondie was under the name of angel and the snake...or other way around) but anyways they both played the 1st punk rock concert at CBGBs in new york which is now actually considered 2 b the birthday of punk rock in new york

Blondie are somewhat punk I suppose, but they are more of a pop band in my opinion. To use an analogy, Billy Idol is considered punk sometimes as well but is far too commercial for that. Parallel Lines is a must have album.

maybe 1 or 2 good songs from Blondie. the rest stink.

i only like heart of glass and thats disco.

Debbie Harry always had a place in my heart because (1) she grew up in the same area of NJ where I grew up and (2) she was extremely beautiful, and (3) she tended to associate with musicians I loved like the NY Dolls and the Ramones and (4) while I was never the biggest fan of Blondie, I always thought they were fun and "catchy" and more than listenable, at least until they went the way of the Clash and became excessively commercial (although even then, they were capable of quality work..."Accidents Never Happen" from the "Eat to the Beat" album is one of my favorite Blondie songs). In fact, their first album was one of the first "punk/new wave" albums I was able to acquire (1976 or 77), and I listened to it incessantly in those days, along with the first album by the Ramones and the first album by the Damned. In time, I moved on to bands like the Stooges and Sex Pistols, but I never begrudged Blondie their success and I'm glad to see they're still out there...still "punchin'" (so to s... Read more

Blondie covered punk, new wave, disco, pop, and a touch of reggae and rap, so it remains difficult to categorize this band. While there are only five core releases for the band, "Blondie" (1976), "Plastic Letters" (1977), "Parallel Lines" (1978), "Eat To The Beat" (1979), and "Autoamerican" (1980), most interested listeners would be satisfied with one of the band's (hits mostly) compilations. However the oddities collection "Blonde & Beyond" (1993) does include some nifty live covers of "Ring Of Fire", "Bang A Gong (Get It On), and David Bowie's "Heroes".

One of my favorite bands in the 80's. A little new wave, a little punk, and interesting range of songs. Debbie Harry is a class act.

The most musically proficient and verastile band to come out of the NY Punk scene. Made some great albums but sadly lost steam in the early 80's. Autoamerican was ahead of it's time and more appreciated today than back then.

No question, one of the most talented and diverse bands to arise from the late 70s punk/new wave scene. Actually one of the best bands of all time. Great songs, great range of material, and spectacular prescence of stunning frontwoman Debbie Harry, (who is a great singer, and yes, a great songwriter, too). This band really had it all.

One of the cornerstone bands of 70s new wave, marked by clever and tuneful songs, topknotch musicianship and a funky, deliberately cartoonish presentation. One of the few New York scene bands of the time to go mainstream (heavily disco influenced, which was a poor aesthetic but sound economic decision), after which the appeal and quality of the music went downhill. This was definitely one of those bands that was at its best before it was discovered by the public. Harry was quite attractive in her youth (the years haven't been too gentle to her, alas) and despite her obvious shortcomings as a singer, she was able to style it in a way (i.e., emotionally vacant housewife strung out on tanquilizers) that made it work. Well supported by Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri and especially the tremendous C. Burke. The songs on the first two albums were uniformly good, especially on the debut album: In the Flesh, Man Overboard, X Offender, and that one that dealt with giving you some head and shou... Read more

Best band ever! Their music has always been experimental and fun. Eat To The Beat rocks and is my favorite album of all time.

If you haven't done your proper 70's New York Punk/New Wave homework, then I suggest you get started by studying Blondie. At the height of their success, unbelievably, there were still a large number of Americans who just didn't get it. Fortunately, I did understand, and let me confirm one thing, Blondie is the real deal. Even today, Blondie is often imitated by others but never duplicated. Debbie Harry is eternally cool. You'll need to purchase their entire library of eight studio recordings to get the full picture. And the full picture is very important but to get started, I'd recommend, at the very least, that you purchase the Eat To The Beat CD and listen to it for a good month non-stop. Bring it with you wherever you go, and go to bed with it at night. Then, in a month's time, you'll be primed for Parallel Lines. Get it and dig it. Finally, in two weeks, purhcase simultaneously, Blondie (the first CD) and Plastic Letters. Oh, and pick up their new CD The Curse Of Blond... Read more

I can listen to Heart of Glass so many times and never get sick of it. Debbie Harry has one of the most unique voices ever. Rock has never been the same since Blondie was introduced. I love them !

Blondie are for me the greatest band of all time and were certainly the most important band for getting me into all kinds of great music. The most gorgeous and sassiest vocals, the best drums, the catchiest tunes, the best riffs. Lots of diversity of musical styles all blended seamlessly together (sometimes even on one song). Their influence and inspiration continues to be immeasurable and their live shows are as vibrant and electrified as their recorded output. Their long list of achievements speaks for itself, if only their detractors would bother to do a little research.

They're the best band in the world!

Not only is this band GREAT it is the BEST! Fronted by Deborah harry who has influenced more female rock & pop stars then any other female artist. I hope this band goes on as long as the Stones. There new album The Curse of Blondie is a materpiece!

Debbie casted a spell on me way back in the 70s and continues to today. She is and always will be my favorite lady.

I could never understand why were supposed to be so great.

Blondie were a very influential and important band at one time in history. They flirted with a variety of styles and always did so with humour and innovation. A lot of people wrote them off as pure pop fluff, but I always sensed a kind of darkness to their music, an edge, as if to expose the ugliness underlying the disco and new wave phenomena. They were also Andy Warhol's favourite band, and I'm sure there were reasons for that beyond mere escapism. Good stuff.

Truly original! They were one of the best bands of the punk or New Wave era.They went mainstream and were great then,too.Check out these songs: " In the Flesh " and " Atomic ".

BLONDIE ROCKS WITHOUT THEM LIFE WOULD BE DULL!

very underrated groups ,took chances.

harbingers of all great girl-led rock groups.

Blondie was classic 80's music! Gotta love Debbie!

Debbie. She was such an icon - still is to many. Blondie were in a class of their own - pop with an edge some might say, punk with tunes others claim. Sublime in every way. No duff or embarresing choons in their back catalogue, that's for certain. It's difficult to name some songs over others as 'The Best' but anything from 'Parallel Lines' and several from any other album...see, I can't do it. 'Maria' proved they still have it, and to see them singing live on TV and ENJOYING IT was just The Best thing.

She had a nice string of singles but her catalog is not much worth celebrating over.

I love this band and always have. The Tide is High, Call Me, Heart of Glass, Rapture. So many great songs and they were rock n roll, not disco like some uninformed people will tell you.

C'mon guys. They're classic. Trailblazers. Unique.

No business being this high on the list, that is for sure. Currently placed at number 6. Over the Stones(!) Hendrix(!!) Floyd(!!!) and Aerosmith(!) Decent band with about 6 hits, including their reunion single, "Maria". Gotta love Debbie Harry in the day. No way should they make the top 50, let alone top 10.

This has always beena fun band. Man, I had a crush on Deb Harry back in the day. The band made a nice comeback a couple of years ago. I understand they are working on a new album.

Maybe the first musical New Wave band on the scene. Tho I'm sure they didn't think of themselves as that. The drummer really played drums instead of "just play on 2 and 4." Very energetic and innovative. Especially compared to the rest of the ilk and drum machines of the time. Debarah Harrys' "pitch" was sometimes suspect, but the "feel" was there. I loved the songs, check out "Heart of Glass" when they change the meter after the instrumental chorus from straight 4/4 to 7/4. Not too many musicians friends even notice that. It was very slick. Music CAN be innovative and popular at the same time if given the chance. 5 stars.

Early punk and had some decent material.

Blondie has always been one of my favorites. Ha I was and adolescent when they hit the scene and Debbie Harry rocked my world. Her punk attitude, good looks and sultry voice had me smitten at the time. They were my favorite out of the new wave or punk era...whatever you consider them. Favorites include Dreaming, I'm an E, Poets Problem, Detroit 442, The Tide is High. The Platinum Blond box set is the best way to go.

old stuff is good, so is that new maria song

I was in my chair at the hair stylest and The Tide Is High came on. I suddenly found myself dancing on the floor, flickering the lights and dancing with the scissors.

Debbie Harry was is the best female punk ever. There music is often confused, people think it was pop or rock. It is punk. Debbie opened the punk doors wider. She also brought females more into the scene.

Blondie ROCKED.....she paved the way for a LOT of female recording artists. A truly unique woman with a great voice!