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Parallel Lines

 
Album Review: Parallel Lines
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Parallel Lines

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  • Artist: Blondie
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1978 09
  • Total Time: 38:11
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Blondie turned to British pop producer Mike Chapman for their third album, on which they abandoned any pretensions to new wave legitimacy (just in time, given the decline of the new wave) and emerged as a pure pop band. But it wasn't just Chapman that made Parallel Lines Blondie's best album; it was the band's own songwriting, including Deborah Harry, Chris Stein, and James Destri's "Picture This," and Harry and Stein's "Heart of Glass," and Harry and new bass player Nigel Harrison's "One Way or Another," plus two contributions from nonbandmember Jack Lee, "Will Anything Happen?" and "Hanging on the Telephone." That was enough to give Blondie a number one on both sides of the Atlantic with "Heart of Glass" and three more U.K. hits, but what impresses is the album's depth and consistency -- album tracks like "Fade Away and Radiate" and "Just Go Away" are as impressive as the songs pulled for singles. The result is state-of-the-art pop/rock circa 1978, with Harry's tough-girl glamour setting the pattern that would be exploited over the next decade by a host of successors led by Madonna. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Hanging on the Telephone (Lyrics) Jack Lee Blondie (2:17)
One Way or Another (Lyrics) Nigel Harrison, Debbie Harry Blondie (3:31)
Picture This (Lyrics) Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri, Debbie Harry Blondie (2:53)
Fade Away and Radiate (Lyrics) Chris Stein Blondie (3:57)
Pretty Baby Debbie Harry, Chris Stein Blondie (3:16)
I Know But I Don't Know (Lyrics) Frank Infante Blondie (3:53)
11:59 Jimmy Destri Blondie (3:19)
Will Anything Happen? (Lyrics) Jack Lee Blondie (2:55)
Sunday Girl (Lyrics) Chris Stein Blondie (3:01)
Heart of Glass (Lyrics) Debbie Harry, Chris Stein Blondie (3:45)
Gonna Love You Too Norman Petty, Niki Sullivan, Joe Mauldin Blondie (2:03)
Just Go Away Debbie Harry Blondie (3:21)

Credits

Edo Goddard (Photography), Nigel Harrison (Bass), Jimmy Destri (Keyboards), Ramey Communications (Cover Design), Chris Stein (Guitar), Chris Stein (E-Bow), Debbie Harry (Vocals), Martyn Goddard (Photography), Clem Burke (Drums), Chris Stein (Guitar (12 String)), Dale Powers (Vocals), Frank Infante (Guitar), Frank Infante (Bass), Robert Fripp (Guitar), Mike Chapman (Producer)
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Wikipedia: Parallel Lines
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Parallel Lines
Studio album by Blondie
Released September 1978
Recorded June–July 1978 at Record Plant, New York
Genre New Wave
Length 38:11
Label Chrysalis (CHR 1192)
Producer Mike Chapman
Professional reviews
Blondie chronology
Plastic Letters
(1977)		 Parallel Lines
(1978)		 Eat to the Beat
(1979)

Parallel Lines is the third studio album by American New Wave band Blondie, released in 1978 on Chrysalis records. Their most popular and best selling effort, Parallel Lines was the first Blondie album to be produced by Mike Chapman. The album reached number one in the United Kingdom in February 1979. It contains several of the best-known Blondie hits, including "Heart of Glass", "Hanging on the Telephone", "Sunday Girl" and "One Way or Another". Six of the twelve tracks were issued as singles, either in the U.S. or the UK. Parallel Lines is ranked at number 140 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[1], the 18th Greatest Album of All-Time by NME in 2003[2], and the 7th Greatest American Album of All-Time by Blender Magazine. [3] Parallel Lines sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

Contents

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Hanging on the Telephone" (Jack Lee) – 2:17
  2. "One Way or Another" (Nigel Harrison, Deborah Harry) – 3:31
  3. "Picture This" (Jimmy Destri, Harry, Chris Stein) – 2:53
  4. "Fade Away and Radiate" (Stein) – 3:57
  5. "Pretty Baby" (Harry, Stein) – 3:16
  6. "I Know But I Don't Know" (Frank Infante) – 3:53

Side two

  1. "11:59" (Destri) – 3:19
  2. "Will Anything Happen?" (Lee) – 2:55
  3. "Sunday Girl" (Stein) – 3:01
  4. "Heart of Glass" (Harry, Stein) – 3:54 *
  5. "I'm Gonna Love You Too" (Joe B. Mauldin, Norman Petty, Niki Sullivan) – 2:03
  6. "Just Go Away" (Harry) – 3:21

* Replaced with "Heart of Glass" (Disco Version) – 5:50 in March 1979.

2001 reissue bonus tracks

  1. "Once I Had a Love (a.k.a. The Disco Song)" [1978 demo] (Harry, Stein) – 3:18
  2. "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" (live) (Marc Bolan) – 5:30
  3. "I Know But I Don't Know" (live) (Infante) – 4:35
  4. "Hanging on the Telephone" (live) (Lee) – 2:21

30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition bonus tracks

  1. "Heart of Glass" (7 inch Single Version)
  2. "Sunday Girl" (French Version)
  3. "Hanging on the Telephone" (Nosebleed Handbag Remix)
  4. "Fade Away and Radiate" (108 BPM Remix)

Parallel Lines song

In the liner notes for the Parallel Lines vinyl album, there are lyrics listed for a Parallel Lines song, though no such song exists on the album. The lyrics, written by Debbie Harry, are:

The lines I have written that you read between
 The lines on the pages
 The lines on the screen
 Of lines spoken - I say what I mean.
 It's parallel lines that will never meet

Ship in the desert
 Ships in the night
 Ships that pass in the night

Evangeline stream - Evangeline's dream,
 It's parallel lines that will never meet.

Personnel

Chart positions

Year Country Position
1978 United Kingdom #1
Australia #2
United States #6
Sweden #9
Norway #16
Austria #24
2004 United Kingdom #60

See also

References

  1. ^ Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
  2. ^ 2003 NME 's 100 Best Albums Of All Time - All Time Top 100 Albums
  3. ^ 100 Greatest American Album of All-Time Link
Preceded by
Action Replay by Various artists		 UK Albums Chart number one album
17 February 1979 - 10 March 1979		 Succeeded by
Spirits Having Flown by Bee Gees
Preceded by
Saturday Night Fever by Bee Gees		 UK Albums Chart biggest selling album of the year
1979		 Succeeded by
Super Trouper by ABBA
v • d • e
Blondie
Clem Burke · Jimmy Destri · Debbie Harry · Chris Stein
Paul Carbonara · Leigh Foxx · Nigel Harrison · Frank Infante · Matt Katz-Bohen · Gary Valentine
Studio albums
Compilations
Live albums
Singles
Remixes
Related articles

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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