Blondie - Parallel Lines: C/D?

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I just realized that this is far and away my favourite of the 70s CBGB's records I've heard.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 2 December 2002 06:16 (10 years ago) Permalink

It's the first lp I ever bought with my own money. It's still one of my all-time favorite records. Gorgeous. Perfect. Classic. Cool fashion sense. Pretty good singer, too.

― Sean (Sean), Monday, 2 December 2002 06:22 (10 years ago) Permalink

I kinda prefer the greatest hits or the debut, and even like Eat to the Beat better, in small doses. For some reason the non-singles except for "Fade Away and Radiate" never did anything for me. But I'm still not going to say dud, since the cover looks so cool.

― V or maybe Vee, Monday, 2 December 2002 08:47 (10 years ago) Permalink

Classic with reservations - the last two tracks are weak (Gonna Love You Too + Just Go Away)and it lacks the absolute highs of the two previous albums and Eat to The Beat. My favorites are 11.59, Pretty Baby and Sunday Girl.

There's nothing as good as X Offender, In The Flesh, Rip Her To Shreds, Out In The Streets, Fan Club, Scenery,I'm Always Touched By Your Presence, Dreaming, Union City Blue, or Atomic on there.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 2 December 2002 09:15 (10 years ago) Permalink

reading Please Kill Me, i found it so funny the way that blondie were viewed as the runt of the cbgb's litter, and television used to beat up on them and steal their bassists and stuff, but in the end, it was blondie that had the most long lasting success and widespread appeal. new yorkers are stupid. mwah hah hah.

― kate, Monday, 2 December 2002 09:29 (10 years ago) Permalink

their best record by miles. still holds up pretty damn well to these ears. would be perfect but for the final track ('just go away') but 11 out of 12's a decent strike rate by any measure.

― angelo (angelo), Monday, 2 December 2002 13:08 (10 years ago) Permalink

"i know a girl from a lonely street/cool as ice cream and still as sweet" is the most perfect opening couplets to a pop song ever.

the only thing that bugs me about parallel lines are those ugly green mesh and canvas boots that she's lacing up on the back cover.

debbie, debbie, debbie... it's so unlike you to pick unflattering footwear.

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Monday, 2 December 2002 14:09 (10 years ago) Permalink

Gonna Love You Too weak? Never!

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 2 December 2002 14:57 (10 years ago) Permalink

I listened to this for the first time in, gosh, about 20 years when the remastered CD came out. It sounded way different than I remembered, because all the deadpan chick-fronted guitar-pop bands since Blondie - from the Primitives to Slumber Party - have really spun off from just one aspect of their sound. I was conditioned to hear Parallel Lines that way, but everything was more varied and modulated. Deborah Harry's singing was so demonstrative, it's like she's in a Broadway revue. Each song is a different little character portrait. The drumming was a lot less metronomic than my ears have become accustomed to.

― Curt (cgould), Monday, 2 December 2002 16:44 (10 years ago) Permalink

slumber party are HARDLY a "chick fronted guitar-pop band" thank you very kindly. grrrrrrr.

one of the things that i always loved most about blondie was their genre-slut style-hopping. blondie albums were like mini-musicals, really. i believe that was quite deliberate.

― kate, Monday, 2 December 2002 16:54 (10 years ago) Permalink

I think about Slumber Party in all the wrong ways because I can't get past their name's suggestion of pajama sleepovers and pillow fights. I do recall, however, that Blondie was an actual band and not just the chick singer's name.

― Curt (cgould), Monday, 2 December 2002 19:48 (10 years ago) Permalink

classic all the way and not just for nostalgic reasons. 11.59 should have been the 5th single - momentus. 'pretty baby' is a bit weak though.

the much maligned 'eat to the beat' is a mighty fine lp too. i think 'shayla' is my fave blondie song, ever.

― stirmonster, Monday, 2 December 2002 21:10 (10 years ago) Permalink

I like Blondie all the way through the fifth album - "Parallel Lines" is great but the first one doesn't have a weak moment on it.

― J0hn Darn13ll3 (J0hn Darn13ll3), Monday, 2 December 2002 21:24 (10 years ago) Permalink

curt-

1) have you actually HEARD slumber party? sleep, velvets tinged dronerock with very little to do with punky, perky new wave pop.

2) blondie = chick fronted band. slumber party = four chicks in band.

really mystified as to the comparison...

― kate, Monday, 2 December 2002 21:36 (10 years ago) Permalink

Kate, my post was about how my misperceptions had screwed up my memory of Blondie. I only mentioned Slumber Party to represent one EXTREME among the RANGE of bands that include guitars and deadpan female vocals. If there's any connection, it's indirect, like...

Blondie --> Primitives/JAMC --> Mazzy Star --> Slumber Party

― Curt (cgould), Monday, 2 December 2002 22:23 (10 years ago) Permalink

"new yorkers are stupid. mwah hah hah."

Bite me.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 2 December 2002 22:28 (10 years ago) Permalink

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 3 December 2002 00:16 (10 years ago) Permalink

got Fripp ? Classic

― bahtology, Tuesday, 3 December 2002 01:42 (10 years ago) Permalink

8 years pass...

This is great if you're a studio geek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2K4zdG0QfOA

― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 10 November 2011 02:36 (1 year ago) Permalink

Blondie: Parallel Lines Poll

― Bee OK, Thursday, 10 November 2011 07:21 (1 year ago) Permalink

bump for the morning crew:

This is great if you're a studio geek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2K4zdG0QfOA

― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, November 9, 2011 6:36 PM (Yesterday)

― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 10 November 2011 16:27 (1 year ago) Permalink

11 months pass...

My thoughts: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/blondie-parallel-lines.html

― Here he is with the classic "Poème Électronique." Good track (Marcello Carlin), Saturday, 20 October 2012 17:55 (7 months ago) Permalink

excellent, though i fervently disagree with you about the weaknesses of "11.59".

― stirmonster, Saturday, 20 October 2012 18:11 (7 months ago) Permalink

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