Hanging On A Frequency

Exactly nine months ago, on Monday 8th August 2022, I posted about Blondie. I didn't know that when I first planned another Blondie selection for today, though it seems that it was meant to be so who am I to argue?

Last time around, I wrote about the incredible experience of seeing Blondie live in concert during a visit to New York on 8th August 1999 (that was a Sunday, but what the heck). My 17-song selection mirrored the setlist and, though it was quite heavy on then-current album No Exit, I was struck by how many great songs Blondie had to leave out so packed with classics the gig was.

This time around, I've gone for a 14-track, (nearly) 45-minute selection of deeper cuts and a few singles that didn't make the 1999 setlist. I've bravely/rashly included songs from all of the albums from Blondie's first wave, from 1976's self-titled debut up to 1982's The Hunter. Perhaps inevitably, Parallel Lines gets the most songs in. 

I previously mentioned that The Vinyl Villain ran a couple of Imaginary Compilation Albums for Blondie in (naturally) parallel back in 2018. I didn't go back to them until after choosing my selection and noted that JC's and Walter's choices had overlapped on three songs. In the Venn Diagram of our three selections, the common song - and my choice of opener - is 11:59. 

 

I've also managed to inadvertently synch with Echorich, another friend of TVV and this blog, who commented in 2018 that he couldn't choose between 11:59 and Picture This - neither could I! Picture This closes out this selection - by sheer coincidence, mirroring Echorich's own suggested ICA. 

 

Of course, my selection wouldn't pass muster as an Imaginary Compilation Album as I haven't observed the 10-song/two vinyl sides rule. However, some just couldn't be cut either because I like the song so much or they just flowed naturally from what comes before/after. 

 

Sound-A-Sleep is a good example of the latter: not an obvious choice perhaps but pairs so well (I think) with In The Flesh. Rifle Range is the former: I had the 7" of Heart Of Glass so fell in love with this song long before I knew that it dated from 1976 and their eponymous album.

As with the 1999 setlist, today's selection isn't a 'best of' in the sense of back-to-back hits, though I think it does show that when Blondie were good, they were unbeatable.

 

1) 11:59 (1978)

2) Go Through It (1980)

3) Sunday Girl (Album Version) (1978)

4) Angels On The Balcony (1980)

5) English Boys (1982)

6) Just Go Away (1978)

7) Sound-A-Sleep (1979)

8) In The Flesh (Special Mix) (1981)

9) Living In The Real World (1979) 

10) Fan Mail (1977)

11) Rifle Range (Album Version) (1976)

12) Scenery (1976)

13) Man Overboard (1976)

14) Picture This (1978)

 

1976: Blondie: 11, 13

1977: Plastic Letters: 10, 12

1978: Parallel Lines: 1, 3, 6, 14

1979: Eat To The Beat: 7, 9

1980: Autoamerican: 2, 4

1981: The Best Of Blondie: 8

1982: The Hunter: 5

Hanging On A Frequency (44:46) (Box) (Mega)

 

You can find my previous Blondie selection here