Excellent introduction to a great band. Try to get this on vinyl!

Stylish, confident and oh-so-sexy/sexual - Debbie Harry was probably the first Rock Diva that I responded to and followed fervently. Not that I think she was overtly sexual, but she definitely knew secrets that I desperately wanted to know hidden behind her alluring looks and sultry class. Even in her punk years, she had that… class. A Queen. It is no wonder or surprise that she stood above her peers at that time. Chrysalis’s 1981 release ‘The Best Of Blondie’ (CHR 1337) is pretty much exactly that: the best and most commercially successful of the band’s output from 1976 to 1980 (with just a couple of personal faves omitted from their punk years, but that is a small quibble). The best songs on here are those that are now, or should be, etched in our pop culture conscious: ‘Heart Of Glass’, ‘Rapture’, ‘One Way Or Another’ and the song that still knocks me out - ‘Call Me’ (Theme From American Gigolo). With those two songs: ‘Heart Of Glass’ and ‘Call Me’ being enough to solidify Blondie’s impact on popular music just for the fact that either song embodies a certain time, a certain place and a certain feeling. I cannot hear either song with a strong sense of nostalgia coming over me in waves wallowing in its excess. The whole album shows the confidence that Debbie Harry has from punk to disco, from reggae to sixties girl-pop. The two big rediscoveries for me on this album are ‘Atomic’ and especially ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ which is like a hidden jewel in the New Wave movement that wouldn’t sound out of place now. Highly recommended and I highly urge anyone reading this to rediscover this seminal and important band of the late 70’s and 80’s. Although this a great place to start, do not stop here - there are more great songs just waiting for you in her discography. Five stars. Out of five, no less!Read full review