Blondie Split Up in 1982 without Official Notice

Do you believe that, given the travesty of the 'Ghosts' release this year, that they - Debbie Harry & Chris Stein - should Rest the idea of 'BLONDIE' from now on?
Clem Burke is doing his own thing - and wouldn't, I believe, have a say in such a question.........

The concept of Ghosts (behind the Greatest Rerecorded Hits) is the nadir of the whole story In my opinion

 

I have little interest in anything they did after Auto American, although I would like to get The Hunter on vinyl. Maria was ok, but I could live without it.

 

I walked after Call Me.

Sorry, but I've found all the reunion efforts to be nothing more than your stereotypical "faded rock star trying to relive lost glories" schtick (the pathetic onstage spectacle at the Rock Hall of Fame induction didn't help matters much, either).

 

I thought Ghosts was their best album since Tunnel of Love?
(It's a bad joke.)

Seriously, I read good things about Ghosts being their best album in many years, and I liked the samples from amazon and plan to get around to it.

 

Any band/artist has the right to continue as long as they want or see fit. It's their occupation- it's what they do.
If you're not interested in Blondie now, don't buy their records or see them live. Simple as that. I haven't been interested in Blondie for some time now. So I don't bother. But I think as long as they want to work, let 'em work!

 

Right on. I've liked a number of tracks from No Exit, Curse, Panic and Ghosts. I'm very glad those albums exist and that I was able to see them live.

 

I thought Maria was a great "come back" single.....one of my favorite Blondie tunes!

 

Agree. It had all the hallmarks of a great Blondie cut and they pulled it off extremely well, and looked like they really enjoyed it. Maybe that enjoyment didn't last and some of the old crap that pulled them apart crept back in shortly after, but for that moment they nailed what what was/is/should be....

 

I loved The Curse of Blondie, but the record sadly stiffed. I thought it was a lot more fun than No Exit, which was alright but overlong.

 

I saw them a year ago and Debbie is still an amazing singer. She had 4000 people in the palm of her hand, it was crazy. Chris Stein played the same chords for 2 hours though but the band was young and hip. It was a surprisingly fun experience.

 

I didn't means that they shouldn't preform / work - just that the Blondie name is being used for some quite dubious things now. When I saw the sleeve art for that latest release I couldn't believe, that an old image, of just Deborah Harry, was deemed appropriate for what was in fact - on paper - 10th album by a group with quite an impressive legacy,
The fact that it sounds like some random Harry solo project aside, how could a Blondie album be released that actually looks tackier than dozens of cheap supermarket type compilations that have appeared over the years?

 

That should be 'perform' of course.......ahem

Heard 'Please Please Me' the other day and I did get that little 'lift' hearing Debbie's vocal on that one - but that's a flash in the bigger pan............!

 

It's their band, so they can partially reform if they want to, but I haven't paid attention to any of the reunion stuff. I did read Gary Valentine's book, though.

 

What exactly was such a "travesty" about Ghosts Of Download? Other than the version of Frankie's "Relax", that is...didn't like that one AT ALL. Other than that, it was a really solid album, their best in quite a while.

(I really haven't listened to the greatest hits companion disc, if that's the part you're upset about. But the Ghosts portion is just fine, and I'm glad they're still making new music after all these years.)

 

The whole point that they have made new music since their reformation in 1997 is proof they aren't trying to cash in on old glories. Their comeback single was #1. The album was top 20. While the curse of blondie didn't fare as well, the album suffered from several circumstances and sadly it affected the album. Panic of Girls was okay was all over the place. Ghosts of Download really is a gray contemporary sounding album with many tracks able to be played on radio today.
Blondie is 100% original and don't sample or borrow **** from others.

 

I am glad you are enjoying Blondie's 2014 album - it's all down to personal choice / preference - and I just wanted to put my point out to a wider audience - well wider than a dedicated forum

I just got 'Autoamerican' music book from 1981 - interesting photos of Blondie inside - just the type of shots you would expect from a definitive rerelease booklet really!

 

that's really cool. i would love to see those sheet music books for their albums. There not that many photos pf the band from the Autoamerican era.

 

I havent heard Ghosts but I have all the others.

About a year ago I decided that all I knew about Blondie were the big hits, and I went out and got all the albums, new and old. The older ones sort of mystified me. The singles were fantastic, and each album contained some other good things, but, half of each album didnt seem all that great. Except maybe for Parallel Lines. Each of the other older albums had several tracks I never really cared to hear again. The Hunter, most of it was like that.

BUT the newer albums, all held my attention longer. Each received a good many plays in my car stereo. They somehow seemed more consistently good.

Am I alone in this?

There was a Blondie documentary I watched on Netflix. Clem Burke was funny, going on and on about Keith Moons drumming style and how it influenced him. Then they cut to Harry and she frowns and says, "Keith Moon sucks".

I guess that says it all.

 

Blondie did split up in 1982, due to Chris Stein's illness as much as anything else.

I thought Panic of Girls was surprisingly good, the closest thing to a vintage Blondie album since the reunion (especially since their best writer Jimmy Destri is gone). From what I hear the new album is basically Debbie singing over a bunch of programmed tracks, which ain't Blondie to me.

 

I really like Curse of Blondie as well. I have fond memories of cranking it up while doing house reno's a few years ago.

 

Straight in St No.1 in Britain - no mean feat for an 'oldies' act.

 

My 'at odds' stance with the Blondie Fans at blondieforum: I jested more than once that they were a small band of 'die hards' - well there must have been something in that. The site - that could only muster 13/14 messages about Deborah Harry's Birthday in the last couple of years - has completely disappeared. (!)

 

Like with the vast majority of Blondie fans, I think there is nothing worth buying after Autoamerican.

 

I've loved all the newer albums, except the re-recorded hits part of Ghost, but I understand why they put it out. Rapture is truly horrible on it and I wish it had been left off for another track. I finally got Deb's Necessary Evil disc this week and found some great tracks there too. I'm glad they still carry on as Blondie no matter who is part of the band, as long as Debbie and Chris are present.
I need to get the vinyl box but I wish the original Best Of had been reissued with it. The single mixes on there, the exclusive cut of Rapture that bests the AutoAmerican version, and Call Me.. all essential and missing from the box. At the very least they should have thrown in a 7" of Call Me. And hopefully they'll get around to putting No Exit, Curse, and maybe even Necessary Evil on vinyl someday.

 

No Exit is a great album, and the rest since reforming all have good moments. They tour a good bit, the crowds seem to have fun. I don't see a problem. The only thing I'd like to see is Jimmy Destri with them again, but other than that, have at it .You wish you could be as cool as Debbie at her age. Long live Blondie. Oh yeah, reissue No Exit on vinyl.