Customer Rating:  
Summary: Blondie's Parallel Lines Still Rocks!!!
Comment: It's hard to believe that it has been 30 years since Blondie released "Parallel Lines", an album that while it wasn't the bands first, was one that definitely secured them a place in music history for the decades to follow. The main tune on the release as many well know is "Heart Of Glass" and this became a radio staple and has even been referred to as one of the best song's ever written by Blender magazine. Of course growing up on your more conventional Hard Rock and Punk of the time, I preferred the album's other offerings such as "One Way Or Another" and "Hanging On The Telephone" for they were more in line with the tempo and styles that I was finding myself into. "Sunday Girl" was another winner, and getting the chance to enjoy them on a new remastered edition of the album was fantastic. During their heyday, I always found myself enjoying some of the musical adventures that guitarist Chris Stein and the stunning Debbie Harry were up to, and I even remember that I used to try and slam out the drumming that Clem Burke used to do for the numbers I referenced earlier. The whole release includes an insightful liner notes booklet and there is commentary from Stein and Harry who explain their thoughts of the time on the album's creation. If you are someone who still has an old musty vinyl sitting around, now is your chance to upgrade and hear these tunes with the memory of how important to you they once were, and probably still are. Congratulations on the anniversary, it's great to realize that a New York band like your own had the staying power and that your music still sounds fresh when compared to the current scene.
DVD: "Picture This" (promo video), "Hanging On The Telephone" (promo video), "Heart Of Glass" (promo video), "Sunday Girl" (BBC TV "Top Of The Pops") - previously unreleased.
*** The DVD delivers the band's promotional videos for the songs and older fans will remember these films from the early days of MTV where they were all in constant rotation. There is also the bands appearance on the BBC program "Top Of The Pops" and that was an awesome inclusion since while a lot of footage like this exists, we so rarely get a chance to enjoy it. Lucky for us, Blondie decided to add their clip to the release.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Still the BEST
Comment: This album is still as fresh as it was 30 years ago! There is no better band around. Blondie ROCKS!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: I was very excited about seeing a 30th anniversary release of this landmark album, but was disappointed to see that it still contains the boring disco version instead of the original version of "Heart Of Glass". I would've rather seen the original version and the disco version as a bonus track of Heart Of Glass like it was done on the Gold Disc released in '94, which I'm lucky to own.
I loved the alternate shots of the Parallel Lines photo sessions, wish they had included more though, and wish they had included lyrics, more liner notes, and better packaging, after all this is supposed to be a "Deluxe Edition"?
The DVD is nice, but should've included more video footage, it falls short.
Customer Rating:
Summary: THEY DEFINITIVE NEW WAVE ALBUM
Comment: This release is an celebration of the 30th year since "Parallel Lines' was released. Without a doubt, the definitive New Wave-Punk album of all time. The album spent 2 years both on the British and American charts, and sold to date over 20 million copies, making this album one of the top 50 biggest selling albums all time. Pure perfection is the best way to describe Parallel Lines, chalk full of rocks finest 3 minute songs. The mega #1 smash Heart of Glass was a major crossover hit, incorporating rock-new wave with disco, the driving beat of One Way or Another is another rock classic. Other notable songs or hits are "Picture this, Pretty Baby, Hanging on the Telephone and Sunday Girl". Sunday Girl was a british #1 in August 1979 and was the 5th biggest hit of the year in the Uk.
Rolling Stone Magazine rates this album the #140th of the all time Top 500 albums EVER RELEASED.....
The album is perfect, however a few people have complained about the re-release, like I mentioned before this was a celebration release, where as the 2001 release was a digital re-release with bonus live material, where as this current release has 4 videos and some remix material, and unlike a previous review, I have way too much admiration and respect for the artist to simply download material from the net for free as they put it. I support my favourite artists and there hard earned work to rip them off, we're called fans.
Although I wasn't pleased with the remix choices, this album is current with the latest technology and sounds awesome, so ignore the bad reviews, Parallel Lines could never be a bad purchase!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: How many times can they re-release this album?
Comment: My gosh, how many time are they going to re-release this album? It is a good album but except for the bonus tracks it's an exact copy of the version that was released in 2001. I was hoping this version contained the original version of "Heart of Glass" rather than the disco version. The original version is on older cds of "Parallel Lines" but the sound quality is a little weak. As far as the videos go, most if not all of them can be downloaded for free off the internet.
|
