Blondie From Punk to the Present:A Pictorial History
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by Allan Metz
Price: $35.00
Book Website: http://www.blondiebook.com
512 Pages, Paperback, 8.5 x 11
ISBN-10: 1-892477-23-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-892477-23-1
FIRST NEW BOOK ON DEBORAH HARRY AND BLONDIE IN OVER TWO DECADES.
The definitive book on Debbie Harry, Blondie, and the punk/new wave music scene which produced them.
"Will I like this book?" asked Deborah Harry, the still sultry lead singer of Blondie, when recently presented with an advance copy. She definitely will, and so will you!
Already being touted as the definitive work on its subject, Blondie, From Punk to the Present: A Pictorial History is the first new book on Deborah Harry and Blondie in over two decades and, as such, constitutes an entertaining and informative resource of lasting value by encompassing the more general subject of popular culture. More than three years in the making, this unique and distinctive 8 1/2" x 11" softbound book contains 512 pages of articles, essays, and photographs. The book is available for purchase on Amazon.com and through Blondie.net, the official Blondie website.
Blondie took the music world by storm in the late '70s and early '80s, and the influence of this band and its lead singer Deborah Harry is still being felt today and increasingly recognized with the passage of time. Blondie reunited in the late 1990s and subsequently released the albums No Exit (1999) and The Curse of Blondie (2003). And we all await with anticipation as to what Blondie holds in store for us in the future.
New York City-based Blondie was formed in 1974, honing its musical skills at the famous punk rock club, CBGBs, and eventually emerging on top of the new wave scene and then crossing over to the pop music mainstream. Their self-titled first album, Blondie, reflected a punk ethos and 1960s girl group sensibilities or, the Ramones meets the Ronettes, as one music critic opined. Blondie made six albums from 1976 to 1982, the most successful being Parallel Lines, considered by many music critics to be one of the best rock albums of all time. Within this time span, from the late seventies to the early eighties, Blondie constituted a major force on the rock/pop scene, producing a string of hit singles internationally. The most well-known of these singles are the reggae-inspired "The Tide Is High," the rap song "Rapture," and the disco-flavored "Heart of Glass" and "Call Me." More recently, in 1999, the single, "Maria," debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, making this song the sixth number one single for the group there. With this hit single, Blondie reached yet another milestone–the first band to have had a number one single in each of the last three decades in the United Kingdom. And the new album, The Curse of Blondie, and its first single "Good Boys" build on that success. So Blondie continues to make music history and the band's legacy grows. The members of Blondie are true pioneers in every sense of the word.
This comprehensive compendium is more than the usual anthology since it contains essays from such well-known insiders as Chris Stein, Blondie's co-creator, and Victor Bockris, respected music journalist and critic.
The text is divided into chronological sections covering the early days of Blondie, punk rock and new wave music a quarter of a century ago, through Deborah Harry's solo career, the band's reunion, and into the new millennium.
In addition to the comprehensive text, the book is about one-fifth photographic content, and is divided into three sections covering the band's early years, Debbie's solo period, and the band's reunion.
The large photo sections present the fine work of such internationally acclaimed rock photographers and photo documentarians as Roberta Bayley, Bob Gruen, Stephanie Chernikowski, Marcia Resnick, Tina Paul, Mick Rock, Ebet Roberts, Joe Ryan, Pete Still, Mike Morton, Sylvie Ball, Teresa Hale, and many more.
The volume is rounded out by a series of selections in an Appendices section, an extensive Bibliography, and seven indexes.
About The Author
Allan Metz is a librarian at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. Also co-editor of The Madonna Companion (Schirmer, 1999)
Reviews
...very well done, obviously the most comprehensive collection of Blondie material in existence. It's very professional and should find a home with every fan. I ran into [Blondie drummer] Clem Burke..., and he said he was very pleased with it. It should do well...
- Gary Valentine, original Blondie bassist, and author of New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation with Blondie, Iggy Pop and Others, 1974-1981. His new cd is 'Tomorrow Belongs to You'.
...a fabulous new book...a wonderful look at the history of the punk movement in the US and in the UK...To me, as a reader, the best thing about this book is all the inside history on the punk movement you won't find anywhere else. If you were a lover of the Ramones, New York Dolls, even the Sex Pistols, this is a must have! I'm sure you'll be fascinated by every page.
- Dusty Street, DJ 102.7 FM Las Vegas
...an ambitious book...appeals to a diverse audience. Whether you're interested in the history of popular music or popular culture or are a long-time Blondie fan, you'll find something about this book that appeals to you.
- Krista May, Alternative Music Press
...an enormously broad and comprehensive...chronicle...a very, very impressive and inspiring collection of work here. Extremely well researched and compiled...
- Marco, No Front Teeth Webzine
As an historical document this volume is an incredible read...if you're a fan of contemporary music then you'd be hard pushed to find a better document of thirty years of pop culture.
- Richard Evans, Remember the Eighties
The opening history of the New York Punk scene is fascinating stuff. I was enthralled, and read the entire first section in one sitting...
- Charles Tatum, eFilmCritic
The first section entitled 'Background' is so teeming with facts and contemporary examination of the roots of New York punk that one cannot help but come away feeling like something of an expert.
- Erick Mertz, Cosmik Debris
...the contents are fascinating...the photo sections are the real draw here, many of them rare or previously unseen...
- Ian Glasper, Record Collector
...a good read for any fan of pop culture.
- Kastle, Coolgrrrls
...insightful writings about punk...Blondie in punk rock context...important...informative tool for the study of punk rock music.
- Jeff Muendel, Associate Editor, Maximum Ink Magazine
...much more than a hearty bible of the band, it's an encyclopedia of first-person accounts of the scene that brought us Blondie and the power behind Debbie Harry...
- Ruby World, Glittergrrrls
...looks set to become the definitive book on the NY band.
- 3 A.M. Magazine
This larger-than-life book covers the span of Blondie's larger-than-life career and features scores of interviews, articles, photographs and album reviews. It's also really, really big.
- Chart Magazine
Wow! Beautiful 512 page 'labour of love' book about the gorgeous Debbie Harry and the boys. Tons of unseen photos, interviews, profiles, discography, live and album reviews, etc. Excellent book that this description does not do justice. Really cool.
- Bomp Books
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