One of the hardest things to achieve in modern music is (almost) perfect pop, and Debbie Harry and Blondie almost always got close to that perfection.
Now after a number of delays, Harry and the band are coming up with a gigantic box set titled Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982. The set includes 124 tracks – 36 of which are previously unissued – as well as two volumes of liner notes (by British monthly’s Uncut contributor Erin Osmon), track by track commentary, an illustrated discography, and dozens of previously unpublished photos. The music has been remastered from the original analog tapes, vinyl cut at London’s Abbey Road Studios.
It’s available on Deluxe 4-LP, Deluxe 8-CD, and 3-CD Editions as well as a Super Deluxe Collectors’ Edition (10xLP, 1×7”, 1×10” in Red, White, and Black vinyl formats).
The box features their first six studio albums – Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat, Autoamerican, The Hunter – as well as demos (including the group’s first-ever recording session), alternate versions, and studio outtakes.
Commenting on the box set, Debbie Harry said the following: “It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment. Fortunately, the essence of being in a band in the early ’70s held some of the anti-social, counter culture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the ’60s. I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music.”
