Blondie

Their English label did a little promotion and viola -- the singles "Denis" and "...Presence, Dear" were big hits in punk-mad U.K. Not a great album, but Blondie's signature sound is cemented in and strong tracks abound, including the lovely "Bermuda Triangle Blues." Bonus cuts include a great demo called "Once I Had a Love" -- world domination was just around the corner

If Plastic Letters were a movie, it would be an American International production. Grade B
all the way, its effect is blatant and immediate. For Blondie, garishness is next to godliness --
and, if the impact doesn't last, it's partly because listening to most of these songs is about as
predictably provocative as turning the pages of the National Enquirer. This album's
trashiness is a bit too studied, its mania a little too high-pitched. The tone of Deb... More >

Side one is everything this band is supposed to be--seven fresh, clever, evanescent songs, each with its own hip twist. Whether Deborah Harry is claiming that using telepathy to win at poker is "really not cheating" or executing a siren call for the electric age (the bell she imitates sounds like it belongs on a squad car), her vocals are on top and out front, a pop-rock delight. But side two bombs, except for "Kidnapper" and a couple of refrains, and the singing gets lost in the mud. Me, I'd buy it for side one. But I'm not sure about you. (Grade - B+)