Greatest Hits [Capitol]

by Blondie

Overview

If you consulted a Blondie discography in the fall of 2002, you would see a slew of compilations listed, and you might wonder why a new Greatest Hits was needed. But a closer examination would reveal that there really is a niche into which such a collection would fall: that of a full-priced, single-disc, CD-era hits compilation covering the band's entire career. Although still in print, The Best of Blondie is a 12-track release from the LP era, first issued back in 1981 in between Blondie's fifth and sixth regular albums. 1988's Once More Into the Bleach combines Blondie and Debbie Harry solo tracks. 1993's Blonde & Beyond is a rarities set. 1994's The Platinum Collection fills two CDs and is thus pricey. 1995's The Remix Project contains remixes. There have also been short, discount-priced collections and overseas compilations, but the niche remains -- and Greatest Hits fills it. It contains among its 19 tracks all ten of the band's U.S. chart singles as well as their major U.K. hits that did not chart in America. "X Offender," Blondie's 1976 debut single, is included, and so is "Maria," their 1999 comeback hit. By sequencing the album out of chronological order, the compilers emphasize the band's eclecticism. You don't get to hear Blondie's evolution from their early bubblegum punk style into the efficient power pop of the Mike Chapman productions and on into ersatz disco, rap, and Caribbean music; everything is all mixed up. The tropical 1980-1981 hit "The Tide Is High," for example, is followed by the belligerent "X Offender" from four years earlier, and the tough-talking "Rip Her to Shreds" gives way to the early hip-hop of "Rapture." Chronological order would have been better, but the hits are all here. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	10/01/2002
Label:	Chrysalis Records / Capitol / Emi Music Distribution
UPC:	0724354206825
Rank:	4894

Tracks

1. Dreaming
2. Call Me
3. One Way or Another
4. Heart of Glass
5. The Tide Is High
6. X Offender
7. Hanging on the Telephone
8. Rip Her to Shreds
9. Rapture
10. Atomic
11. Picture This
12. In the Flesh
13. Denis
14. (I'm Always Touched by Your) Prescence, Dear
15. Union City Blue
16. The Hardest Part
17. Island of Lost Souls
18. Sunday Girl
19. Maria

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Blondie   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Robert Roth   Photography
Bob Gruen   Photography
Michelle Azzopardi   Art Direction
Howard Barrett   Composer
Brendan Gormley   Editorial Supervision
Robert Fisher   Design
John Holt   Composer
Duncan Raban   Photography
Fin Costello   Photography
Howard Anthony Barrett   Composer
Lance Whitaker   Producer
Jonathan Postal   Cover Photo
Adrian Boot   Photography
Ebet Roberts   Photography
Jack Lee   Composer
Pieter Mazel   Photography
Armando Gallo   Photography
Debbie Harry   Composer
Tyrone Evans   Composer
Shannon Ward   Producer
Chris Stein   Composer
Kevin Flaherty   Producer
Jimmy Destri   Composer
Nigel Harrison   Composer
Bryan Kelley   Producer
Giorgio Moroder   Composer
Kevin Bartley   Mastering
Gary Valentine   Composer
Richard Gottehrer   Producer
Neil Levenson   Composer
Mike Chapman   Producer
Kenny Nemes   Project Manager
Lawrence Zubia   Composer