OH, YOUR POLL IS BEAUTIFUL - ILM Artist Poll #83 - BLONDIE - RESULTS THREAD

Thanks to everyone who voted!

Only 18 ballots, 11 of which included albums, so let's start there:

fuck, how did i miss this?

http://i.imgur.com/1wjTMXr.jpg
05. Autoamerican (November 1980)
10 votes | 0 #1 votes | 284 points

Love the sequencing of this album, opening with "Europa" and closing with "Follow Me."

but not the songs, I trust.

Those two songs, or all of them? Because I really do unabashedly love the whole record.

oh wow -- that's amazing. I know no one who does!

Why I love ILM, by the way.

http://i.imgur.com/Ljhpn9Z.jpg
04. Plastic Letters (February 1978)
9 votes | 1 #1 vote | 295 points

I worked at an unhip chain record store in 1981, the year of Billy Squier, Foreigner 4 and Loverboy's Get Lucky, so it was a welcome antidote. I had been into Blondie since their first album; the Go-Go's Beauty and the Beat had that punky pop buzz I was looking for, but I was also getting into Bucks Fizz and Teena Marie, and Autoamerican seemed to me like some strange mashup of both. Other weird records I played a lot that year, fwiw: Ellen Foley's Spirit of St. Louis, and Manhattan Transfer's Mecca for Moderns. xp

http://i.imgur.com/y2KnXGA.jpg
03. Blondie (December 1976)
10 votes | 1 #1 vote | 320 points

My #1 vote!

I'm at work and super busy but glad to see this thing get started

Interesting to see Plastic Letters placing ahead of Autoamerica with one less vote. I did leave it off.

My #1 vote!

― smug dinner-jazz atrocity (Dan Peterson)

I had the first album at number one as well. Should that be two number votes Nate?

That #1 vote is from you, KP. Yours is the only ballot I received with Blondie as a number one album.

Dan, did you get an email from me thanking you for voting?

No, I didn't.

Oh bloody hell, I left one "l" out of your last name. No need to retabulate, I'm not that much of a poll dude anyway. I'll follow along vicariously.

Common mistake, people have been doing that my whole life.

http://i.imgur.com/CSry6LS.jpg
02. Parallel Lines (September 1978)
10 votes | 8 #1 votes | 389 points

NUMBER TWO????

my fault for not voting

on the albums poll, i mean

I've never really looked closely at the Autoamerican cover. What's up with the dude third from the right (I can't tell who it is in that tiny image)

http://i.imgur.com/D2K3KaH.jpg
01. Eat to the Beat (October 1979)
11 votes | 1 #1 vote | 394 points

lol 8 number one votes beaten out by 11 number 2 votes

So wrong

already regretting not voting in this one lol

Autoamerican cover. What's up with the dude third from the right

That's apparently Clem Burke, by the pudding bowl haircut. What's the question?

Why is he carrying a multicolored pole w a bandage on his head

Ah, third from left. Yeah, I dunno...

Oh yeah left sorry

Ha, okay... I wasn't expecting Eat to the Beat to top the albums poll... shit!

Yay! Eat to the Beat one of my first favorite albums -- when I was 4-5 years old <3
dreaming is free

^^ my #1 or #2 (if i'd voted). i'd love to hear the isolated drum track some day

same!!

can't believe i missed this. my dream(ing) poll! however, eat to the beat being no. 1 makes everything ok in the world.

not an isolated drum track, but pretty fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgh9bEUZUyM

skip to about 30 seconds for the goods

Kick off the songs quickly before bed.

http://i.imgur.com/NrCsET1.jpg

40. Look Good in Blue [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 47 points]
Blondie, Dec 1976

http://i.imgur.com/VJslhlE.jpg

39. Live It Up [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 50 points]
Autoamerican, Nov 1980

i made a collaborated playlist, please update during the countdown as i won't be able to until night.

Spotify: ILM Blondie

great job, so far, Nate. absolutely love the title.

Autoamerican is also one of the first albums i ever owned. it came out in Nov 1980? and i think i got it that Christmas.

Clem Burke is a monster.

so i'm very curious, who left Parallel Lines off their ballot? was it intentional or a mistake? their only perfect album.

happy to see Eat To The Beat at #1 even though I think I caved at the last minute. IMO the "lows" aren't quite as "low" as Parallel Lines.

I was the LP poll rigger, Bee OK (I did a top 1, rather than a top 5). Astonished that it worked tbh :)

lol, well that makes sense. thanks for playing along.

Images off to a great start. Looking forward to the rest of the rollout.

http://i.imgur.com/M3Ep7tr.jpg

38. Detroit 442 [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 54 points]
Plastic Letters, Feb 1978

http://i.imgur.com/RYtsm3x.jpg

37. Under the Gun [2 votes | 0 #1 votes | 54 points]
No Exit, Feb 1999

Burke and Harry are fabulous on "Under the Gun." She puts twenty year's of craft into pronouncing "California."

Beautiful song. And *high five* to Alfred for (I'm assuming) being the other voter.

Woo!

http://i.imgur.com/68kUXA3.jpg

36. I'm Gonna Love You Too [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 60 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

I didn't vote for this but not unhappy to see it. At first I was thinking I would only vote for Blondie-penned originals and not any covers, but then I realized leaving "Hanging On The Telephone" off would be complete madness.

http://i.imgur.com/aRHBCfm.jpg

35. Contact in Red Square [4 votes | 0 #1 votes | 64 points]
Plastic Letters, Feb 1978

contact in red square is so much fun...how many distinct musical hooks can they cram into a campy 2 minutes?

instrumental, rather than musical

http://i.imgur.com/spUdQf0.png

34. Living in the Real World [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 68 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

Interesting to see which minor cuts are making the bottom ranks. I didn't vote for any of these so far, but I love the rushing, Russian (see what I did there?) feel of "Contact in Red Square."

great album closer

iirc

http://i.imgur.com/lJW0QNm.png

33. Victor [4 votes | 0 #1 votes | 69 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

Really? My least favorite song on EttB.

http://i.imgur.com/jdGzK2F.png

32. Eat to the Beat [5 votes | 0 #1 votes | 75 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

yeah victor is usually a skip for me

eat to the beat is classic tho, clem burke is a goddamn hero

Really? My least favorite song on EttB.

― smug dinner-jazz atrocity (Dan Peterson), Thursday, July 13, 2017

Mine too.

http://i.imgur.com/ClBNOcN.jpg

31. Maria [4 votes | 0 #1 votes | 89 points]
No Exit, Feb 1999

I was delighted when this song was a (British) hit and no pox on their earlier work.

The first one from my ballot to make it, a really nice return to action for Blondie. I always wondered about Destri quoting his own lyrics from "Walk Like Me," was it like "hey, remember this band?"

In retrospect I thought much too highly of it. The chimes in the chorus bother me, and the song goes on for a minute or minute and a half longer than necessary; it wobbles. A 7/10, and still on my ballot.

http://i.imgur.com/QGPIR2M.png

30. The Hardest Part [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 100 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

man do I love this song. Most random intrusion of a sequencer in a rock song.

Sometime in 1996 when I discovered this album I called to request "The Hardest Part" on my college station's retro lunch hour. The deejay, braced to hear a rube request "Heart of Glass," practically jumped on my lap.

Is it weird that the only two songs to place from my ballot so far are both No Exit tracks?

(I did briefly consider "I'm Gonna Love You Too," but when I went to go listen to it again, I found myself wanting to hear the Buddy Holly version instead.)

there is no way i could vote on this as i just don't have the knowledge.
but.
one of my first experiences of cool music was the eat to the beat betamax album.
my parents had just bought a betamax machine, and we had nothing to watch on it.
then a pub regular walked in and handed my parents a copy of this blondie betamax album.
over the next few weeks while it stayed with us, i fell hard for that audio visual escape option.
many years later, the album was reissued with a dvd version of the visual album and amazingly i was on the promo list (thank you guy hands)
it's still one of the best things i ever got in all the years of promo gubbins.

didn't vote for the hardest part, but that's a great video

I think this is the first song from my ballot that's made it so far. Feel like songs like these were the vanguard of the US equivalent of New Romanticism.

http://i.imgur.com/xb1NjdY.jpg

29. I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No [7 votes | 0 #1 votes | 112 points]
Plastic Letters, Feb 1978

http://i.imgur.com/M2zK6WL.jpg

28. Angels on the Balcony [5 votes | 0 #1 votes | 113 points]
Autoamerican, Nov 1980

http://i.imgur.com/Y1YTgIl.jpg

27. In the Sun [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 124 points]
Blondie, Dec 1976

http://i.imgur.com/cEqv38F.jpg

26. The Tide Is High [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 125 points]
Autoamerican, Nov 1980

http://i.imgur.com/ImPotnl.png

25. Accidents Never Happen [7 votes | 0 #1 votes | 135 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

http://i.imgur.com/NGKGuNr.jpg

24. Fan Mail [6 votes | 1 #1 vote | 137 points]
Plastic Letters, Feb 1978

http://i.imgur.com/op7KwAh.png

23. Call Me [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 138 points]
American Gigolo (soundtrack), Apr 1980

hmph

Voted for "Fan Mail," "In the Sun" and "The Tide is High," the latter of which was probably the first Blondie song I knew.

For whatever reason, I've never been crazy about "Call Me." Feels like a lesser "Atomic" to me, I guess.

These results mostly seem about right (Victor is TOO LOW for me but I realise it's not exactly a fan favourite). Call Me is a cool song but definitely second-tier as far as their hits go.

NFW

First ridiculisuly wrong placement

That's way low for a bunch of those, imo. "In The Sun", "Fan Mail" and "Walk Like Me" were all in my top 10.

Surprised to see 'Call Me' this low, should really be Top 10. The full version is awesome.

Fan Mail is such a good opener. The way it just bursts into life is so thrilling. The same goes for In The Sun which was very high on my list. They had so much energy on those first four albums.

I'm not a big fan of Maria but it was a nice moment when that got to number one.

It got nowhere near that here in the US.

i really, really disliked "call me" when it came out. it just felt all wrong and not at all blondie to me. i have grown to like it quite a bit as time has marched on but it still feels to me like an odd anomaly in their catalogue.

It got nowhere near that here in the US.

The UK embraced Blondie a lot more than any other country.

i didn't have the nerve to say no and accidents never happen were my votes from this stretch, a couple of great destri jams.

"the nerve" would've been higher on my ballot but it sort of peters out at the end.

http://i.imgur.com/gvVa12b.jpg

22. Denis [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 144 points]
Plastic Letters, Feb 1978

I didn't vote for Call Me, but it really doesn't feel like much of an anomaly to me. It has elements of a lot of their most popular songs, like "Atomic," "Heart of Glass," "One Way or Another," but doesn't quite reach those heights.

Still, it's a hell of a lot better than a lot of other songs that topped the Billboard year-end charts

I should have voted. "Call Me" rules. TOO LOW.

http://i.imgur.com/ouQM5ZB.png

21. Slow Motion [7 votes | 0 #1 votes | 155 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

too low!

so everyone knows, Spotify has been getting updated:

https://open.spotify.com/user/beeok/playlist/4vk7yu7IXBOznDw6rKdxBV

at first i did forget all about "Call Me" and when i was putting my ballot together i was thinking i'm missing something. realized it was not on any proper album and therefore the reason for overlooking it. decided to include it and ended up as my number 20.

i'm 3/20 so far, i guess i'm a Top 20 voter.

7/20 in my case. Including "Victor"!

Slow Motion is too low. Such an incredible rush of a song. How did they not release it as a single? It would have been the perfect follow up to Atomic.

the song "Slow Motion" was originally planned to be the fourth single release from the album, and producer Mike Chapman even made a remix of the track, but following the unexpected success of "Call Me", the theme song to movie American Gigolo, these plans were shelved and the single mix of "Slow Motion" remains unreleased.

Interesting. Shame they didn't give it a chance to have its moment. It belongs on their Greatest Hits albums.

5/20 for me. While I ultimately left them off my ballot, I'm glad "Look Good In Blue," "Living In The Real World," "Victor" and "Maria" all placed.

The biggest surprise placement for me is "I'm Gonna Love You Too" - I don't dislike it, but it definitely sounds like filler to me compared to the rest of the album.

I think I'm tired of "Call Me," and I've never really cared for "The Tide Is High" or "Denis."

"Accidents Never Happen" was in my top 5 - so good.

5/20 - i voted for a lot of parallel lines tracks, so i imagine most are still to come

at first i did forget all about "Call Me" and when i was putting my ballot together i was thinking i'm missing something. realized it was not on any proper album and therefore the reason for overlooking it. decided to include it and ended up as my number 20.

I did the same thing and accidentally left it off the list of tracks I posted on the first thread, I hope it didn't lose votes because of that.

'The Tide is High' is one of my least favourite Blondie singles, if not absolute least favourite at this stage. Can't stand it.

It is my absolute least favourite. still amazed it was such a massive hit.

I can't stand it either. These days I hear it more often on the radio than "Heart of Glass."

http://i.imgur.com/tnxnBAs.jpg

20. Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45) [7 votes | 0 #1 votes | 159 points]
Plastic Letters, Feb 1978

Great start to the top 20. The guitar playing is so beautiful and always reminds me of Felt (especially in that intro). One of Debbie's best vocals.

all time. had i submitted a ballot it would have been top 10.

http://i.imgur.com/wcLliZo.jpg

19. In the Flesh [8 votes | 0 #1 votes | 166 points]
Blondie, Dec 1976

darling
darling
darling

http://i.imgur.com/ZJFyoJD.jpg

18. Rip Her to Shreds [9 votes | 0 #1 votes | 168 points]
Blondie, Dec 1976

Bermuda Triangle Blues was such a great discovery when I finally got around to buying Plastic Letters.

Every time I think of Rip Her to Shreds it segues into Superman by R.E.M. (and vice-versa).

These two were two spots away from each other on my ballot, and pretty close to their actual placement here! "She looks like she stepped out of the middle of somebody's bruise" is still one of the greatest lyrics anywhere.

oh is THAT what she sings!

haha speaking of misheard Blondie lyrics, I just learned yesterday that she says "mucho mistrust" instead of "intimate trust" in HoG.

http://i.imgur.com/NtWt2Hk.jpg

17. Pretty Baby [7 votes | 1 #1 vote | 178 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

My #1 - only 6 others voted for this?!

http://i.imgur.com/BBk9MQu.jpg

16. One Way or Another [8 votes | 0 #1 votes | 189 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

Other than "Call Me," the only big Blondie hit that I'm just not into.

I love One Way or Another, but to me it only sounds right coming right after Hanging on the Telephone.(The way Living Loving Maid only sounds right after Heartbreaker.)

Lead you to the supermarket checkout, some specials and rat food, get lost in the crowd =

https://i.giphy.com/media/3o6ozkQbdfOIyCC6wU/giphy.webp

Also love the way Clem threatens to turn the beat inside out just before the guitar solo, so when he hits that drumroll you think you've gained an extra beat.

Your looks are larger than life

I love Debbie Harry's unabashed lust; she never hid her sexual feelings for guys. Madonna paid attention.

when i was younger i thought the line, 'I'm not the kind of girl who gives up just like that' was about 'not giving it up' when it is very opposite that

http://i.imgur.com/66Mfwcn.jpg

15. Will Anything Happen? [8 votes | 0 #1 votes | 207 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

I never got around to voting, but glad to see placement of "Will Anything Happen?" I especially love the double-tracked vocals on "Will IIIIIIIIIII ever see you again?"

Redundant to say this becz Clem Burke rules in general, but great drumming on this one too.

didn't Television try to steal him from Blondie? or am I mis-remembering?

I either never knew or forgot I ever knew, probably the latter, that Jack Lee wrote "Will Anything Happen." Great song, great performance.

i thought it was the who xp

http://i.imgur.com/zZjSlTw.png

14. Shayla [9 votes | 0 #1 votes | 221 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

The catch in her voice at its peak imo

I think this was top 5 for me

Pretty baby was my number 3, y'all are crazy for not getting it to the top ten

pretty baby would have been high on the ballot i didn't send in.
that melody over the simplest of shuffles...
tmw words fall away and there's nothing left but whoa...

http://i.imgur.com/wVVnOmL.jpg

13. Just Go Away [12 votes | 0 #1 votes | 241 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

My number 2!!!

Perfect closer to a perfect album

#4 on my ballot. So many bands would be fortunate to have a song anywhere near this good anywhere on an album. Blondie crafts an album so great they can save it for the very end.

Huh. Another of my least favorites. Different strokes.

GO AWAY AND STAY AWAY

love the call and response, peak petulance in rock and roll

http://i.imgur.com/HkH7vb8.jpg

12. Sunday Girl [11 votes | 1 #1 vote | 252 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

First time I ever heard this was the "Greatest Hits" version that combined the English and French, and was surprised/confused to discover they weren't actually recorded that way on the album! The idea of a song that changed languages halfway through struck me as really cool (I was 14). And I was taking French in school, so I could at least understand phrases like "Depeche-toi, depeche-toi attends."

http://i.imgur.com/XKXdKjp.jpg

11. X Offender [12 votes | 1 #1 vote | 256 points]
Blondie, Dec 1976

"Sunday Girl" was my number 1, the perfect pop song. Can't believe it's not in the Top 10.

http://i.imgur.com/Nw0uwgg.jpg

10. Rapture [11 votes | 0 #1 votes | 258 points]
Autoamerican, Nov 1980

TOO LOW

Shayla and Just Go Away are only faintly known to me so they're a surprise to be just outside of the Top 10 certainly.

http://i.imgur.com/EQrpoGl.jpg

09. (I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear [12 votes | 1 #1 vote | 280 points]
Plastic Letters, Feb 1978

My #1 - only 6 others voted for this?!

― Old Lynch's Sex Paragraph (Phil D.), Friday, July 14, 2017 4:25 PM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I didn't get around to voting, but Pretty Baby would have been my #1 as well. Starting to worry that No Imagination isn't going to place

http://i.imgur.com/sxp1Ous.jpg

08. 11:59 [11 votes | 1 #1 vote | 292 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

Shayla would have been my no. 1 and 11.59 my no. 2. Both could have been singles. Shayla is massively underrated but almost any time I've played it to anyone who only knows the singles they have been blown away by it.

I love "X Offender," and "In the Flesh," but it took me a little while. The first time I ever heard them (on Rhino's DiY punk series) they sounded like weird parodies of pop songs, to me. "Denis" has a bit of this as well.

http://i.imgur.com/YrX28Lq.jpg

07. Fade Away and Radiate [12 votes | 1 #1 vote | 305 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

i didn't vote, but "11:59" at only #8 is insane. also insane: blondie released six (!) singles from parallel lines and "11:59" wasn't one of them.

xp now we're talking

http://i.imgur.com/3Jp1lzb.jpg

06. Picture This [14 votes | 0 #1 votes | 332 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

exactly right.

http://i.imgur.com/eCLuy6Y.jpg

05. Hanging on the Telephone [14 votes | 1 #1 vote | 336 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

http://i.imgur.com/2fLEy3l.png

04. Union City Blue [15 votes | 2 #1 votes | 386 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

i can guess the last three but it could go either way on which of the last two will be no. 1.

http://i.imgur.com/O9H6Lm9.png

03. Atomic [14 votes | 3 #1 votes | 391 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

oh! i was wrong. i thought this would be 2 or maybe even 1.

Gotta be Dreaming

http://i.imgur.com/IaIiS3l.jpg

02. Heart of Glass [16 votes | 3 #1 votes | 414 points]
Parallel Lines, Sep 1978

http://i.imgur.com/budpqKD.png

01. Dreaming [16 votes | 2 #1 votes | 517 points]
Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979

ATOMIC

Dreaming was the first song I ever heard in concert. They opened with this at Edinburgh Odeon on January 1st, 1980 and blew my 11 year old self’s mind. I had never experienced such excitement or euphoria before in my life and can remember those 3 minutes more clearly than countless live moments I’ve been part of since; pure, unadulterated joy, way better than any drug anyone could ever invent and a pretty good way to start the 1980s. I still get a hint of that feeling every time I hear “Dreaming”. Debbie wore the same outfit she wore the night before in Glasgow when they said goodbye to the 1970s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_sDYyHub8A

I didn't vote in this, but Presence Dear would have been my 1.

Thanks loads for the poll. I wish I had contributed. Had I submitted a ballot, this would have been it. I maybe prefer “Pretty Baby” or “Victor” over say “I’m On E” but wanted to spread the love across the first four albums all of which I adore in their own way. Blondie will forever be my no. 1 if only because they were my first musical love affair and kickstarted a passion for music I hadn’t realised I had lurking in me.

5) Autoamerican
4) Blondie
3) Plastic Letters
2) Parallel Lines
1) Eat To The Beat

20) I'm on E
19) Rifle Range
18) Rapture
17) Denis
16) X Offender
15) Living In The Real World
14) The Hardest Part
13) Fade Away and Radiate
12) Rip Her to Shreds
11) Slow Motion
10) Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)
9) Union City Blue
8) Heart of Glass
7) (I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear
6) Picture This
5) Hanging on the Telephone
4) Atomic
3) Dreaming
2) 11.59
1) Shayla

How were they live at their peak?

I don't even wanna know :)

it was my first concert so i had nothing to compare it with but i'd still put it in my all time top 5 several thousand concerts later. they were on fire.

stirmonster thanks so much for that memory, great stuff and I posted that "Dreaming" link on FB

:-)

The best outcome possible!

this was so much fun nate woolls, thanks for taking over this poll. wish it was a bit more festive and had more time during the day to post.

Spotify is not updated, let me fit that...

*fix

Great result. That top 10 shows what a wonderful band they were. Every song is a classic.

Fade Away & Radiate was my number one. It has probably my favourite guitar solo of all time.

Thanks for running this Nate!

Spotily: ILM Blondie

i was also able to add "Under the Gun."

Great poll Nate, kept moving things around but my number one was never in doubt

Hanging on the Telephone
Just Go Away
Pretty Baby
11:59
Atomic
Dreaming
Heart of Glass
Fade Away and Radiate
Shayla
Sunday Girl
I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No
Rip Her to Shreds
Union City Blue
Picture This
Eat To The Beat
Bermuda Triangle Blues
Accidents Never Happen
In The Sun
Slow Motion
Contact in Red Square

Sunday Girl
11:59
Dreaming
In the Flesh
Pretty Baby
Picture This
The Tide is High
One Way or Another
Fade Away and Radiate
Heart of Glass
The Hardest Part
Atomic
Shayla
Just Go Away
Rip Her to Shreds
X Offender
(I’m Always Touched By You) Presence Dear
Union City Blues
T-Birds
Call Me

Albums:

Parallel Lines
Eat to the Beat
Blondie
Autoamerican

Dreaming
Heart of Glass
Under the Gun
Atomic
Union City Blue
Maria
Rapture
The Tide Is High
(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear
Denis
Rip Her to Shreds
Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)
Hanging on the Telephone
X Offender
In the Sun
In the Flesh
Double Take
Fan Mail
The Dream's Lost on Me
Sunday Girl

I'm sorry I missed this but my picks wouldn't have changed the results too much. I would have had the same top two, but maybe in reverse order (it's practically a coin flip). Six out of the top ten would have made my top ten.

Thanks for the poll Nate!

are we going to get full results?

Yes, give me a few minutes..

Ok, you've seen the top albums and they were the only albums to get any votes. However the total points from the track ballots applied to the albums looks like this:

http://i.imgur.com/isvQ4Ap.jpg

And the full rundown:

01. Dreaming [16 votes | 2 #1 votes | 517 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
02. Heart of Glass [16 votes | 3 #1 votes | 414 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
03. Atomic [14 votes | 3 #1 votes | 391 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
04. Union City Blue [15 votes | 2 #1 votes | 386 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
05. Hanging on the Telephone [14 votes | 1 #1 vote | 336 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
06. Picture This [14 votes | 0 #1 votes | 332 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
07. Fade Away and Radiate [12 votes | 1 #1 vote | 305 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
08. 11:59 [11 votes | 1 #1 vote | 292 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
09. (I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear [12 votes | 1 #1 vote | 280 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
10. Rapture [11 votes | 0 #1 votes | 258 points] Autoamerican, Nov 1980
11. X Offender [12 votes | 1 #1 vote | 256 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
12. Sunday Girl [11 votes | 1 #1 vote | 252 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
13. Just Go Away [12 votes | 0 #1 votes | 241 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
14. Shayla [9 votes | 0 #1 votes | 221 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
15. Will Anything Happen? [8 votes | 0 #1 votes | 207 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
16. One Way or Another [8 votes | 0 #1 votes | 189 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
17. Pretty Baby [7 votes | 1 #1 vote | 178 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
18. Rip Her to Shreds [9 votes | 0 #1 votes | 168 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
19. In the Flesh [8 votes | 0 #1 votes | 166 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
20. Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45) [7 votes | 0 #1 votes | 159 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
21. Slow Motion [7 votes | 0 #1 votes | 155 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
22. Denis [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 144 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
23. Call Me [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 138 points] American Gigolo (soundtrack), Apr 1980
24. Fan Mail [6 votes | 1 #1 vote | 137 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
25. Accidents Never Happen [7 votes | 0 #1 votes | 135 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
26. The Tide Is High [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 125 points] Autoamerican, Nov 1980
27. In the Sun [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 124 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
28. Angels on the Balcony [5 votes | 0 #1 votes | 113 points] Autoamerican, Nov 1980
29. I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No [7 votes | 0 #1 votes | 112 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
30. The Hardest Part [6 votes | 0 #1 votes | 100 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
31. Maria [4 votes | 0 #1 votes | 89 points] No Exit, Feb 1999
32. Eat to the Beat [5 votes | 0 #1 votes | 75 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
33. Victor [4 votes | 0 #1 votes | 69 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
34. Living in the Real World [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 68 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
35. Contact in Red Square [4 votes | 0 #1 votes | 64 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
36. I'm Gonna Love You Too [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 60 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
37. Detroit 442 [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 54 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
38. Under the Gun [2 votes | 0 #1 votes | 54 points] No Exit, Feb 1999
39. Live It Up [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 50 points] Autoamerican, Nov 1980
40. Look Good in Blue [3 votes | 0 #1 votes | 47 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
41. I Know but I Don't Know [2 votes | 0 #1 votes | 46 points] Parallel Lines, Sep 1978
42. Man Overboard [2 votes | 0 #1 votes | 40 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
43. Kung Fu Girls [2 votes | 0 #1 votes | 35 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
44. Die Young Stay Pretty [2 votes | 0 #1 votes | 30 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
45. The Attack of the Giant Ants [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 30 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
46. Rifle Range [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 28 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
47. T-Birds [2 votes | 0 #1 votes | 27 points] Autoamerican, Nov 1980
48. Susie and Jeffrey [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 26 points] Autoamerican, Nov 1980
49. I'm on E [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 26 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
50. Youth Nabbed as Sniper [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 22 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
51. Go Through It [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 21 points] Autoamerican, Nov 1980
52. Nothing Is Real but the Girl [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 18 points] No Exit, Feb 1999
53. Cautious Lip [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 18 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
54. No Imagination [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 17 points] Plastic Letters, Feb 1978
55. Out in the Streets [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 17 points] No Exit, Feb 1999
56. Sound-A-Sleep [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 15 points] Eat to the Beat, Oct 1979
57. Double Take [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 15 points] No Exit, Feb 1999
58. Good Boys [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 14 points] The Curse of Blondie, Oct 2003
59. Scenery [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 14 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
60. The Dream's Lost on Me [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 13 points] No Exit, Feb 1999
61. Rush Rush [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 13 points] Scarface (soundtrack), Dec 1983
62. A Shark in Jets Clothing [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 13 points] Blondie, Dec 1976
63. Screaming Skin [1 votes | 0 #1 votes | 12 points] No Exit, Feb 1999

Nothing too surprising to me about the results until we get to #20 where "Bermuda Triangle Blues" finishes ahead of "Call Me." Just wondering if anyone's heard the other Giorgio Moroder variations of "Call Me" (e.g. "Palm Springs Drive") from the American Gigolo soundtrack - you can hear how the song was probably worked out, and also how the tune works well at a slower tempo.

My ranks are beautiful!

Your Top 3 is exactly the same as mine, Alfred. I don't think Autoamerican is completely awful - it has its moments, and I like that the band tried to do something different even if it didn't all hit the mark.

Union City Blue is blue-tiful.

For once, there's nothing on that list that I disagree with. Everything in the "good to great" section is just the purest fucking gold.

I must have been distracted at the end of the original rollout. Just found my ballot email to confirm my suspicion that "UCB" was my #1. High-five to all its boosters, then and now.

I'm seeing Blondie this summer, I can't wait!

Along with Elvis Castello who I'm not a huge fan of but should be fun.

OK, that's a band that sing "FineTime" in the style of Elvis Costello?

I love how the intro to 'Atomic' is essentially 'Three Blind Mice' ...

and the guitar riff is almost the same as the one from The Beatles' 'And I Love Her'

on my way to see Blondie tonight along with Elvis Costello should be a fun night!

August 4, 2019
at FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA

Setlist

1. One Way or Another
2. Hanging on the Telephone
3. Fun
4. Call Me
5. Sunday Girl
6. Too Much
7. Rapture
8. Old Town Road (Lil Nas X cover)
9. Wipe Off My Sweat
10. Fade Away and Radiate
11. The Tide Is High
12. Orchid Club
13. Atomic
14. Heart of Glass (with I Feel Love by Donna Summer)

Encore:
15. From Russia With Love (Matt Monro cover)
16. Dreaming

i had a blast last night watching Blondie. i was even more impressed when i read today that Debbie Harry is now 74 years old. i had never seen Blondie before and they had great energy and the crowd was into it. i didn't recognize some of the songs but overall they played almost everything i would want them to play. i was going to bump an Elvis Costello thread but will write about it here. he is a very talented person but the show was boring as hell. i'm not really a fan but know most of what he played last night. there was just no energy or enthusiasm and just ended up being boring to watch. i don't think i would have had a different opinion if i was a mega fan, it was just a flat night for him i think.

KUNG FU GIRLS WAS ROBBED

Think I regret missing this poll more than any other. Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45) popped up on random the other day – hadn't heard it in so long and god, is there another song with an intro that makes me swoon like this one? I don't think so. Also discovered Orchid Club recently, which is just phenomenally exciting.

As is The Hardest Part. So much great stuff beyond the singles. Made a quick playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2VM30vv3svgKZksMMV5CZB?si=6086b7d774a74f7a

NITRO
AND ACETYLENE

"The Hardest Part" was a single - I own the 45! (It went to #84 in Billboard, #72 in Cashbox).

Lotsa good stuff on that playlist. For me "Fade Away and Radiate" is the one that most sounds like it should've been an a-side (it was a b). Too many singles from that album I guess.

"Poet's Problem" was a revelation to me when I first heard it on a 12" b-side. It's from the Plastic Letters period but wasn't on the original vinyl release. Also could've been an a-side.

Ah, right - missed that The Hardest Part was a single in the US. My idea of what a single was is very much governed by the Best of Blondie I grew up with! Wasn't a UK single, which seems crazy. Neither was One Way or Another, though as you say, bit spoiled for choice with Parallel Lines.

In the US "I'm Gonna Love You Too" was a single that should NOT have been one (amazingly released as the first single from Parallel Lines).

God yeah, it’s fine but bottom 3 on the album for me.

Sorry I joined far too late to get in on this. My love for this band, and for Debbie, knows no bounds. Parallel Lines came out when I was 13 years old, and it changed my life.

This was a beautiful poll, pun intended. One thing this poll taught me was I needed to see them live. I fulfilled that dream and was able to catch them live before everything shut down.

I want to see them at the Opry this year. It'll be worth the trip.

guys this is embarrassing but I never really knew this band beyond the big singles and I just went down a very very deep rabbit hole (thank you YouTube) and... i don't really know what to say, I'm stunned.

What keeps jumping out at me is that Debbie Harry LOOKS like she doesn't know how to sing. I don't just mean her beauty, though maybe it's that too, or the glamorous way she styles herself or something.. but it's more the funny awkward way she twists her mouth around, like she's chewing the words up before they come out, and maybe her herky jerky way of dancing. There's an eternal gawkiness to her that kind of humanizes the beauty, makes her seem vulnerable. And you just can't quite believe that voice is going to come out but it really does.

And the lyrics are usually a kind of perfectly pitched meeting of particular detail and swooping emotion, leaving big expanses open for interpretation - what rock is best at, lyrically, when it's really good imo. And of course the band, I won't go into that because everybody knows, I mean everybody knows all this stuff apparently except for me!

^^ my #1 or #2 (if i'd voted). i'd love to hear the isolated drum track some day

― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Wednesday, July 12, 2017

at last!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Jyu45Anxs