Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie

Last updated
Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie
Blondie - Atomic - The Very Best of Blondie.jpg
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedJuly 13, 1998
Genre New wave
Length77:44 (Atomic)
58:02 (Atomix)
Label Chrysalis
Producer
Blondie chronology
Picture This Live (Capitol Anniversary Series)
(1998)
Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie
(1998)
No Exit
(1998)
Alternative cover
Blondie - Atomix.jpg
Cover art for the two-disc edition of the album, retitled Atomic/Atomix
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Select Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]

Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie is a greatest hits album by American rock band Blondie, released on July 13, 1998, by Chrysalis Records, at the time when the band reunited and shortly before the beginning of their successful comeback tour.

Contents

Overview

Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie includes the band's best known songs from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as two new remixes of the title track. The compilation reached number 12 on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). [3] [4]

The compilation was reissued in June 1999 as a limited-edition two-CD set titled Atomic/Atomix: The Very Best of Blondie, including a second disc of previously available remixes with the exception of another new remix of the title track.

On October 31, 2011, the compilation was reissued again as a single disc with identical track listing, but with the title being changed to Essential, [5] which was certified gold by the BPI on September 21, 2018. [6]

Track listing

Disc one – Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie
  1. "Atomic" (7″ Mix) (Destri, Harry) – 3:50
  2. "Heart of Glass" (7″ Mix) (Harry, Stein) – 4:11
  3. "Sunday Girl" (Stein) – 3:15
  4. "Call Me" (Harry, Moroder) – 3:32
  5. "The Tide Is High" (7″ Edit) (Barrett, Evans, Holt) – 3:52
  6. "Denis" (Levenson) – 2:18
  7. "Dreaming" (Harry, Stein) – 3:06
  8. "Rapture" (7″ Mix) (Harry, Stein) – 4:59
  9. "Hanging on the Telephone" (Lee) – 2:22
  10. "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" (Valentine) – 2:42
  11. "Island of Lost Souls" (7″ Edit) (Harry, Stein) - 3:50
  12. "Picture This" (Destri, Harry, Stein) – 2:57
  13. "Union City Blue" (Harrison, Harry) – 3:22
  14. "War Child" (Harrison, Harry) - 4:00
  15. "Rip Her to Shreds" (Harry, Stein) – 3:21
  16. "One Way or Another" (Harrison, Harry) - 3:28
  17. "X Offender (Harry, Valentine) - 3:10
  18. "I'm Gonna Love You Too" (Mauldin, Petty, Sullivan) - 2:07
  19. "Fade Away and Radiate" (Stein) - 3:59
  20. "Atomic '98" (Xenomania Mix)" (Destri, Harry) - 4:33
  21. "Atomic '98" (Tall Paul Mix)" (Destri, Harry) - 8:43
Disc two – Atomix: The Very Best of Blondie Remixed
  1. "Atomic" (Diddy's 12″ Mix) – 6:51
  2. "Dreaming" (Utah Saints Mix) – 6:21
  3. "Denis" (Danny D Remix) – 5:23
  4. "Call Me" (Original 12″ Version) – 8:04
  5. "Heart of Glass" (Original 12″ Instrumental) – 5:14
    • From the UK & US "Heart of Glass" 12″ single (1979)
  6. "Rapture" (US Disco Version) – 7:13
    • From the US "Rapture" 12″ single (1981)
  7. "War Child" (12″ Version) - 8:01
    • From the UK "War Child" 12″ single (1982)
  8. "Atomic '98" (Dana Intellectual Mix) / "Sunday Girl" (French Version) (Hidden track) – 10:50

Charts

Chart performance for Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie
Chart (1998–2001)Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [7] 48
European Albums ( Music & Media ) [8] 51
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [9] 18
UK Albums (OCC) [3] 12

Certifications

Certifications for Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [4] Platinum300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

Blondie (band) American rock band

Blondie is an American rock band co-founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band were pioneers in the American punk and then the new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York. Their first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although highly successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles including "Heart of Glass", "Call Me", "Rapture" and "The Tide Is High". The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles, incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early rap music.

Denise (song)

"Denise" is a song written by Neil Levenson. The song was inspired by his childhood friend, Denise Lefrak. In 1963, the song became a popular top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, when recorded by the American doo-wop group Randy & the Rainbows. A cover version by the American new wave group Blondie, re-titled "Denis", reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1978. Dutch actress and singer Georgina Verbaan covered "Denis" in 2002 and reached number 30 on the Dutch Singles Chart.

Heart of Glass (song) 1979 song by Blondie

"Heart of Glass" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie, written by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. It was featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines (1978), and was released as the album's third single in January 1979 and reached number one on the charts in several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

<i>Eat to the Beat</i> 1979 studio album by Blondie

Eat to the Beat is the fourth studio album by American band Blondie. It was released on September 28, 1979, by Chrysalis Records. The album was certified Platinum in the US, where it spent a year on the Billboard album chart. Peaking at No.17, it was one of Billboard's top 10 albums of 1980. It also reached No.1 on the UK album chart in October 1979 and was certified Platinum by the BPI.

Union City Blue 1979 single by Blondie

"Union City Blue" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. The song was featured on their 1979 studio album Eat to the Beat. Written by Debbie Harry and Nigel Harrison, the song was inspired lyrically by Harry's experiences while acting in the 1980 film Union City as well as her New Jersey roots. Musically, the song features a drum part composed by drummer Clem Burke.

Atomic (song)

"Atomic" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fourth studio album, Eat to the Beat (1979). Written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released as the album's third single.

<i>Autoamerican</i> 1980 studio album by Blondie

Autoamerican is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Blondie. It was released in November 1980 and reached No.3 in the UK charts, No.7 in the US, and No.8 in Australia.

The Tide Is High 1967 single by the Paragons

"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group The Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a reggae version by the American band Blondie became a US/UK number one hit. The British girl group Atomic Kitten also had a number one hit with their version of the song in 2002, while Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.

Rapture (Blondie song) 1981 single by Blondie

"Rapture" is a song by the American pop/rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican (1980).

<i>The Best of Blondie</i> 1981 greatest hits album by Blondie

The Best of Blondie is the first greatest hits album by American rock band Blondie. It was released on October 31, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. The album peaked at number four in the United Kingdom and number 30 in the United States, while becoming the band's only number-one album in Australia.

Maria (Blondie song) 1999 song by Blondie

"Maria" is a song by American band Blondie. It was written by Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri and produced by Craig Leon. Taken from their album No Exit (1999), it was the band's first new release since 1982. "Maria", issued as a single in Europe on January 11, 1999, reached number one in the United Kingdom; Blondie's sixth UK chart-topper. The song also topped the charts of Greece and Spain, becoming a top-20 hit across Europe and in New Zealand.

Nothing Is Real but the Girl 1999 single by Blondie

"Nothing Is Real but the Girl" is a 1999 song by the American rock band Blondie. Written by the band's keyboardist Jimmy Destri, it was the second single taken from their seventh album No Exit.

No Exit (song) 1999 single by Blondie

"No Exit" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. It was the title track from their seventh studio album in 1999 and was released as a single in Europe, but not the US.

Good Boys (song) 2003 single by Blondie

"Good Boys" is a song by the American band Blondie. Released in 2003, it was the only single to be released from their eighth studio album The Curse of Blondie.

<i>The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie</i> 1991 greatest hits album by Deborah Harry and Blondie

The Complete Picture: The Very Best of Deborah Harry and Blondie is a greatest hits album released on March 4, 1991, by Chrysalis Records. It contained all of Blondie's highest-charting singles such as "Heart of Glass", "Sunday Girl", "The Tide Is High", "Atomic", and "Call Me", as well as some of Deborah Harry's solo singles, including the UK top-10 single "French Kissin' in the USA".

<i>Once More into the Bleach</i> 1988 remix album by Debbie Harry and Blondie

Once More into the Bleach is a remix album released in December 1988 by the band Blondie and Debbie Harry. The 13-track compilation contains remixes of Blondie songs and material from Debbie Harry's solo career. It was the first compilation to include non-album singles "Rush Rush" and "Feel The Spin".

<i>Blonde and Beyond</i> 1993 compilation album by Blondie

Blonde and Beyond is a compilation album of recordings by Blondie released on Chrysalis Records in 1993.

<i>Beautiful: The Remix Album</i> 1995 remix album by Blondie

Beautiful: The Remix Album is a remix album of recordings by Blondie released by Chrysalis/EMI Records in the UK during 1995. The album spun off a series of remix singles in various formats. "Atomic" '94, "Heart of Glass" '95 and "Union City Blue" '95. Beautiful: The Remix Album was re-released by Dutch budget label Disky in 1999.

<i>Remixed Remade Remodeled: The Remix Project</i> 1995 remix album by Blondie

Remixed Remade Remodeled: The Remix Project is a remix album of recordings by Blondie released by Chrysalis/EMI Records in the US and the UK in 1995 as part of EMI's Brilliant series. The album spun off four remix singles in the US: "Atomic", "Rapture", "Heart of Glass" and "Union City Blue".

<i>The Platinum Collection</i> (Blondie album) 1994 compilation album by Blondie

The Platinum Collection is a two disc compilation album of recordings by Blondie released by EMI/Chrysalis in 1994. The forty-seven track compilation contains the A- and B-sides of all singles issued by the band in the U.S. and the UK between the years 1976 and 1982 in chronological order, five demo recordings made before the release of their debut album including an alternative version of "Heart of Glass", as well as two 1994 dance remixes of their hits "Atomic" and "Rapture".
The liner notes contain extensive interviews with band members Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Nigel Harrison, Frank Infante and Gary Valentine.

References

  1. Kellman, Andy. "Review: Atomic: The Very Best Of Blondie - Blondie". AllMusic . Retrieved 27 July 2009.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. "Review: Blondie - Atomic-The Very Best Of Blondie, EMI". Select . No. August 1998. p. 93.
  3. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "British album certifications – Blondie – Atomic - Blondie's Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. February 26, 1999. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  5. Kellman, Andy. "Essential – Blondie". AllMusic . Retrieved April 23, 2014.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. "British album certifications – Blondie – Essential". British Phonographic Industry. September 21, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Blondie – Atomic - The Very Best Of" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  8. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 15 no. 32. August 8, 1998. p. 12. OCLC   29800226 via World Radio History.
  9. "Charts.nz – Blondie – Atomic - The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2021.