Blondie 4(0) Ever | ||||
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Greatest hits album / Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 12, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
Studio |
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Length | 95:13 | |||
Label | Noble ID | |||
Producer |
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Blondie chronology | ||||
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Ghosts of Download cover | ||||
Singles from Ghosts of Download | ||||
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Blondie 4(0) Ever is a double album by American rock band Blondie. It was released on May 12,2014,by Noble ID in celebration of the band's 40th anniversary. The two-disc package consists of Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux,a collection of re-recordings of Blondie's past singles,and the band's tenth studio album,Ghosts of Download. The latter spawned three singles:"A Rose by Any Name","Sugar on the Side",and "I Want to Drag You Around".
Blondie began working on their tenth studio album shortly after the release of Panic of Girls (2011). [1] In early March 2013,the band announced via Facebook and Twitter that they were putting finishing touches to new music,and it would be released later that year. [2] The album was recorded at Mercy Sound Studios in New York City and at Skyline Studios in Oakland,California. [3] Guitarist and co-founder Chris Stein announced that the album would feature collaborations with girl group Stush,hip hop group Los Rakas,and Colombian electronica artist Systema Solar. [2] On June 18,the group announced through Facebook that they were still recording but almost finished,while revealing that their next album would be titled Ghosts of Download. [4] Stein stated in August that an EDM collaboration with Hector Fonseca would be included on the album. [5]
"We have live performances on there that bring out the style of Blondie",Debbie Harry told Classic Rock . "I don't think it sounds entirely like a dance record... We did this in a very economical way,actually. Chris [Stein] and Matt did all of their work on computer,then we would send files to people and they would play to it,or sing to it,or write to it,or whatever. So it was kind of in the ghostly era of electronics." [6]
"This project was ongoing since we finished Panic of Girls",Stein commented. "It's been like two years that I have been working on this. This one is more computer-based than the last record,which was more band-based. A lot of the programmed parts remained on the record,more so than the previous records. I spent a lot of time doing this at home,and then sending things back and forth with our producer Jeff Saltzman. He helped develop melodies with me,and that was really gratifying. And he had this assistant,Natalie Hawkins,who helped with the melodies too. There was a lot of collaboration with this record,more so than previous records,except perhaps for Autoamerican which had a lot of outside players on it,even an orchestra." [1]
Harry also commented,"It's always the music;the music is the primary inspiration. Every piece has its own mood,its own arc and a lot of times the lyrics sort of suggest themselves." [1]
"Oh,with Debbie,we just have a lot of unsaid communication,a lot of non-verbal stuff goes on. I don't have to ask her much because she will always have the same conclusions",Stein said. Harry agreed:"Most recently,there were a couple of lines in a song that he came up with,and then there were two more lines that had to be written,and I had already written them. So I mean,it just sort of happens. It's easy for us." [1]
The title of Blondie's tenth studio album was confirmed to be Ghosts of Download on June 18,2013. [4] According to Stein,the title refers to "all spirits in the background of electricity and data". [5] An early version of the track listing was unveiled on June 28 through Pandora,along with previews of the tracks. [7]
The album's release was postponed several times. It was originally scheduled to be released in November 2013, [5] but the release was pushed back to January 2014 in order to avoid the rush of albums released for the Christmas period. [8] On December 31,2013,Harry stated in an interview on CNN's New Year's Eve Live that the album would be released in March 2014. [9] The January 2014 issue of British magazine Mojo confirmed the album's release date as March 17,2014,to be supplemented with Blondie's 40th Anniversary World Wide Tour. [10] However,the release was ultimately delayed to May 13,2014. [11]
It was announced in the February 2014 issue of Vanity Fair magazine,for which Harry was photographed by Annie Leibovitz,that Ghosts of Download would be released as part of a two-disc package titled Blondie 4(0) Ever—coinciding with the band's 40th anniversary—which would also include an album of the band's greatest hits. [12]
The first song released from Blondie 4(0) Ever was the re-recorded version on "Sunday Girl",which appeared on the soundtrack album to the 2013 film CBGB .
The final track listing for Blondie 4(0) Ever was revealed in late March 2014 on Pandora. [13] The first disc,Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux,features brand-new studio recordings of 11 of Blondie's commercially successful singles, [11] except "Maria",which appears in its original 1999 version. [14] The deluxe edition includes the two-disc set,a DVD of Blondie's 1977 live performance at CBGB,a concert poster from 1979,and five postcards of Stein photos. [11] [15] Three additional Ghosts of Download bonus tracks were made available upon pre-ordering the digital album via iTunes and/or Amazon. The iTunes pre-order also included an instant free download of the song "I Want to Drag You Around". [11]
The artwork for Ghosts of Download was designed by J. H. Williams III,who has previously worked for DC Comics and also created the cover art for the singles "A Rose by Any Name" and "Sugar on the Side". [16] [17] A high-quality version of the cover,with text reading "Blondie Ghosts of Download",was released to iTunes and Amazon at the end of April 2014. Further pages from the booklet (created by Williams) of the album,containing handwritten lyrics for select songs by members of the band,accompanied by skeletal images of them,were posted on Williams' website on April 22,2014. [18]
On March 20,2013,Harry and Stein stopped by the talk show Soundcheck on WNYC 93.9 FM to premiere the track "Make a Way". [19] The band embarked on the Blast Off Tour across Europe from June 11 to July 10,2013. The band performed six songs from the album:"Rave","A Rose by Any Name","Take Me in the Night","Winter","I Want to Drag You Around",and "Sugar on the Side". [20] Prior to this,Harry and Stein appeared on BBC One's The One Show to promote the new album and the Blast Off Tour,with Stein saying that he felt the new tracks were the best yet. [21]
"A Rose by Any Name" was released on June 21,2013,as the lead single from Ghosts of Download in Europe. [22] On June 18,Blondie announced their North American No Principals Tour for fall 2013. Each ticket purchased for the tour included five tracks from the album:"Make a Way","I Want to Drag You Around","Can't Stop Wanting","A Rose by Any Name",and "I Screwed Up". [23] [24] However,some fans received "Sugar on the Side" instead of "A Rose by Any Name". The song "Mile High" was debuted during the later shows of the tour.
On October 24,2013,Harry appeared on the Project Runway All Stars (season 3) season 3 premiere as a guest judge,and the song "Sugar on the Side" debuted on the show's Twitter account during the episode. [25] [26] The track was later released on December 17,2013,as the album's second single in North America. [27]
The album's third single,"I Want to Drag You Around",made its world premiere on BBC Radio 2's The Ken Bruce Show on April 3,2014. [28] It was also named "Record of the Week" on BBC Radio 2 for the week beginning April 21,2014. [29] A lyric video for the song,featuring J. H. Williams III's graphics for the album,was uploaded to the band's official YouTube page on April 23. [29] The official audios for "Sugar on the Side" (from Ghosts of Download) and the reworked version of "One Way or Another" (from Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux) were uploaded to YouTube on April 22,2014,to promote the album. The official music video for "Sugar on the Side",directed by photographer Rankin,debuted exclusively on Hunger TV on April 30,2014. [30] The album itself became "Record of the Week" on BBC Radio 2 for the week beginning May 5,2014,meaning that one song from the album was played each day on BBC Radio 2. From May 5 to 9, The Guardian streamed tracks from Ghosts of Download daily on its website via SoundCloud. [31] [32]
The band recorded a session at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios for the BBC Two show Newsnight on May 13,2014,featuring new and older songs. [33] On the same day,the band appeared on Good Morning America to perform "Sugar on the Side". [34] Blondie also performed "Sugar on the Side" and "One Way or Another" on The Daily Show on May 14, [35] followed by a performance of "Heart of Glass" on Live! with Kelly and Michael on May 19. [36]
On May 24,2014,the band embarked on a world tour in support of Blondie 4(0) Ever,including dates across North America and Europe. The tour commenced at the Tropicana Casino &Resort Atlantic City in Atlantic City,New Jersey,and concluded on October 3,2014,at Harrah's Resort Southern California in Valley Center,California. [11]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [37] |
Consequence of Sound | D+ [38] |
PopMatters | 8/10 [39] |
Rolling Stone | [40] |
Blondie 4(0) Ever entered the US Billboard 200 at number 109,selling 3,000 copies in its first week. [41] The album debuted at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 4,148 copies. [42] On occasion of Blondie's co-headlining Australia and New Zealand tour with Cyndi Lauper in April 2017,the album reached number six on the New Zealand Heatseeker Albums chart. [43]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Heart of Glass" | Kato Khandwala | 4:32 | |
2. | "Dreaming" |
| Khandwala | 3:04 |
3. | "The Tide Is High" | John Holt | Khandwala | 4:37 |
4. | "Maria" | Jimmy Destri | Craig Leon | 4:05 |
5. | "Sunday Girl" | Stein | Khandwala | 3:03 |
6. | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Jack Lee | Khandwala | 2:19 |
7. | "Rapture" |
| Khandwala | 5:32 |
8. | "One Way or Another" |
| Khandwala | 3:31 |
9. | "Call Me" |
| Khandwala | 3:31 |
10. | "Atomic" |
| Khandwala | 4:36 |
11. | "Rip Her to Shreds" |
| Khandwala | 3:19 |
Total length: | 42:09 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sugar on the Side" (featuring Systema Solar) |
|
| 3:46 |
2. | "Rave" (featuring Miss Guy) |
|
| 4:01 |
3. | "A Rose by Any Name" (featuring Beth Ditto) |
| 3:34 | |
4. | "Winter" |
|
| 4:15 |
5. | "I Want to Drag You Around" | Matthew Barus |
| 3:14 |
6. | "I Screwed Up" (featuring Los Rakas) |
|
| 3:59 |
7. | "Relax" (featuring Keilah Baez, Felicia Dennis and Keisha Williams) |
| 5:49 | |
8. | "Take Me in the Night" |
|
| 3:23 |
9. | "Make a Way" |
|
| 3:55 |
10. | "Mile High" |
|
| 3:38 |
11. | "Euphoria" |
|
| 4:39 |
12. | "Take It Back" |
|
| 3:45 |
13. | "Backroom" |
|
| 4:06 |
Total length: | 53:04 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Put Some Color on You" |
|
| 3:52 |
15. | "Can't Stop Wanting" |
|
| 3:10 |
16. | "Prism" |
|
| 5:08 |
Total length: | 65:14 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Kung Fu Girls" |
| 3:36 |
2. | "In the Sun" | Stein | 3:16 |
3. | "Little Girl Lies" | Harry | 2:28 |
4. | "Look Good in Blue" | Destri | 3:18 |
5. | "Man Overboard" |
| 4:31 |
6. | "A Shark in Jets Clothing" | Destri | 4:39 |
7. | "Rifle Range" | Stein | 5:14 |
8. | "In the Flesh" |
| 3:37 |
9. | "X-Offender" |
| 4:10 |
10. | "Youth Nabbed as a Sniper" | Stein | 4:23 |
11. | "Rip Her to Shreds" |
| 4:38 |
12. | "Heart Full of Soul" | Graham Gouldman | 2:13 |
13. | "I Love Playing with Fire" | Joan Jett | 2:22 |
14. | "Palisades Park" | Chuck Barris | 2:24 |
15. | "Denis" (rehearsal) | Neil Levenson | 2:11 |
Total length: | 53:00 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Blondie 4(0) Ever. [3]
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [48] | 72 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [49] | 106 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [50] | 75 |
Croatian Albums (HDU) [51] | 48 |
French Albums (SNEP) [52] | 118 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [53] | 44 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [54] | 11 |
UK Albums (OCC) [55] | 16 |
US Billboard 200 [56] | 109 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [57] | 21 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [58] | 22 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [59] | 30 |
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ) [43] | 6 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [60] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Edition | Label | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
France | May 12, 2014 | Digital download | Standard | Caroline | [61] |
United Kingdom |
| [62] [63] | |||
2-CD + DVD | Deluxe | [64] | |||
Canada | May 13, 2014 |
| Standard | Universal | [65] [66] |
2-CD + DVD | Deluxe | [67] | |||
United States |
| Standard | Noble ID | [44] [68] | |
2-CD + DVD | Deluxe | [69] | |||
Japan | May 14, 2014 | Digital download | Standard | Hostess | [70] |
Germany | May 16, 2014 |
| Caroline | [71] [72] | |
2-CD + DVD | Deluxe | [73] | |||
France | May 19, 2014 | 2-CD | Standard | [74] | |
2-CD + DVD | Deluxe | [75] | |||
Australia | May 23, 2014 |
| Standard | Universal | [76] [77] |
2-CD + DVD | Deluxe | [78] | |||
Canada | June 10, 2014 | LP + DVD | Standard | [79] | |
United States | Caroline | [80] | |||
Japan | July 2, 2014 | 2-CD | Hostess | [81] |
Blondie is an American rock band formed in New York City in 1974 by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave genre and scene of the mid-1970s.
Parallel Lines is the third studio album by American rock band Blondie, released on September 8, 1978, by Chrysalis Records. An instant critical and commercial success, the album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in February 1979 and proved to be the band's commercial breakthrough in the United States, where it reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in April 1979. In Billboard magazine, Parallel Lines was listed at No. 9 in its top pop albums year-end chart of 1979. The album spawned several successful singles, notably the international hit "Heart of Glass".
"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo. Produced and composed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, with lyrics by Blondie singer Debbie Harry, the song appeared in the film and was released in the United States in early 1980 as a single. "Call Me" was No. 1 for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, where it became the band's biggest single and second No. 1. It also hit No. 1 in the UK and Canada, where it became their fourth and second chart-topper, respectively. In the year-end chart of 1980, it was Billboard's No. 1 single and RPM magazine's No. 3 in Canada.
"One Way or Another" is a song by American new wave band Blondie from their 1978 album Parallel Lines. Lyrically, the song was inspired by Blondie frontwoman Deborah Harry's experience with a stalker in the early 1970s, an incident which forced her to move away from New Jersey. The song's music was composed by bassist Nigel Harrison, who introduced the Ventures-influenced track to keyboardist Jimmy Destri.
"Rip Her to Shreds" is a song by American new wave band Blondie, which features on the band's self-titled debut album.
"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.
"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 in February 1980 as the album's third single.
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady 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 cover version by the American band Blondie became a US and UK number one hit. The song topped the UK Singles Chart again in 2002 with a version by the British girl group Atomic Kitten, while Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.
"Rapture" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album Autoamerican (1980). Written by band members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released as the second and final single from Autoamerican on January 12, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. Musically, "Rapture" is a combination of new wave, disco and hip hop with a rap section forming an extended coda.
"Maria" is a song by American rock band Blondie. The song was written by Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri and produced by Craig Leon. Taken from their seventh album, No Exit (1999), it was Blondie'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.
"Dreaming" is a song by American new wave band Blondie. Released in 1979, the song was the opening track from their fourth album Eat to the Beat. Written by guitarist Chris Stein and singer Debbie Harry and partially inspired by ABBA's "Dancing Queen," the song also features an active drum performance by drummer Clem Burke, who did not expect the final recording to feature his busy drum track.
"Sunday Girl" is a song recorded by the American new wave band Blondie, from the band's 1978 album Parallel Lines. Written by guitarist Chris Stein, the song was inspired by Debbie Harry's cat, who was named Sunday Man—the cat had recently run away, inspiring the song's "plaintive" nature.
"Picture This" is a 1978 song by the American rock band Blondie, released on their third album, Parallel Lines. Written by Chris Stein, Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri, the song features evocative lyrics that producer Mike Chapman surmised were written by Harry about Stein.
Since 1976 the American new wave band Blondie has released 11 studio albums, 4 live albums, 14 compilation albums, 3 remix albums, 3 EPs, and 38 singles. The band has sold an estimated 40 million albums.
Deborah Ann Harry is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached No. 1 on the US charts between 1979 and 1981.
Panic of Girls is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Blondie. It was the band's first album of new material in nearly 8 years, since 2003's The Curse of Blondie. The album was first released digitally on May 30, 2011, followed by physical releases in various formats later.
"Hanging on the Telephone" is a song written by Jack Lee. The song was released in 1976 by his short-lived US West Coast power pop band the Nerves; in 1978, it was recorded and released as a single by American new wave band Blondie.
"I Want to Drag You Around" is the third single from the band Blondie's tenth studio album Ghosts of Download. It was released officially along with the rest of the album in May 2014, although it was released before that as a free digital download with tickets to the 2013 North American No Principals Tour under the title "Drag You Around". It was announced in March 2014 as the third single from Ghosts of Download, and was BBC Radio 2's Record of the Week from 19 April 2014.
"Sugar on the Side" is the opening track on, and second single from, Blondie's tenth studio album Ghosts of Download. It was released as a digital download on December 17, 2013, in the US and Canada, but has not been released in any other countries. The song features the Colombian hip-hop/cumbia band Systema Solar.
Matthew Jeremy "Matt" Katz-Bohen is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. Since 2008, he has been the keyboardist for the rock band Blondie.
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