TAS Rated 5/5 Music, 3.5/5 Sonics in the January 2023 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
Super Deluxe Blondie 10LP, 10" Vinyl, 7" Vinyl Single & 2-Book Box Set!
Includes Blondie's First Six Albums Expanded with Rarities & Outtakes!
Remastered from the Original Analog Tapes!
Cut at Abbey Road Studios!
2023 Grammy Award Nominee:
• Best Historical Album: Against The Odds: 1974-1982
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Parallel Lines - Rated 146/500!
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Blondie - Rated 401/500!
The first-ever authorized and in-depth archive in Blondie's history, a rarity for a band almost 50 years into their career with 40 million records sold. Featuring 124 songs - including 36 previously unreleased - Blondie Against the Odds: 1974-1982 features tracks remastered from the original analog tapes and cut at Abbey Road Studios. Includes their first six albums, expanded to include over four dozen demos, alternate versions + outtakes, a 120-page discography book & 144-page hardback book.
What I particularly like about the Against the Odds collection is that it gives a previously unavailable opportunity to trace the evolution of Blondie's unique sound, which incorporated influences from early 60s music, pop, funk, and reggae to (later) rap, disco, and new wave, and the collection also follows the path of their songs from their rough home versions to polished best-selling products. Personally, I always enjoy observing work in progress, and my favorites in this set are all previously unreleased demo versions. These are ideas in statu nascendi, and one can connect with 'X Offender,' 'Mr. Sightseer,' 'Sunday Girl,' or 'Call Me' on a more personal level, before any of these became the best-selling hits... I highly recommend picking the Against the Odds set up and enjoying the journey 'in the flesh.'
Features
- Super Deluxe Edition Box Set
- 6 Classic Studio LPs: Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat to the Beat, Autoamerican & The Hunter
- Remastered from the Original Analog Tapes
- Cut at Abbey Road Studios
- 4 Bonus LPs: Period Demos, Alternate Takes, Studio Goofs, Synth Experiments, Air Checks & Home Recordings
- 10" Vinyl LP: The Complete 1975 Alan Betrock Queens Basement Session + A Previously Unissued 1974 Rehearsal Tape
- 45rpm 7" Vinyl Single: "Moonlight Drive" b/w "Mr. Sightseer"
- 124 Songs, 36 Previously Unissued
- 144-Page Foil-Wrapped Hardback Monograph: Liner Notes & Oral History by Erin Osmon, with Essays from Mike Chapman, Richard Gottehrer & Ken Shipley
- Extensive Collection of Rare & Previously Unpublished Photos, Tape Boxes & Other Ephemera
- Session Comments from Debbie, Chris, Clem, Gary, Jimmy, Frank & Nigel
- 120-Page Portable Discography Book: A Look at Blondie's International Notoriety via Picture Sleeves & Regional Pressings
- Foil-Wrapped Box with Lift-Off Lid
- Made in Czech Republic
Selections
LP1 - Blondie
Side A:
- X Offender
- Little Girl Lies
- In the Flesh
- Look Good in Blue
- In the Sun
- A Shark in Jets Clothing
Side B:
- Man Overboard
- Rip Her to Shreds
- Rifle Range
- Kung Fu Girl
- The Attack of the Giant Ants
LP2 - Plastic Letters
Side A:
- Fan Mail
- Denis
- Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)
- Youth Nabbed As Sniper
- Contact in Red Square
- (I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear
- I'm on E
Side B:
- I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No
- Love at the Pier
- No Imagination
- Kidnapper
- Detroit 442
- Cautious Lip
LP3 - Parallel Lines
Side A:
- Hanging on the Telephone
- One Way or Another
- Picture This
- Fade Away and Radiate
- Pretty Baby
- I Know but I Don't Know
Side B:
- 11:59
- Will Anything Happen
- Sunday Girl
- Heart of Glass
- I'm Gonna Love You Too
- Just Go Away
LP4 - Eat to the Beat
Side A:
- Dreaming
- The Hardest Part
- Union City Blue
- Shayla
- Eat to the Beat
- Accidents Never Happen
Side B:
- Die Young Stay Pretty
- Slow Motion
- Atomic
- Sound-a-Sleep
- Victor
- Living in the Real World
LP5 - Autoamerican
Side A:
- Europa
- Live It Up
- Here's Looking at You
- The Tide Is High
- Angels on the Balcony
- Go Through It
Side B:
- Do the Dark
- Rapture
- Faces
- T-Birds
- Walk Like Me
- Follow Me
LP6 - The Hunter
Side A:
- Orchid Club
- Island of Lost Souls
- Dragonfly
- For Your Eyes Only
- The Beast
Side B:
- War Child
- Little Caesar
- Danceway
- (Can I) Find the Right Words (To Say)
- English Boys
- The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
LP7 - Out in the Streets
Side A:
- Out in the Streets (1974)
- The Disco Song
- Sexy Ida
- Platinum Blonde
- The Thin Line
- Puerto Rico
- Out in the Streets (1975)
Side B:
- Nameless (Home Tape)
- Mr. Sightseer
- Sunday Girl (Home Tape)
- Theme from Topkapi (Home Tape)
- The Hardest Part (Home Tape)
- Ring of Fire (Home Tape)
LP8 - Plaza Sound
Side A:
- X Offender (Intro)
- X Offender (Private Stock Single)
- In the Sun (Private Stock Single)
- Little Girl Lies (Private Stock Mix)
- In the Flesh (Extended Intro)
- A Shark in Jets Clothing (Take 2)
- Kung Fu Girls (Take 8)
- Scenery
Side B:
- Denis (Terry Ellis Mix)
- Moonlight Drive
- Bermuda Triangle Blues - Flight 45 (Take 1)
- I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No (Take 1)
- I'm on E (Take 2)
- Detroit 442 (Take 2)
- Poets Problem
LP9 - Parallel Beats
Side A:
- Once I Had a Love (Mike Chapman Demo)
- Sunday Girl (French Version)
- I'll Never Break Away from This Heart of Mine (Pretty Baby)
- Hanging on the Telephone (Mike Chapman Demo)
- Will Anything Happen (Instrumental)
- Underground Girl
Side B:
- Call Me
- Spaghetti Song (Atomic Part 2)
- Die Young Stay Pretty (Take 1)
- Union City Blue (Instrumental)
- Llámame
LP10 - Coca-Cola
Side A:
- I Love You Honey, Give Me a Beer (Go Through It)
- Live It Up (Giorgio Moroder Demo)
- Angels on the Balcony (Giorgio Moroder Demo)
- Tide Is High (Demo)
- Susie & Jeffrey
Side B:
- Rapture (Disco Version)
- Autoamerican Ad
- Yuletide Throwdown
10" Vinyl - Outtakes & Rarities ("Out in the Streets")
Side A:
- Out in the Streets (1974 Session)
- The Disco Song (1974 Session)
- Sexy Ida (1974 Session)
Side B:
- Platinum Blonde (Betrock Demo)
- The Thin Line (Betrock Demo)
- Puerto Rico (Betrock Demo)
- Once I Had a Love (1975) [Betrock Demo]
- Out in the Streets (1975) [Betrock Demo]
7" Vinyl Single
Side A:
- Moonlight Drive
Side B:
- Mr. Sightseer
