release date: Dec. 1976
format: vinyl (1977 reissue) / cd (2001 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Richard Gottehrer, Craig Leon, Alan Betrock
label: Chrysalis / Capitol - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "X Offender" (5 / 5) - 2. "Little Girl Lies" - 3. "In the Flesh" - 5. "In the Sun" - 7. "Man Overboard" - 8. "Rip Her to Shreds" - 10. "Kung Fu Girls"
Studio debut album by Blondie originally released on the small label Private Stock Records but already reissued by Chrysalis in Sep. '77. As is the case with most of Blondie albums the single tracks are credited various songwriters, which often has shaped their style in different directions, and made their single albums stand as non-uniform products with some great tracks but also some superfluous or misplaced songs and basically a huge variety of styles involved.
This, the band's debut came out much unnoticed at a time when punk rock and new wave had attracted everyone's attention, and maybe therefore a specific direction is hard to find here."X Offender" (written by Deborah Harry and composed by Gary Valentine) is simply THE track of the album right there among the first new wave songs and in terms of taking part of developing a new style. In my mind, it's also one of the band's best tracks ever. "In the Sun" (by Chris Stein) is a quite fine track as well but the remaining material sounds as if coming from a different band of another time. I don't think, I came across the album until around 1980 - at least not after hearing Parallel Lines (1978). The 2001 reissue comes with five additional demo recordings.
An interesting debut, and in a music historical context, it's way more valued than it works as a stand-alone album. I still (try to) enjoy it, though.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone Album Guide 4 / 5 stars ]
