I can't think of too many albums with as many brilliant pop songs as Parallel Lines. Almost every single song is a stone cold classic. I can't think of too many albums that make my heart melt in this way, it fills me with unmitigated joy. Blondie were a punk band, Parallel Lines bands was a massive departure for them. They had Mike Chapman produce it, and it was their most polished and poppy album. A lot of people that were around the punk scene were pretty flabbergasted that a punk band made a disco song, I imagine at the time this would have been a pretty shocking if you'd heard Blondie's other stuff though I do think their famous disco song was full of irony and very tongue in cheek. Even though they may have been branded as 'sell outs', they always hinted at a more playful and poppy side but they definitely had the punk ethic and aesthetic but if I'm honest I think they were too good for punk. I don't mean that as a criticism of punk, because it's one of my favourite genres, but their strength definitely lied in writing fantastic pop songs. Why would they want to make Punk Rock when they could make some of the most perfect pop songs ever written? Parallel Lines is full of perfect pop songs - 'Hanging on the Telephone', 'One Way or Another', 'Picture This', 'Pretty Baby', 'Sunday Girl', 'Heart Of Glass' are all absolutely brilliant, and each song was produced perfectly. The pop hooks combined with the rock riffs are brilliant. It's energetic, catchy, fun, whimsical, memorable and it has lots of attitude and personality and it doesn't have a weak song on it, every song has real purpose, one of the most consistent albums ever. Almost every song could be a single, hit after hit. Parallel Lines is one of the most infectious albums I've ever listened to, it's an absolute joy to listen to. I also have such a crush on Deborah Harry as well.
By: TheCunningStunt
A1 Hanging On The Telephone
A2 One Way Or Another
A3 Picture This
A4 Fade Away And Radiate
A5 Pretty Baby
A6 I Know But I Don't Know
B1 11:59
B2 Will Anything Happen?
B3 Sunday Girl
B4 Heart Of Glass
B5 I'm Gonna Love You Too
B6 Just Go Away
Catalogue No: 5355034
Record Label: Chrysalis