... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The biggest sounding Blondie album by far – and a radical leap from New York new wave scene band to a wildly ambitious pop pastiche machine! The band always had a fearless way of filtering far-reaching pop sounds into their material, even when they were still on the CBGBs scene, and while their stylistic reach grew with each successive album, Autoamerican really takes it to extremes. It's somewhat notorious for favoring session players over the core band, but given how crazy the stylistic breadth is – no disrespect to that incredible core band – it's a creative win, as much BECAUSE they bit off more than they could chew production wise, as it is despite that. It's most famous (or infamous, depending on who's talking about it) for "Rapture", and other tracks include "Europa", "Live It Up", their classic, breezy cover of "The Tide Is High", "Here's Looking At You", "Faces", "Follow Me" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

With "Rapture", "One Way Or Another", "Heart Of Glass", "Call Me", "Atomic", "Rip Her To Shreds", "Hanging OnThe Telephone", "The Tide Is High", "Dreaming" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible debut of Blondie! Before branching out into 70s NYC club culture informed pop, Blondie was first-and-formost an incredibly cool punk-era rock & roll band, though never really straight-up punkers themselves – filtering a love of 60s girl group vocals and seedier surf rock influences into catchy songs still raucous enough for CBGBs. While the live gig grit is buffed out of in the studio, there's no lack of game-changing greatness here – and titles include "X Offender", "Little Girls Lie", "In The Sun", "In The Flesh", "Rifle Range", "Kung Fu Girls", "The Attack Of The Giant Ants" and more. CD

Blondie had a lot to live up to after Parallel Lines, but they pulled it off here – Eat To The Beat is another classic! Downtown cool, a strong sense of pop history and tight production by Mike Chapman make for a really distinct sound on this one. Standouts include the excellent opener "Dreaming" (one of the finest Harry/Stein songs ever, if you ask us), the punky title track, "Union City Blue" and "Accidents Never Happen", and while Blondie albums are by nature hit-and-miss given the fearless mish-mash of styles they always brought in, the whole thing is pretty great! Other tracks include "Shayla", "Die Young Stay Pretty" and "Living In The Real World". LP, Vinyl record album

A crossover classic from the lovely Deborah Harry – a tune that broke Blondie big on the airwaves, yet which also had a great life of its own in the clubs – no doubt due to its driving Giorgio Moroder-influenced disco beat! Yet the track's also got a lot more to live up to, too – an important meeting of punk and disco – reconciled for just a minute, at a level that makes the track a cornerstone for both generations! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The breakthrough album by Blondie! Parallel Lines is their third album overall, and having been released only 7 months after their second, you know they were hungry to break big – and they do it here with unbeatable cool. For as tight and bright as as the sound is, a trademark of producer Mike Chapman, there's still something of the raucous downtown energy here – and also some pretty great stylistic strides, such as the disco-aware smash "Heart Of Glass". Includes the equally classic "One Way Or Another" plus "Hanging On The Telephone", "Just Go Away", "I Know But I Don't Know" "Will Anything Happen", "Picture This", "11:59 and more. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A seminal album from the New York scene – one that took the sound of the lower east side into the bedrooms of America – thanks to the tightness and charm of the group! Chris Stein is in the lead on loads of fantastically sharp guitar lines, Clement Burke gives the music a mighty nice kick on drums, and James Destri brings in a range of keyboard elements that perfectly hang the record between early punk and new wave modes – and maybe underscore some of the beautifully tuneful lead vocals from the great Debby Harry! There's few better places to start if you're looking to leap into Blondie – and titles include the classic "I'm Always Touched By Your Presence Dear", plus "I'm On E", "Fan Mail", "Bermuda Triangle Blues", "Youth Nabbed As Sniper", "I Didn't Have The Nerve To Say No", "Cautious Lip", "Detroit 442", and "Love At The Pier". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... Book

A nice change in sound for Debbie Harry – thanks to Chic production from Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards – who really help the solo singer find a groove that's quite different than her work in Blondie! The style's a mixture of the funky club that Chic did so well, with elements that lean a bit more towards an early 80s rockish dancefloor – almost with a vibe that echoes some of the UK imports trickling over to these shores at the time, but with a definite New York vibe underneath! The setting gives Harry's vocals a great way to hit a more playful nature – that sound that was creeping in a bit in Blondie, but which some folks thought was wrong for the group – and Chris Stein is still on hand to bring in some street-sensitive riffing guitar. Titles include "Backfired", "Military Rap", "Oasis", "Surrender", "Chrome", "Jump Jump", and "The Jam Was Moving". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue return to form for Roctober – one of our favorite magazines in the 90s and 00s, and a publication that always gave us plenty of bang for our buck! That tradition certainly continues here – as the hefty zine runs for well over 120 pages – stuffed to the gills with the mix of punchy prose and comics that always made it such a standout! This time around, subjects include Linda Gail Lewis, Lady Saw, The Shaggs, Divine, Exuma, Jobraith, Ozone, Nardwuar vs Marc Maron, Will Glover, and Curtom soul legend Holly Maxwell – all with the sort of presentation you won't find anywhere else. Great to have Roctober back – and nice to see someone still invested this strongly in the zine format too! Magazine

Includes music by Bayele, Mahlatini & The Mahotella Queens, Blondie Makhene, Tsepo Tshola, Dr. Victor, Rebecca Malope, Lucky Dube, and the Soul Brothers. CD

Girl rock galore – a cool little set that brings together important female cuts from the late 70s punk years, then moves forward to show just how much the underground exploded from the 90s into the 21st Century! The set's got plenty of the energy you'd expect from the title – and as with other collections on Ace, the track list is superb – lots of great choices throughout – and supported with a very detailed booklet of notes that ties everything together, and really fills you in on some of the lesser-known artists in the set. CD features 24 tracks in all – and titles include "Spirit FM" by Bad Moves, "Take It Off" by The Donnas, "Out Of Time" by Vibeke Saugestad, "I'll Be Alright" by Baby Shankes, "We Only Come Out At Night" by The Sugar Store, "Peter Gunn Locomotion" by The Delmonas, "Hanging On The Telephone" by Blondie, "Cmon & Kiss Me" by Sun 60, "The Teens Are Square" by The Courettes, "Teenage Kicks" by Dawn Chorus & The Bluetits, "In The City" by Cocktail Slippers, "Juvenile Thrills" by The Launderettes, "Dancing With Joey Ramone" by Amy Rigby, "Rock Boys" by Suzy & Los Quattro, "Take It All Away" by Girlschool, "Unforgiven" by The Go Gos, and "Da Doo Ron Ron/I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Dollyrots. CD

With selections by Cate Bros, Corky Laing, Booker T & The MGs, Jelly, Television, Blondie Chapman, Tom Waits, and Andrew Gold. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums as a leader from tenorist George Coleman – an artist who we feel often never gave us enough with himself in the lead as well! George brings in that great edge he used on earlier sessions with other leaders, while still also really establishing himself as one of the most expressive tenorists of the 70s in a mainstream mode – almost that balance between straighter swing and sharper corners that Joe Henderson brought to key recordings at the time. The group here are very fluid, and able to shift wonderfully with George's lead – Hilton Ruiz on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a masterful lineup who make magic throughout, on titles that include "Amsterdam After Dark", "New Arrival", "Lo-Joe", "Autumn In New York", "Apache Dance", and "Blondie's Waltz". CD

The great John Barry as a young man – stepping out here on songs that are a lot more rocking than his later fame as a soundtrack composer – served up in a massive 3CD box that collects together singles for Parlophone and Columbia, plus some early rock songs from films! The style here is quite different than the Barry of the James Bond years – as the Parlophone tracks include a number of vocal singles that are clearly trying to challenge the US rock hits of the time, mixed with more instrumentals by the John Barry Seven – and the Columbia years follow with more of the instrumental vibe, often using cool production to bring the most out of the twangy guitars or bright trumpet lines. The set concludes with a CD that features the Beat Girl soundtrack and the Stringbeat instrumental album – both a strong extension of the Columbia years – and the package features 92 tracks in all – with a big booklet of notes – titles that include "Get Lost Jack frost", "Big Fella", "Beat For Beatniks", "Hit & Miss", "Zip Zip", "Little John", "Hideaway", "Farrago", "Big Guitar", "Tit Willow Twist", "Watch Your Step", "The Menace", "Blondie's Strip", "The Challenge", "Moody River", "A Handful Of Songs", "Zapata", and lots lots more. CD

One of the greatest albums as a leader from tenorist George Coleman – an artist who we feel often never gave us enough with himself in the lead as well! George brings in that great edge he used on earlier sessions with other leaders, while still also really establishing himself as one of the most expressive tenorists of the 70s in a mainstream mode – almost that balance between straighter swing and sharper corners that Joe Henderson brought to key recordings at the time. The group here are very fluid, and able to shift wonderfully with George's lead – Hilton Ruiz on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a masterful lineup who make magic throughout, on titles that include "Amsterdam After Dark", "New Arrival", "Lo-Joe", "Autumn In New York", "Apache Dance", and "Blondie's Waltz". CD

One of the greatest albums as a leader from tenorist George Coleman – an artist who we feel often never gave us enough with himself in the lead as well! George brings in that great edge he used on earlier sessions with other leaders, while still also really establishing himself as one of the most expressive tenorists of the 70s in a mainstream mode – almost that balance between straighter swing and sharper corners that Joe Henderson brought to key recordings at the time. The group here are very fluid, and able to shift wonderfully with George's lead – Hilton Ruiz on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a masterful lineup who make magic throughout, on titles that include "Amsterdam After Dark", "New Arrival", "Lo-Joe", "Autumn In New York", "Apache Dance", and "Blondie's Waltz". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record, and maybe one of the few hip hop soundtracks to get at the real feel of the music on the streets – maybe no surprise, as the film for which it was created did the same thing! This isn't a fluffed-up Hollywood take on hip hop, with mainstream soul thrown into the mix – as the record was put together by Fab 5 Freddy and Chris Stein – the latter of whom really invests in his hip hop cred away from Blondie, and also provides some cool guitar bits and effects in the music too! There's some great freestyle bits and turntable tracks that really get at the underground side of the music that was alive and well at the time – and titles include "Wild Style Theme Rap 1" by Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein, "Basketball Throwdown" by Cold Crush Bros & The Fantastic Four, "Stoop Rap" by Double Trouble & Rodney Cee, "Rammellzee & Shock Dell at the Amphitheatre" with Grandmixer DST, "Wild Style Subway Rap 2" by Grand Master Caz & Chris Stein, and "Cold Crush Brothers At The Dixie". LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Blondie & Cheryl Barnes too. LP, Vinyl record album

One of John Barry's first true moments of genius – recorded back when he was the leader of a fab little instrumental combo called the John Barry 7, and was tagged to do some soundtrack work that would forever change the rest of his career! The album's got some incredible instrumental tunes that mix electric guitar and beatnik jazz in a mode that's keeping with the juvenile delinquent theme of the film – with some strings sneaking in to cheese things up a bit, but in a great way that only makes the tunes sound even better! Adam Faith sings vocals on "The Beat Girl Song", "Made You", and "I Did What You Told Me" – and other tunes include "Blues For Beatnicks", "Blondie's Strip", "Beat Girl", "Time Out", "The Sharks", and "The City 2000 AD". CD also includes the 1961 album Stringbeat. CD

The title certainly gets it right – as master tenorist George Coleman speaks volumes here with his horn – reminding us that he's one of the all-time giants on his instrument, and a player who's really continued to give us so much wonderful music over the decades! Coleman's right at home on the record – which may well be one of his best in years – open and flowing on his solos, but often with a nice sort of bite, even in the mellower moments – that special sort of edge that George has brought to his playing, from his years with Miles Davis to the many decades after. The group features Mike Ledonne on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and George Coleman Jr on drums – making his debut with the elder George here – and Peter Bernstein makes an appearance on one track for some guest guitar. Titles include the originals "Sonny's Playground", "Time To Get Down", "Blues For BB", and "Blondie's Waltz" – plus a great take on "Invitation", and "You'll Never Know What You Mean To Me" and "The Shadow Of Your Smile". CD

A group who's as trippy as their storybook title might imply – and an early effort from a young pre-Blondie Debbie Harry! The Wind In The Willows have a sound that's a far bit more folksy than you'd expect from Harry's later work in Blondie – a style that blends acoustic guitars, bits of strings, woodwinds, and more – all together into a sweetly sunny blend that has the members of the group often singing with a bit of a harmony style! The approach is a bit like Spanky & Our Gang at their best – with the same sort of playful twists and turns in mood as the album moves on – and although the group themselves handled the arrangements, the album gets some top-shelf studio help from producer Artie Kornfeld and engineer Brooks Arthur. Titles include "Djini Judy", "Park Ave Blues", "My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died", "Moments Spent", "Uptown Girl", "So Sad", "There Is But One Truth Daddy", and "The Friendly Lion". LP, Vinyl record album

Not 80s hits, but a great collection of lesser-known gems from the left side of the soul spectrum – some cuts by bigger artists that sparkle even more strongly than their hits – mixed with work by some less common acts too – all served up in a double-length package that's filled with surprises! Most numbers have a boogie bounce or an 80s groove approach – nice and funky, but in a post-70s sort of style – and titles include "Get Down With Me" by The Chi-Lites, "Be My Lady" by Intensive Heat, "Put It In A Magazine" by Sonny Charles, "Life It Up" by D'Aile with Janice Hoyte, "Walk With Me" by Valerie Horton-Brown, "You're My Everything" by Blondie & Pappa, "Can You Feel It (progressive version)" by Funk Fusion Band, "Swing That Sexy Thang" by Carl Carlton, "Full Tilt Boogie" by Uncle Louie, "How To Win our Love (special dub)" by Spencer Jones, "Assault With A Deadly Weapon" by Michael Henderson, "Love Is Just What You Make It" by TTF, "Joy & Pain" by Vernon Burch, "Class (12" promo)" by The Reddings, "Won't Let You Take It Back" by The Jones Girls, and "I Can't Let You Go" by Talkback. CD

Nouvelle Vague live and acoustic in Portugal – covering songs by Echo & The Bunnymen, The Cure, New Order, Yazoo, The Buzzcocks, Eurythmics, New Order, Joy Division, Blondie and others – a remarkably sweet and intimate set! The group are no strangers to covering new wave and post-punk classics, but hearing them in this acoustic format is a bit of a surprising twist, and a rewarding one at that. The breezy, bossa-indebted acoustic guitars, subtle keys, percussion and gentle vocals breath fresh air into some great songs. There's some real wildcard material, too – with takes on the Cramps, Dead Kennedys and others. Includes "The Killing Moon", "Blue Monday", "Sweet Dreams", "Guns Of Brixton", "Blister In The Sun", "Love Will Tear Us Apart", "In A Manner Of Speaking", "Heart Of Glass", "Human Fly", "This Is Not A Love Song" and more. CD

Music from the Normal, Blondie, Flash & the Pan, Nick Lowe, D Day, Graham Parker, the Ramones, the Knack, Dave Edmunds, the Buggles, Tim Curry, the Inmates, Tnin Huey, Suburban Lawns, and more. CD