Album Description: Blondie defies definition. The legendary band is a little bit punk, a little bit reggae, a little bit rock, a little bit new wave, a little bit pop, a little bit hip-hop and a lot of downtown attitude. Already gold in Europe, Blondie: Greatest Hits--Sound & Vision was released March 7 by Capitol/EMI, one week before the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. The new CD/DVD package contains 20 audio tracks and 16 video clips, including the band's biggest hits and previously unreleased remixes. "Rapture Riders"--a mash-up of the band's "Rapture" with the Doors' "Riders on the Storm"--and its accompanying UK music video make their release debut on the new collection.
Blondie's influence on today's artists is undeniable. Debbie Harry and Blondie have been a major influence on superstars like Madonna, Garbage's Shirley Manson, and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, among many others. They were one of the first groups to emerge from New York's new wave/punk renaissance with an album (1976's Blondie); the first to chart a #1 single, a revolutionaryblend of punk and disco ("Heart of Glass"); and the first to top the charts with both a rap song (1981's "Rapture") and a reggae tune ("The Tide Is High"). And now Blondie have added to their legacy by being selected for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Sex Pistols, and Miles Davis, as one of two first-time nominees (Davis is the other).
"This is a tremendous honor for us," said the band's lead vocalist Deborah Harry, who is celebrating Blondie's 30th anniversary this year. "We're proud to take our place alongside some of our own idols."
CD/DVD with 20 audio tracks and 16 videos, including Blondie classics: "Heart of Glass," "Atomic," "Call Me," "Rapture," "Maria"; previously unreleased remixes of "In the Flesh" and "Good Boys"; and special bonus audio and video tracks: "Rapture Riders"--Blondie vs. the Doors (debut release of the new mash-up of the band's 1980 hit "Rapture" and the Doors' "Riders on the Storm").
DVD includes 13 music videos spanning 1977 to 1982, including groundbreaking conceptual clips for "Denis" and "The Tide Is High," as well as their most recent productions for "Maria" and "Good Boys," plus the new music video for the "Rapture Riders" mash-up.
Album Description: Featuring every classic track from their outstanding career, 'Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision' is a superlative CD & DVD collection of blondie's finest moments. The CD charts their astounding success from the mid 1970s through to the late 90s when they stormed back to the top spot with amazing comeback single 'Maria'. It also includes the bonus track, 'Rapture Riders', a mash-up of Blondie's 'Rapture' VS 'The Doors 'Riders On The Storm'. The DVD (PAL/RC-0) features the accompanying single video clips (in 5.1 surround sound), available together for the first time ever including the uk version of 'rapture riders' which is not featured on the uk release! released in the UK with the title 'Sight & Sound' - featuring a slightly different tracklisting.
Album Details: Featuring Every Classic Track from their Outstanding Career, 'greatest Hits: Sound and Vision' is a Superlative CD and Dvd Collection of Blondie's Finest Moments. The CD Charts their Astounding Success from the Mid 1970s Through to the Late 90s When They Stormed Back to the Top Spot with Amazing Comeback Single 'maria'. It also Includes the Bonus Track, 'rapture Riders', a Mash-up of Blondie's 'rapture' Vs 'the Doors 'riders on the Storm'. The Dvd (Pal/Rc-0) features the Accompanying Single Video Clips (In 5. 1 Surround Sound), Available Together for the First Time Ever Including the UK Version of 'rapture Riders' which is Not Featured on the UK Release! Released in the UK with the Title 'sight and Sound' - featuring a Slightly Different Tracklisting.
Disc 1:
Heart Of Glass
Sunday Girl
Atomic
Call Me
The Tide Is High
Rapture
Maria
In The Flesh Remix
Rip Her To Shreds
Denis
Picture This
Fade Away (And Radiate)
Hanging On The Telephone
One Way Or Another
Dreaming
Union City Blue
Island Of Lost Souls
Good Boys Blow-Up Mix
End To End
Rapture Riders Blondie vs. The Doors (Bonus Track-previously unreleased)
Audio remixed and remastered; DVDs flawed but worth having ^ If you want a Blondie greatest hits record to collect the classic tracks in one place *as you remember them from back in the day*, steer well clear of this record: The remasterer has been at work, and most, if not all, tracks have pretty clearly been remixed as well as remastered, not to mention shortened. While newer listeners may like the updated sound (in some ways it's a sympathetic update - mostly just a little more bass and drums, and it's fairly subtle - but not so subtle that you can't notice it!) many of us older buzzards will feign righteous indignation that anyone could have dared to meddle with such pop perfection. This is DEBBIE HARRY for crying out loud. Is nothing sacred?
A much better bet for those old timers would be The Best Of Blondie, which was released about 1984, and contains most of the essential tracks, as recorded and (mostly) unedited.
What this collection *does* offer old timers is two things: Firstly, a good quality recording of "Rapture Riders", the mash-up of Blondie's Rapture and the Doors' Riders on the Storm. Purists hate it, but I think it's pretty cool.
Secondly, the original videos. Now Debbie Harry in the late 70s and early 80s was like nothing else on the planet for a boy my age, and to see it on a good sized plasma now, while dated, still sends a shiver down the spine (notably the early ones - Debbie's gorgeous backlighting in Picture This and Heart of Glass deserve a special mention). But, candidly, many of the other videos are of historical interest only: Blondie fizzled out just before the MTV generation hit it off, so televisually slick this is not: while we should indeed think ourselves lucky that there even are contemporaneous videos of our pop goddess in her prime, most are somewhere between silly and unconvincing (Atomic, Hanging On The Telephone) embarrassing (The Hardest Part, which sees Debbie in S&M gear sporting - some would say wisely - a ridiculous long black wig and dark glasses) and downright bizarre (The Tide Is High - the band in New York with superimposed giant goldfish at the window, a mutant Darth Vader and then - of course! - some stock NASA footage of a Saturn V rocket) and the in any case dreadful Island Of Lost Souls). On the other hand there is a video for Shayla, which is a wonderful bonus.
Nonetheless there's enough of that Debbie Harry Magic to make this worth the purchase for the DVD alone.
But audiophiles: your best bet would be to go back to the Albums: Parallel Lines and Eat To The Beat (the latter of which I am proud to say was the first record I ever bought, aged 12) are outstanding records, but you only catch a glimpse of them here.
Olly Buxton
could have been perfect ^ it's not the edited versions, it's that "Heart of glass" misses the classic 8 seconds intro before the explosion of keyboard, guitar and drums sound, a portion of music that has become a "classic" by its own, being sampled by many rappers in their hits. I bought this compilation because i read the titles and saw the bonus dvd but i get very upset by what mentioned above. fortunately i own a copy of "The complete picture" - Chrysalis 1991", which actually is THE greatest hits as it includes even Debbie Harry solo hits, and also "Parallel lines" which is an era defining album to have absolutely. maurizio fiorentiniThe Complete Picture: Very Best of Blondie
MAKE THIS YOUR NUMBER ONE ! (this CD/DVD is Blondie's best compilation so far) ^ To go along with their well-deserved induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, Blondie released this 2-disc Greatest Hits (CD+DVD) collection, and it's a package that does justice to Debbie Harry and the band's legacy.
Of course, Debbie Harry is obviously the star here. Mixing little-girl enthusiasm with a punk-ish new wave attitude and her ex-Playboy Bunny sexuality, she blossomed into a beautiful and fascinating superstar who always remained true to her feminine spirit. Where Madonna and Pat Benatar sold out an important element of their femininity in exchange for power, Debbie seemed only to do what came natural to her and let the universe just take care of itself.
Greatest Hits (CD+DVD) has the classics; Call Me, Heart Of Glass, One Way Or Another, The Tide Is High, Dreaming, Atomic, Rapture, Sunday Girl, and more (all digitally remastered, but single edits). Also included here are new remixes of In The Flesh and Good Boys, which are enjoyable, but not particularly any better than the originals. Rapture Riders, a new "Blondie vs. The Doors" mashup that mixes Blondie's Rapture with The Doors' Riders On The Storm, is really cool though.
The videos are essential. They're sexy and fun, but also show a certain vulnerability and honesty that has always been an intriguing part of Debbie Harry's charismatic personality. The liner notes aren't much; very little song information, the album cover images, and that's about it.
There is the single-disc Blondie - Greatest Hits from 2002, and it's a little cheaper; but even though it includes two songs that aren't here (X Offender and I'm Always Touched By Your Presence Dear), I still recommend this one because it has the new remixes and the video DVD.
"...Tonight, make it magnificent."
Blondie-Greatest Hits/cd with dvd ^ I am thrilled with both the dvd and cd of this collection of Blondie's work. I especially enjoyed the remix of In the Flesh and Good Boys.
Good, but not good enough ^ As was mentioned by other reviewers, some of the songs are cut short, notably Heart of Glass & Rapture which are each 30 seconds shorter than the LP versions. Since the CD fills only 73-1/2 minutes, there is no excuse for shaving a minute. Maybe they thought we wouldn't notice? But what is really inexcusable is omitting Once I Had A Love (aka The Disco Song) which is only 3:18 minutes and helped define the disco sound, for which there was plenty of room. Bang A Gong (Get It On) should also have been included and there would have been room for it in lieu of Island Of Lost Souls or End To End, both trivial contributions.
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