Blondie are set to release a box set of archive material, the first of its kind for the band, this August.
Spanning 124 tracks in total, 36 of them previously unissued, Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 takes in the band’s first six studio albums (Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat, Autoamerican and The Hunter), as well as a wealth of bonus tracks, including outtakes and rarities from the eight-year period mentioned in the release’s title. All of the material featured has been remastered from the original analogue tapes, and cut at London’s Abbey Road Studios. You can listen to the band’s previously unreleased recording of ‘Moonlight Drive’, lifted from the release, above.
The set will be released across a variety of formats, including the Super Deluxe Collectors’ Edition (10xLP, 1×7-inch, 1x10inch in red, white and black vinyl formats), Deluxe 4xLP edition, Deluxe 8xCD edition, and 3xCD Edition. The release also includes two volumes of liner notes, track-by-track commentary and dozens of previously unpublished photos.
Speaking about the release in a statement, Blondie’s Debbie Harry said: "It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment. Fortunately the essence of being in a band in the early ’70s held some of the anti-social, counterculture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the ’60s. I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music."
Guitarist Chris Stein added: "I am hopeful that this project will provide a glimpse into the ‘process’ and some of the journey that the songs took from idea to final form. Some of this stuff is like early sketches; the old tape machines are like primitive notebooks. The trickiest thing for me was always about getting the melodies out of my head into reality and the changes that would happen along the way."
UMC / Numero Group will release Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 on August 26, 2022.
