1. BlondieParallel Lines
I firmly believe that Debbie Harry is the greatest frontwoman of all time. Her voice is incredible; she is deeply cool, beautiful, gritty, and a gifted songwriter and actor. My auntie Bev played this album whenever I saw her at my grandparents’ house in the late 70s, when she still lived at home. She had been a true punk, and her musical tastes moved seamlessly into what Blondie were doing at CBGBs and beyond. In my later teenage years, I developed an obsession with the art pop/rock scene of 1960s and 70s Manhattan. I was curious about Andy Warhol and his studio, The Factory, which seemed to be a melting pot for outsiders, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and drag queens. I love Patti Smith’s book Just Kids, as her storytelling about that period is so evocative. Debbie was part of that world, a trailblazer and pioneer in the late 1970s and 80s and continues to be a fashion and cultural icon today.
The album cover is extremely iconic and immediately recognisable, with Debbie in a defiant power pose and the rest of the band sarcastically smiling in the background. There are so many outstanding songs on this album, ‘Heart of Glass’ probably being my favourite. I’ve seen Blondie a few times and met Debbie, Chris, and Clem briefly in the early 2000s; they all signed my gig ticket. In a moment of gushing, I told Debbie that I adored her and that she is wonderful. Much to my delight, she smiled at me so sweetly and thanked me wholeheartedly.
