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Blondie biography

Allmusic later described Plastic Letters as inferior to its predecessor, saying that with the exception of the two singles, it appeared to have been constructed from "leftovers" from the Blondie album. It noted that Gottehrer's production could not compensate for the "pedestrian musical tracks" or save the album from "general mediocrity".

Parallel Lines (UK #1, US #6) Blondie's third album, the groups most popular, and best selling effort was released in September 1978, and was produced by Mike Chapman. The album's first two singles were " Picture This" (UK #12) and "Hanging on the Telephone" (UK #5). "Heart of Glass" was their first U.S. hit. The disco infused track topped the US charts in April 1979. It was a reworking of a rock song that the group had performed since its formation, but updated with strong elements of disco music. Clem Burke later said the revamped version was inspired partly by Kraftwerk and partly by the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive", whose drum beat Burke tried to emulate. He and Stein gave Jimmy Destri much of the credit for the final result, noting that Destri's appreciation of technology had led him to introduce synthesizers and to rework the keyboard sections. Although some members of the British music press condemned Blondie for "selling out", the song became a popular worldwide success. Selling more than one million copies and garnering major airplay, the single reached number one in many countries including the U.S., where, for the most part, Blondie had previously been considered an "underground" band. The song was accompanied by a music video that showcased Deborah Harry's hard-edged and playfully sexual persona, and she began to attain a celebrity status that set her apart from the other band members, who were largely ignored by the media.

Blondie's next single in the U.S. was a more aggressive rock song, "One Way or Another" (US #24), and became their second hit single in the United States. Meanwhile in the UK, an alternate single choice, "Sunday Girl", becomes another #1 smash. "Parallel Lines" is ranked #140 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest albums of all time, and has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. In June 1979, Blondie graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

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