The Best of Blondie
The Best of Blondie (released in Germany and the Netherlands as Blondie's Hits) is the first greatest hits album by American rock band Blondie. It was released in October 1981, by Chrysalis Records.[5] The album peaked at number four in the United Kingdom and number 30 in the United States, while becoming the band's only number-one album in Australia.
| The Best of Blondie | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | October 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1976–1980 | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 43:37 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Blondie chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−[2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
| Smash Hits | [4] |
Background
The album was issued in several versions with different track inclusion and running order which varied slightly between North American and international editions of The Best of Blondie, highlighting the popularity of particular songs in different countries. The US and Canadian editions included "One Way or Another", which was not issued as a single in Europe. The international version of the album included three songs that were not on the North American release: "Denis", "Picture This" and "Union City Blue".[6][7][8]
Blondie's producer Mike Chapman remixed three tracks specially for this album. The special mix of "Heart of Glass" is a version that combines elements from the original album version (also the 7″ single mix in the UK) and the instrumental version. The special mix of "In the Flesh" is a Phil Spector-esque mix, with much echo. The special mix of "Sunday Girl" mixes vocals from the previously released French-language version of the song with the original English version. Additionally, "Rapture" appears in an edited version of the 12″ Disco Mix released in the UK and Europe and includes an extra verse that did not appear on the album Autoamerican, on which the song was originally issued.
The album cover was shot in June 1978 by British photographer Martyn Goddard on a rooftop in Midtown Manhattan.[9]
Video version
A video version of the album was released on VHS, featuring the band's music videos. The video was interspersed with footage of a New York City taxi driver who would see Blondie videos being played on television screens throughout the city. During the intro sequence the song "Call Me" is played, making it another music video. "Sunday Girl" (incomplete) is played during the end credits. The Best of Blondie video album was re-released on DVD in 2002 as a part of Greatest Video Hits to coincide with the release of the album Greatest Hits. The songs "Call Me" and "Sunday Girl" were omitted from the track listing, but not from the video itself. In addition to the entirety of The Best of Blondie, this DVD also includes three bonus tracks not on the original release: "The Hardest Part", "Island of Lost Souls", and "Maria".
Track listing
All tracks are produced by Mike Chapman, except "In the Flesh", "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear", "Rip Her to Shreds" and "Denis", produced by Richard Gottehrer, and "Call Me", produced by Giorgio Moroder. All special mixes are produced by Chapman.
US and Canadian version
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heart of Glass" (special mix) | Parallel Lines | 4:33 | |
| 2. | "Dreaming" |
| Eat to the Beat | 3:06 |
| 3. | "The Tide Is High" | John Holt | Autoamerican | 4:41 |
| 4. | "In the Flesh" (special mix) |
| Blondie | 2:29 |
| 5. | "Sunday Girl" (special mix) | Stein | Parallel Lines | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Jack Lee | Parallel Lines | 2:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Rapture" |
| Autoamerican | 5:36 |
| 8. | "One Way or Another" |
| Parallel Lines | 3:33 |
| 9. | "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" | Gary Valentine | Plastic Letters | 2:42 |
| 10. | "Call Me" |
| American Gigolo | 3:32 |
| 11. | "Atomic" |
| Eat to the Beat | 4:39 |
| 12. | "Rip Her to Shreds" |
| Blondie | 3:22 |
| Total length: | 43:37 | |||
International version
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heart of Glass" (special mix) |
| Parallel Lines | 4:33 |
| 2. | "Denis" | Neil Levenson | Plastic Letters | 2:18 |
| 3. | "The Tide Is High" | Holt | Autoamerican | 4:41 |
| 4. | "In the Flesh" (special mix) |
| Blondie | 2:29 |
| 5. | "Sunday Girl" (special mix) | Stein | Parallel Lines | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Dreaming" |
| Eat to the Beat | 3:06 |
| 7. | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Lee | Parallel Lines | 2:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Rapture" |
| Autoamerican | 5:36 |
| 9. | "Picture This" |
| Parallel Lines | 2:55 |
| 10. | "Union City Blue" |
| Eat to the Beat | 3:21 |
| 11. | "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" | Valentine | Plastic Letters | 2:42 |
| 12. | "Call Me" |
| American Gigolo | 3:31 |
| 13. | "Atomic" |
| Eat to the Beat | 4:39 |
| 14. | "Rip Her to Shreds" |
| Blondie | 3:22 |
| Total length: | 48:37 | |||
Video version
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Call Me" |
| American Gigolo | 3:42 |
| 2. | "In the Flesh" |
| Blondie | 2:27 |
| 3. | "X Offender" |
| Blondie | 4:31 |
| 4. | "Denis" | Levenson | Plastic Letters | 2:10 |
| 5. | "Detroit 442" |
| Plastic Letters | 9:34 |
| 6. | "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" | Valentine | Plastic Letters | 2:46 |
| 7. | "Picture This" |
| Parallel Lines | 3:04 |
| 8. | "Hanging on the Telephone" | Lee | Parallel Lines | 4:31 |
| 9. | "Heart of Glass" |
| Parallel Lines | 4:31 |
| 10. | "Dreaming" |
| Eat to the Beat | 2:58 |
| 11. | "Union City Blue" |
| Eat to the Beat | 4:39 |
| 12. | "Atomic" |
| Eat to the Beat | 4:03 |
| 13. | "The Tide Is High" | Holt | Autoamerican | 3:56 |
| 14. | "Rapture" |
| Autoamerican | 4:55 |
| 15. | "Sunday Girl" | Stein | Parallel Lines | 3:21 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the US and Canadian edition of The Best of Blondie.[10]
Blondie
- Clem Burke – drums
- Jimmy Destri – keyboards
- Nigel Harrison – bass
- Debbie Harry – vocals
- Frank Infante – guitar
- Chris Stein – guitar
Technical
- Mike Chapman – production (tracks 1–3, 5–8, 11); special mix production (tracks 1, 4, 5)
- Richard Gottehrer – production (tracks 4, 9, 12)
- Giorgio Moroder – production (track 10)
Artwork
- Peter Wagg – art direction
- Martyn Goddard – front cover photography
- Brian Cooke – back cover photography
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | — | 200,000[20] |
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[21] | Gold | 10,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[23] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[24] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Best of Blondie – Blondie". AllMusic. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
- Rolling Stone Album Guide
- "Birch, Ian (October 15, 1981). "Album Reviews". Smash Hits. 3 (21): 25.
- "The Best Of Blondie - 1981". rip-her-to-shreds.com. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- The Best of Blondie (liner notes). Blondie. France: Chrysalis Records. 1981. CDL TV1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - The Best of Blondie (liner notes). Blondie. Australia: Chrysalis Records. 1981. RML-52003.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - The Best of Blondie (liner notes). Blondie. Japan: Chrysalis Records. 1981. WWS-90110.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - "Picture This - Blondie by Martyn Goddard". SNAP Galleries. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- The Best of Blondie (liner notes). Blondie. Chrysalis Records. 1981. CHR 1337.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0422". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Blondie – The Best Of" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- "Charts.nz – Blondie – The Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- "Blondie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- "Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. Vol. 35, no. 22. December 26, 1981. ISSN 0315-5994 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- Scaping, Peter, ed. (1982). "The Top 200 LPs: January–December 1981". BPI Year Book 1982 (5th ed.). London: British Phonographic Industry. pp. 50–53. ISBN 0-906154-03-0.
- "Top Selling Albums of 1982". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- "Market Leaders Surveyed: Majors Fight Economics with Quirky Rock Originals". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 23. June 12, 1982. p. A/NZ-4. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 23, 2020 – via Google Books.
- "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1982". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- "New Zealand album certifications – Blondie – The Best of Blondie". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- "British album certifications – Blondie – Best of Blondie". British Phonographic Industry. August 30, 1988. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- "American album certifications – Blondie – Best of Blondie". Recording Industry Association of America. November 3, 2005. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
