Blondie - Blondie (1976)

Giving punk rock catchy and accessible pop twists before it was cool, Blondie's 1976 debut eponymous LP earned the group its rightful reputation as one of the central front-runners in punk’s transition towards ‘new wave’, exploding from the underground New York punk scene with a band and frontwoman capable of taking them to inevitable commercial success in later years.

Produced by former Brill Building songwriter Richard Gottehrer, Blondie is in many ways a tribute to the Phil Spector-era of pop music, flaunting tight and polished soundscapes not too dissimilar from the band’s New York punk contemporaries. Evoking the spirit of 60s girl groups, the opening number and lead single “X Offender” begins with a sultry spoken intro by lead singer Debbie Harry, a la The Shangri-Las or The Angels, which quickly escalates into a flurry of energetic organs, rapid drums and relentless rhythm and electric guitar. The B-side of that single, “In the Flesh” is another ode to early 60s bubblegum pop, a soothing ballad with light, breezy vocals by Harry featuring double-tracked “Ooooooh” refrains, and by pure accident (mistakenly played in Australia over the A-side) would be their very first charting single.

There are more than a few surprises in this album though, with Debbie Harry in “A Shark in Jets Clothing” taking on the persona of a character from West Side Story, utilising posse-style finger snaps and a buzzing overlay of synths from keyboardist Jimmy Destri. “Man Overboard” shuffles along courtesy of guitarists Chris Stein (lead, rhythm) and Gary Valentine (bass) brimming with funk, balanced out by Harry’s airy vocals that give it a distinct pop edge. Destri, as he often does throughout this record, really shines with a brief erratic synth solo, and not to be outdone, Stein matches it with a solo of his own. Debbie Harry’s famously cocky and alluring persona really comes to the fore in the third single “Rip Her to Shreds”, almost goading an imaginary disapproving audience into having a go at her - “She’s so dull / Come on, rip her to shreds”

What’s particularly striking about Blondie is that despite working very much within a pop framework, it’s still undoubtedly a punk album in nature, perhaps not in the instrumentation but rather the daringly explicit subject matter. “X Offender” details a prostitute’s attempts at seducing a policeman, “Look Good in Blue” has a rather saucy refrain by Debbie Harry, who lingers on the first part of “I could give you some head and shoulders to lie on”, and “Attack of the Giant Ants” is an absurd, rollicking tribute to the cult-like genre of monster movies, with drummer Clement Burke furiously providing a beat worthy of an apocalypse and Harry nonchalantly broadcasting the demise of Earth, complete with a soundbite of people fleeing in horror. I can’t think of anything more punk than a song describing giant ants melting people’s faces off.

Blondie epitomises what made the punk movement so liberating, in that there were no boundaries, limits or restrictions on what could be done, even if what was recorded wasn’t really punk at all (save “Kung Fu Girls”) so long as there was attitude, which is in abundance on this record. In the following years, punk contemporaries would continue to progress, adapting and bringing in additional sounds to their work, most notably The Clash (reggae, ska, hip hop) yet Blondie would surprisingly enough see one of their hits becoming a staple in the era of disco revival (“Heart of Glass”) as well as the unlikely achievement of being the first Caucasian group to have a #1 rap single (“Rapture”). Blondie definitely captures the band’s unapologetically exuberant and youthful style of early new wave, arguably not quite as refined as on the acclaimed Parallel Lines release, but still mightily fun and enjoyable either way.

B+

-Karl

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Prince - Dirty Mind (1980)

Before strutting around on a purple motorcycle, flamboyantly wearing frilly shirts and challenging Charlie Murphy to hilarious games of basketball, Prince Rogers Nelson once was, believe it or not, a fairly normal and modest guy, if a little eccentric. Nearing the end of his three-record contract with Warner Bros. in 1980, the ambitious young musician from Minneapolis released his first significant effort, Dirty Mind.

After dropping two commercially successful albums that confirmed his talent but not quite his ability, Prince assembled the core of what would eventually become his backup band The Revolution, with fellow Minneapolitans Dr. Fink (keyboards, synthesiser) and Lisa Coleman (keyboards, vocals, sitar) having their first feature credits on Dirty Mind. Combining spritely, overhead synth riffs with bass-heavy, underground funk rhythms, Dirty Mind is arguably one of the first, if not the first truly consistent ‘synth funk’ release, despite previous artists such as Stevie Wonder, Kool & the Gang and Parliament initiating the stylistic fusion earlier in the 1970s.

A fairly budgeted album in terms of production, the sounds in Dirty Mind may not be terribly complex or as lavish as in Purple Rain, yet it was undoubtedly the correct approach, accommodating Prince’s developing capabilities as a songwriter at this point in his career. However Dirty Mind’s simplicity is more than matched by its substance, with near-perfect displays of the burgeoning synth-funk style as in “Do It All Night”, which immediately kicks off with an energetic glissando by Dr. Fink that transitions into unrelentingly incessant keyboard chords, and only continues to build with Prince continually feeding thick, heavy funky bass lines throughout, culminating with a superb synth solo. Yet the album breaks from that particular mold on the very next track “Gotta Broken Heart Again”, a soulful ballad that strips away Dr. Fink’s synthesisers in order for Prince to brandish his undeniably impressive guitar skills, even managing to slot in a solo despite its brief 2 minute duration.

Having just turned 22 during the recording of Dirty Mind, Prince flaunts a kind of sexually frustrated exuberance typical of a guy that was yet to “make it” in the music industry, most notably on the title track where he begs a woman to sleep with him, and that just being around her gives him a “dirty mind”. There’s also the sorrowful “Gotta Broken Heart Again” where Prince laments being broke, having spent all of his money on a long-distance call to his ex, as well as the way he kicks off the infectious track “Do It All Night” by politely singing “Pardon me, I wanna talk to you”, not yet having the confidence or brashness he would later be famous for. The track’s refrain, “I wanna do it / Do it all night” again reflects Prince’s desire for sex, as opposed to actually getting it. In a way, these moments help to preserve a humbler time in Prince’s career, when he didn’t have it all.

Dirty Mind would prove to be Prince’s breakthrough release, kicking off a decade where future artists would try to imitate its style. It also saw Prince’s first appearance on Saturday Night Live, and determined to make an impact, rather than promoting one of the album’s singles he played the anti-war, provocative number “Partyup”, which in many ways has the same party-in-the-face-of-adversity message as his later hit “1999”. Wearing a combination of his trademark purple jacket adorned with silver buttons, black stockings and eyeliner (similar to his getup on the album cover), Prince certainly looked like a man set to solidify his identity, however ambiguous. As the song finished with the obstinate line “We don’t wanna fight no more”, Prince threw the microphone stand down and rushed off stage, the tremors already rolling through American audiences. Prince had arrived.

Funky, danceable and timeless, Dirty Mind is ideal for those unfamiliar with Prince, a suitable starting point among his formidably large discography. Just running in at a mere 30 minutes, it’s a quick yet remarkably substantial listen that is essential for anyone interested as to what helped shape the sound of the 80s.

A-

-Karl

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John Lennon - Walls and Bridges (1974)

Released in 1974, John Lennon’s fifth solo album post-The Beatles “Walls and Bridges” should in many ways have a best of the rest title imposed on it. “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band” and “Imagine” were by far and away better than anything else he would produce during his solo career, but “Walls and Bridges” as an album comes in comfortably in third place. Written, recorded and released during his separation from Yoko or what was better known as Lennon’s “Lost Weekend”, “Walls and Bridges” is a very open and honest record with Lennon portraying through the music his emotions and feelings at the time.

Lyrically, Lennon addresses a whole number of topics in the songs but by in large focuses in on maturity and ageing, while also having time to express his feelings towards the two main women in his life. “Going Down on Love” and “Bless You” explores his relationship with Yoko and their separation at the time, while “Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” is a song written about his lover at the time May Pang. Apart from relationships and love, Lennon also has time for Allen Klein in “Steel and Glass” in what is a sort of “How Do You Sleep” take two, the ills of show business in “Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out)”, and his fear of ageing and loneliness in the haunting “Scared”. The range of themes on display in the songs in many ways signify a man coming to terms with his maturity but also seem to paint a picture of a man lost and depressed within a “lost weekend”.  It therefore should be of no coincidence that shortly after the album’s release Lennon was to be reunited with Yoko after a separation that lasted around eighteen months. The album has quite a slick 1970s New York feel to it and is very over-produced with layers of strings lining the songs as well as carefully constructed piano and horn arrangements. Stylistically, “Walls and Bridges” sticks largely to a standard mid-70s pop/rock formula with a mix of ballads such as “Old Dirt Road” and up-tempo numbers including “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” featuring Elton John on backing vocals. Although throughout the album there are splashes of sexy jazz “Bless You” and an underlying R&B feel that includes a soulful edginess to Lennon’s vocal delivery in what is a standout on the album.

The one main criticism I have of this album is its production. It is too over-produced as an album, something that seemed to be in vogue throughout the 70s amongst musicians in the rock/pop hybrid genre and what became a common feature of Lennon’s material post-Imagine. The slickness of the production I feel at times is quite contrived and appears unnecessary, especially as the quality of the songs could have come through better without a dense background of strings and horns. I would have plugged for a more “Plastic Ono Band” stripped back feel to allow the rawness and feeling in the lyrics to come through more. On the other hand I shouldn’t be surprised as Lennon had been working with Phil Spector at the time, someone whom he respected as a producer and who’s “Wall of Sound” recording technique is built around the idea of records being over-produced with layers of instruments. Despite this criticism, “Walls and Bridges” remains a favourite Lennon album for me, and as a collection of songs is definitely the best he would do post-Imagine. Its historical significance is also worth noting in that it was recorded during a critical period in his life where he was away from Yoko for an extended period, while it was also his last album of original material for five years during which he would take a self imposed exile from music lasting until 1980.

 

B+

 

- Sam