Blondie - Parallel Lines

Hanging On The Telephone - 3
One Way Or Another - 4
Picture This - 3
Fade Away And Radiate - 4
Pretty Baby - 3
I Know But I Don't Know - 3
11:59 - 3
Will Anything Happen? - 3
Sunday Girl - 3
Heart Of Glass - 3
I'm Gonna Love You Too - 4
Just Go Away - 4
Total - 40 stars / 12 tracks = 3.33 stars, normalized to 3.5 stars

When I expressed disappointment about this album to the gent who lent it to me, I was told that Blondie is best experienced through singles, not by the album. I was then told that I would probably enjoy a greatest hits collection more than any single record.

I'm inclined to agree to a point. Naturally, I enjoyed "One Way Or Another" (how could you not... unless it's performed by Melissa Joan Hart), but "Heart Of Glass", on top of being a work-song, makes me want to punch kittens. A little more objectively, it's an okay tune, but the whiny downward melody is not something I could ever endorse.

Then there's "Fade Away and Radiate," which I'm worried I only like because the opening is so much like the Buffy theme.

Lastly, "I'm Gonna Love You Too" is just too damned cheery and upbeat to dislike.

So, while there are some gems that I found, I'm still going to need a lot more convincing before I run around with a Debbie Harry t-shirt on.