If you consulted a
Blondie
discography in the fall of 2002, you would see a slew of compilations listed, and you might wonder why a new
Greatest Hits
was needed. But a closer examination would reveal that there really is a niche into which such a collection would fall: that of a full-priced, single-disc, CD-era hits compilation covering the band's entire career. Although still in print,
The Best of Blondie
is a 12-track release from the LP era, first issued back in 1981 in between
's fifth and sixth regular albums. 1988's
Once More Into the Bleach
combines
and
Debbie Harry
solo tracks. 1993's
Blonde & Beyond
is a rarities set. 1994's
The Platinum Collection
fills two CDs and is thus pricey. 1995's
The Remix Project
contains remixes. There have also been short, discount-priced collections and overseas compilations, but the niche remains -- and
fills it. It contains among its 19 tracks all ten of the band's U.S. chart singles as well as their major U.K. hits that did not chart in America.
"X Offender,"
's 1976 debut single, is included, and so is
"Maria,"
their 1999 comeback hit. By sequencing the album out of chronological order, the compilers emphasize the band's eclecticism. You don't get to hear
's evolution from their early
bubblegum
punk
style into the efficient
power pop
of the
Mike Chapman
productions and on into ersatz
disco
,
rap
, and
Caribbean
music; everything is all mixed up. The
tropical
1980-1981 hit
"The Tide Is High,"
for example, is followed by the belligerent
"X Offender"
from four years earlier, and the tough-talking
"Rip Her to Shreds"
gives way to the early
hip-hop
of
"Rapture."
Chronological order would have been better, but the hits are all here. ~ William Ruhlmann