I was just going to post about that! I absolutely love the new song with Beth Ditto. I have their last album Panic of Girls. It has a few highlights like the song Mother, but nothing as good as this song. This song has the classic Blondie sound but updated with some modern beats. The problem with the last album was it had too many reggae songs and songs in French and other things that got away from the pop/rock/punk sound of Blondie that I love.

A Rose By Any Name is a great song, so fun! They performed it the other night when I saw them in Liverpool (brilliant gig btw)

YEAH BK thanks for the reply on FB

But yeah it is such an old skool New Wavey rockish/Poppy song that ticks every box without being too much and LOVE that Beth is on there....Madonna and Debbie are her two idols and she has worked with one...hopes she will work with the other music Queen soon (would be a dream) )))

Debbie the Punk Queen was such a nice surprise that not only NEW material but so damn awesome too like seriously....THIS is a comeback song...and ireally hope it is more comemrcially successful than previous material of late

Another new song performed when I saw them at Sherwood Forest was called Rave, and it is a beauty. A real upbeat Blondie classic type song.

The new album should be a good 'un.

Heard their "panic of girls" album on YT in full and not keen on it tbh :/ Mother is the main pull on it i find.

No Exit was their last "decent" album they have done....but ROse By Any Name really does sound and feel like Old Skool Blondie as in...this could be a top 10 smash back then! I have played it the past couple days...it brings such a smile to my face and mooovin to it....its just so goood and the trippy arty cover to the song too....i hear their new album will be called "The Ghosts of Download" and will be released later this year (i reckon Sept/Oct)

Really excited to hear more of these new songs are in similar vein/Old Skool Blondie...New Wavey/Electro style

oh my...on their FB page

http://jhwilliams3.com/

Im in geek heaven ....i just find it absurd that i on the Madonna AT have mentioned before that i would love her to collaborate with Ditto, love her to work with Blood Orange and love her to use comic book ideas.

And here the past month Britney SPears is announced to be working with Blood Orange and William Orbit....but also Blondie has worked with Ditto and now their new album "ghosts of download" artwork will be designed by a DC Comics artist...DC are my favourite comics (Batman, Justice League, Wonder Woman, Superman, FLash....) so this is just amazing...wonder if it will take on "ghost in the shell" vibes?

Either way WOW!

Yes, I really loved Mother but I agree the rest of the album was a little bit of letdown. It got away a little too much from classic new wave Blondie. I think it was produced who did contemporary alternative bands like My Chemical Romance and perhaps he didn't have the understanding of what Blondie is all about.
I read that they are doing a tour in the US with X, the classic 70's punk band. That's a really cool lineup.

Yeah...gutted really that i cant see em live and stuff...especially now after not only hearing such great reviews about their performances but also that their new material sounds like it will be up there with Autoamerican, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat standard <3 which is such a lovely surprise

They sound like they are going more all out with this album compared to before really i just hope its a success for them and they do interviews and stuff later this year

BUT it's playing second fiddle to the Greatest hits Redux Deluxe (Classics rerecorded) disc included in the same package 'Blondie 4 (0) Ever'
Clumsy title and a shame it's just Debbie Harry on the cover but it's to be available as a box set with CBGBs 1977 DVD + poster / Chris Stein photo cards etc
And also 2 x LP (plus DVD)
or standard 2cd issue

Chris Stein has unvelied the new album cover and it looks stunning!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...81443547_n.jpg

Sorry Josh I think the cover is even worst than the last one / and that's saying something !

I think the Deluxe cover is also very poor - but can see why for commercial reasons it was chosen - and exactly the same reason for new material being second billing to the re-recordings!

It's a shame that this release, which will more than likely be the last, looks quite 'tacky' in my opinion.

I guess people said that about the Hunter in 1982 - but back then I thought it was perversely cool!

I have to admit that I think the first five albums / natural lifespan of the 'project' were almost perfect, covers also!*

*Well Autoamerican's highlights outweighed the trying bits
Angels on the Balcony, T Birds, Go through it, as opposed to Faces, Follow me................

Blondie were the first band I really liked when I was about 7 or 8 and I am not ashamed to admit I am still a fan now. I remember a drum tutor asked me to bring a song I wanted to learn and I brought Night Train by Led Zep for the Bonham triplets. He soon realised it was too far advanced for me, at the time, and my next choice was Hanging on the Telephone and my life long obsession with the simplicity but highly effective drumming from Clem Burke was born, In fact I saw them at Epsom Downs race course last year and although nearly 60 now Clem still had the energy he had on all those Eat to the Beat videos I had in my teens. I kid you not this chap should be studied for medical science.

Also Blondie have influenced many other artists from pop to punk including No Doubt to Madonna to Garbage to The Primitives to Brody Dalle.

My favourite album - Eat to the Beat

"Dreaming is Free"

Best

M

Well as a comic geek i love the cover and think it is one of the ebst album covers i have seen...i love the techno/retro look and kinda macabre/glam feel about it.

ANyways it is out next week and cannot wait to hear what they have done!

The album is BRILLIANT>..definitely already one of my albums of 2014...just really a great eclect mix of sounds and styles but a great flow...i honestly think one of their best albums in a while!

Forgot this had been released, but just ordered it. They played some of the songs last summer when I saw them, and they were great. Looking forward to it very much.

A bit wary of the re recordings though. How can they match the originals?

not sure if any have been re-recorded? hiowever the Relax cover is different and nice.

I love the energy across the album excellent all round and nice variation....after a few spins today i have to say i am impressed.

I thought I read they'd re recorded the classics. Maybe I got it wrong. They played Relax when I saw them last year, and did It very well.

nope they are all remastered on one disc...far as i know no massive changes ...only 11 hits though shame really could have had a longer album of material etc but alas.

Just looked at the bands website, and it says this.


So they're not new recordings, just remasters. I'm confused.

Just realised I had downloads, because I ordered the cd from Amazon, and have had a quick listen to the old songs, and they are new versions, but thankfully very close to the originals. I'll have a proper listen to the new stuff later, but reviews are good.

I have bought every Blondie or Debbie Harry release for 36 years - since Denis, but I could not bring myself to buy this. The fact that the new record, which sounds like an adequate Debbie solo offering, is hidden behind the crap karaoke thing with a tacky painting of Deb as the sleeve was just shafting the whole concept of one of the coolest groups ever/No thanks .......enough!

I've played the new album once, and the tracks I recognise from last years live shows don't sound so good.

I know Blondie have always tried out stuff to get away from their popular sound, but this may be a step too far for me.

what are peeps thinking about the new albums - Ghosts of Download and Blondie 4-0 redux ?

and the release strategy?

What is their sound though? I've always seen them as an eclectic band who have done rock, disco, hip hop, reggae etc. I've heard people complaining that there's too much electronics and programming and there should be more of a live instrument sound conventional rock sound. But to me Blondie has never been a conventional rock band although some people see them as that. I'm a casual fan and I haven't heard the tracks live. But I like how they modernized their sound, but I think they still sound like themselves. I'm not a huge fan of them, but I like this album a lot.

You're right, they do a bit of everything, but on first listen there is not enough of the stuff I prefer here, which is the guitar based sound.

I loved the new songs when I heard them live, but they were played by the band with guitars up front, rather than what they've done here.

First listen was disappointing, but to be honest I wasn't sure about the last two albums either on first listen, but they grew on me. I'll have to brave another listen here.