Eat to the Beat (Original Recording Reissued, Original Recording Remastered)

by

Blondie

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Eat To The Beat was a wonderful followup to Parallel Lines, but is one of the band's least-liked albums. I don't know why perhaps it's because the record doesn't contain any top 10 singles like the inferior Autoamerican did. In my humble opinion though, the songs on this album rival Parellel Lines for beauty and complexity. Songs that make you go "WOW!" are:

01. Dreaming

Debbie really lets the Shangri-La in her emerge here ("beep! beep!"); this song is simply heaven, the cryptic lyrics are wonderful. The quality of this song is so strong, one must wonder why it isn't more acclaimed, perhaps their best record.

02. The Hardest Part

A song about a bank robbery/love story; great song, fun lyrics, throbbing beat.

03. Union City Blue

Another contender for The Best Of Blondie (I don't know why it wasn't included on that album). This is one of the greatest lost album tracks EVER; it's production is rich and layered (almost seems like a Phil-Spector engineered track); Debbie's vocals are simply amazing, and the overall effect is sublime and dreamy.

04. Shayla

This track really shows off Debbie Harry's vocal abilities, and the lyrics and production are surreal; great tune.

07. Die Young Stay Pretty

Not many people like this track, but I find it to be a tongue-in-cheek gem (Harry was 35 when this record was released). This was Blondie's first foray into reggae (think The Tide Is High: the prequel)

08. Slow Motion

This is a percolating pop song with ice cream Debbie vocals and an experimental, varying beat. I love it.

Note: These are only the classics on the album; the rest of the tracks are wonderful as well. The only dud on the album is "Sound-A-Sleep" (10.) I always skip over that one, most fans do.

The 24-Bit remaster is absolutely fantastic; this album sounds like it was released yesterday.

Even casual fans will need this record if only for "Union City Blue" (which is not on The Best Of Blondie). Believe me, that song makes it all worthwhile.

My verdict: Buy Parallel Lines first, then Eat To The Beat (then Autoamerican if you care to keep going).

New Wave legends dig into the vault for a unique release. The collectors edition of 1979's Eat the Beat is proclaimed the World's first video album. This concept is quite revolutionary, if it was still 1979. Today it seems kind of silly. However, when you think about it, this video album pre-dates MTV. The majority of the material included on the DVD ranges from concept videos to live performances. It's an interesting look at the music scene to say the least (it's also a great way to catch Debbie Harry in her prime).

As for the music, if your only family with Blondie's radio hits, you're probably going to be a bit lost. The CD doesn't really contain any major hits, but does show the band taking some musical chances. Some of the music works, some of it doesn't. Either way, the DVD portion makes checking out this collection worth it.