Great Rock Albums of 1979: Blondie- Eat to the Beat

There's no denying it, it is a fact that 1979 was the year for Blondie. They began the year with their 1978 release "Parallel Lines" which included the number 1 hit single "Heart of Glass." One of the few songs to successfully make the rock-disco crossover that year. Debbie Harry became a common fixture on the walls of many teenage boys, including mine. Then they ended the year with "Eat to the Beat," also a good album. Along with "Get the Knack" and "The Long Run" by the Eagles, this was also one of the albums that first greeted me when I came home on leave from that no contact with the outside world three month period I call boot camp.

 

 

 

Debbie Harry

 

 

 

 

 

I won't go into a compare/contrast with "Parallel Lines" the way I did with Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" album. "Eat to the Beat" took Blondie into a more new wave direction. The hard rock sound is still there but it seems more melodic this time around. There are some very good tracks like the singles, "Dreaming" and "Atomic" and I really like "Accidents Never Happen." It is a good album on its own and kept Blondie at the top of the rock music hill for 1979 and early 1980.

Track Listing:

1. Dreaming

2. The Hardest Part

3. Union City Blues

4. Shayla

5. Eat to the Beat

6. Accidents Never Happen

7. Die Young, Stay Pretty

8. Slow Motion

9. Atomic

10. Sound Asleep

11. Victor

12. Living in the Real World

Blondie

Deborah Harry- vocals

Chris Stein- lead guitar

Jimmy Destri- keyboards, backing vocals

Nigel Harrison- bass

Frank Infante- guitar, backing vocals

Clem Burke- drums

"Eat to the Beat" was the second of two great albums from Blondie and the reason why 1979 was their year. Many boys like me first listened to them because they liked the lead singer, but stayed with them because of the music. It was something great to come home from boot camp to.

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