Blondie - Eat to Beat Mlps (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

A Great Follow-Up to Parallel Lines

Gary F. Taylor | Biloxi, MS USA | 06/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"BLONDIE had been kicking around for several years before the band exploded into public conciousness with PARALLEL LINES, an album that made the most of Debbie Harry's sensuous voice and the band's "new wave" tone that fused punk and pop to impressive effect. EAT TO THE BEAT was the follow up, and although it stayed very much in the slick mold of PARALLEL LINES it did not repeat so much as elaborate the previous album.On the whole, the recordings here are at once edgier and softer than those found on PARALLEL LINES, with "Atomic" similar in feel to "Heart of Glass" but considerably jumpier and "Sound-a-Sleep" echoing Debbie Harry's vocals for "Fade Away and Radiate" but softening the instrumentation to create a gentler tone. And then there are the knock-outs: "Dreaming" has sometimes been called the band's best single with its typical BLONDIE punk-pop fusion, both "The Hardest Part" and "Die Young, Stay Pretty" have a truly funky feel unlike anything on PARALLEL LINES, and "Union City Blue" possesses an English-toned wall-of-sound quality. My own favorite of the set is "Slow Motion," which is just flat-out fun.The re-master here is very nice, and the additional live cuts are interesting although not entirely in line with the album as a whole. If you're a BLONDIE fan, PARALLEL LINES should still be your first purchase--but EAT TO THE BEAT should be a close second. Recommended."

Second Best Of Blondie

Rachel Lai | London, Ontario Canada | 03/16/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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)."

The Best Blondie Recording?

KSG | New York, NY United States | 12/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You bet it is. All the things that they did best are represented here: punk, power pop, girl group, and disco. Deborah Harry is in top voice, inventing her soon to be trademark wail of "whoa wo, wo wo, wowa ha". There is not a weak cut on this Cd. Eat to the Beat opens with Dreaming, a sonic assault of drums and chiming electric guitars and is followed by the equally ferocious double entendre laden The Hardest Part. The wall of sound Union City is followed by my favorite track Shayla, where Blondie does something no other band of this era did, Sci-Fi rock. Shayla, who worked in a factory, is abducted by aliens while driving down the highway. The song is a sonic blast of drama and mystery. Die Young Stay Pretty was their first try at calypso and Atomic was the disco follow up to Heart of Glass. The Cd closes with I'm Not Living in the Real World which pretty much sums it up after this intelligent and always fun collection of songs. Blondie will never top this CD for it's sheer adrenalin and originality."

Blondie's best???

James W. Tinder | Stockton, CA USA | 04/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Eat to the Beat" was a watershed album for Blondie in several ways. First, it was the follow-up album to "Parallel Lines," considered by many to be their best album. Second, it was their first album after becoming megastars around the world. Third, the album proved that Blondie wasn't a disco band; "Eat to the Beat" demonstrated that the band would not allow themselves to be pigeon-holed into any defineable genre of music.Many dislike "Eat to the Beat" for its echo chamber effects and multi-layered sound. I argue that these elements enhance the album's appeal. The echo and reverb effects make Blondie sound like a garage band and actually enhances many of the songs. The layered approach gives Deborah Harry a richer, fuller voice and allows Blondie fans the chance to peel apart the layers and find something new with every playing."Dreaming" has often been called the best Blondie single, and it's difficult to disagree with that assessment."The Hardest Part," while a good rocker, probably should not have been the follow-up single; it petered out at #84 on the US charts. "Union City Blue" would have been a better choice as a single with its many hooks. "Shayla" is a dramatic song to listen to and demonstrates Harry's maturity as a singer and Chris Stein's development as a songwriter. The title track, "Eat to the Beat," is an interesting rocker but misses the mark somehow. "Accidents Never Happen" is a suspenseful rocker with its up and down emotions and is a memorable Jimmy Destri effort. "Die Young Stay Pretty" offers Blondie's first trip into reggae, more deeply approached a year later on "The Tide is High." This song has declined in popularity with many fans over the years but still remains interesting."Slow Motion" is a classic Blondie song, loaded with enough pop sensibilities and hooks to make one wonder why it was never relased as a single. The 60s pop and Motown influences are evident in this song that ranks high in the Blondie canon."Atomic" was a megahit in England, peaking at #1, but only managed a #39 ranking in the US. It is a multi-layered effort and includes stellar performances by Destri and bassist Nigel Harrison."Sound-A-Sleep" is a nice comedown on the album and is a good lullaby for fans."Victor" will wake fans up; it's hard, punk approach catapults the song into one of Blondie's harder-edged efforts."Living in the Real World" is another fine Destri effort and a good rock ending to a balanced album.The remaining tracks are not part of the original album; "Heroes" is one of Blondie's more successful cover efforts, and "Ring of Fire" was recorded for the film "Roadie."Like many Blondie fans, I discovered them when this album was their latest release. For this reason, I prefer it slightly over "Parallel Lines"; I also believe the album overall has more memorable album tracks than "Lines." In addition, all the original tracks on "Eat to the Beat" are penned by Blondie members, while "Lines" offers three cover tracks.If you're looking for the definitive Blondie album for your collection, "Eat to the Beat" must surely be a top choice."

NEW WAVE STANDARD

beetnose | San Francisco, CA United States | 07/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"WHEN "NEW WAVE" BECAME A GENRE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANT, (STILL DON'T), BUT BLONDIE WAS CERTAINLY NEW AND THE WAVE OF HITS KEPT COMING. "PARALLEL LINES" WAS SO DIFFERENT THAT I DOUBT ANY FOLLOW-UP COULD HAVE SATISFIED THE PUBLIC OR THE CRITICS. WHAT A SHAME AS IT IS A STRONGER RECORDING. WHEN I FIRST SAW BLONDIE PERFORM "DREAMING" I LOST IT. THEN TO MY AMAZEMENT EVERY SONG IS UNIQUE. DEBBIE'S VOICE MATURED IN SUCH A SMALL MEASURE OF TIME THAT SHE SHOULD BE REMEMBERED AS ONE OF THE GREAT AND EXPERIMENTAL VOICES. CHECK OUT HER SOLO PROJECTS. STANDOUTS ARE "DREAMING', "ACCIDENTS NEVER HAPPEN", "DIE YOUNG, STAY PRETTY, "UNION CITY BLUES. 24 YEARS LATER IT REMAINS A MUST FOR ANY TRUE MUSIC LOVER'S COLLECTION."

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