Blondie
Blondie 4(0)-Ever: Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux/Ghosts of Download
(Noble ID)

The cool electronic percussion/accordion melange “Sugar In the Side” opens Blondie’s 1oth album, Blondie 4(0)-Ever: Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux/Ghosts of Download.  “Rave” reveals the band’s classic sound though with slinky verses featuring Debbie Harry’s cutesy-pie voice, then her switching to full open strength in a commercial, pulsating ’80s-sounding chorus.

“Winter” is where we really first get some Chris Stein guitar. The verses with their running keys puts me in Ultravox territory, but the choruses are over-driven and the guitar chunky enough to make this one rock. “I Want To Drag You Around” has a cool acoustic guitar in what, by this time, is becoming a little too much programmed drums and bleeping keys for me. “I Screwed Up” gets us back to that Latin boppy mode, with a witty lyric and Clem Burke toms leading the way. (The rap midway is way too long, though.)

The remake of “Relax” is amazing…half the tune is at least. It starts with sweet, slow piano and layered vocals. The girls get us about halfway, then Stein’s loud guitar scrapes us into the beat, which is pretty much a spot-on remake of the original tune. I would have much (much) preferred we stayed with just the piano and vocals as that arrangement was inspired.

Harry’s voice floats above the heavy bleating and slightly stuttering beat of “Mile High.” The metallic drum march and jumpy vibe of “Euphoria” makes it one of the better of the latter tunes of the 13 here. “Take It Back” sounds like a big sounding excuse to just create a dance track and the last tune, “Backroom,” is another good one, again with Burke drumming his heart out, a rich backing vocal and Harry sounding mature and settled into her talking/singing vocal of a real interesting lyric.