Singles Box (EMI)
Awarding anything from Blondie less than five stars really goes against the grain for me. Even their recent, less than stratospheric, return was easy to deal with — I ignored it. However, when a record company decides to besmirch the reputation of the second best pop band in history, then I have to make some sort of stand.
And here it is. Do not buy this ludicrous artefact — you are being ripped off. More than that, you are being ripped off while the men in suits laugh at you. Let’s look at what you are paying £29.99 for. Fifteen CDs with a total of 43 tracks. But that includes five versions of one of their weaker singles, Call Me, which is approximately four more than you need.
Advertisement
Granted, it’s a well constructed package, and if you were also to purchase Mick Rock’s handsome book, Picture This: The Many Faces of Blondie (Sanctuary, £29.99), you could have your very own Blondie coffee table, but that was hardly the point of the band. Their strangely brittle but surprisingly durable guitar pop was made to be consumed, to be danced to, lusted over and adored. It was not designed to be merely admired.
Quite simply, if you want a thorough immersion in Blondie’s genius, then the first four essential albums can be bought for £27.96 — £2.03 less than this box set. If you just want the very best of Blondie, then buy The Platinum Collection, which is £13 cheaper and has everything on here and more. Just don’t be fooled by this.
Paul Connolly