| Track by Track Review
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Dreaming
Fast paced, this song really jumps in with lots of energy to get things going right. Its punky blend of pop works quite well. |
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Hanging on the Telephone
Seeming to come right out of the last cut, this one is hard edged and quirky. It is a fun, energetic song, and a Blondie classic. |
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Screaming Skin
This strong pop rock number is certainly a new song destined to become a Blondie classic. |
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Atomic
Bouncy, discofied pop, this one is entertaining. The version presented here even includes a little flirtation with Clint Eastwood western movie music. |
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Forgive and Forget
Featuring a crunchy guitar solo and great rhythm section, this is a strong dance rock song. |
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The Tide is High
After a drum in, the song kicks into gear. Bouncy and Caribbean in sound, this is a fun Blondie classic. The inclusion of an interesting rap separates this live version from the original. |
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Shayla
An intriguing progish guitar intro leads to a nice pop cut. This one features a very good keyboard solo. |
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Sunday Girl
A bouncy pop song, this one is delivered very much like the original with the exception of the addition of some crunchy guitar. |
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Maria
Steeped in Blondie tradition, this cut is another new classic. It starts off here a bit like a punky sort of cut. In fact, the rendition on this disc is a bit crunchy, but features a rather lush arrangement and strong vocals. The song also includes a very powerful and metallic guitar solo. |
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Call Me
With an intro that feels like a faster version of ZZ Top's "Tush", this is crunchy rendition of the classic Blondie dance number. This version is a lot more rock and roll than the original. Including both strong synthesizer and bass solos, the arrangement on this piece is very strong. The outro has definite metallic textures. |
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Under the Gun
Starting with a very rhythm section dominated mode, this seems like a good classic Blondie pop/rock number. Actually, it feels a bit like Concrete Blonde's "Joey" at times. |
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Rapture
Starting off quite true to the studio version, the horns are carried on keyboards here. The cut then drops into a nice groove with the familiar rap about "the man from Mars". The "punk rock" line leads to a nice jam that seems to feel a bit like heavy metal meets Alice Cooper's horn laden arrangements of the '70's. The song really takes on some wonderful textures live, and drops into a nice jam that seems to have some different lyrics from the original. |
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Rip Her To Shreds
Based on hard-edged metallic guitars, this is an energetic pop/rock number. |
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X Offender
A fast paced pop/rock cut, this one just jumps out and starts running. It features a nice guitar solo segment. |
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No Exit
Starting with Phantom of the Opera keyboards, this is a hard-edged rock song. It features a powerful metallic instrumental break that is rather progish. This is one of the best numbers on this CD. |
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Heart of Glass
Punky yet quite discofied, this classic Blondie dance number is done here for the most part quite faithfully. It does, however, feature a bit of Hendrix' "Third Stone From the Sun" and a hard rocking jam to make up the latter parts of the tune. |
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One Way Or Another
Crunchy, punky and hard rocking, this is an intriguing and addictive, fast paced cut. It features a strong metallic instrumental break, and the outro takes on an appropriately frenetic tone. |
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