Customer Reviews
Remastering at it's best. - By: G. Robertson, 13 Oct 2007 
I agree with most of the other reviews that this is the best Blonde album. Although I've got a lot of the tracks already, my existing CD (The Complete Picture) is over a decade old, so I was after a brighter sound.
This remastered version certainly delivers the goods. It sound bright & sharp, without being over-engineered, a problem I found with Greatest Hits: Sight And Sound, where the band seemed to be playing seperately then put together.
Amazons's bargain price is the icing on the cake.
One of those iconic albums - By: D. J. H. Thorn, 10 Jan 2007 'Parallel Lines' is one of those rare albums that can boast huge popular success alongside a good measure of credibility. It doesn't enjoy total critical acceptance, something that can be understood by listening to Blondie's equally enjoyable but more subversive debut album. Bringingin Mike Chapman, a Pete Waterman of the 1970s, to produce the album was probably calculated to maximise Blondie's commercial potential, & it worked. 'Parallel Lines' isn't a soft & fluffy album, but it isn't as abrasive as their earlier work.
'Hanging On The Telephone', one of my favourite Blondie songs, represents the old, punk-oriented style. It & 'Picture This' were the first big hits from the album, but were eclipsed by the stellar 'Heart Of Glass' & 'Sunday Girl'. 'Heart Of Glass' saw Blondie defect to the disco bandwagon, but at least it's still a great record. The 12" version soon sold out. The album is packed with great tunes & enthusiasm, bolstered by one of rock & roll's best drummers, Clem Burke. Sometimes, as on 'Just Go Away', they're a bit wacky, but this is one of those pop albums you can't go wrong with.
Pop Perfection - By: Coincidence Vs Fate, 14 Oct 2006 Blondie never got better than this. I don't think there's a track on here that I have to skip past. Every one really is a winner.
Parallel Lines is by a band at the peak of their powers. They couldn't do any wrong & the quality of their songwriting on this album is stunning. Singles are: "Hanging On The Telephone", "Picture This", "Sunday Girl" & of course, the Disco Song, "Heart Of Glass". There's more to this that a clutch of fine singles though, some of the album tracks are simply stunning: "One Way Or Another", "Will Anything Happen" & my personal favourite Blondie song "11:59", three minutes of pop perfection from Jimmy Destri.
It's nice to get a few extra unreleased mixes, demos & that, but at the end of the day, they're unnecessary. The 12 tracks are enough.
Pop perfection.
What's new wave? - Blondie's "Parallel Lines" - By: KPA Lowe, 17 Sep 2005 A summary of the new wave. "Parallel Lines" is one brilliant track after another. The opening 'Hanging on the Telephone' is itself a perfect example of the sound of new wave punk, juxtaposed with an energy that was unique to Deborah Harry & her band. The infamous 'One Way or Another' follows which faultlessly fuses a teeny-pop style with a hard punk sound (again something that was a fairly unique trait possessed by Harry), arguably the best on the album. At points, Blondie perform real head bangers: 'I Know But I Don't Know' & 'Will Anything Happen', through a more heavy metal sound: 'Fade Away & Radiate', soft rock: 'Picture This', through female cabaret: 'Pretty Baby' & 'Sunday Girl', and, like it or not, one of the best known number one singles ever: 'Heart of Glass', with that famous whiney tone of Harry's. Allin all, the album not only highlights the diversity of Blondie as a band, but the diverse potential of new wave punk as a rock genre, & bands like the Jam & the Police serve only to support this. "Parallel Lines" is testimony to the fact that new wave punk was a great genre of rock that was fronted by bands that produced great albums. There is, of course, a current movement that is attempting to revive this era (Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs etc).
Picture This: A Perfect Album - By: John Heaton, 04 Dec 2004 It doesn't happen very often. But this is an almost flawless album from a band who were by all accounts a Singles Band! But here at least they have produced twelve songs of such incredible consistency that this album must go down as one of the greatest albums from anyone. It is quite remarkable that even 25+ years later, virtually every track holds up. "Heart Of Glass" is of course incredible, EVERYONE knows that.."Picture This" had many a schoolboyin ecstasy...including ME...."Sunday Girl" has a melody most songs dream of..."One Way Or Another" is so good so it defies belief that it wasn't a No 1 single...Hanging On The Telephone is a superb opener with an incredibly sexy video to go with it..."11.59" is pop perfection..."I Know But I Don't Know" features great harmony vocal between Debbie Harry & Frank Infante, "Fade Away And Radiate" is utterly captivating, not to mention sexy...."Pretty Baby" is sublime, "I'm Gonna Love You Too" is an impressive Buddy Holly cover, not the best song here but it fitsin perfectly on this album..."Just Go Away" is a great closing song to the album...not a single but its quality is indicative of every song here. Only "Will Anything Happen" disappoints somewhat. But that is a MINOR grumble. In my experience it is almost impossible for an album to please any subjective, LET ALONE objective listener on every track & this album from 1979 comes about as close as it is POSSIBLE TO GET. There were great Blondie songs before & after "Parallel Lines" but when this album came outin 1979 you were either too punch drunk to notice or else you wondered how ONE album could produce so much magic. They were NOT A Singles Band. This album will live forever, & again I will leave it to my children & their descendants to PROVE it.
