Blondie

Blondie was an American rock band co-founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band were pioneers in the American punk and then the new wave scene of the early mid-1970s in New York.

Stein and Harry were joined by drummer Clem Burke on drums, Frank Infante on Guitar and Englishman Nigel Harrison on Bass, then to complete their sound, they recruited keyboard player Jimmy Destri in November 1975.

Their first two albums, the self titled 'Blondie' and 'Plastic Letters' contained strong elements of these genres, and although highly successful in the United Kingdom, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of 'Parallel Lines' in 1978.

From the first album we got the great 'X-Offender'

and from the second we got 'Denis' and 'Detroit 442'

Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles including "Heart of Glass", "Call Me", "Rapture" and "The Tide Is High".

The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early rap music.

'Parallel Lines' was pretty well released piece by piece as singles, each one a gem, I call out the following but these could change day to day...

'Picture This'

I remember seeing this concert live on TV on New Year's Eve 1979, best New Year's Eve ever at the time!

'Hangin on the Telephone'

'Sunday Girl'

with a bit of 'Dreaming' from their third album 'Eat to the Beat' or fun! This also included 'Union City Blue' and 'Atomic'

The Band's sound was changing, some said it was going mainstream and disco but they still pulled the odd gem out of the bag, namely 'Rapture' in 1981

Blondie disbanded after the release of its sixth studio album, The Hunter, in 1982. Debbie Harry continued to pursue a solo career with varied results after taking a few years off to care for partner Chris Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease of the skin.

The band re-formed in 1997, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom with "Maria" in 1999, exactly 20 years after their first UK No. 1 single "Heart of Glass".

The Alarm

The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales, in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, The Toilets, in 1977, under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the band soon migrated to a more standard rock format and included marked influences from Welsh language and culture. By opening for acts such as U2 and Bob Dylan, they became a popular new wave pop band of the 1980s. The Alarm's highest charting single in Britain was 1983's "Sixty Eight Guns" , and is what they are most remembered for. Their 1984 album, Declaration, which contained "Sixty Eight Guns", peaked at number six in the UK Chart.

Malcolm McLaren

Malcolm McLaren was an English visual artist, performer, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, most remembered for his management of the Sex Pistols. McLaren attended a number of British art colleges and adopted the stance of the social rebel in the style of French revolutionaries. He realised that a new protest style was needed for the 1970s, and largely initiated the punk movement, for which he supplied fashions from the Chelsea boutique SEX, which he operated with girlfriend Vivienne Westwood. After a period advising the New York Dolls in the U.S., McLaren managed the Sex Pistols, the issue of a controversial record, " God Save the Queen ", poking fun at the Queen's Jubilee in 1977, was typical of McLaren's shock tactics, and he gained public notoriety by being arrested after a promotional boat trip with the band outside the Houses of Parliament. McLaren performed with acclaim as a solo artist, initially focusing on hip hop and world music and later div...

Orange Juice

Orange Juice was a Scottish jangle pop band founded in the Glasgow by Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics with his school-mate Alan Duncan, and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, They became Orange Juice in 1979, best known for their only UK Top 40 hit hit " Rip It Up ," which reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart in early1983. The band released their first singles on the independent Postcard Records label founded by Alan Horne, along with fellow Scottish bands Josef K and Aztec Camera.

King

Paul King was born in Ireland but moved to Coventry, England, with his parents at a young age. After graduating from Coventry Drama School he joined rock-ska band the Reluctant Stereotypes. King's line up of the band – which also contained record producer Paul Sampson – released an album and three singles before the band disintegrated. After the demise of the Reluctant Stereotypes, King formed the Raw Screens who in 1983 were relaunched as the self-named band King. As lead singer, King was famed for his BIG haircut and spray painted Doc Marten's Boots – whilst Richard James Burgess produced and drummed on most of the band's songs. The band lasted just a couple of years, though both of their albums, "Steps in Time" and "Bitter Sweet" , went Gold, and they had two Top 10 singles with "Love & Pride" and "Alone Without You" .

Big Country

Big Country were a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline,in the early 1980s, Big Country comprised Stuart Adamson (formerly of Skids, vocals / guitar / keyboards), Bruce Watson (guitar / mandolin / sitar / vocals), Tony Butler (bass guitar / vocals) and Mark Brzezicki (drums / percussion / vocals). The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s and the band incorporated Scottish folk and martial music styles, and they engineered their guitar-driven sound to evoke the sound of bagpipes, fiddles and other traditional folk instruments. Their biggest hit and my favourite track is ' In a Big Country ', also 'Look Away' and their first single ' Fields of Fire '

Muzical Mystery Tour

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