The Curse of Blondie

The Curse of Blondie
Studio album by Blondie
Released October 13, 2003
Recorded 2003
Genre New wave, post-punk revival
Length 65:19
Label Sanctuary Records (United States)
Epic Records (United Kingdom)
Producer Steve Thompson
(except "Good Boys", produced by Jeff Bova)
Blondie chronology
No Exit
(1999)No Exit1999		 The Curse of Blondie
(2003)		 Panic of Girls
(2011)Panic of Girls2011
Singles from The Curse of Blondie
  1. "Good Boys"
    Released: October 6, 2003
Alternative cover
UK slipcase cover

The Curse of Blondie is the eighth studio album from the American rock band Blondie. It was released in October 2003, and peaked at #36 in the UK.

Background and recording

The band departed from bankrupt Beyond Records and signed with Sony Music. The Curse of Blondie had the working title Phasm 8, which was also the name of the tour they were doing before the release. Craig Leon, who had also produced their previous hit album No Exit, started work on the album, but it was four years in the making as the only demo tapes of the album had disappeared from luggage at a UK airport, and so had to be re-recorded. Leon ultimately did not produce the album, which was largely helmed by Steve Thompson with Jeff Bova producing only one track, "Good Boys".

The album incorporates a rock-inspired arrangement style more reminiscent of Blondie's earliest recordings. Rhythms played include mostly rock ("Golden Rod, "Rules for Living", "End to End", "Hello Joe", "Last One in the World", "Diamond Bridge") and then dance-pop ("Good Boys", "Undone", "The Tingler"). Other incursions are Japanese traditional music ("Magic (Asadoya Yunta)"), reggae ("Background Melody (The Only One)"), jazz ("Desire Brings Me Back", "Songs of Love (For Richard)") and rap ("Shakedown"). The track "Hello Joe" is an homage to Joey Ramone, and includes a reference to "Blitzkrieg Bop" ("hey ho, hola Joe instead of hey ho, let's go).

Release

The album was released with various bonus tracks in some territories, while the US edition included the music video for the single "Good Boys". The album was also re-released in 2004 in US on DualDisc format.[1] The CD side contained the normal album, while the DVD side included:

  1. Entire album in 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo
  2. "Good Boys" music video
  3. Photo gallery
  4. ROM content

The only single from the album was "Good Boys", which peaked at #12 in the UK[2] and was a dance hit in the USA. Promo singles of "Undone" were sent to radio, but no official release was made.[3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(63/100)[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [5]
Blender [6]
Entertainment WeeklyB+ [7]
The Guardian [8]
PopMatters [4][9]
Robert Christgau[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Slant Magazine[12]
Stylus MagazineB+ [13]
Uncut[14]

The Curse of Blondie gained mixed reviews, some critics called it a good or very good album, while others said it was a downfall for the band.[15] Despite the relative success of the "Good Boys" single, the album performed poorly, peaking at #36 in the UK and #160 in the United States. As of August 9 2005 it has sold 34,000 copies in United States. [16]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Shakedown"Debbie Harry / Romy AshbyChris Stein5:05
2."Good Boys"Kevin Griffin / HarryGriffin4:18
3."Undone"HarryCraig Bartock / John Vitale4:28
4."Golden Rod"HarryLeigh Foxx5:23
5."Rules for Living"Jimmy DestriDestri5:12
6."Background Melody (The Only One)"Destri / HarryDestri / Harry3:54
7."Magic (Asadoya Yunta)"Harry / AshbyTraditional Okinawan folk song4:05
8."End to End"Harry / AshbyStein3:59
9."Hello Joe"Harry / AshbyStein4:06
10."The Tingler"HarryStein3:52
11."Last One in the World"DestriDestri4:31
12."Diamond Bridge"HarryDestri4:07
13."Desire Brings Me Back"Carla OllaGretchen Langheld5:31
14."Songs of Love"LangheldLangheld6:43


Bonus tracks on European edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Good Boys (Giorgio Moroder Single Mix)"Griffin / Harry4:06
Bonus tracks on Japanese edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."The Tide Is High (Live)" (Official 'bootleg' recordings from Summer Sonic 03)John Holt / Tyrone Evans / Howard Barrett4:35
16."Rapture (Live)" (Official 'bootleg' recordings from Summer Sonic 03)Harry / Stein7:16

Personnel

Production and design

  • Steve Thompson – producer (except "Good Boys"), mixing (except "Magic (Asadoya Yunta)")
  • Jeff Bova – producer ("Good Boys")
  • Kevin Griffin – additional production ("Good Boys")
  • Allen Kovac – executive producer
  • Craig Leon – producer (basic tracks, except "Good Boys", "Undone" and "Background Melody (The Only One)")
  • James Michael – additional production (basic tracks, except "Good Boys", "Undone" and "Background Melody (The Only One)")
  • Randy Nicklaus – additional production (basic tracks, except "Good Boys", "Undone" and "Background Melody (The Only One)")
  • Jinsoo Kim – mixing ("Magic (Asadoya Yunta)")
  • Christina Ingram – mixing ("Magic (Asadoya Yunta)")
  • John Goodmanson – engineer, mixing
  • Paul Logus – engineer
  • Danni Bernini – engineer
  • Roy Hendrickson – engineer
  • Tom Weir – engineer
  • Ross Petersen – assistant engineer
  • Sean Spuehler – programming
  • Howie Beno – programming
  • James Mazlen – programming
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Giorgio Moroder – additional production and remix ("Good Boys" (Giorgio Moroder Single Mix))
  • Tommy Schobel – programming ("Good Boys (Giorgio Moroder Single Mix)")
  • Patrick Shevelin – programming ("Good Boys (Giorgio Moroder Single Mix)")
  • Steve Shepherd – remix engineer ("Good Boys (Giorgio Moroder Single Mix)")
  • Robert Roth – art direction, photography
  • Kitty Boots – stylist
  • Marla Belt – make-up

Charts

Year Country Position
2003 / 2004 United Kingdom 36
Australia 83
Germany 84
France 113
United States 160

References

  1. ↑ "THE CURSE OF BLONDIE [album]". deborah-harry.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  2. ↑ "Blondie – UK Chart Positions". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "UNDONE [single]". deborah-harry.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  4. 1 2 "The Curse Of Blondie by Blondie". metacritic.com. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Damas, Jason. The Curse of Blondie at AllMusic
  6. ↑ Blender review
  7. ↑ "The Curse of Blondie". ew.com. 9 April 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  8. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (2 October 2003). "Blondie, The Curse of Blondie". Retrieved 8 March 2017 – via The Guardian.
  9. ↑ "Blondie: The Curse of Blondie". popmatters.com. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  10. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: Blondie". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "The Curse Of Blondie". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  12. ↑ Slant Magazine review
  13. ↑ Stylus Magazine review
  14. ↑ "Blondie - The Curse Of Blondie". Uncut. Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  15. ↑ "Shakedown: Blondie's "The Curse of Blondie" Turns 10". wordpress.com. August 8, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  16. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (9 August 2005). "Ask Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
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