Parallel Lines is the third studio album by American rock band Blondie, released on September 8, 1978, by Chrysalis Records. An instant critical and commercial success, the album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in February 1979 and proved to be the band's commercial breakthrough in the United States, where it reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in April 1979. In Billboard magazine, Parallel Lines was listed at No. 9 in its top pop albums year-end chart of 1979. The album spawned several successful singles, notably the international hit "Heart of Glass".
Background
The album was met with universal acclaim from critics. Years later, he wrote in Blender that it was "a perfect album in 1978" and remained so with "every song memorable, distinct, well-shaped and over before you get antsy. Never again did singer Deborah Harry, mastermind Chris Stein and their able four-man cohort nail the band's signature paradoxes with such unfailing flair: lowbrow class, tender sarcasm, pop rock." New York Times critic John Rockwell named Parallel Lines the eighth best album of 1978. Daryl Easlea from BBC Music, who felt the record combined power pop and new wave styles, credited Mike Chapman's production and flair for pop songwriting for helping make Parallel Lines an extremely popular album in the United Kingdom, where it was a number-one hit and charted for 106 weeks during the late 1970s. Q magazine called the album "a crossover smash with sparkling guitar sounds, terrific hooks and middle-eights more memorable than some groups' choruses."
In a retrospective appraisal of 1970s post-punk albums, Spin magazine's Sasha Frere-Jones said Parallel Lines may have been "the perfect pop-rock record" and Blondie's best album. Christian John Wikane from PopMatters later called it "a creative and commercial masterpiece by Blondie ... indisputably one of the great, classic albums of the rock and roll era." In the opinion of Pitchfork critic Scott Plagenhoef, the album popularized "the look and sound of 1980s new wave" with classic songs that showcased the depth and complexity of Harry's sexuality and singing. Three years later, it was ranked at number 140 on Rolling Stones list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, an accompanying essay said the album was "where punk and New Wave broke through to a mass U.S. audience". and 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2013) lists, respectively; number 7 on Blenders 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time; number 94 on Channel 4's 2005 list of the 100 greatest albums of all time; and number 76 on Pitchforks list of the best albums from the 1970s. Slant Magazine included it on their 2003 list of 50 Essential Vital Pop Albums.
Accolades
In 2024, Parallel Lines was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Reissues
The album was reissued and remastered in 2001 along with Blondie's back catalog, and featured four bonus tracks: a 1978 version of "Once I Had a Love", a live cover of T. Rex's song "Bang a Gong (Get It On)", and two live tracks taken from the Picture This Live live album.
On June 24, 2008, an expanded 30th Anniversary Edition of the album was released, which featured new artwork and bonus tracks along with bonus DVD. The liner notes once again featured lyrics to the unfinished "Parallel Lines" song. The Parallel Lines 30th Anniversary Edition included the 7″ single version of "Heart of Glass", the French version of "Sunday Girl" and some remixes, plus a DVD with albums, promo videos and TV performance.
The band also launched a world tour of the same name in 2008 to promote the re-release and celebrate the event.
Track listing
Notes
- The album version of "Heart of Glass" was replaced with the disco version (5:50 long) on pressings of the album from March 1979 onward. The original length version of "Heart of Glass" appeared on the original US CD release in 1985 (Chrysalis VK 41192, later F2 21192) although the CD artwork proclaimed it was the disco version. Later editions of the Capitol disc had the mistake removed from the inlay but it remained on the disc until its deletion. The 1994 DCC Compact Classics Gold CD release (Capitol Special Markets USA GSZ 1062) features the original version with the disco version as a bonus track.
- A promotional CD of the album was given away free with the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday on December 5, 2010, including the bonus tracks "What I Heard" and "Girlie Girlie" from the band's 2011 album Panic of Girls.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Parallel Lines.
Blondie
- Jimmy Destri – electronic keyboards
- Frank Infante – guitar, co-lead vocals on "I Know but I Don't Know"
- Chris Stein – guitar, 12-string, E-bow
- Nigel Harrison – bass
- Clem Burke – drums
- Debbie Harry – vocals
Additional personnel
- Robert Fripp – guitar on "Fade Away and Radiate"
- Mike Chapman – production, backing vocals on "Hanging on the Telephone" and "Heart of Glass"
- Pete Coleman – production assistance, engineering
- Grey Russell – engineering assistance
- Steve Hall – mastering at MCA Whitney Studio (Glendale, California)
- Edo Bertoglio – photography
- Ramey Communications – art direction, design
- Frank Duarte – illustration
- Jerry Rodriguez – lettering
- Kevin Flaherty – production (2001 reissue)
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1978–1979 weekly chart performance for Parallel Lines
! scope="col"| Chart (1978–1979)
! scope="col"| Peak<br>position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
| 2
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)
| 11
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)
| 13
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Portuguese Albums (Música & Som)
| 7
|-
|-
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 2018 weekly chart performance for Parallel Lines
! scope="col"| Chart (2018)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|-
! scope="row"| UK Physical Albums (OCC)
| 33
|-
! scope="row"| UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)
| 4
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 2023 weekly chart performance for Parallel Lines
|-
! Chart 2023 !! Peak position
|-
| Greek Charts Top 75 Albums Sales|| 10
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1978 year-end chart performance for Parallel Lines
! scope="col"| Chart (1978)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
| 49
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (BMRB)
| 38
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1979 year-end chart performance for Parallel Lines
! scope="col"| Chart (1979)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
| 12
|-
! scope="row"| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)
| 27
|-
! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
| 17
|-
! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
| 9
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (BMRB)
| 1
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 9
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1980 year-end chart performance for Parallel Lines
! scope="col"| Chart (1980)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| UK Albums (BMRB)
| 42
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 40
|}