Highly Anticipated Box Set To Be Released August 26

Resurrected From Obscurity, The Band’s First Definitive Collection Features 124 Tracks & 36 Previously Unissued Recordings, Two Volumes of Liner Notes, Track by Track Commentary, Illustrated Discography & More

Today, with the release of “Mr. Sightseer,” Blondie reveal another hidden gem from their first-ever definitive collection, Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982. The unearthed home recording had previously never made it out of the band’s bedroom, but newly mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Michael Graves at Osiris Studio, it now serves as the B-side to the box set’s recently-rediscovered rarity, Blondie’s take on The Doors’ “Moonlight Drive.”  

Listen to “Mr. Sightseer”: https://blondie.lnk.to/MrSightseerPR

At the time of recording in 1978, the addition of the TEAC TCA-43 four track reel-to-reel to Chris Stein and Debbie Harry’s home allowed the duo to chase every idea to its logistical or inconsequential conclusion. “The lyric is not good at all,” Harry jokingly reflected of the track. “The song’s not too bad. It’s just a little simplistic. It didn’t ever get really developed or finished.” 

“Mr. Sightseer” offers the latest look into the breadth of history and multi-genre, musical treasure that is mapped out on the forthcoming box set, Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982. The former single release from the box set, “I Love You Honey, Give Me a Beer,” is the previously forgotten, original demo for the song that became the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ classic, country-inflected “Go Through It.”

Pre-Order Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 Here

The Compilation Contains Plaza Sound, Parallel Beats, Coca Cola & Home Sounds

Preorder Now!

LOS ANGELES—Coinciding with the upcoming launch of the Blondie: Against The Odds graphic novel this fall, Z2 Comics and Blondie will include the recently announced Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Odds official 4-LP box set with all platinum editions of the graphic novel. 

The package features 52 bonus tracks across four albums—Plaza Sound, Parallel Beats, Coca Cola, and Home Sounds, and comes packaged as a 128-page hardcover book inside a foil-wrapped slipcase.

The package definitively captures the iconic band’s inception and rise, as Blondie merged disco, rock, and beyond in the punk cradle of New York City’s Lower East Side. Limited to 100 copies, the Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Odds 4-LP box set will be released in platinum editions of the Blondie: Against The Odds graphic novel anthology. The book’s 21-page biography is written by famed Harley Quinn creative duo Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti, with electric art from Montos. A cache of writers and artists contribute 14 additional stories based on standout songs. These creative teams include such standout talent as:
• Wendy Wright-Williams
• Cassie Parkes
• David Avallone
• Howard Rodman
• Jazzlyn Stone
• Dan Whitehead
• Davide Barnett
• Richard Kadrey 
• J.H. Williams III
• Sebastian Piriz
• Lisa Weber
• Anthony Marques
• Manuela Pertega
• Corey ‘Rey’ Lewis
• Emily Pearson
• Liana Kangas
• Evgenia Vereli
• Sean Pryor
• Rodrigo Reyes
• Marco Perugini

Combining an imaginative take on an oral history of the band, interspersed with artistic interpretations of 14 songs from their catalog and an essay by famed music journalist Victor Bockris, Blondie: Against The Odds captures the creative friction of NYC as the band fought their way to prominence, as well as the power and energy contained within the songs that fueled their rise to legendary status.

Regarding the Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Odds box set,Debbie Harry said, “It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment. Fortunately the essence of being in a band in the early 70’s held some of the anti-social, counter culture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the 60’s. I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music.”

Blondie: Against The Odds is written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn) and features art by Montos, as well as a cover by Conner and her longtime colorist Paul Mounts, and is available for preorder now for a fall release in softcover and hardcover editions at finer comic shops, book, and record stores worldwide. Exclusively available through Z2’s website in limited quantities are the deluxe and signed platinum versions, packaged with exclusive prints from artists including Colleen Doran, Alison Sampson, Brian Ewing, Michael Allred, Dan Lerner, Matthew Lineham, Scrojo, Jan Meininghaus, Jesse Phillips, Tess Fowler, Brennan Wagner, Sean Pryor, John K. Snyder III, and Jay Jay Jackson. The platinum edition includes the Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Odds box set along with a 12-inch vinyl single of “Sunday Girl” featuring new cover art from Jesse Phillips.

Preorder Today!

The First Authorized Blondie Archival Project In The Band’s History Created With Involvement Of All Seven Members

Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 gathers the band’s first six albums including “Blondie”, “Plastic Letters”, “Parallel Lines”, “Eat To The Beat”, “Autoamerican”, and “The Hunter” plus four additional LPs of session outtakes, b-sides, and demos, a 10” with the 1975 Alan Betrock demo recording, a previously unissued 1974 rehearsal tape, and a 45 rpm single featuring their rumored-to-exist cover of the Doors’ “Moonlight Drive” and the at-home sketch of “Mr. Sightseer” — 124 studio tracks in all. Erin Osmon’s liner notes tell the group’s story in exacting detail, with session commentary from Debbie, Chris, Clem, Gary, Jimmy, Frank & Nigel plus essays from producers Richard Gottehrer and Mike Chapman all housed in a glorious foil-wrapped, 144-page, hard cover book. A second 120-page volume gives a discographical overview of the period via hundreds of picture sleeves, 45 labels, international sleeve variants, flexi-discs, cassettes, and even 8-tracks. This behemoth of a box set weighs 17 pounds and is hands down one of the nicest physical release we’ve ever seen.

After six years of compiling, restoring, mixing, remastering… we knew we couldn’t stop there. We have built not one, but four configurations, including:

• An 8-CD box featuring replicas of all six studio albums and an additional two discs of extras (124 songs total) plus a 128-page hardcover book and slipcase

• A 4-LP edition with all 52 bonus tracks nestled against a 128-page hard cover book and tucked inside a foil-wrapped slipcase

• A 3-CD edition with all 52 bonus tracks and a 164-page hard cover mini-book housed in a sturdy slipcase. 

All 124 tracks have been remastered from the original analogue tapes, the vinyl lacquered at Abbey Road and pressed on high quality 180g virgin wax. Each one is a stunning work craftsmanship that Team Blondie has agonized endlessly over these six long years. What the seven band members set to tape over those first eight years remains timeless. 

“It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment. Fortunately the essence of being in a band in the early 70’s held some of the anti-social, counter culture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the 60’s. I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music.”  —Debbie Harry

“I am hopeful that this project will provide a glimpse into the ‘process’ and some of the journey that the songs took from idea to final form. Some of this stuff is like early sketches; the old tape machines like primitive notebooks. The trickiest thing for me was always about getting the melodies out of my head into reality and the changes that would happen along the way. I think ten years earlier Blondie might have been a full on psychedelic band.”  
—Chris Stein

“It is amazing that after all this time, and against the odds, our Blondie archival box set will finally be released. It’s been a long time coming and we are all very happy & excited with the final results.” 
—Clem Burke

A new Chris Stein photography book is coming this October 2022!

Debbie is busy working on redesigning her FACE IT memoir for this autumn’s paperback edition release!

Additional US tour dates have just been announced for Blondie’s Against The Odds Tour THIS August with special guests The Damned! Presale begins tomorrow, March 2 at 10am local time with presale code: AGAINSTTHEODDS
General onsale begins Friday, March 4 at 10am local time. 

8/12 – Mashantucket, CT – Foxwoods Resort Casino (Grand Theater)*

8/14 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion*

8/17 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17*

8/18 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17*

8/20 – Bensalem, PA – Xcite Center at Parx Casino*

8/21 – Washington, DC – The Anthem*

8/23 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center*

8/24 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry House*

8/26 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre (Detroit)*

8/27 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre*

Plus, the band is about to embark on their first UK tour in 5 years, including 10 dates throughout the UK from April-May 2022 with special guest Johnny Marr. Previously announced US & UK tour dates below! Grab tickets HERE.

4/14 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount

4/22 – Glasgow, UK – The SSE Hydro**

4/24 – Cardiff, UK – Motorpoint Arena**

4/26 – London, UK – The O2 Arena**

4/28 – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre**

4/29 – Hull, UK – Bonus Arena**

5/1 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena**

5/2 – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena**

5/4 – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena**

5/5 – Nottingham, UK – Motorpoint Arena**

5/7 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena**

5/14 – Pasadena, CA – Cruel World Festival 2022

5/15 – Pasadena, CA – Cruel World Festival 2022

5/17 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic*

5/18 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys* 

5/21 – Guadalajara, Mexico – Corona Capital Guadalajara

Special Guests:

*The Damned

**Johnny Marr

Exclusively for Record Store Day (April 23, 2022), Blondie, one of the most influential bands to emerge from New York’s punk scene, will release a limited edition EP featuring one of their most famous, endearing, and successful singles – “Sunday Girl.” 

Taken from the band’s multi-million-selling album Parallel Lines, “Sunday Girl” was originally released in 1979 and was the follow-up single to the band’s number one hit single, “Heart of Glass,” and was a UK number one and a top 10 hit around Europe.

“Exactly why the song became Sunday Girl, I am not sure, other than Chris and I had a silly kitty named Sunday Man. Also, I was born on a Sunday…,” reminisces Debbie Harry about the song. 

The bespoke Record Store Day release will include a deluxe two-disc, four-track 7″ set on red and yellow vinyl, set inside a stunning gatefold sleeve featuring rare photos from the period. Disc one (red) features the original single plus the French version. Disc two (yellow) features two previously unreleased tracks – a demo from 1978 and a live version recorded at the Paramount Theatre, Portland, in January 1979.

Clem Burke explains: “By the time we got into the studio to record ‘Sunday Girl,’ it had evolved from the original demo into our somewhat minimalist take on the girl group sound of the sixties. My drums at the top of the song being inspired by Hal Blaine’s playing on The Ronettes Be My Baby. It is pure ‘power-pop!'”

The success of these two singles pushed the Parallel Lines album to number one in the UK, several months after its initial release, and helped Blondie become the first New-Wave act to reach platinum status. The album went on to become their commercial breakthrough in the US, making the Billboard Top 10 for the first time and becoming one of Billboard Magazine’s Top 10 albums of 1979. It was also the UK’s biggest selling album of the year. Since its initial release, it continues to be universally celebrated as one of the greatest albums of all time. It has been included in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, NME’s 100 Best Albums of All Time, and 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Blender’s 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time, Channel 4’s list of the 100 greatest albums of all time and Pitchfork’s list of the best albums from the 1970s to name but a few.

Tracklisting for the Sunday Girl Record Store Day Release: 

Disc 1

Sunday Girl (original single)

Sunday Girl (French version)

Disc 2

Sunday Girl (demo) Previously unreleased

Sunday Girl (live) Previously unreleased

Find a participating indie record shop near you HERE.   

Blondie announces three new shows this April and May!

APRIL 14, 2022 · HUNTINGTON, NY
THE PARAMOUNT

MAY 17, 2022 · SAN FRANCISCO, CA
THE MASONIC

MAY 18, 2022 – SAN DIEGO, CA
HUMPHREYS

Head to the Blondie.net Tour Page now for information regarding pre-sale dates and ticket links for these shows and more!