We are proud to announce our BLONDIE: VIVIR EN LA HABANA short film (directed by Rob Roth) has been short-listed for an award on BBC.com as part of their LongShots Festival. Also, the film is now available to view!
The LongShots film festival showcases short documentaries from the most creative emerging filmmakers worldwide, handpicked by curators from prestigious film festivals around the world. This year, the festival’s theme is Journeys. These short-listed films tell the tales of the most surprising, moving and exhilarating journeys, both physical and metaphorical. For this festival edition, 60 films were nominated by the film festival curators of Tribeca, Berlinale, Giornate degli Autori (formerly Venice Days), Hot Docs, Vision du Réel and Sheffield DocFest. From September 8-19, you will be able to watch the six finalists here, and vote for your favorite film. The winners of the Audience and Jury awards will be announced on 21 September.
Today, nearly five decades and more than 40 million record sales into their chart-topping and world-conquering career, Blondie have released their very first authorized, archival collection. Out now on UMe and The Numero Group, Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982“makes an argument for Blondie’s greatness, both musical and visual,” says The New York Times. “It’s the definitive account of a sound, attitude, look, and aesthetic that proved inspirational to generations of artists across a spectrum of genres.”
In addition to all six of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ initial studio albums (Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat, Autoamerican, The Hunter), which have been remastered from the original analog tapes and cut at Abbey Road Studios, the box set’s 124 tracks feature 36 previously unissued recordings. From remnants of their first-ever basement session and bedroom demos, to rare outtakes, sketches of an abandoned album with Giorgio Moroder, covers of The Doors and Johnny Cash, the full evolution of “Heart of Glass” and so much more, Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 “chronicles the warp speed by which Blondie transformed from a fledgling punk band into a global phenomenon” (Vogue).
Available in four different formats – including a Super Deluxe Edition with 10 LPs, 1×7” and 1×10″ in Red, White, and Black vinyl, plus Deluxe 4LP, 8CD and 3CD configurations – Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 is also accompanied by hundreds of pages of liner notes, dozens of previously unpublished photos, and an illustrated discography with hundreds more pics sleeves, 45 labels, international sleeve variants, flexis, cassettes, and even 8-tracks. Between track by track commentary from all seven of the original band members, an exacting oral history written by Erin Osmon, and essays from producers Mike Chapman, Richard Gottehrer, and Ken Shipley, the box set delivers everything a fan has likely ever wanted to know about Blondie: how they pushed punk onto the dance floor, introduced a wider audience to hip-hop sounds, and turned from timely to timeless.
In the eight years documented on Against The Odds, Blondie produced a catalog of enduring hits that have since become a vital strand of American music’s DNA, but as this goldmine of a collection proves, “they’re still ahead of their time” (Rolling Stone).
Six years in the making, Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 is also the most in-depth physical release that The Numero Group has manifested throughout its nearly twenty-year, Grammy-nominated history. Watch the unboxing for the Super Deluxe Edition here.
Praise For Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982
“The boxed set — the first authorized by the band — makes an argument for Blondie’s greatness, both musical and visual…it’s the definitive account of a sound, attitude, look, and aesthetic that proved inspirational to generations of artists across a spectrum of genres” The New York Times
“The band’s brisk initial run of studio albums is accompanied by recordings both obscure and heretofore unearthed…the early sketches map out the stylistic maze the band would navigate; the beloved albums hitch youthful ardor and intellectual ambition to beats with world-conquering panache” The New Yorker
“The most comprehensive recounting yet of the band’s classic releases, and offers a compelling argument for Blondie’s premier status…the soundtrack of a city and a culture that was taking its first steps beyond the traditions of rock music and into the future of the multimedia age” Vogue
“Blondie were New York punk’s pop masters. They’re still ahead of their time” Rolling Stone
“A portrait of a band that successfully transitioned from the downtown punk rock scene to international stardom” Newsweek
“The bonus material proves just as revelatory as the remastered albums, as Against The Odds doubles as a shadow history of the city’s creative heyday” Uncut, 9/10
“No group combined the rebellious, enterprising ambition of the punk movement with the grand and performative nature of major pop superstardom…Against the Odds tells that story beautifully” PopMatters, 10/10
“Those original albums and, especially, the big hits are so familiar that they can seem set in stone, but when they’re paired with these raw, unheard recordings, the group’s nervy, arty spirit is resurrected, so it’s possible to once again understand what made Blondie such a striking, special band at their peak” AllMusic, 4.5 Stars
In celebration of the release of Against The Odds: 1974-1982 archival box-set, we are giving away 30 limited edition Chris Stein prints of Debbie Harry (signed by Debbie and Chris)!
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.”
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.”
Blondie: Against The Odds Cover Art by Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts
LOS ANGELES—Coinciding with the upcoming launch of the Blondie:Against The Oddsgraphic novel this fall, Z2 Comics and Blondie will include the recently announced Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Oddsofficial 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 Oddsis 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.
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
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.
8/20 – 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
