Blondie has opened the floodgates of the past with their first-ever definitive collection, Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982, which will be out Aug. 26 via UMe and The Numero Group. A collection of home recordings that have finally made it out of the band’s bedroom and into the public eye, their new song, “Mr. Sightseer,” serves as the B-side to a rare cover of The Doors’ “Moonlight Drive.”
In 1978, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein acquired a TEAC TCA-43 four-track reel-to-reel, giving them the freedom to pursue any musical whim they might have. “The lyric is not good at all,” Harry says of the track. “The song’s not too bad. It’s just a little simplistic. It didn’t ever get really developed or finished.”
The box set is a snapshot of the six years of work and two decades of material that was tucked away in Stein’s Woodstock barn. The release features 124 tracks and 36 previously unissued recordings, including the band’s first-ever basement studio session, outtakes, demos and alternate versions.
Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 also includes Blondie’s first six studio albums, which have been remastered from the original analog tapes with vinyl cut at Abbey Road Studios. For a further glimpse into Blondies’ world, the box set includes liner notes by Erin Osmon, track-by-track commentary from all seven of the original band members, essays by producers Mike Chapman, Richard Gottehrer and Ken Shipley, a 120-page illustrated discography and hundreds of period photographs.
The box set is available in four formats, including a Super Deluxe Collectors’ Edition (10xLP, 1×7”, 1×10” in Red, White, and Black vinyl formats), plus Deluxe 4LP, Deluxe 8CD and 3CD editions. You can preorder it here.
In the meantime, you can check out “Mr. Sightseer” below, along with a 1978 Blondie performance from the Paste archives.
