On this day in music history: September 1, 1978 - âParallel Linesâ, the third album by Blondie is released. Produced by Mike Chapman, it is recorded at The Record Plant in New York City from June - July 1978. After releasing their self-titled debut on Private Stock Records in late 1976, Blondie move to Chrysalis in 1977, recording and releasing their second album âPlastic Lettersâ in early 1978. Though finding success in the UK and Australia, both sell poorly in the US. Working previously with producer Richard Gottherer, Blondie are paired with Mike Chapman at the suggestion of their manager Peter Leeds. One of the chief architects of the British glam rock movement, Chapman has written and produced hits for Sweet, Mud, and Suzi Quatro. Initially, the band are apprehensive about working with him due to his reputation as being a perfectionist and stern taskmaster, Blondie take a leap of faith and agree to work with him. Once in the studio, Chapman finds them to be sloppy and undisciplined. When the producer pushes them outside of their normal comfort zone, it creates great tension between him and the other members. At one point, bassist Nigel Harrison picks up a synthesizer and throws it at Chapman in a fit of frustration. With lead singer Debbie Harry, the producer takes a gentler approach. Understanding her sensitivity and moodiness, he guides her to using her voice more effectively and captures the performances he wants from her. In spite of the difficulties, the recording goes surprisingly fast, finishing the record in only six weeks as opposed to the six months they had been given to complete it. Once released, it gets off to a slow start when the first two singles âIâm Gonna Love You Tooâ and âHanging On The Telephoneâ both fail to chart. The third single âHeart Of Glassâ (#1 Pop), literally turns everything around. The disco/new wave song is an instant smash and breaks Blondie on a worldwide basis, as well as becoming the first of four chart topping singles for the band in the US. Itâs followed by âOne Way Or Anotherâ (#24 Pop) in the US, becoming a new wave rock classic in its own right, and âSunday Girlâ (#1 UK, IRE) which is released internationally, topping the charts in the UK and Ireland and hitting the top ten in several other countries. Initial pressings of the album feature the original mix of âHeart Of Glassâ, running under four minutes. It is replaced on re-pressings by the nearly six minute long âDisco Mixâ. âParallelâ is remastered and reissued on CD in 2001 with four additional bonus tracks including âOnce I Had A Love (Disco Song)â, the original version of âGlassâ which had been written with a more reggae influenced arrangement. It is reissued again in 2008 with four other bonus tracks, with a DVD featuring three music videos and one television performance. âParallel Linesâ peaks at number six on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
