How Blondie shattered the conventions of punk and pop

Plus, remembering Joey DeFrancesco, Creed Taylor and jaimie branch.

View this email online Aug. 27, 2022 by Marissa Lorusso This week, we’re sharing our thoughts about the new Blondie box set — plus, our latest roséwave playlist. Courtesy of Chris Stein In the 1970s, Blondie emerged from the New York City rock scene with a sound entirely its own, mixing bubblegum hooks with punk attitude. Take, for example, the band's self-titled 1976 debut, which “featured '60s pop sounds, such as girl groups and surf rock, filtered through a prism of glitter and grit,” as reporter Allyson McCabe describes it. The band went on to release several acclaimed albums, score four No. 1 singles and sell more than 40 million records worldwide — and in the process, influence generations of artists across genres. Through it all, McCabe says, “Blondie was always looking ahead, reinterpreting a vast catalog of influences.” You can hear that range of sounds — and trace how the band developed it — in Against The Odds: 1974-1982. The massive Blondie box set was released this week and includes the original lineup’s six albums, plus demos, alternate versions, outtakes, liner notes and track-by-track commentary. We shared a conversation about Blondie’s legacy and the new box set as part of this week’s episode of New Music Friday from All Songs Considered. My colleague Hazel Cills pointed out how Debbie Harry has long been excellent at skewering expectations for women performers in rock and pop. Plus, Hazel says, “she had such a way of taking genres like reggae, or disco music or ‘60s pop and bringing punk’s crassness, humor and grit to it.” As Stephen Thompson put it: Harry and her bandmates were “too pop for punk; they were too punk for new wave; they were too punk and new wave for pop. And yet,” he points out, “they topped the pop charts anyway.” (Also featured in that New Music Friday conversation: the new album from Atlanta rapper J.I.D., the latest release from experimental electronic musician Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and a new record from decorated saxophonist and bandleader Miguel Zenón.) The party wouldn’t have been complete without hearing from members of the band itself, though. Yesterday, we held a listening party for that huge Blondie box set, hosted by my colleague (and Blondie superfan) Ann Powers. Ann spoke with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein about the influence of the New York Dolls and Andy Warhol on the development of Blondie’s sound, the inspiration behind the lyrics for songs like “Heart of Glass” and “One Way Or Another” and the relationship between Harry and Stein as songwriters.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message More to read, watch and hear The HBO Max series Rap Sh!t, created by Issa Rae, follows two aspiring rappers from Miami, and documents the challenges they face as young women trying to break into the music industry. This week, our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour discussed the show — and why it feels like a comedy for exactly this moment.  For the latest addition to the roséwave summer playlist series, Alt.Latino’s Anamaria Sayre put together a playlist of 25 Latin ballads for amor perdido. “There's no better tool for leaning into lost love than boleros, banda and Chente,” she writes. It was a devastating week for the jazz community, including the death of several visionary figures. Jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, who reigned as the preeminent champion of the Hammond B-3 organ for more than 30 years, died at age 51 on Thursday. DeFrancesco's virtuosity attracted a wide range of collaborators, including Miles Davis, whose band DeFrancesco joined while still a senior in high school, and Van Morrison, with whom he made two recent albums. He also made some 30 albums of his own, and in recent years took a focused interest on what he called "spiritual jazz.” From 1953 through the '90s, producer Creed Taylor brought a regal touch to jazz, showcasing its players like aristocrats; he died this week at the age of 93. Taylor “brought elegance to jazz," says trumpeter and A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert, who worked with Taylor throughout his career. "He was a soulful guy, caring about the musicians and wanting the best for them." Trumpeter jaimie branch’s ability to combine punk ferocity with advanced technique earned her acclaim within and well outside of jazz circles, especially for her band FLY or DIE. branch died on Monday night at her home in Brooklyn at age 39.  One More Thing Join the game. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy