tjhassecrets's Full Review: Autoamerican [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster] by Blondie
Everyone's heard of new wave rock band Blondie. But if you haven't, then I hate you, and you need to get out of my sight until you pick up one of their albums. And hey, speaking of albums you should pick up, Autoamerican fits that bill just fine! That said, this album is not for the casual listener-- in fact, it's the polar opposite. This entire record is an intentional hodge-podge of sound: new wave rock, jazz, showtunes, hip hop, funk, and the infamous Debbie Harry rap. A lot of people, fans included, usually find that this record is not an essential release-- or that the only reason to hear it are the hit singles. That's sad, because I actually enjoyed it a little more than I did their 1978 "magnum opus" Parallel Lines.
I'm all about experimentation, and this is strangest Blondie ever got in their career. After producing some of the greatest new wave records since the mid-1970s, Blondie was hot to release Autoamerican in 1980-- just before Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper, and Madonna would go on to define that 80s disco sound. It's notable that this album was released just before Debbie release her non-stop fun KooKoo album. Now, Blondie is always coming up with something crazy and pulling awesome tricks from up their sleeves: the beach-rock Blondie, the comeback No Exit, and the mysterious The Curse of Blondie; however I think that Blondie was at their definitive peak in 1980, with all the energy going into incredibly well-crafted pop songs...and rock songs...and jazz songs.
We start this album off with an instrumental. No, not an interlude; just an instrumental, something Blondie had never done before. And really, outside of the progressive rock era, how many times do you seem something like this? Europa begins with a swelling of classical strings and a subtle clarinet backing, before everything begins coming and tying itself together-- then the guitar slowly creeps in; the orchestration becomes dark and heavy; everything teases you. It's not the type of song you expect from a pop album, but listening to this song, especially on the original, richly warm vinyl, means hearing the genius it brings. And the fact that this album is called Autoamerican and begins off with a track called Europa is kind of amazing. And just when you think the second track is starting, Debbie's voice comes in, delivering a strange speech. Machine noises. Robotic interlude. Cogs turns. Trains rolling. The sound of a 1920s German film. On its rims and abandoned on the expressway.
Autoamerican has begun; it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
Picking up where Heart of Glass left off, Live It Up is a cheesy, campy disco song, complete with Debbie's growling voice and catchy hooks. Eventually, it becomes a little harder and akin to the music they delivered on their eponymous debut. This song, in contrast to Heart to Glass, is almost a parody on disco. The boogie-nights era was coming to a close in 1980 rapidly, and whereas their first foray into the disco world contributed leant itself to a new sound, Live It Up takes every cliche in the book. Hey, Blondie? Grace Jones called. Not even she wants that sound back. Enjoyable track, but it's a little long.
What follows is a complete 180 from Live It Up. Here's Looking at You seems to be inspired from the movie that spawned its title. This soft cabaret song is incredible, and it's one of the few times on any Blondie record where Debbie Harry actually sounds soft and cordial-- any other time, I'd expect her punching attitude to slug ya. But here, she has the grace of any lounge singer from the 1940s. The spoken introduction is 100% adorable: I just wanna jump into the warm depths and be there with you...just one more time..well, alright..Hit it boys! I don't know whose idea it was to record this song, but genius. Absolutely genius. And, continuing in this 180-degree turn motif, a cover of The Tide is High follows it-- a soft, fun reggae song that would go on to become a signature Blondie tune.
Angels on the Balcony is just plain strange. It's got a great melody, but it doesn't start out as such. Rather, there's a direct ripping and change in musical direction after about fifteen second, as we go from robotic/sci-fi inspired sound effects and directly (it sounds like a mixtape) into this rock song. Really, I think this track is fifteen years ahead of its time, because it sounds like a song Courtney Love would have sung with Hole. Debbie's voice is great, and the melody is fun, if not a little bittersweet and sarcastic. What follows it, though, blows its sorry a$$ out of the water. Go Through It is one of the best cuts on the entire record, starting out with a rolling drum beat and rather powerful horn introduction. Debbie's voice is commanding, powerful, and a little sad: Oh, go through it; come sit right here. The horns are pure 1960s, and it just epitomizes how unstoppable and incredible the Debbie Harry/Chris Stein combination truly is.
Also on this album we have one of my favorite Blondie tunes of all time. The stupid, idiotic, lame, white-girl, embarrassing Rapture-- one of the greatest camp songs I've ever heard in my life. As with any song where Ms. Harry decides she gonna lay down a rap (Shakedown anybody?), it's just freaking essential. The song's title is direct play on words: rapture. The song has one of the best funky beats I've ever heard and it's one that will get anybody up on their feet. Debbie's in falsetto mode, breathlessly making her way through the verses: Toe to toe dancing very close. Barely breathing. Almost comatose. After stumbling through the near unintelligible verses, the rap comes in, a strange rap about "the Man from Mars" who's going to run around "eating cars, and eating bars." I really don't have a clue what the metaphor really is, but it's funny. My guess is that anybody who understand this was doing some serious cocaine in the 80s. I recommend watching the strange (and super creepy) music video.
Tons of people will tell you that Autoamerican ends with Rapture, but oh, no. We're not done yet. T-Bird brings us back to that classic, new-wave Blondie sound, with Debbie's spacey vocals and some incredible instrumentation behind her. It's meant to sound tinny, and it's one of the few times I'm okay with that. The overall feel of the track is similar to the amazing Union City Blue from Eat to the Beat. And we're not done with our conflicting styles at all. For a brief moment, on the track Walk Like Me, The B-52's took over the show. I think that Fred Schneider crawled up Debbie's behind and was the real mastermind behind this catchy track. Any fans of The B-52's Planet Claire, Rock Lobster, or anything the band did before Cosmic Thing will definitely love the blend of surfer-rock and new wave.
Ignore what people may tell you about this album: it's essential. In fact, I recommend getting it before you hear Parallel Lines, as amazing as that album is. It's a nice smorgesboard of all of Blondie's musical styles-- past and present.
Tracklist Europa Live It Up Here's Looking at You The Tide Is High Angels on the Balcony Go Through It Do the Dark Rapture Faces T-Bird Walk Like Me Follow Me
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