tjhassecrets's Full Review: Live by Request by Blondie
I feel a little rotten for ragging on Blondie in my last three reviews for the decent Eat to the Beat, the messy The Hunter, and the steaming pile that was the Union City Blue (Remix Single); but despite the criticism beating I gave those releases, Blondie has done a slew of incredible releases, one of which was 2003's The Curse of Blondie, a followup record that continued the band's winning streak, providing them with another UK hit single-- this time the dance track Good Boys. Shortly after the release and success of the album, the band naturally went on tour to promote the album and delight fans. A small snapshot of the tour was released on 2004's Live By Request, a strange release that provides, ironically, one of the best greatest hits collections the band has ever released.
This release is comprised of songs requested by fans, meaning that we get not only big hits like Heart of Glass and Rapture, but also tracks like X Offender and The Dream's Lost On Me, the latter coming from the band's 1999 comeback record No Exit. The first thing to notice about this album is that the sound quality is superb. In fact, parts of this album sound like a rehearsal because of the crystal clear quality. The show kicks off Dreaming, a song that opened up 1979's Eat to the Beat. This song, flat out, sounds incredible. Debbie Harry's voice sounds better here than on the album version, and the band is dead on with that classic new wave sound. Many live shows end up sounding like a carbon copy of the original studio album, and I'm glad to say that Blondie does not, and this song sets a tone.
Hanging On the Telephone continues with a perfect rendition of another classic Blondie song, this time with Debbie playing with the melody a little bit-- she's breathless and hot, ripping through this powerhouse track like it was 1978. X Offender, sounding a lot harder than usual, and Rip Her to Shreds, both from the band's eponymous debut, sound incredible-- in fact, Debbie sounds just as fresh as she did back in the mid-70s. Her voice is angelic (yet hard), going from soft and sweet and edgy and powerful. But she's not perfect. She botches up Rapture big time, mixing up a line and saying "He's through with bars, he's... f*cked up," before adding a chuckle and continuing her ground-breaking rap about the man from Mars. The version played here a lot less disco, adding a more subdued rock feel-- the band's got a constant drum beat going on the back and the guitars are letting out squirts of sound every so often.
Unfortunately, the biggest downfalls on this live album are two of the best songs Blondie's ever done. Good Boys and Heart of Glass are messy, the former being the worst. Most recent hit Good Boys sounds like a complete trainwreck-- Debbie's vocals are awkward and off, and the music isn't very compelling the same way it is on the album. The original version is a dance song, and when you try to make it into a rock song, it just doesn't work. The end is a jumbled mess. As for 70s hit Heart of Glass, it's just awkward. That memorable melody isn't alive here, and it's drowned out by some more awkward vocals from Debbie. In fact, the best part of the song is when Debbie has the audience perform the "ooh" and "aah" segment.
Speaking of the audience, all throughout the record, Debbie plays with them, and you can tell the band is really putting on a show. During One Way or Another, Harry starts rambling: ...I know your license number, I know your social security number! One way, baby! The energy that Blondie is leaking through this disc makes it worth it. Every other track on this release is stellar and a great reinvention of classic Blondie. In fact, out of all their compilations over the years (Best of Blondie, Forever Blondie, Sight + Sound, Greatest Hits, Denis, The Complete Picture, Blonde and Beyond, The Platinum Collection, Atomic, and arguably Once More Into the Bleach), I would have to say that particular release, Live by Request, inadvertently creates the perfect glimpse into Blondie's entire career up until now.
This ain't just for Blondie fans.
TRACKLIST Dreaming Hanging on the Telephone Accidents Never Happen The Tide is High Good Boys Rip Her to Shreds One Way or Another Rapture X Offender Call Me Union City Blue Heart of Glass The Dream's Lost on Me (Acoustic) (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear
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