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Blondie / Against The Odds 1974-1982

The box set is finally announced!

By Paul Sinclair

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10LP, 4LP, 8CD and 3CD editions • 52 bonus rarities • Lavish packaging

Against The Odds 1974-1982, the long-awaited Blondie box set (originally announced in 2018), will finally be released in August this year across four major physical formats.

The 10LP super deluxe set offers all six studio albums – Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat, Autoamerican and The Hunter – and includes four additional LPs of session outtakes, B-sides, and demos. These rarities are titled ‘Plaza Sound’, ‘Parallel Beats’, ‘Coca Cola’, ‘Home Tapes’. This vinyl box comes with a bonus 10-inch of outtakes called ‘Out In The Streets’ and a seven-inch single featuring the band’s cover of The Doors’ ‘Moonlight Drive’ and demo of ‘Mr. Sightseer’. In total, it contains 124 studio tracks.

The vinyl super deluxe comes with two books: a 144-page hardcover book with session commentary from Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Frank Infante, Nigel Harrison, and Gary Valentine, and essays from producers Richard Gottehrer and Mike Chapman and a 120-page volume which gives a discographical overview of the period via hundreds of pic sleeves, 45 labels, international sleeve variants, flexis, cassettes, and even 8-tracks.

The 10LP vinyl super deluxe features all the albums, 4LPs of rarities, two books and more (click image to enlarge)

The 8CD version of Against The Odds effectively offers the same audio content – 124 studio tracks – as the big vinyl packge, but with the rarities on two bonus CDs (called ‘Home Tapes’ and ‘Out In The Streets’). If you are wondering how 52 bonus tracks require three CDs in the standalone set, while the 8CD package offers the same 52 bonus tracks with just two bonus CDs, the answer lies in the fact that 35 of the bonus tracks are appended to the albums, leaving 17 tracks across the two final themed CDs (‘Home Tapes’ and ‘Out In The Streets’). The triple-disc package just mixes everything together. The eight CDs come in replica sleeves and are presented within a large-format 128-page hardcover book and slipcase.

8CD edition of Against The Odds (click image to enlarge)

If you just want the bonus tracks and don’t require the remastered albums then the good news is that 3CD and 4LP editions which offer just that are available. The 4LP set features all 52 bonus tracks and comes packaged as a 128-page hardcover book tucked inside a foil-wrapped slipcase (all the formats are foil-wrapped). The 3CD edition has the same 52 tracks and comes with a 164-page hardcover mini-book housed in a sturdy slipcase.

The 3CD ‘bonus tracks only’ edition of Against The Odds (click image to enlarge)

All 124 tracks for Against The Odds have been remastered from the original analogue tapes. 36 of these are previously unissued (according to the label). The vinyl was lacquered at Abbey Road and pressed on high quality 180g vinyl.

Against The Odds 1974-1982 will be released on 26 August 2022 via Capitol/UMC/Numero Group.

Tracklisting

Against The Odds 1974-1982 Blondie /

    • CD 1
      1. Out In The Streets (1974 Session)
      2. The Disco Song (1974 Session)
      3. Sexy Ida (1974 Session)
      4. Platinum Blonde (Betrock Demo)
      5. The Thin Line (Betrock Demo)
      6. Puerto Rico (Betrock Demo)
      7. Once I Had A Love (Betrock Demo)
      8. Out In The Streets (Betrock Demo)
      9. X Offender (Intro)
      10. X Offender (Private Stock Single Version / Remastered)
      11. In The Sun (Private Stock Single Version / Remastered)
      12. Little Girl Lies (Private Stock Mix)
      13. In The Flesh (Extended Intro)
      14. A Shark In Jets Clothing (Take 2)
      15. Kung Fu Girls (Take 8)
      16. Scenery (Plaza Sound Outtake)
    • CD 2
      1. Denis (Terry Ellis Mix)
      2. Moonlight Drive
      3. Bermuda Triangle Blues – Flight 45 (Take 1)
      4. I Didn’t Have The Nerve To Say No (Take 1)
      5. I’m On E (Take 2)
      6. Kidnapper (Take 2)
      7. Detroit 442 (Take 2)
      8. Poet’s Problem
      9. Once I Had A Love (Mike Chapman Demo)
      10. Sunday Girl (French Version)
      11. I’ll Never Break Away From This Heart Of Mine (Pretty Baby) (Take 1)
      12. Hanging On The Telephone (Mike Chapman Demo)
      13. Will Anything Happen (Instrumental)
      14. Call Me
      15. Spaghetti Song (Atomic Pt. 2)
      16. Die Young Stay Pretty (Take 1)
      17. Underground Girl
      18. Union City Blue (Instrumental)
      19. Llámame
    • CD 3
      1. I Love You Honey, Give Me A Beer (Go Through It)
      2. Live It Up (Giorgio Moroder Demo)
      3. Angels On The Balcony (Giorgio Moroder Demo)
      4. The Tide Is High (Demo)
      5. Suzy & Jeffrey
      6. Rapture (Disco Version)
      7. Autoamerican Ad
      8. Yuletide Throwdown
      9. War Child (Chris Stein Mix)
      10. Call Me (Chris Stein Mix)
      11. Heart Of Glass (Chris Stein Mix)
      12. Nameless (Home Tape)
      13. Sightseer
      14. Sunday Girl (Home Tape)
      15. Theme From Topkapi (Home Tape)
      16. The Hardest Part (Home Tape)
      17. Ring Of Fire (Home Tape)

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