Have we had any 'Blondie' for a while? . . . . . Pop brilliance par excellence . . . bar none
"Fade away and radiate . . . . . . . . dreaming is free"

On this day in music history: September 27, 1979 - “Eat To The Beat”, the fourth album by Blondie is released. Produced by Mike Chapman, it is recorded at The Power Station, Mediasound Studios and Electric Lady Studios in New York City from April - June 1979. Coming right on the heels of their Platinum selling breakthrough album “Parallel Lines”, Blondie return to the studio in the Spring of 1979 with producer Mike Chapman. However, with the bands profile now at an all time high, comes excessive drug use and in-fighting between the band members, which hinders the creative process. In spite of this, they move ahead with the ambitious project which is not only conceived as a standard record album, but as an accompanying extended form video album, with music videos shot for each of the albums twelve songs. Blondie work in tandem with director David Mallet (David Bowie), which are initially released as a promotional VHS tape simultaneously with the LP, and then commercially on video cassette and laser disc in October of 1980. Musically, Blondie continue to experiment and push the boundaries of their sound, expanding on their pop, punk and new wave roots by incorporating reggae and funk into the mix. The album is well received by the public, especially in the UK where like the previous release, hits the top of the charts. It spins off three singles including “Dreaming” (#27 Pop) and “Atomic” (#39) (both featuring songwriter Ellie Greenwich on backing vocals). Singer and actress Lorna Luft (daughter of Judy Garland and half-sister of Liza Minnelli) sings backing vocals on “Slow Motion” and “Accidents Never Happen”. Some promo copies of the LP are packaged with a press kit, including a pair of 8 x 10 photos of Debbie Harry and the band, a six page booklet titled the “Blondie Travel & Restaurant Guide”, and a poster promoting their then upcoming TV appearance on the Midnight Special on October 5, 1979. The album is remastered and reissued in 2001 with four additional bonus tracks, featuring two live tracks recorded at New Year’s Eve concert at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland, a live cover of the Bowie classic “Heroes” recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in January of 1980, and their version of the Johnny Cash classic “Ring Of Fire” included on the “Roadie” soundtrack in 1980. The album is reissued again in 2007, including a bonus DVD of the long out of print video album. “Eat To The Beat” peaks at number seventeen on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

I'll have a cup of tea and tell you of my dreaming . . . . . . . 

thanks to Jeff Harris' blog Behind The Grooves