#254: Blondie - Parallel Lines (1978)

Emily: When I was around 7 or 8, my gymnastics class did our recital routine to One Way or Another, probably the most well-known single from Parallel Lines. Granted, it was approximately 1998 and we were in the second grade, so we didn't actually use the Blondie version. Instead, it was a cover from The Rugrats Movie that I'm pretty sure was sung by Angelica Pickles. Of course, I thought it was awesome. I realized later, though, that the original version was even more awesome. However, I didn't like Parallel Lines as a whole as much as I liked the song. I really like Blondie when they take new wave and pop and add something totally different - a rock edge in Call Me or One Way or Another, disco in Heart of Glass, and even hip-hop in Rapture. Otherwise, however, the music was catchy but just not that exciting. A few tracks show their potential for pop-crossover greatness, but it seems that it took them a few years to really develop their sound. This is Blondie's only album featured on the list, so I'll have to take some time to check out their later albums.
Favorite Tracks: One Way or Another; Heart of Glass; 11:59

Zack: I didn’t really know what to expect form Blondie other than One Way or Another, perhaps the most montage-able song of all time. What I got was a pop rock masterpiece, sort of like a Sister Sisters ancestor. From start to finish, Parallel Lines was unstoppably catchy, yet never really bordered on corny like so many other New Wave bands of the era. Blondie clearly managed to avoid many of the pitfalls of their contemporaries while putting together an album with the exact same spirit.

Favorite Tracks: Will Anything Happen; One Way or Another; Fade Away and Radiate

#253: Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Shaka Zulu (1987)

Emily: The only I (and probably most people) have heard of Ladysmith Black Mambazo is from Mean Girls. Cady is supposed to go to Madison with her parents for a concert and decides to throw her party instead and her mom gets mad and says, "But you love Ladysmith Black Mambazo!" And thus, when we came to this album I had to choose it. However, it seems that Cady made the right choice to skip the concert. Shaka Zulu can best be described as a cappella African folk music. It's certainly an acquired taste. I liked a couple songs, especially the hand-clap love song Hello My Baby, but overall I wasn't really a fan. The songs all kind of sound the same, but their simplicity could perhaps lead to interesting live interpretations and improvisation.
Favorite Tracks: Hello My Baby; Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain; King of Kings

Zack: Every time we’re due to cover a world music album, I try to send Emily three albums representing vastly different cultures and musical influences. She almost always chooses the salsa one, to varying degrees of success. So this time I forced her hand. I picked almost all African-oriented albums, and it seems to have blown up in my face. I really disliked this album. It was just so stripped down that I found it boring. I probably should have been prepared for that, given my aggressive apathy towards Graceland. But there was just no preparing for how simplistic each song was going to be. Maybe I’m just uncultured, but I just couldn’t wait to be done and move on.

Favorite Tracks: King of Kings; Hello My Baby; Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain 

#252: Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay (1982)

Emily: As a big fan of any and all Vh1 shows featuring the '80s, one-hit wonders, and countdowns, I am exceedingly familiar with Dexys Midnight Runners in the context of their one and only American hit, Come On Eileen. Their impossibly catchy song and ridiculous hillbilly-farmer-meets-the-city-and-plays-the-fiddle video have popped up on I Love the '80s, the 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders, the 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s, the Greatest '80s One-Hit Wonders, and I Love the One-Hit Wonders of the '80s (okay, I made that last one up, but you can't argue that it doesn't fit perfectly with the others). This one song has brought the band so much recognition even to this day, but why didn't they take off more than that? Honestly, after listening to Too-Rye-Ay, I really don't know. Dexys Midnight Runners make great pop music; here, it's infused with a bit of country-rock fiddling and a bit of new-wavey vibes. Sounds weird, but it totally works. Come On Eileen is certainly the best song on the album, but a few others could have been singles. I guess America just wasn't ready for Dexy in 1982 - or not until Vh1 started making '80s nostalgia shows.

Favorite Tracks: Come On Eileen; All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz); Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)

Zack: The jury is still out on why, exactly, Dexys Midnight Runners have three albums on the list when only one of said albums contains Come on Eileen. But this is the one with Come on Eileen and it is a lot better than expected. On a scale of 1 to 10, I put my interest in this album at a 3 before listening. But I was proven wrong, because Too-Rye-Ay is sort of a masterpiece of pop music that blended a lot of styles into a really cohesive album. It sort of reminded me of Madness, but a lot better (not to be interpreted as a knock on Madness). Obviously, the big takeaway is the best single and final song on the album, Come on Eileen. But there were one or two other songs that I had no clue were by DMR as well as a few songs that I hadn’t heard before but really enjoyed anyway. Too-Rye-Ay was a really great album by a band that should probably be known for more than just one song.

Favorite Tracks: Come On Eileen; The Celtic Soul Brothers; Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile