Blondie

Whether this 1979 concert filmed at Glasgow's Apollo Theatre came at the “peak of Blondie's success” or not (for my money, the New York band's finest hour didn't arrive until the release of the masterwork LP Autoamerican in 1981--but that's admittedly a minority opinion), there's no denying the infectious foot-tapping (or pogo-ing, if that's your style) appeal of “Dreaming,” “Union City Blue,” “Atomic,” “Heart of Glass,” and “Hanging on the Telephone.” Fronted by signature platinum blonde singer Debbie Harry, the band serves up 12 tunes altogether, mostly drawn from their third and fourth albums (1978's Parallel Lines and 1979's Eat to the Beat). Looking and sounding a little zombie-ish for the first third of this rather short 41-minute set, Harry eventually loosens up both physically and vocally, engaging the appreciative crowd for a strong closing that features the bagpipe-introduced “Sunday Girl.” Notably absent here are “One Way or Another” and “Die Young Stay Pretty,” and the Dolby Digital stereo is serviceable but no better. Still, given Blondie's importance as one of the forerunners (and most commercially successful) of the New Wave ‘80s bands, combined with the low price, this nostalgic blast from the past is recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)