The Hunter

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The band was a pioneer in the early American new wave and punk scenes of the mid- 70s, developing their sound in famous NYC clubs such as CBGBs. All of this pungent erotica finds a unifying metaphor in the album’s final track, a cover of the Motown classic “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game,” which Blondie has recast in a sinewy, atmospheric arrangement. By and large, though, The Hunter is an album of icy, otherworldly moods for moderns, a looking glass trained upon our own peculiar, self-consuming social mores. Some might say that the band went at the material halfheartedly or without much passion, with Harry enjoying solo success with 1981's KooKoo.

These remasters both included the 12'‘ extended version of War Child (incorrectly spelt “Warchild” on the 1994 release) as its only bonus track.Blondie were contractually bound to deliver another new studio album to Chrysalis, and no amount of legal wrangling or attempts to get out of it worked. Producer Mike Chapman (please read the short essay written by him in the liner notes) knew this would be the last Blondie record he would ever produce. Massively underrated album, with several tracks of sheer classic quality, accompanied by lesser ones that still have, without exception, something remarkable to offer. Debbie's lyrics on "The Beast" are so snarky and biting, I love that side of her songwriting: "For the first time in my life, the bouncers would greet me/the doormen would escort me/managers adored me.

The New York-based rock group was briefly under consideration to perform the movie theme before Sheena Easton was chosen. Little Caesar" is a strange little ditty, but I really have a soft spot for it because it's so unique and quirky. I also feel like this is another reason why some Blondie fans don't care for it, but I find the sound/various themes very refreshing.

For Your Eyes Only”: a cunning stylistic amalgam that could fit nicely among Parallel Lines’ reinventions of ’60s pop. All well and good, perhaps, but the austere, foreboding tone of this record suggests that Blondie has forgotten how to have a good time, and how to make one. The Hunter is the sixth studio album by American rock band Blondie, released on May 24, 1982, by Chrysalis Records. Though Harry’s pancultural heart is in the right place, her rap diction is about as convincing as, say, trying to imagine Dick Clark belting out “Soul Man.

Yet the group is loathe to surrender completely the clout that chart-topping singles and platinum LPs have allowed it: amid the offbeat stylistic jumble of The Hunter, we find Blondie carefully hedging their bets, offering what amounts to cloned versions of the hits from Autoamerican. However, one imitation, the lead single "Island of Lost Souls" (an attempt to recreate the global chart-topper "The Tide is High") works surprisingly well and features a memorable melody and lyrics from Harry. Despite their transparent Top Forty aspirations, these two songs do play into the record’s overall concept. With Autoamerican and, now, The Hunter, Blondie has become more difficult to enjoy, even as the group has strained to become something you can “appreciate. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. I was hoping that the music would be just as crazy, but after the somewhat promising first track that kinda matches the cover theme, it's generally a slog.

Two singles were released from the album, " Island of Lost Souls" and "War Child" (the latter of which was also released as a 12″ extended version). I wouldn't say it's all bad, but there's some real duds to contend with, and a decent track like "War Child" could've benefited with a better with a tighter sound. Misunderstood gem The dip in quality is quite scary when you compare this album to Autoamerican or even the last two releases before that, but right here we find Blondie giving us some of their strongest songs. The Beast" deals with lead singer Debbie Harry's experiences of becoming a public figure: "I am the centre of attraction, by staying off the streets".

And “The Beast” is this album’s rap number, ostensibly about a Godzilla-like creature whose nighttime peregrinations through a trendy urban underground are not far afield from those of his guitar-munching counterpart in “Rapture. The next track, "Danceway" written by keyboardist Jimmy Destri (the songs he wrote for the band are genius) steps slightly away from the jungle theme. The Hunter would not be followed up until 17 years later when Blondie reformed and released their seventh studio album No Exit. But compared with some of the band's previous delights and the weakness of some songs, it doesn't merit the same kind of recommendation as the likes of _Parallel Lines_.