Blondie – Parallel Lines – Long Player With Steven Rainey

First broadcast: Sun 20th Jul 2025, 14:03 on BBC Radio Foyle + BBC Radio Ulster

At the end of the 70s, the battle lines were drawn. Punk was punk (or maybe New Wave), disco was disco, and pop was pop. So when Blondie meshed them all together on Parallel Lines, it should have been heresy.

Instead, the New York band crafted the most perfect album of their career, and opened up the horizons of what pop music could be.

In this episode of Long Player, Steven Rainey explores how Blondie went against the grain, and left their peers in the dust.