In August, Chrysalis Records bought their contract from Private Stock and in October reissued Blondie and released the second album, Plastic Letters. Blondie expanded to a sextet in November with the addition of bassist Nigel Harrison (born in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, England), as Infante switched to guitar. Blondie broke commercially in the U.K. in March 1978, when their cover of Randy and the Rainbows' 1963 hit "Denise," renamed "Denis," became a Top Ten hit, as did Plastic Letters, followed by a second U.K. Top Ten, "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear." Blondie turned to U.K. producer/songwriter Mike Chapman for their third album, Parallel Lines, which was released in September 1978 and eventually broke them worldwide. "Picture This" became a U.K. Top 40 hit, and "Hanging on the Telephone" made the U.K. Top Ten, but it was the album's third single, the disco-influenced "Heart of Glass," that took Blondie to number one in both the U.K. and the U.S. "Sunday Girl" hit number one in the U.K. in May, and "One Way or Another" hit the U.S. Top 40 in August. Blondie followed with their fourth album, Eat to the Beat, in October. Its first single, "Dreaming," went Top Ten in the U.K., Top 40 in the U.S. The second U.K. single, "Union City Blue," went Top 40. In March 1980, the third U.K. single from Eat to the Beat, "Atomic," became the group's third British number one. (It later made the U.S. Top 40.)

Meanwhile, Harry was collaborating with German disco producer Giorgio Moroder on "Call Me," the theme from the movie American Gigolo. It became Blondie's second transatlantic chart-topper. Blondie's fifth album, Autoamerican, was released in November 1980, and its first single was the reggae-ish tune "The Tide Is High," which went to number one in the U.S. and U.K. The second single was the rap-oriented "Rapture," which topped the U.S. pop charts and went Top Ten in the U.K. But the band's eclectic style reflected a diminished participation by its members -- Infante sued, charging that he wasn't being used on the records, though he settled and stayed in the lineup. But in 1981, the members of Blondie worked on individual projects, notably Harry's gold-selling solo album, KooKoo. The Best of Blondie was released in the fall of the year. The Hunter, Blondie's sixth album, was released in May 1982, preceded by the single "Island of Lost Souls," a Top 40 hit in the U.S. and U.K. "War Child" also became a Top 40 hit in the U.K., but The Hunter was a commercial disappointment.

At the same time, Stein became seriously ill with the genetic disease pemphigus. As a result, Blondie broke up in October 1982, with Deborah Harry launching a part-time solo career while caring for Stein, who eventually recovered. In 1998, the original lineup of Harry, Stein, Destri, and Burke reunited to tour Europe, their first series of dates in 16 years; a new LP, No Exit, followed early the next year. After more touring, this was followed by another studio set, The Curse of Blondie, in 2003, and a DVD of the Live by Request program from A&E was released in 2004. In 2006, Blondie celebrated their 30th anniversary read more

Yet the core members (singer Debbie Harry, guitarist Chris Stein, keyboard player Jimmy Destri and drummer Clem Burke) always had a vision that anything was possible. So what if they weren't slick studio musicians? They'd still be able to put the sounds in their heads on plastic, sounds that weren't just "Pure Pop for Now People" but pure pop for Top 40 radio — in the most sincere, uncynical and popularly resonating tradition. So they engaged in inspired, positively subversive, musical "pilferage" and synthesis in ways few others have consistently sustained. And through all of that (until the last album of the group's original existence, anyway), Blondie maintained a distinctive group identity.

Some of their dabblings weren't successful, but it's only fair to note that many others wet their musical toes in the same exotic waters only after Blondie set the precedent. Moreover, Blondie largely pursued their commercial and artistic goals in nonconformist fashion, often to the dismay of their record company and even some of their fans.

Blondie effervesces with exuberance which, at points, extends the band's reach beyond its grasp. Still, it's a guileless classic, and arguably the group's best album. They create a series of charming musical Frankenstein monsters — stitched together from salsa, funk, Broadway pop and thrill-flick soundtracks — in addition to their more typical girl-group/surf/Anglopop hybrids, as on "X Offender," the debut single included here. Any lapses in expertise are counterbalanced by the sense of ebullient abandon, as captured by producer Richard Gottehrer.

Plastic Letters reflects not only professional seasoning and a better rapport with Gottehrer, but also the turmoil of changes in personnel, management and record label. The resulting album — fuller, tighter and more authoritatively rocking than the debut — includes the band's first two UK hits, "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" (written by, and recorded as a sort of tribute to, departed bassist Gary Valentine) and "Denis" (a revamp of the 1963 Randy & the Rainbows oldie). There's also a brooding feel to many of the tracks — the hard, riffy stuff and the thoughtful experimentation ("Cautious Lip") alike. More conservative than Blondie, and less exciting.

By Parallel Lines, the new lineup had already jelled, and producer Mike Chapman (looking to repeat the massive success he enjoyed during the early-'70s days of English glitter-pop) took over behind the board, effectively imposing his exacting, disciplined approach. The band seems totally in control of every musical form it takes on, from zombie metal to pop-a-billy, from quasi-avant spaciness to the hitbound electro-disco flirtation, "Heart of Glass." Compared to Gottehrer's first-take spontaneity, some of the LP seems a tad clinical,but it's easily good enough to be considered America's answer to Nick Lowe's first solo LP.

Eat to the Beat, surprisingly, proved less artistically a read more

Blondie is the name of an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s, and which has sold over 40 million records. The band was a pioneer in the early American punk rock and New Wave scenes. Its first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in Australia and the United Kingdom, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles and was noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop and reggae, while retaining a basic style as a New Wave band.

Lead singer Deborah Harry achieved a level of celebrity that eclipsed other band members, leading to tension within the group. Following a poorly received album, and with core member Chris Stein diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease, the group disbanded in 1982.