Blondie have released their long-lost version of The Door's 1967 classic Moonlight Drive. The cover is to be found on the band's upcoming box set, Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982, which will be released via UMC and award-winning reissue label The Numero Group on August 26.
Available across four editions – super deluxe collectors’ edition, deluxe 4LP, deluxe 8CD and 3CD – the sets feature 124 tracks, 36 of which have not been available previously. Much of the unreleased material had lain undisturbed in guitarist Chris Stein's barn just outside Woodstock, New York, for the best part of 20 years.
"I am hopeful that this project will provide a glimpse into the ‘process’ and some of the journey that the songs took from idea to final form," says founding guitarist Stein. "Some of this stuff is like early sketches; the old tape machines are like primitive notebooks. The trickiest thing for me was always about getting the melodies out of my head into reality and the changes that would happen along the way.”
"It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment," adds singer Debbie Harry. "Fortunately the essence of being in a band in the early 70's held some of the anti-social, counter culture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the 60's.
"I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music."
Each of the box sets is accompanied by two volumes of liner notes, track-by-track commentary from the band, an illustrated discography, and dozens of previously unpublished photos.
The super deluxe collectors’ edition features the six studio albums recorded by the band between 1976 and 1982 (Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat to the Beat, Autoamerican and The Hunter), plus four albums of demos and rare material, a further 10" album of outtakes, and a 7" single featuring Moonlight Drive b/w Mr Sightseer.
"“It is amazing that after all this time, and against the odds, our Blondie archival box set will finally be released," says drummer Clem Burke. "It’s been a long time coming and we are all very happy and excited with the final results."
The albums were remastered from the original analog tapes, with the vinyl cut at London's Abbey Road Studios. Full tracklist below.
Blondie: Against The Odds 1974-1982 tracklist
The studio albums
Blondie
1. X Offender
2. Little Girl Lies
3. In The Flesh
4. Look Good In Blue
5. In The Sun
6. A Shark In Jets Clothing
1. Man Overboard
2. Rip Her To Shreds
3. Rifle Range
4. Kung Fu Girl
5. The Attack Of The Giant Ants
Plastic Letters
1. Fan Mail
2. Denis
3. Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)
4. Youth Nabbed As Sniper
5. Contact In Red Square
6. (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear
7. I'm On E
1. I Didn't Have The Nerve To Say No
2. Love At The Pier
3. No Imagination
4. Kidnapper
5. Detroit 442
6. Cautious Lip
Parallel Lines
1. Hanging On The Telephone
2. One Way Or Another
3. Picture This
4. Fade Away And Radiate
5. Pretty Baby
6. I Know But I Don't Know
1. 11:59
2. Will Anything Happen
3. Sunday Girl
4. Heart Of Glass
5. I'm Gonna Love You Too
6. Just Go Away
Eat To The Beat
1. Dreaming
2. The Hardest Part
3. Union City Blue
4. Shayla
5. Eat To The Beat
6. Accidents Never Happen
1. Die Young Stay Pretty
2. Slow Motion
3. Atomic
4. Sound-A-Sleep
5. Victor
6. Living In The Real World
Autoamerican
1. Europa
2. Live It Up
3. Here's Looking At You
4. The Tide Is High
5. Angels On The Balcony
6. Go Through It
1. Do The Dark
2. Rapture
3. Faces
4. T-Birds
5. Walk Like Me
6. Follow Me
The Hunter
1. Orchid Club
2. Island Of Lost Souls
3. Dragonfly
4. For Your Eyes Only
5. The Beast
1. War Child
2. Little Caesar
3. Danceway
4. (Can I) Find The Right Words (To Say)
5. English Boys
6. The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game
Bonus Tracks
7" 45 rpm
1. Moonlight Drive
2. Mr. Sightseer
10" LP Out-takes & rarities ('Out In The Streets')
Side A (1974 Session)
1. Out In The Streets (1974)
2. The Disco Song
3. Sexy Ida
Side B (Betrock Demo)
1. Platinum Blonde
2. The Thin Line
3. Puerto Rico
4. Once I Had A Love (1975)
5. Out In The Streets (1975)
LP 1 Out-takes & rarities ('Plaza Sound')
1. X Offender (Intro)
2. X Offender (Private Stock Single)
3. In The Sun (Private Stock Single)
4. Little Girl Lies (Private Stock Mix)
5. In The Flesh (Extended Intro)
6. A Shark In Jets Clothing (Take 2)
7. Kung Fu Girls (Take 8)
8. Scenery
1. Denis (Terry Ellis Mix)
2. Bermuda Triangle Blues - Flight 45 (Take 1)
3. I Didn't Have The Nerve To Say No (Take 1)
4. I'm On E (Take 2)
5. Kidnapper (Take 2)
6. Detroit 442 (Take 2)
7. Poets Problem
LP 2 Out-takes & rarities ('Parallel Beats')
1. Once I Had A Love (Mike Chapman Demo)
2. Sunday Girl (French Version)
3. I'll Never Break Away From This Heart Of Mine (Pretty Baby)
4. Hanging On The Telephone (Mike Chapman Demo)
5. Will Anything Happen (Instrumental)
6. Underground Girl
1. Call Me
2. Spaghetti Song (Atomic Part 2)
3. Die Young Stay Pretty (Take 1)
4. Union City Blue (Instrumental)
5. Llámame
LP 3 Out-takes & rarities ('Coca Cola')
1. I Love You Honey, Give Me A Beer (Go Through It)
2. Live It Up (Giorgio Moroder Demo)
3. Angels on the Balcony (Giorgio Moroder Demo)
4. Tide Is High (Demo)
5. Susie & Jeffrey
1. Rapture (Disco Version)
2. Autoamerican Ad
3. Yuletide Throwdown
LP 4 Out-takes & rarities ('Home Tapes')
1. Nameless (Home Tape)
2. Sunday Girl (Home Tape)
3. Theme From Topkapi (Home Tape)
4. The Hardest Part (Home Tape)
5. Ring of Fire (Home Tape)
1. War Child (Chris Stein Mix)
2. Call Me (Chris Stein Mix)
