Their publicity used to assert, "Blondie is a group." How true. Debbie Harry, you see, was the focus of all the media's attention - and who can blame them? - but Blondie was indisputably a cohesive band of talented musicians. Rhythm section Clem Burke and Nigel Harrison, especially, were monsters, and guitarist and svengali Chris Stein polished the group's image and music to perfection. Beginning in 1976, Blondie cut just six albums - two largely ignored before they shoved their way into the spotlight - but they left a lot of good music and exhausted audiences in their trendy wake. Of those six albums, three still sound incredibly vital nearly thirty years later: Blondie's self-titled debut, Parallel Lines (1978), and Eat To The Beat (1979).

Blondie, which featured the scandalous "X Offender," amounts to punk rock swathed in girl group bitchiness, while Eat To The Beat - cut in the wake of their huge hit, "Heart Of Glass" - is their most confident, straight-ahead rock. Parallel Lines, though, is just phenomenal, a miraculous collision of pop, dance, and punk into one glittering (and very popular) whole. The hits from Parallel Lines - "One Way Or Another," "Hanging On The Telephone," and the disco-fied "Heart Of Glass" - just scratch the surface of this classic.

Concerning the other three records: Plastic Letters (1977) and Autoamerican (1980) have great moments (such as "Denise" and "Rapture") interspersed with unfocused, forgettable ones. Blondie's swansong, The Hunter (1980), however, should be avoided at all costs; an ill-advised, clumsy stab at world beat, it begs the question, "What were they thinking?" All six original Blondie records, by the way, were nicely remastered and expanded on CD in 2001 - make sure to hunt down those versions.

The Best Of Blondie (1981) was a perennial bestseller for two decades, but it has been rendered obsolete by Greatest Hits (2002). Blessed with improved sound and a more generous track listing, Greatest Hits contains all the Blondie a casual fan will need, including including the non-LP "Call Me" (from American Gigolo) and "Maria," the lone highlight from Blondie's 1999 comeback, No Exit. An earlier 2-CD set, The Platinum Collection (1994), is a compendium of singles, rarities, and unreleased material - very nicely done, but recommended mainly for serious collectors. Blonde And Beyond (1996), however, is composed solely of rare and unreleased music, and is suitable for the true Debbie-heads only.

As the group winding down, Blondie's individual members recorded a bunch of solo albums that, as whole, were disappointing. Remember, Blondie was a group, and their special synergy - always unstable - dissapated quickly upon their breakup. Not surprisingly, Debbie Harry was the lone group member whose solo work generated much in the way of sales or excitement. Her debut, Koo Koo (produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards) is easily her best, though she recorded several near-classic singles over the years ("French Kissin' in the USA," "I Want That Man"). Her import-only Most Of All: The Best Of Debbie Harry is the first-ever well-chosen survey of these spotty solo sides. The price, though, is formidable.

As mentioned above, Blondie reunited in 1999. After the disappointing No Exit, they began touring once again, subsequently putting out a live album that showcased their old swagger. Thanks to touring and near-constant cameo appearances on VH1, Debbie and the boys maintained their visibilty, eventually releasing a more agreeable album, The Curse Of Blondie, in 2004.