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BLONDIE: NO EXIT

In 1999 Blondie reformed and returned with No Exit, named after the Jean Paul Sartre play of the same name. Produced, intriguingly, by Craig Leon, who was the producer of their debut back in 1976, it is a mostly excellent exercise in gothic-infused genre-hopping that manages to stay just short of being over-produced - though there is a certain sense of restraint to it. Give or take a song or two, No Exit can sit easily alongside the best albums from the band's 70s heyday - and it has the added bonus of finding Deborah Harry in superlative voice. Released in February of 1999, this LP reignited the band's career. It charted across the world, reaching #18 on the charts in the U.S., and #3 in the UK. It also went Gold in the UK, a falloff from the Blondie's glory days, but still not bad for a band that had been out of the public eye for 17 years.

Tracklist:

1.Screaming Skin 2.Forgive And Forget 3.Maria 4.No Exit 5.Double Take 6.Nothing Is Real But The Girl 7.Boom Boom In The Zoom Zoom Room 8.Night Wind Sent 9.Under The Gun 10.Out In The Streets 11.Happy Dog 12.The Dream's Lost On Me 13.Divine 14.Dig Up The Conjo

Lineup:

Clem Burke - drums, Jimmy Destri - keyboards, Deborah Harry - vocals, Chris Stein - guitar. Additional musicians: Leigh Foxx - bass guitar, Paul Carbonara - guitar, James Chance - saxophone, Candy Dulfer - saxophone (5), Helen Hooke - violin, Frank Pagano - percussion, Dave Ironside - saxophone, Robert Aaron - tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, Rick Davies - trombone

Release date: February 23, 1999