Plastic Letters
Encyclopedia
Plastic Letters is the second studio album by American
New Wave
band Blondie
, released in February 1978 on Chrysalis Records
. It was the second and final Blondie album to be produced by Richard Gottehrer
. "Denis", a cover of the Randy & the Rainbows
' 1963 hit "Denise", was a hit all over Europe; reaching no.2 in March 1978 in the United Kingdom, and was also a hit in Australia, reaching #19. "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear
" was the second single from the album, reaching no.10 in the UK in May 1978. The song was written by the band's original bass guitar
player Gary Valentine
, shortly before his departure from the band prior to the album being recorded (which necessitated Chris Stein
playing bass as well as guitar). In fact, Blondie started recording the album while still at their old label, Private Stock Records
, shortly after Valentine left for a solo career. The album peaked at no.10 in the UK and has been certified Platinum by the BPI. The pin dress Debbie Harry wears in the cover art was designed by Anya Phillips.
Plastic Letters has been digitally remastered and re-issued twice. The first time was by Chrysalis Records
in 1994 with two bonus tracks, and the second, in 2001 by EMI
-Capitol with four bonus tracks.
Side two
CD reissue bonus tracks (1994 UK)
CD reissue bonus tracks (2001)
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, released in February 1978 on Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
. It was the second and final Blondie album to be produced by Richard Gottehrer
Richard Gottehrer
Richard Gottehrer is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive.-Career:Gottehrer came to prominence as a songwriter in the 1960s with his most notable songs being "My Boyfriend's Back" and "I Want Candy". As Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer , he wrote various songs including...
. "Denis", a cover of the Randy & the Rainbows
Randy & the Rainbows
Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo wop group from Maspeth, New York.-Career:The group was formed in 1962 in a neighborhood of Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers had previously sung in the group The Dialtones. They recorded with the...
' 1963 hit "Denise", was a hit all over Europe; reaching no.2 in March 1978 in the United Kingdom, and was also a hit in Australia, reaching #19. "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear
(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear
" Presence, Dear" is a song from the 1977 album Plastic Letters by Blondie, and was the second single off that album, following up the international breakthrough single "Denis", reaching number 10 in the UK in May 1978...
" was the second single from the album, reaching no.10 in the UK in May 1978. The song was written by the band's original bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player Gary Valentine
Gary Valentine Lachman
Gary Lachman, born December 24, 1955 in Bayonne, New Jersey, is an American writer and musician. Lachman is best known to readers of mysticism and the occult, in the numerous articles and books he has published...
, shortly before his departure from the band prior to the album being recorded (which necessitated Chris Stein
Chris Stein
Christopher "Chris" Stein is co-founder and guitarist in the New Wave band, Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film Wild Style....
playing bass as well as guitar). In fact, Blondie started recording the album while still at their old label, Private Stock Records
Private Stock Records
Private Stock Records was a record label which was started in 1974 by Larry Uttal after he was ousted from Bell Records. The label had hit records with singles by David Soul of Starsky and Hutch fame , Starbuck , Austin Roberts , Samantha Sang , Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band , and Frankie...
, shortly after Valentine left for a solo career. The album peaked at no.10 in the UK and has been certified Platinum by the BPI. The pin dress Debbie Harry wears in the cover art was designed by Anya Phillips.
Plastic Letters has been digitally remastered and re-issued twice. The first time was by Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
in 1994 with two bonus tracks, and the second, in 2001 by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
-Capitol with four bonus tracks.
Track listing
Side one- "Fan Mail" (James DestriJimmy DestriJimmy Destri is an American musician. He played keyboards in the rock band Blondie, and is one of the principal songwriters for the band along with Chris Stein and Deborah Harry. Destri stopped touring with the band in 2004, but remained an official member of the band for several more years...
) – 2:38 - "Denis" (Neil Levenson) – 2:19
- "Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)" (Chris SteinChris SteinChristopher "Chris" Stein is co-founder and guitarist in the New Wave band, Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film Wild Style....
) – 2:49 - "Youth Nabbed as Sniper" (Stein) – 3:00
- "Contact in Red Square" (Destri) – 2:01
- "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" Presence, Dear" is a song from the 1977 album Plastic Letters by Blondie, and was the second single off that album, following up the international breakthrough single "Denis", reaching number 10 in the UK in May 1978...
" (Gary ValentineGary Valentine LachmanGary Lachman, born December 24, 1955 in Bayonne, New Jersey, is an American writer and musician. Lachman is best known to readers of mysticism and the occult, in the numerous articles and books he has published...
) – 2:43 - "I'm on E" (Deborah HarryDebbie HarryDeborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
, Stein) – 2:13
Side two
- "I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No" (Destri, Harry) – 2:51
- "Love at the Pier" (Harry) – 2:27
- "No Imagination" (Destri) – 2:56
- "Kidnapper" (Destri) – 2:37
- "Detroit 442" (Destri, Stein) – 2:28
- "Cautious Lip" (Stein, Ronnie Toast) – 4:24
CD reissue bonus tracks (1994 UK)
- "Poets Problem" (Destri) – 2:20
- "Denis" (alternative version) (Levenson) – 2:22
CD reissue bonus tracks (2001)
- "Once I Had a LoveHeart of Glass (song)"Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...
" (a.k.a. "The Disco Song") (Harry, Stein) – 3:58 - "Scenery" (Valentine) – 3:10
- "Poets Problem" (Destri) – 2:20
- "Detroit 442" (live) (Destri, Stein) – 2:33
Personnel
- Deborah HarryDebbie HarryDeborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Chris SteinChris SteinChristopher "Chris" Stein is co-founder and guitarist in the New Wave band, Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film Wild Style....
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family.... - James DestriJimmy DestriJimmy Destri is an American musician. He played keyboards in the rock band Blondie, and is one of the principal songwriters for the band along with Chris Stein and Deborah Harry. Destri stopped touring with the band in 2004, but remained an official member of the band for several more years...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, background vocals - Frank InfanteFrank InfanteFrank Infante is an American guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of the punk/new wave band, Blondie.Prior to Blondie, he established himself playing guitar in heavy, electric blues groups such as The Elegant End and World War III. In 1975, he joined Sniper, an early, American glam...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, background vocals - Clement Burke - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, background vocals - Dale Powers - background vocals on "Kidnapper"
Production
- Richard GottehrerRichard GottehrerRichard Gottehrer is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive.-Career:Gottehrer came to prominence as a songwriter in the 1960s with his most notable songs being "My Boyfriend's Back" and "I Want Candy". As Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer , he wrote various songs including...
- record producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. - Recorded at Plaza Sound Studio, New York, New York in June & July 1977. Originally released on Chrysalis (1166)
- Kevin Flaherty - 2001 reissue producer.
Chart positions
| Year | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
#9 |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
#10 | |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
#33 | |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
#64 | |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
#72 | |
Certifications and sales
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