Parallel Lines - Blondie

"I'm in the phone booth, it's the one across the hall". And so, with a New York drawl, begins the best new wave pop album from the 1970s. Perhaps ever.

You've only really got to look at the track listing to realise just how good it is; 'Hanging On The Telephone', 'Heart of Glass', 'Sunday Girl', 'Picture This' and 'One Way Or Another'. If you were to pick perfect pop songs then these would surely be near the top of that list.

But it doesn't stop at those singles; the album is chock-a-block with pop quality. '11:59', for example, has a sort of 50s rock opera feel to it but at its heart it is a driving pop song. If you catch my drift. 'Will Anything Happen?' is new wave pop at its very best. Buzz saw guitars, layered harmonies. Loud and fun.

But what makes this album really shine, other than the sheer quality of the songs, is the Blondie were a damned good group. Crystal clear vocals with perfect pronunciation, singing guitars, driving bass and superlative drumming. Magic.

An oft repeated statement is that music was rubbish in the 70s. I don't see how that can be remotely true with 'Parallel Lines' sitting proudly in that decade.