Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Glen Matlock in Blondie


Hobbayne

Recommended Posts

On 20/06/2023 at 09:26, Doctor J said:

77 is no longer just the year punk broke, it's also Debbie's age. Not bad. My great-grandmother couldn't rock a show like that.

Just being padantic,but punk broke out in the USA in 1974,in the UK it was 76.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 20/06/2023 at 17:23, asingardenof said:

 

Oh god, that's awful. Poor Norm Stockton seems to be thinking "what in the tone deaf nonsense am I doing here?"

Norm is such a lovely guy he would probably say nothing and just smile graciously. He stayed with me a few years ago when he was doing some clinics in the UK - lovely fella.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Singers voices go awry as they get older. It's just a fact of life. Even great singers lose it sooner or later. To be fair, Debbie Harry was never a great singer, but she had a style and a delivery that made her great at being a pop star. Nothing wrong with that.

 

It must be very hard for performers who have enjoyed stardom because of their talent and good looks to accept that time conquers everything and everybody. I imagine being a geriatric Debbie Harry is quite a difficult thing to negotiate. I thought she looked great in those visor shades and more power to her for dying her hair grey.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I watched a bit of their set last night, Debbie sounded pretty ropey at the start, although it was hard to hear her as she was lost in the mix. She definitely improved as they went on, and I think she just about gets away with it through sheer coolness. Glen sounded OK, but nothing special. The thing that spoilt it for me most though were the guitar heroics, which I thought were totally jarring.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If anyone is interested, check out Debbie Harry's solo album that came out in 1981,  Kookoo. Bernard Edwards is on bass and it's some of his very best work. He is way up in the mix and doing his thing like only Bernard can do. It might as well be a Bernard Edwards solo album! If you like his playing you really should give it a listen.

 

Debbie Harry features quite a lot too, as you might expect.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is what happens when you get a well below average singer not taking the hint over decades of being sub par. 

 

And i am (was) a fan of Blondie. 

 

I have a live recording of Debbie’s first solo tour at the Borderline and she was only just passable then. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't get all the criticism of Debbie Harry. At the heart of it you have a musician who does her best for people who really really want to see her. Is the sub text that old people should give up and just crawl away or just people thinking 'I'm so much better than that'?

 

Thousands of people were there having a great time watching someone who had given them a lot of pleasure over the years who they wanted to see live, no-one forced them to be there. Few of us will be as good at things we did when we were younger when we reach the age of 78 but if you have the energy and bottle to keep going and people keep coming good luck to you. I didn't think it was that awful either, I've heard a lot worse down at the Dog and Duck. I've played a lot worse at the Dog and Duck come to that :)

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

I don't get all the criticism of Debbie Harry. At the heart of it you have a musician who does her best for people who really really want to see her. Is the sub text that old people should give up and just crawl away or just people thinking 'I'm so much better than that'?

 

 

I my opinion she is not very good, and makes a horrible noise. 

Yes, she is better than me, but i assure you it’s purely because i just don’t like her voice anymore. 

 

Ive seen Blondie many times over the year, and just as with a lot of iconic bands, people will go and see them because of who they are. The music is fine, but these old singers really do need to wake up and realise they just don’t have the magic anymore. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My thoughts are that if Debbie Harry/a.n.other were to sing their old songs in a different way but in key I`d not see any real issues as voices will change over the years, it`s when they just sing out of key and are pretty dreadful to listen to that I think there`s a problem that they should acknowledge and work on how to address.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

My thoughts are that if Debbie Harry/a.n.other were to sing their old songs in a different way but in key I`d not see any real issues as voices will change over the years, it`s when they just sing out of key and are pretty dreadful to listen to that I think there`s a problem that they should acknowledge and work on how to address.  

Sometimes even singing in key sounds pretty bad. Watching some of GNR at Glastonbury made me think they could definitely do with transposing down a bit to spare us from Axl's falsetto.

Edited by asingardenof
Fixed typo
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...