Reissue of her 1989 Release Produced by Former Blondie Producer Mike Chapman. Her Finest Solo Effort to Date. Album Details
This album offers little of the Blondie magic. There are very few catchy hooks with the pop spark that made the band's songs so special. Most of the tracks are mid tempo ballads but the songs don't really stay with the listener.
Sweet and Low is loosely based on the lyrics of the hymn Swing Low Sweet Chariot, He Is So is a mildly pleasant pop ballad as is Brite Side. Bugeye starts out promising a rock approach but then goes nowhere in its tunelessness.
The long track End Of The Run consists mostly of spoken word parts alternating with some singing. I Want That Man is a welcome exception, a tuneful guitar-driven interlude with some poetic lyrics approaching Blondie at its best whilst Lovelight, another rock number, offers a certain atmospheric charm.
There are some nice instrumental flourishes on Kiss It Better. Besides I Want That Man, my other favorites are Maybe For Sure which has some rousing singing and a good melody and Calmarie with its tribal rhythms. This is not by any means a bad album but I have been spoilt by the power pop of Blondie and therefore expected better.
July 22, 2007This is definitely the best Debbie Harry solo album, and it easily earns its five stars! I decided to buy it after I heard "I Want That Man." Besides the singles, it has all different types of music, much like the Blondie albums, and that is what makes it so enjoyable to listen to. There are songs like "Bike Boy," "Comic Books," and "Forced to Live" that sound like they could have come straight from an early Blondie album. Then, there are those that sound more mainstream like "I Want That Man" and "Kiss It Better." "Calmarie" is a bit of an unusual song, but it has a nice sound to it. "Brite Side" and "End of the Run" are slower songs, but they are also pleasant to listen to. Whether you are a fan or Blondie or just Debbie Harry, this album is certainly a must-have!
January 26, 2007 |  | Like Eat to the Beat ten years later |  |
I can still flashback to 17 years ago this week when this release was reaching it's peak position of #123 on the Billboard Album charts. It spent a total of eight weeks on the charts and Debbie was touring the U.S. to promote the album. I had the pleasue of seeing her live in New York City. Harry did an amazing show with all the Blondie classics, but she also thankfully included most of the songs from this wonderful collection. I consider this one to be Debbie's lost masterpiece, and definitely the one that stands out among all her solo efforts. I'm sure Def, Dumb, & Blonde would have garnished more attention had it included the Blondie name because the songs resemble the Blondie sound and capture the roots of diversity that Harry made so acceptable in pop music. Most of these songs are creations of Harry and former Blondie guitarist Chris Stein. Harry even told Rolling Stone in 1989 that one of the songs, "Maybe For Sure," was actually written during the height of Blondie's success. Former Blondie producer Mike Chapman also produced most of these tracks. The songs not produced by Chapman also hold up amazingly well, including "Kiss it Better," a great dance number and one of the two songs that was produced by the Thompson Twins, but rather than go through each song in detail, I encourage all fans of Blondie to invest in this CD and enjoy an era when this blonde bombshell was living a truly progressive period as an artist.
November 7, 2006| | | Yeah. The other reviewers are right. This one rocks. | |
I've had this album since it's original release and I'd have to say it's on my desert island top 5. All these years later it still endures. Something about the writing and production gelled in a way that ended up with a final product that truly deserves attention. How this brilliant little gem slipped under the radar is a mystery. This "solo" effort actually represents the true "Best" of Blondie (given that Debbie & Chris represent the heart of the band). Def, Dumb & Blonde is as solid as Eat To The Beat. For fans of the Blondie sound who haven't heard this yet, you're in for a rare treat.
February 15, 2006| | | THIS ALBUM IS TRUELY NOT DEF AND DUMB BUT IS BLONDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | |
this is Debbie in a fine voice (though her voice has always and is still the Best in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
its not hard to believe she is 45 years old making this album.
(i got Debravation before this album) every song on here is magical! This Country i Call home Made a mistake overlooking this album!!!!!!!!!!
these will eventually run out of stock! so order before they dissappear for ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 11, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
