Paul Gambaccini

First broadcast: Thu 16th Aug 1979, 16:31 on BBC Radio 1 England

Paul Gambaccini writes: ‘Britain’s most popular album of 1979 has been Parallel Lines by Blondie, a collection that has been in the LP chart every week of this year. Producer Mike Chapman has brilliantly mixed the energy of New Wave, the sex appeal of lead singer Deborah Harry and, in the case of the international No.1 “Heart of Glass”, the infectiousness of disco. Four of the numbers have been hit singles in Britain and another has made it in the States. Parallel Lines is the quintessential pop L.P. of the late 70s.