Record Mirror
5th January 1980
Pages 5, 31
Eating to the beat
IT WASN’T the last party of the decade, nor by a long chalk was it the party of the year – but the pre-Christmas celebration for Blondie The Group’s arrival in Britain certainly attracted the highest class of guest (snigger, snigger).
Held at London’s slightly seedy (it says here) Notre Dame Hall – such memories of the Pistols and the Clash, I won’t bore you with them – and featuring three bands, it was the conclusion of the evening (and the year) for some 400-plus weary business types.
Stars in shoddy old jackets (like Hugh Cornwell) mingled with executives in shiny jackets. Debbie stomped about, never far away from Chris Stein, in a red leather dress that had the advantage of looking shoddy but extremely expensive at the same time. And the rest of us (lucky lot!) stumbled about attempting not to knock over tables, or to get too near to Debbie Harry (the singer) or Blondie (the group).
And what else? Oh yes, the Beat and the Soul Boys provided some stirring background nose (clink, clink). The charming Dave Vanian, and him a married man, got to grips with Debbie (see picture 1). Chris Stein and Hugh Cornwell got nowhere discussing the English involvement in Japan (2). And even Siouxsie Sioux looked moderately happy (and moderately well, considering her illness) as she attempted to outdo the slightly shorter Debbie Harry in the haughty looks stakes (3).
Other attenders included a Special or two, a Knack (with the lovely Sharona, and we all know about her!), Andy Summers of Police, Steve Jones and Paul Cook (yawn) Lemmy and Philthy Taylor of Motorhead and a bouncer or two.
For the record, BTG arrived in two Rolls Royces, and Chris Stein – in public and in full gaze of a million flash guns – got to do what every other man there probably wanted to do… by giving Debbie an extremely wet smacker just in time for Christmas (4)!
Page 31 shows the Top 100 Albums of 1979 together with a small pic of Debbie with the words underneath saying: ‘DEBBIE HARRY no parallel, no lines.
Parallel Lines comes in at number 1 and Eat To The Beat comes in at number 21.
