Blondie released their third album, Parallel Lines, in September 1978. The album has sold over 20 million units since its release, spawned six hit singles, and was one of the defining albums of 'new wave'. All in all, it was a huge achievement by anyone’s standards – even more so when you consider that the group’s previous album Plastic Letters was released in February of the same year.
The musicians – Debbie Harry (vocals), Chris Stein (guitar), Frank Infante (guitar), Nigel Harrison (bass), Jimmy Destri (keyboards) and Clem Burke (drums) – were told that they had six months to produce their third album, so producer Mike Chapman (famous for his work with The Sweet and Suzi Quatro) gave them a mere six weeks to get themselves together, write the album and record it.
