Autoamerican (Bonus Tracks Edition) [2001 Remaster]

Autoamerican remains among the most experimental albums in the Blondie catalog. The eclecticism paid off with two No. 1 hit singles: their cover of The Paragons’ reggae song “The Tide Is High” and the early rap–influenced “Rapture.” The album itself doesn't conform to any given style. “Europa” starts the album with a stringed instrumental that saves room for Deborah Harry to recite a car-centric poem near the song’s end. “Here’s Looking at You” throws a clarinet solo into a ‘20s jazz arrangement; “Faces” centers on piano and saxophone. “Follow Me” is an actual torch song from the 1960 Broadway musical Camelot. It’s suggested that “T-Birds,” which features harmonies from Flo & Eddie, would’ve been the third single from the album had the label not decided to refocus promotions on Harry’s solo album KooKoo. Modern editions of the album include the “long version” of “Call Me” (the massive hit produced and cowritten by Giorgio Moroder that appeared in the film American Gigolo), “Suzy and Jeffrey” (which had been the b-side to “The Tide Is High”), and a special 10-minute remix of “Rapture."