Against the Odds: 1974–1982

Against the Odds: 1974–1982
Box set by
Blondie
ReleasedAugust 26, 2022[1]
GenreRock
Length2:52:26
Labels
Blondie chronology
Vivir en La Habana
(2021)		 Against the Odds: 1974–1982
(2022)		 High Noon
(2026)

Against the Odds: 1974–1982 is a box set by the American rock band Blondie, released on August 26, 2022 by UMC (a subsidiary of Universal Music Group), the Numero Group and Capitol Records.[1] The band has endorsed the box set.[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic92/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[2]
American SongwriterStarStarStarStar[4]'
Classic RockStarStarStarStarHalf star[5]
Paste8.8/10[6]
Pitchfork8.5/10[7]
PopMatters10/10[8]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Against the Odds 1974-1982 received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 92 out of 100 from 8 critic scores.[3]

Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it a "comprehensive complete chronology", noting that "these demos, abandoned ideas, and working mixes help to add a dimension and perspective to Blondie's basic canon." concluding by noting that "Those original albums and, especially, the big hits are so familiar that they can seem set in stone, but when they're paired with these raw, unheard recordings, the group's nervy, arty spirit is resurrected, so it's possible to once again understand what made Blondie such a striking, special band at their peak."[2] Pitchfork critic Caryn Rose wrote it is "Blondie’s first archival presentation of their essential years", stating that "Against the Odds perfectly captures the band’s legacy precisely because it presents the history, music, and memories with an admirable degree of honesty and doesn’t try to make the story into something it wasn’t."[7]

In 2023, the album was nominated for Best Historical Album at the Grammys.[9]

Contents

The deluxe edition of the set includes the following studio albums, with bonus tracks:

Both the standard and deluxe editions include previously unreleased demos and outtakes. On the deluxe CD set, 17 tracks are compiled on two discs, titled Out in the Streets and Home Tapes.

The deluxe vinyl set includes Out in the Streets and Home Tapes on separate 10″ and 12″ discs, respectively, with "Mr. Sightseer" moved from the latter to a separate 7″ single, backing "Moonlight Drive". The standard edition combines the two albums, including "Mr. Sightseer", onto one disc, while "Moonlight Drive" is moved to Plaza Sound. Both editions compile 34 additional tracks across three further discs: Plaza Sound, Parallel Beats, and Coca-Cola. The deluxe CD set instead adds these 35 tracks (including "Moonlight Drive") as bonus tracks on their respective albums' discs.

The standard CD set likewise consists of all 52 bonus tracks, while the standard vinyl set contains 47, with both slightly altering the running order.

Track listings

Out in the Streets track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Out in the Streets" (1974 session)
2:24
2."The Disco Song[a]" (1974 session)
3:56
3."Sexy Ida" (1974 session)Tina Turner3:59
4."Platinum Blonde" (Betrock demo)Harry2:18
5."The Thin Line" (Betrock demo)
  • Harry
  • Stein
2:27
6."Puerto Rico" (Betrock demo)
  • Harry
  • Stein
2:08
7."Once I Had a Love[a][b]" (Betrock demo[c])
  • Harry
  • Stein
3:58
8."Out in the Streets" (Betrock demo)
  • Barry
  • Greenwich
2:21
Home Tapes track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Nameless" (home tape)Stein1:42
2."Mr. Sightseer[d]"
  • Harry
  • Stein
3:45
3."Sunday Girl" (home tape)
  • Harry
  • Stein
2:50
4."Theme from Topkapi" (home tape)Manos Hadjidakis2:57
5."The Hardest Part" (home tape)
  • Harry
  • Stein
3:32
6."Ring of Fire" (home tape)
2:48
7."Heart of Glass[b]" (Chris Stein mix)
  • Harry
  • Stein
6:14
8."Call Me[b]" (Chris Stein mix)
5:15
9."War Child[b]" (Chris Stein mix)
5:20
Plaza Sound track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."X Offender" (intro)
0:17
2."X Offender" (Private Stock single version)
  • Harry
  • Valentine
3:14
3."In the Sun" (Private Stock single version)Stein2:40
4."Little Girl Lies" (Private Stock mix)Harry2:08
5."In the Flesh" (extended intro)
  • Harry
  • Stein
2:51
6."A Shark in Jet's Clothing" (take 2)Jimmy Destri3:42
7."Kung Fu Girls" (take 8)
  • Destri
  • Harry
  • Valentine
2:27
8."Scenery" (Plaza Sound outtake)Valentine3:09
9."Denis" (Terry Ellis mix)Neil Levenson2:22
10."Bermuda Triangle Blues – Flight 45" (take 1)Stein2:38
11."Moonlight Drive[d]"The Doors3:00
12."I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No" (take 1)
  • Destri
  • Harry
2:59
13."I'm on E" (take 2)
  • Harry
  • Stein
2:37
14."Kidnapper[b]" (take 2)Destri2:32
15."Detroit 442" (take 2)
  • Destri
  • Stein
2:56
16."Poet's Problem"Destri2:21
Parallel Beats track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Once I Had a Love[a]" (Mike Chapman demo)
  • Harry
  • Stein
3:18
2."Sunday Girl" (French version)Stein3:14
3."I'll Never Break Away From This Heart of Mine (Pretty Baby)" (take 1)
  • Harry
  • Stein
3:36
4."Hanging on the Telephone" (Mike Chapman demo)Jack Lee2:20
5."Will Anything Happen" (instrumental)Lee2:54
6."Underground Girl"Frank Infante3:53
7."Call Me"
  • Harry
  • Moroder
3:32
8."Spaghetti Song (Atomic Pt. 2)"
  • Destri
  • Harry
2:06
9."Die Young Stay Pretty" (take 1) 3:36
10."Union City Blue" (instrumental)
  • Harrison
  • Harry
2:51
11."Llámame[f]"
  • Harry
  • Moroder
6:18
Coca-Cola track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Love You Honey, Give Me a Beer (Go Through It)"
  • Harry
  • Stein
2:42
2."Live It Up" (Giorgio Moroder demo)Stein4:03
3."Angels on the Balcony" (Giorgio Moroder demo)
  • Laura Davis
  • Destri
4:17
4."The Tide Is High" (demo)
3:59
5."Susie & Jeffrey"
  • Harry
  • Stein
4:09
6."Rapture" (disco version) 10:00
7."Autoamerican Ad" 1:07
8."Yuletide Throwdown"
4:49

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "The Disco Song" and "Once I Had a Love" were both working titles for "Heart of Glass".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Omitted from the standard vinyl edition.
  3. ↑ The Betrock demos of "Once I Had a Love" and "Out in the Streets" are referred to as "1975" on the deluxe vinyl and standard CD editions.
  4. 1 2 Omitted from the deluxe vinyl edition, where it is moved to a 7″ single.
  5. ↑ Kilgore is uncredited.
  6. ↑ "Llámame" is the Spanish version of "Call Me".
  7. ↑ Incorrectly credited to Debbie Harry and Chris Stein.

Charts

Chart (2022) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10]40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[11]26
French Albums (SNEP)[12]127
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13]16
Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[14]5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15]28
UK Albums (Official Charts)[16]25
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[17]68

References

  1. 1 2 Sinclair, Paul (June 8, 2022). "Blondie / Against The Odds 1974-1982". SuperDeluxeEdition. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Against the Odds 1974-1982 Review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Against the Odds 1974-1982 [Box Set] by Blondie Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom Inc. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  4. ↑ Horowitz, Hal (August 29, 2022). "Review: A Trove of Rarities Highlights Blondie's First Band Approved Retrospective". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ Needs, Kris (August 27, 2022). "Blondie's Against All Odds box celebrates one of the last century's finest bodies of work". Classic Rock. Louder Sound.
  6. ↑ Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (August 26, 2022). "Blondie Box Set Against the Odds: 1974-1982 Is a Textbook Example of How to Do a Band's Legacy Justice". Paste Magazine. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Rose, Caryn. "Blondie: Against the Odds: 1974 - 1982". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  8. ↑ Piatkowski, Peter (August 22, 2022). "Blondie's Career Given Epic Tribute in 'Against the Odds 1974-1982'". PopMatters. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  9. ↑ "2023 Grammy Awards: The full list of nominees and winners". NPR. February 5, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Blondie – Against The Odds 1974-1982" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Blondie – Against The Odds 1974-1982" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Blondie – Against The Odds 1974-1982". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blondie – Against The Odds 1974-1982" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 2/9/2022 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Blondie – Against The Odds 1974-1982". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 2/9/2022 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Blondie Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
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