Blondie - No Exit

Once you've cherished Blondie you never really go back, even if for half of your life you must cherish them out of forgiveness, or just plain heartfelt concern. Debbie Harry loves to make curious decisions about her music, and it's always important to listen to her work carefully and several times (while trying to keep her performance in John Waters' Hairspray either firmly in, or out, of your mind as you do). In the old days, Harry and her guys covered terrific old blues and trippy, backwater pieces, popped up and pretty, punkified, otherwise unremarkable rock tunes, and flat out treated us to a show, whether live or Memorex. No Exit is a gritty downtown incarnation that almost sounds like a cutting room castaway, filled with raw and abject moments and digressions that suggest an improvised, irrelevant feel. The talkative "Screaming Skin" is a lyrically confused, stream of consciousness piece that sounds as if it was written on a paper bag on the subway -- and some people really like this stuff. But some of the instrumental tracks have the veneer of an afterthought, particularly in the percussion department. Miss Debbie is always at her rockin' finest when futzing with the blues (and country, really), which she does on most of the latter half of the disc like the consummate, crazy pro that she is. If nothing else, No Exit is a testament to authentic rock and roll durability, and, well, the abiding "wow" that is Debbie Harry. ~ Becky Byrkit, All Music Guide

Name Credits Aaron Sax (Tenor), Flute, Sax (Baritone) Blondie Group Candy Dulfer Saxophone Cassell Webb Vocals (Background) Chris Stein Group Member Clem Burke Group Member Coolio ? Craig Leon Engineer, Mixing, Producer Debbie Harry Group Member Donna Destri Vocals (Background) Frank Pagano Percussion Helen Hooke Violin Ian Blanch Engineer, Assistant Engineer James Chance Saxophone Jana Paterson Design Jeffrey Lee Pierce Vocals (Background) Jimmy Destri Group Member John Tamburello Technical Crew John Wydrycs Engineer Kenny Fradley Trumpet Leigh Fox Guitar (Bass) Leigh Foxx Guitar (Bass) Michael Block Technical Crew Mike Shipley Mixing Milton Chan Engineer, Assistant Engineer Nancy West Vocals (Background) Paul Carbonara Guitar Randy Nicklaus Mixing, A&R Rick Davies Trombone Rick Davies & Jazzismo Trombone Rik Simpson Drum Programming Robbie Roth Design, Art Direction, Photography Robert Aaron Sax (Tenor), Flute, Sax (Baritone) Steve Hall Mastering Tal Miller Assistant Engineer, Engineer