Blondie Discography Tube Map Art Print

A gift for Blondie fans who have never noticed that the solo albums are not really solo, because this runs all 16 records with every credited musician as their own line. They own the records already. Chris Stein is on every one of them, including the ones with Debbie Harry's name alone on the sleeve.

Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper, textured matte, archival and acid-free. Produced unframed or framed. Deeply researched and designed by me in East Sussex.

I plot these in CAD software. Every credited musician becomes a transit line, every album becomes a station, and anyone who appears only once gets a branch line of their own.

The stations run chronologically from the 1976 debut, through Parallel Lines and Autoamerican, to Pollinator in 2017, with the Blondie albums and Debbie Harry's solo records interleaved in release order.

Why this Blondie discography tube map art makes a gift fans keep

Two lines run the whole way, and the band around them keeps dissolving and reforming. Interleaving the solo albums is what makes that visible, because the band lines simply stop at those stations, while Harry and Stein carry on straight.

The guest spurs run from Chic to Devo to The Strokes. It rewards every closer look.

Contributing musicians on the map

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein are credited on all 16 albums. Clem Burke and Jimmy Destri run through the classic era but drop out at every solo record, which is exactly where the map shows the difference.

Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison join from Plastic Letters and are held by The Hunter. Leigh Foxx picks up the bass line from Def, Dumb & Blonde and keeps it for the rest of the catalogue.

Robert Fripp plays guitar on Parallel Lines, one of the shortest and least expected branch lines on the early half of the map.

Autoamerican pulls in a whole session cast for The Tide Is High and Rapture, including Tom Scott on saxophone and Jimmie Haskell's arrangements, with Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman of the Turtles singing on T-Birds.

KooKoo, in 1981, is effectively a Chic record. Nile Rodgers plays guitar and sings, Bernard Edwards plays bass, and Tony Thompson plays drums, with two members of Devo credited as Pud and Spud, and Chuck Martin credited for a dog bark.

The later albums are the most surprising. Coolio raps on No Exit, Elliot Easton of The Cars and Zach Condon of Beirut both appear on Panic of Girls, and Pollinator brings in Joan Jett, Johnny Marr and Nick Valensi of The Strokes.

How do I make each print?

Each one is a Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper with a textured matte finish, archival and acid-free, so the colours hold for years. Choose A2 or A1, unframed or framed, ready to hang in a hallway, living room or studio.

FAQ

Does the map include Debbie Harry's solo albums?
Yes, interleaved in release order. Chris Stein appears on all of them, which is why the two lines never separate.

Which album is Robert Fripp on?
Parallel Lines, where he plays guitar. It is a single-station branch line.

Is KooKoo really a Chic album in disguise?
Close to it. Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson all play on it, alongside two members of Devo.

Is there a dog on the map?
Yes. Chuck Martin is credited with a dog bark on KooKoo.

Which later guests stand out?
Coolio on No Exit, and Joan Jett, Johnny Marr and Nick Valensi of The Strokes on Pollinator.

What are the framing options?
Unframed, or supplied framed and ready to hang.

Related Music Maps

Browse the full range of gifts for music fans at the Gifts for Music Fans collection and the Punk and Post-Punk collection at mikebellmaps.com.

Because Johnny Marr plays on Pollinator, the Johnny Marr Discography Map Art Print is a natural companion piece, alongside the Ramones Discography Map Art Print.