Plastic Letters

This is the second and final Blondie album to be produced by Richard Gottehrer. "Denis", a cover of Randy & the Rainbows' 1963 song "Denise", was successful across Europe, reaching No. 2 in March 1978 in the United Kingdom, and also reached No. 19 in Australia. "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" was the second single from the album, reaching No. 10 in the UK in May 1978. The song was written by the band's second bassist, Gary Valentine, shortly before he left for a solo career prior to the recording of Plastic Letters; his departure necessitated Chris Stein playing bass on the album, as well as guitar. During recording Blondie was still signed to their old label, Private Stock Records. The album peaked at No. 10 in the UK and has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The pink dress Debbie Harry wears in the cover art was designed by Anya Phillips.{{cite book |title=Deborah Harry: Platinum Blonde |last=Che |first=Cathay |publisher=MPG Books Ltd |year=1999 |isbn=9780233994963 |page=77}}

In an interview in 2024, Frank Infante said, “There’s a lot of misinformation out there. If you look on Wikipedia, it says that the band did Plastic Letters as a four-piece and that Chris Stein played guitar and bass. No – I played guitar and bass. I did all the bass."{{cite web |last=Bosso |first=Joe |date= 28 March 2024|title=Blondie guitarist Frank Infante sets the record straight on his riffs and solos |url= https://www.guitarworld.com/features/frank-infante-blondie |website=Guitar World |access-date=11 Apr 2025}}

Plastic Letters has been remastered digitally and reissued twice: the first time by Chrysalis Records in 1994 with two bonus tracks, and the second in 2001 by EMI-Capitol with four bonus tracks. The latter issue features the earliest demo of the band's future hit "Heart of Glass", then known as "The Disco Song".

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/plastic-letters-mw0000011469 |title=Plastic Letters – Blondie |website=AllMusic |access-date=October 18, 2020 |last=Ruhlmann |first=William}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2score = B+{{cite book |chapter=Blondie: Plastic Letters |chapter-url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=346 |access-date=September 7, 2016 |title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies |title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |publisher=Ticknor and Fields |year=1981 |isbn=0-89919-026-X}}

| rev3 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|chapter=Blondie|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|location=London|publisher=Omnibus Press|edition=5th concise|year=2011|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4score = A−{{cite magazine |title=Blondie: Blondie / Plastic Letters / Parallel Lines / Eat to the Beat / Autoamerican / The Hunter |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |location=New York |date=September 21, 2001 |last=Weingarten |first=Marc |page=85}}

| rev5 = Mojo

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |title=Blondie: Plastic Letters |magazine=Mojo |location=London |issue=277 |date=December 2016 |last=Bulley |first=Jenny |page=107}}

| rev6 = Q

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |title=Blondie: Plastic Letters |magazine=Q |location=London |issue=97 |date=October 1994 |page=135}}

| rev7 = Rolling Stone

| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blondie/albums/album/178491/review/6068366/parallel_lines |title=Further Listening |magazine=Rolling Stone |location=New York |date=June 8, 2000 |access-date=October 18, 2020 |last=Berger |first=Arion |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401183001/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/blondie/albums/album/178491/review/6068366/parallel_lines |archive-date=April 1, 2007 |url-status=dead}}

| rev8 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev8score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book |chapter=Blondie |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA85 |access-date=September 23, 2011 |last1=Coleman |first1=Mark |last2=Berger |first2=Arion |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/85 85–86]}}

| rev9 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev9score = 4/10{{cite book |chapter=Blondie |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |location=New York |publisher=Vintage Books |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |pages=49–50}}

}}

The Globe and Mail wrote that "some of Blondie's hardness has been made pliable with curious arrangements and an attempt to make the band seem more formidable than it really is."{{cite news |last1=McGrath |first1=Paul |title=Hello, Hollywood |work=The Globe and Mail |date=1 Mar 1978 |page=F2}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Fan Mail

| writer1 = Jimmy Destri

| length1 = 2:35

| title2 = Denis

| writer2 = Neil Levenson

| length2 = 2:15

| title3 = Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45)

| writer3 = Chris Stein

| length3 = 2:45

| title4 = Youth Nabbed as Sniper

| writer4 = Stein

| length4 = 2:56

| title5 = Contact in Red Square

| writer5 = Destri

| length5 = 1:56

| title6 = (I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear

| writer6 = Gary Valentine

| length6 = 2:40

| title7 = I'm on E

| writer7 = {{hlist|Deborah Harry|Stein}}

| length7 = 2:13

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title8 = I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No

| writer8 = {{hlist|Harry|Destri}}

| length8 = 2:50

| title9 = Love at the Pier

| writer9 = Harry

| length9 = 2:24

| title10 = No Imagination

| writer10 = Destri

| length10 = 2:54

| title11 = Kidnapper

| writer11 = Destri

| length11 = 2:34

| title12 = Detroit 442

| writer12 = {{hlist|Destri|Stein}}

| length12 = 2:24

| title13 = Cautious Lip

| writer13 = {{hlist|Ronnie Toast|Stein}}

| length13 = 4:21

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 1994 CD reissue bonus tracks

| title14 = Poets Problem

| writer14 = Destri

| note14 = B-side to "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear"

| length14 = 2:20

| title15 = Denis

| note15=alternative version

| writer15 = Levenson

| length15 = 2:22

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2001 CD reissue bonus tracks

| title14 = Once I Had a Love (a.k.a. The Disco Song)

| note14 = 1975 version

| writer14 = {{hlist|Harry|Stein}}

| length14 = 3:58

| title15 = Scenery

| note15 = outtake from Blondie

| writer15 = Valentine

| length15 = 3:10

| title16 = Poets Problem

| writer16 = Destri

| note16 = B-side to "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear"

| length16 = 2:20

| title17 = Detroit 442

| writer17 = {{hlist|Destri|Stein}}

| note17 = recorded live 11/06/78 at the Walnut Theatre, Philadelphia, PA

| length17 = 2:33

}}

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Plastic Letters.{{cite AV media notes |title=Plastic Letters |type=liner notes |others=Blondie |publisher=Chrysalis Records |year=1978 |id=CHR 1166}}

• Chris Stein – lead guitar, guitar, bass, E-bow on "Youth Nabbed as Sniper", vibes
• Deborah Harry – vocals
• Clement Burke – Premier drums, backing vocals
• James Destri – grand piano, Farfisa organ, Polymoog synthesizer and strings, Roland synthesizer, backing vocals

• Richard Gottehrer – production
• Frank "The Freak" Infante – bass, rhythm guitar
• Dale Powers – background vocals on "Kidnapper"
• Rob Freeman – engineering
• Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City)
• Phillip Dixon – photographs
• Ramey Communications – art direction, design

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Plastic Letters}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Netherlands|artist=Blondie|title=Plastic Letters|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1978|certyear=1978|access-date=October 29, 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Blondie|title=Plastic Letters|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1978|certyear=1981|id=5118-804-2|date=August 10, 1981|access-date=October 29, 2019}}

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Category:1977 albums

Category:Albums produced by Richard Gottehrer

Category:Blondie (band) albums

Category:Chrysalis Records albums