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Contract law Books including Principles of Irish Contract Law and Irish Business Law Quarterly. Contract Law Books for Students and legal Practitioners in Ireland.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber, designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades.
Beginning with the successful contract bid in June 1946, the B-52 design evolved from a straight wing aircraft powered by six turboprop engines to the final prototype YB-52 with eight turbojet engines and swept wings. The B-52 took its maiden flight in April 1952. Built to carry nuclear weapons for Cold War-era deterrence missions by the United States Air Force (USAF), the B-52 Stratofortress replaced the Convair B-36. A veteran of several wars, the B-52 has dropped only conventional munitions in combat, capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons.
The B-52 has been in active service with the USAF since 1955. The bombers flew under the Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was inactivated in 1992 and its aircraft absorbed into the Air Combat Command (ACC). In 2010 all B-52 Stratofortresses were transferred from the ACC to the new Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).
Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept the B-52 in service despite the advent of later, more advanced aircraft, including the canceled Mach 3 B-70 Valkyrie, the variable-geometry B-1 Lancer, and the stealth B-2 Spirit. The B-52 has so far completed sixty years of continuous service with its original operator, and after being upgraded between 2013 and 2015, it is expected to serve with the USAF even into the 2040s, maybe even beyond that.
The only foreign operator of the B-52 had been the Royal Air Force in the 1980ies and 19990ies, and just in a small number. After the USAF's retirement of the earlier B-52 types, the remaining G and H models were used for nuclear standby ("alert") duty as part of the United States' nuclear triad. This triad was the combination of nuclear-armed land-based missiles, submarine-based missiles and manned bombers.
After the end of the Falkland War, the Royal Air Force withdrew its final long-range bomber type, the Avro Vulcan - which was to be replaced by the MRCA Tornado which was designed to a totally different tactical profile. Fearing the loss of international influence, the Ministry of Defence decided to fill this gap and leased twelve revamped and heavily modified B-52Gs from the USA. This was a convenient deal for both sides, since these bombers were earmarked to be scrapped per the terms of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
These modified aircraft were designated B-52K by Boeing, while the RAF officially called them later in service Stratofortress B.I, even though B-52K was more common. Most obvious change was the introduction of new engines. The B-52K benefited from a Boeing study for the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1970s which investigated replacing the original TF33 engines, changing to a new wing, and other improvements to upgrade B-52G/H aircraft as an alternative to the B-1A, then in development. Boeing had suggested re-engining the complete USAF B-52 fleet with four Rolls-Royce RB211 535E-4 each. The RB211 had originally been developed for the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar in the early 1970ies, but also saw use with several Boeing airliners, the "535" being a special development for the 757 airliner.
This new, bigger engine would not only improve overall weight and power (total thrust 8× 17,000 lb vs .4× 37,400 lb), it would also increase range and reduce fuel consumption and simplify the whole aircraft. Despite these direct benefits the USAF did not opt for this offer: the costs for aircraft modifications, infrastructure, logistics and also for the running operations of the complete fleet would have been prohibitively high, as well as only a partial conversion. For the UK, where the weapon system was to be introduced from scratch and also on a much smaller scale, the update made sense, though.
Boeing supported the British project, since the company expected to present the UK conversion as a field case study for potential later large-scale sales to the USAF. This included extensive wind tunnel testing, in order to optimize the engine pylons. These tests also demonstrated that the new four-engined aircraft may not have enough rudder authority to counter the adverse yaw generated by an outboard engine-out scenario. As a consequence, an enlarged fin was (re-)introduced, even though it was different from the earlier B-52 variants. Actually, as a cost saving measure, fin elements from the Boeing 747 airliner were used - and its integral tank enhanced the overall fuel capacity even further.
The ex-USAF B-52Gs converted into K models were taken from surplus stock that not been modified into cruise missile carriers, they were rather conventional bombers with nuclear capabilities - its main purpose for the RAF. A secondary role were martime operations like mine laying or missile attacks against surface ships over long distances.
Hence, the RAF aircraft underwent a series of modifications to improve conventional bombing and to adapt them to RAF standards. They were fitted with a new Integrated Conventional Stores Management System (ICSMS) and new underwing pylons that could hold larger bombs or other stores, including up to twelve AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The B-52K also introduced new radios, integrated Global Positioning System into the aircraft's navigation system and replaced. The under-nose FLIR was retained, even though with a modernized system. A fixed refluelling probe for the RAF's drogue system was installed on top of the cockpit section (earn ing the B-52K the nickname "unicorn"), and the tail gun station was deleted and replaced with ECM equipment and flare/chaff dispensers.
Delivery started in 1990, and the B-52K was just too late to become operational during the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm), in which RAF Tornados took part in, though, as well as USAF B-52s. In fact, the modified BUFF took three years to become fully operational, despite - or perhaps because of - the small fleet. In parallel, the Tornado was gradually introduced, too.
Eventually, the B-52Ks were baptized with fire: in 1999, when 'Operation Allied Force' began and USAF and RAF bombers bombarded Serb targets throughout the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - even though with mixed success, since more than 600 of the 1.000 bombs dropped by the RAF during the Kosovo conflict missed their target, the Ministry of Defence admitted in 2000.
In 2003 the B-52Ks also took part in the invasion of Iraq as part of 'Operation Telic'. The Iraqi Forces were unable to mobilize their air force to attempt a defense, and the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Naval Aviation, as well as the Royal Air Force, operated with impunity throughout the country, pinpointing heavily defended resistance targets and destroying them before ground troops arrived.
This success reinstated the B-52K's performance reputation a little, but could not deny the fact that the global political situation had changed since the fall of the Soviet Union, and that the heavy bomber was a concept of the past. Furthermore, the changing character of conflicts and the respective mission profiles made the British MoD in 2004 decide to retire the small, costly B-52K fleet, of which four aircraft had already to be grounded due to the end of their airframe lifetime. Consequently, all B-52Ks were scrapped until 2005.
Besides, the program results did not change the USAF's decision to keep the B-52H with its eight engine layout in service.
General characteristics:
Crew: 5 (pilot, copilot, Weapon Systems Officer, navigator, Electronic Warfare Officer)
Length: 159 ft 4 in (48.5 m)
Wingspan: 185 ft 0 in (56.4 m)
Height: 42 ft (12.8 m)
Wing area: 4,000 sq ft (370 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 63A219.3 mod root, NACA 65A209.5 tip
Zero-lift drag coefficient: ~0,0119
Drag area: 47,60 sq ft (4,42 m²)
Aspect ratio: 8,56
Fuel capacity: 48.630 U.S. gal (40.495 imp gal; 181.090 l)
Empty weight: 185.000 lb (83.250 kg)
Loaded weight: 265.000 lb (120.000 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 488.000 lb (220.000 kg)
Powerplant:
4× Rolls-Royce RB211 535E-4 turbofan jet engines, rated at 17.000 kp (37.400 lb) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 560 kn (650 mph, 1.047 km/h)
Cruise speed: 442 kn (525 mph, 844 km/h)
Combat radius: 4.750 mi (4.125 nmi, 7.650 km)
Ferry range: 10.715 mi (9.300 nmi, 17.250 km)
Service ceiling: 50.000 ft (15.000 m)
Rate of climb: 6.270 ft/min (31,85 m/s)
Wing loading: 120 lb/ft² (586 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.31
Lift-to-drag ratio: 21.5 (estimated)
Armament:
Approximately 70.000 lb (31.500 kg) mixed ordnance; bombs, mines, missiles, in various
configurations in an internal bomb bay and/or on wing pylons
Avionics:
Electro-optical viewing system that uses platinum silicide forward looking infrared and high
resolution low-light-level television sensors
LITENING Advanced Targeting System
Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod
IBM AP-101 computer
The kit and its assembly:
I remember that I read about the re-engine project of the USAF's late B-52 versions when I was in school, many years ago, and the BUFF is still flying - even though in its original eight engine layout. Anyway, I wonder why this topic has not been adopted by modelers more often? O.K., a B-52 is a large aircraft, but there are good small scale version around, like the Dragon kit in 1:200 which I converted.
Work was pretty straightforward, and the basis is/was a B-52G. The kit was built almost OOB, only mods include:
- engine nacelles from a Hasegawa Boeing 747-400
- the upper section of the latter's fin, too
- a scratched refuelling probe
- a modified tail without the four machine guns
Fit is good and surface structure/details are more than satisfactory for a kit of this small scale. Only thing that bugged me was the slightly tinted canopy that is a bit too wide for the fuselage, it's hard to blend it into the rest of the body. Another building horror were the 24 itsy-tiny bombs for the quadruple MERs under the wings.
Integrating the Jumbo nacelles was easier than expected, even though, after finishing the conversion, I'd recommend reducing the height of the outer pyolns by 2-3 mm, so that the engines come higher and closer to the wings. Space to the ground is very little - and to mend this I lengthened the outrigger wheels slightly.
Another issue were the wing parts - the left wing was slightly warped, upwards, and even though I tried to bend and force it into a stright line it somehow move back into its original position, so that a B-52 on the ground was hard to realize. If you build one, tuck the landing gear up and put it on a stand. It looks better, anyway... ;)
Painting and markings
This was the fun part. A B-52 with four bigher jet engines is one thing, and at first I intended to create a contemporary USAF aircraft. But then I remembered the weird Hemp apint scheme for large RAF birds like the Nimrod, VC.10 or Tristar tankers, and I wondered if that could not be applied to a B-52 in "foreign service"...?
Said and done, and from there things unfolded in a straightforward fashion. The only consequence of the RAF as useer was the refuelling probe, and the 340kg iron bombs that came as ordnance with the kit were a welcome option, too.
Even though Hemp is available from Humbrol (168) I rather used a darker tone, 187. Hemp was later used for shading, though. The undersides were painted in Barley Grey (Humbrol 167) and shaded with Light Ghost Grey (FS 36375, Humbrol 127), after a light wash with highly thinned black ink. Radomes and antennae received a yellow-ish, beige finish, the landing gear and the air intakes were painted white, as well as the MERs.
Decals come from several kits, e .g. a Cyber Hobby 1:200 Vulcan, a Matchbox Hawk 200 and a Tornado sheet from the Operation Allied Force era (the nose art was taken from there, as well as the ZA447 code).
A relatively simple whif - the large engine nacelles look strange and demonstrate how slender the B-52's body actually is, compared with an airliner. But the Hemp/Grey livery suits it very well, and the pics taken from above show how effective this scheme is when the aircraft is parked on a concrete airfield - and it is even effective in the air!
Omnibusgesellschaft J. Hartmann GmbH is based in Berlin and provides BVG with contract buses.
Hartmann 8603, a 2009 Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro, at Schöneweide bus station on Monday, June 3rd, 2019.
I photographed some of my lawn contracts the last couple of days. I'm pretty happy with how nice my lawns are looking. I am also still learning the settings on my camera so not all the photos took as well as I would have liked but all things in time. :D
Mata Nui Motors has contracted with the Neo Space Police supplying them with the latest in personal speeder crafts. Each uniquely outfitted to get space cops where they need to be.
After a second dark age where I had to pack the collection into storage, while we got our lives back in order, the 'rona comes along and gives me unlimited stuck at home time. Last year was a lot of sorting.
The new contract for route 7 commenced on Saturday 21st June. Although it may have been a candidate for New Routemaster operation, the contract was awarded for conventional hybrids and new Volvo B5L/Wright Gemini3 (the same model recently delivered to Stagecoach for route 53) will enter service as soon as delivery and driver training has been completed.
The Perivale-allocated Scania N230UB/Optare Olympus that have held sway since 2007 will continue to appear for a little longer. It was planned that they would then be reallocated to Perivale routes 79 and 297 (the latter already has a partial allocation), releasing Wright-bodied Volvos to move to Holloway and oust the remaining Plaxton-bodied Volvos and Tridents from routes 43 and 134. They will also be refurbished, a process which has already started but to date has proceeded extremely slowly. However this is all under review at the moment, which may explain the slow progress on the refurbs.
On the last day of the old contract, Friday 20th June, SEL745 arrives at Paddington Station.
Since I'm home sick, I might as well make myself look how horrible I feel. I used alcohol activated paints and different eyeshadows and highlighters to make this makeup look. I will be putting this into photoshop later.
Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello looks on, at left, as Space Florida Chairman of the Board of Directors William T. Dymond Jr. and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, at right, shake hands following the signing of a new agreement, marking another step in the transformation of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to a multi-user spaceport. A 30-year property agreement for the operations and management of the historic Shuttle Landing Facility, located at Kennedy, was signed June 22, 2015, by NASA and Space Florida, the aerospace and spaceport development authority for the state of Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
NOAH’s ARK and the ARK of the COVENANT – stories that have withstood the sands of time
KING KHUFU’S EGYPTIAN SOLAR BARGE
The Ship - a 20-ton, 142-foot-long vessel - a solar barque, or solar boat was found buried next to Khufu’s Great Pyramid in 1954.
The Khufu Ship is an intact full-size solar barque from ancient Egypt that was sealed into a pit around 2500 BC during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt at the foot of the Great Pyramid of pharaoh Khufu in the Giza pyramid complex. Like other buried Ancient Egyptian ships, it was apparently part of the extensive grave goods intended for use in the afterlife.
Khufu's ship is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved vessels from antiquity. It is 43.4 meters (142 ft) long and 5.9 metres (19 ft) wide.
It is of the type known as a "SOLAR BARGE", a ritual vessel to carry the resurrected king with the sun god Ra across the heavens.
BEWARE THE “CONTRACT OF THE ARCH” – THE “ARK OF THE COVENANT”
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Book of Ecclesiastes: …’and there is no new thing under the sun’.
Our controllers are not averse to deception, deceit and misdirection.
From the Merriam Webster Dictionary:
Definition of 'walk into'
1 : to become involved in or fooled by (something) because one is not aware of what is really happening.
He walked right into our trap.
"I can't believe you fell for that old joke!" "Yeah, I guess I walked right into that one."
Is this what our controllers are doing with the ARCHways?
ARCHons, ARCHes and Freemasonry
The ARCH is a word and a structure that features prominently over the millennia……
ARCHES are used in building powerful word constructs and social control structures as well as being used extensively in ARCHitecture and civil engineering.
These power structures are always hierARCHical, often with a single entity at the top known as a monARCH.
The MASONIC control structure has certainly adopted this ARCHitecture and even pretends to be borne out of the stone mason fraternities.
ARCHon is a Greek word that means "RULER".
In Athens a system of three concurrent ARCHons evolved - the three office holders being known as the ‘Eponymous ARCHon’, the ‘PolemARCH’, and the ‘ARCHon Basileus’.
Ref Mitchell, John Malcolm (1911). "Archon" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 444–445.
Throughout history, this ARCHon TRIumvirate have celebrated their governance, conquests and victories with ARCHes of TRIumph…
i) ARCHon Eponymous - Chief Magistrate
ii) PolemARCH - Head of the Armed Forces.
iii) ARCHon Basileus - King or Sovereign Ruler
The PolemARCH title is derived from the words POLEMOS (war) and ARCHon (ruler, leader) and translates as "WARLEADER" or "WARLORD".
The name indicates that the PolemARCH's original function was to command the military.
This is why armies mARCH.
In Gnosticism, ARCHons are the builders of the physical universe. Among the ARCHontics, Ophites, Sethians and in the writings of Nag Hammadi library, the ARCHons are rulers, each related to one of seven planets; they prevent souls from leaving the material realm.
The ARCHers – a long running program through history – not just the BBC….
'SOVEREIGN' - literally means to reign from above.
This is why the MonARCH of a country is referred to as 'Your HIGHNESS'
Then we have
MatriARCHs - a system of society or government ruled by a woman or women
PatriARCHs - a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is reckoned through the male line.
OligARCHs - government by the few, especially despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes.
In these long-running and ARCHaic societal control structures we also have:
ARCH dukes and ARCH duchesses
ARCH bishops
ARCH deacons
ARCH druids
ARCHangels
ARCHitects
SquireARCHies - landowners collectively, especially when considered as a class having political or social influence
mARCHioness - a noblewoman with the rank of marquess, or the wife of a marquess.
mARCHer lords - A Marcher Lord was a noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales. A Marcher Lord was the English equivalent of a margrave or a marquis before the introduction of the title of "marquess" in Britain
ARCHimandrite - the superior of a large monastery or group of monasteries in the Orthodox Church
ARCHaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. Archaeology is often considered a branch of socio-cultural anthropology, but archaeologists also draw from biological, geological, and environmental systems through their study of the past
TrierARCH - the title of officers who commanded a trireme in the classical Greek world. In Classical Athens, the title was associated with the trierarchy, one of the public offices or liturgies, which were filled by wealthy citizens for a year
HagiARCHy - government by saints, holy men, or men in holy orders
AutARCHic - having and exercising complete political power and control: absolute, absolutistic, arbitrary, autarchical, autocratic, autocratical, despotic, dictatorial, monocratic, totalitarian, tyrannic, tyrannical, tyrannous
HeptARCHy - a collective name applied to the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England from the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in the 5th century until the 8th century consolidation into the four kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria, Wessex and East Anglia.
TetrARCHy - term adopted to describe the system of government of the ancient Roman Empire instituted by Roman Emperor Diocletian in 293, marking the end of the Crisis of the Third Century and the recovery of the Roman Empire
TheARCHy - rule by a god or gods
GynARCHy - rule by women or a woman.
ExARCHate - a Byzantine province governed by an exARCH
AnARCHy - a state of disorder due to lack of social structure
All this history was documented by ARCHivists – with old records being kept on pARCHment
At school we are not taught the true meaning of the ARCHway….
By passing through the ARCHway we may be unaware that we are entering into an agreement or contract where we are to be ruled over.
The ‘CONTRACT of the ARCH’ perhaps……
ARCANUM and ARCANA - mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate.
ARCHES in Modern Culture….
The ARCHERS - a British BBC radio soap opera broadcast since 1951. Having aired over 19,300 episodes, it is the world's longest-running drama.
The ARCHERS is set in the fictional village of AmBRIDGE
The POPE – PONTIFEX MAXIMUS – The GREATEST BRIDGE BUILDER
A pontiff (bridge builder from Latin pontifex) was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs.
Pope Francis (@Pontifex) • Twitter
More famous ARCHes…
ARCHimedes (c. 287 – c. 212 BC)
Considered to be the greatest mathematician of ancient history, and one of the greatest of all time.
The Fields Medal for outstanding achievement in mathematics carries a portrait of ARCHimedes, along with a carving illustrating his proof on the sphere and the cylinder.
The inscription around the head of ARCHimedes is a quote attributed to him which reads in Latin: Transire suum pectus mundoque potiri.
'RISE ABOVE ONESELF AND GRASP THE WORLD’.
ARCHimedes, Freemasonry and the Moderns Grand Lodge Constitutions
Frontispiece to the 1723 Edition:
The 1723 edition is well-known for its elaborate frontispiece engraved by John Pine in 1723. It features a classical arcade of John Montagu, the Second Duke of Montagu (Knight of the Garter #532), and the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England (1721-1723), passing the scroll of the "Constitutions" to his 1723 successor, Philip Warton, First Duke of Wharton. Both are attended by their officers. Apollo, god of the sun, charges above in his chariot, symbolizing the meridian height. Behind the gathering is a passageway framed by walls of water - evocative of the parting of the Red Sea.
The 47th proposition of Euclid, the traditional symbol of a past masters of a Masonic lodge, appears in the foreground. Below it, in Greek, is ARCHhimedes' famous exclamation: “Eureka!” (“I have found it!”)
eureka (English) - εύρηκα (Greek)
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Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello (left) and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana shake hands following the signing of a new agreement, marking another step in the transformation of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to a multi-user spaceport. A 30-year property agreement for the operations and management of the historic Shuttle Landing Facility, located at Kennedy, was signed June 22, 2015, by NASA and Space Florida, the aerospace and spaceport development authority for the state of Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
UIC United Faculty (faculty union) held a rally outside University Hall today. They are fighting for a fair contract. Almost 600 faculty member rallied for a faculty contract.
www.lawyerslegalformsanddocuments.com/business-legal-form... - Employment contracts are important for both employer and employee. There are several different types of employment contracts, which need to be used depending on the situation.
This little whimsy inspired by the agonies documented in paulclarke.com/honestlyreal/2010/12/oh-christmas-tree/
Forest Contract Ltd is a leading Contract Furniture Supplier in UK. We manufacture quality furniture for hotel, offices and restaurants for commercial purposes.
Description: Marriage contract
Object Origin: Verona, Italy
Date: 1786
Medium: ink and paint on vellum
Persistent URL: digital.cjh.org/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=244156
Repository: Yeshiva University Museum, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
Call Number: 1983.006
Rights Information: No known copyright restrictions; may be subject to third party rights. For more copyright information, click here.
See more information about this image and others at CJH Museum Collections.
Aura Cacia, a division of Frontier partners with Goodwill Contract Services division for packing, inspecting and labeling of their essential oil products.
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American new wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s. Their first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles and became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop, rap, and reggae, while retaining a basic style as a new wave band.
Blondie broke up after the release of their sixth studio album The Hunter in 1982. Debbie Harry continued to pursue a solo career with varied results after taking a few years off to care for partner Chris Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease of the skin.
The band reformed in 1997, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom with "Maria" in 1999. The group toured and performed throughout the world[5] during the following years, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.[6] Blondie has sold 40 million records worldwide[7] and is still active today, with a new album, Panic of Girls, planned for release in 2010.
Early career (1975–1978) In the early 1970s, Chris Stein moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan.Inspired by the burgeoning new music scene at the Mercer Arts Center, he sought to join a similar band. He joined The Stilettos in 1973 as their guitarist and formed a romantic relationship with one of the band's vocalists, Debbie Harry, a former waitress and Playboy Bunny, Harry had been a member of the folk-rock band, The Wind in the Willows, in the late 1960s. In 1974, Stein parted ways with The Stilettos and Elda Gentile, the band's originator. Stein and Harry formed a new band with drummer Billy O'Connor and bassist Fred Smith. By 1975, after some personnel turnover (including sisters Tish and Snooky Bellomo on backing vocals), Stein and Harry were joined by drummer Clem Burke, keyboard player Jimmy Destri and bass player Gary Valentine. Originally billed as Angel and the Snakes,they renamed themselves Blondie in late 1975. The name derived from comments made by truck drivers who catcalled "Hey, Blondie" to Harry as they drove by.Later, band members were amused to learn that the name was shared by Adolf Hitler's dog Blondie, a fact acknowledged in parody when, in 1997, they semi-anonymously contributed a cover of "Ordinary Bummer" to the Iggy Pop tribute album We Will Fall under the pseudonym 'Adolph's Dog'. Blondie became regulars at Max's Kansas City and CBGB.They got their first record deal with Private Stock Records in early 1976 and released their debut single "X-Offender" on June 17, 1976.Their debut album Blondie (AUS #14, UK #75) was issued in December 1976. In September 1977, Blondie bought back its contract with Private Stock and then signed with Chrysalis Records.The first album was re-released on the new label in October 1977. Rolling Stone's review of the debut album observed the eclectic nature of the group's music, comparing it to Phil Spector and The Who, and commented that the album's two strengths were Richard Gottehrer's production and the persona of Deborah Harry, saying she performed with "utter aplomb and involvement throughout: even when she's portraying a character consummately obnoxious and spaced-out, there is a wink of awareness that is comforting and amusing yet never condescending." It also noted that Harry was the "possessor of a bombshell zombie's voice that can sound dreamily seductive and woodenly Mansonite within the same song".
The band's first commercial success occurred in Australia in 1977, when the music television program Countdown mistakenly played their video "In the Flesh", which was the B-side of their current single "X-Offender".[6] Jimmy Destri later credited the show's Molly Meldrum for their initial success, commenting that "we still thank him to this day" for playing the wrong song.[16] In a 1998 interview, drummer Clem Burke recalled seeing the episode in which the wrong song was played, but he and Chris Stein suggested that it may have been a deliberate subterfuge on the part of Meldrum. Stein asserted that "X-Offender" was "too crazy and aggressive [to become a hit]", while "In the Flesh" was "not representative of any punk sensibility. Over the years, I've thought they probably played both things but liked one better. That's all." In retrospect, Burke described "In the Flesh" as "a forerunner to the power ballad".
Both the single and album reached the Australian top five in October 1977, and a subsequent double-A release of "X-Offender" and "Rip Her to Shreds" was also popular. A successful Australian tour followed in December, though it was marred by an incident in Brisbane when disappointed fans almost rioted after Harry canceled a performance, due to illness.
In February 1978, Blondie released their second album, Plastic Letters (UK #10, US #78). The album was recorded as a four-piece band because Gary Valentine left the band.Plastic Letters was promoted extensively throughout Europe and Asia by Chrysalis Records.[6] The album's first single, "Denis", was a cover version of Randy and the Rainbows' 1963 hit. It reached number two on the British singles charts, while both the album and its second single, "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear", reached the British top ten. Chart success, along with a successful 1978 UK tour, including a gig at London's Roundhouse, made Blondie one of the first American new wave bands to achieve mainstream success in the United Kingdom.[6] By this time, Gary Valentine had been replaced by Frank Infante (guitar, bass guitar), and shortly after that Nigel Harrison (bass guitar) joined, expanding the band to a six-piece for the first time.
"Heart of Glass" was their first U.S. hit. The disco-infused track topped the U.S. charts in April 1979. It was a reworking of a rock and reggae-infused song that the group had performed since its formation, updated with strong elements of disco music. Clem Burke later said the revamped version was inspired partly by Kraftwerk and partly by the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive", whose drum beat Burke tried to emulate. He and Stein gave Jimmy Destri much of the credit for the final result, noting that Destri's appreciation of technology had led him to introduce synthesizers and to rework the keyboard sections.[21] Although some members of the British music press condemned Blondie for "selling out", the song became a success, worldwide. Selling more than a million copies and garnering major airplay, the single reached number one in many countries including the U.S., where Blondie had previously been considered an "underground" band. The song was accompanied by a music video that showcased Debbie Harry's hard-edged and playfully sexual persona, and she began to attain a celebrity status that set her apart from the other band members, who were largely ignored by the media.
Blondie's next single in the U.S. was a more aggressive rock song, "One Way or Another" (US #24), which became their second hit single in the United States. Meanwhile, in the UK, an alternate single choice, "Sunday Girl", became a #1 hit. Parallel Lines is ranked #140 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest albums of all time.[22] In June 1979, Blondie, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Their fourth album, Eat to the Beat (UK #1, US #17), released in October 1979, was well-received by critics as a suitable follow-up to Parallel Lines, but in the U.S., its singles failed to achieve the same level of success as in the UK, where "Atomic" (UK #1, US #39) reached number one, "Dreaming" (UK #2, US #27) reached number two, and "Union City Blue" (UK #13) charted in the top 20.
Blondie's next single, the Grammy-nominated "Call Me" was the result of Debbie Harry's collaboration with the Italian songwriter and producer Giorgio Moroder, who had been responsible for Donna Summer's biggest hits. This track was not included on any Blondie studio album; rather, it was the title theme of the soundtrack for the film American Gigolo. Released in February 1980, "Call Me" spent six weeks at #1 in the U.S. and Canada, reached #1 in the U.K. and became a hit throughout the world. The song is the band's biggest selling single in the U.S. (over a million copies sold - gold status) and was Billboard magazine's #1 single of 1980.
In November 1980, Blondie's fifth studio album, Autoamerican (UK #3, US #7) was released and contained two more #1 US hits: the reggae-styled "The Tide Is High", a cover version of a 1967 song by The Paragons, and the rap-flavored "Rapture", which was one of the earliest songs containing elements of rap vocals to reach number one in the U.S.,sweeping the world by storm. "Rapture" would be the band's only single to achieve a higher chart position on the U.S. charts than in the UK, where it peaked at #5. Autoamerican was a departure from previous Blondie records, featuring less new wave and rock in favor of stylistic experiments, including acoustic jazz: "Faces", and from an early Broadway show, "Camelot", came "Follow Me".
Hiatus, The Hunter, and breakup (1981–1982)
Following their success of 1978-80, Blondie took a brief break in 1981. That year, Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri both released solo albums; Stein helped out with Harry's album Koo Koo (UK #6, US #28) and Burke with Destri's Heart on a Wall. Frank Infante sued the band regarding a lack of involvement during the Autoamerican sessions; it was settled out of court, and Infante remained in the band (though Harry has subsequently said Infante was not on the next LP).
The band reconvened in 1981 to record and release (in 1982) The Hunter (UK #9, US #33). In contrast to their earlier commercial and critical successes, The Hunter was poorly received and failed to hit the top 20 in the U.S. The album did have two moderate hit singles: "Island of Lost Souls" (#11 UK, #37 US) and "War Child" (#39 UK).
The Hunter also included a song entitled "For Your Eyes Only" which shares its title with a 1981 James Bond film. This song was originally written on spec to be the film's opening-title theme. However, the producers chose another song by the same name, composed by Bill Conti and Michael Leeson. Blondie was offered the chance to perform Conti and Leeson's song, but they turned the offer down. Sheena Easton's rendition of Conti and Leeson's theme song became a top-ten single worldwide.
With tensions within the band on the rise due to the commercial decline and the constant press focus on Harry to the exclusion of the other band members, events reached a breaking point when Stein was diagnosed with the life-threatening illness pemphigus.Blondie band members received a letter to tell them not to rely on any more money from the bank, as there was only $25,000 left in their account. Their managers had completely wiped them out, and as a result of this and of drug use, mismanagement, tension in the band, slow ticket sales, and Chris Stein's worsening illness, Blondie canceled their tour plans early in August 1982. Shortly thereafter, the band splintered, with at least one (unspecified) member quitting and instigating lawsuits against the other group members; the group formally announced their break up in November, 1982.
Stein and Harry, still a couple at the time, stayed together and retreated from the public spotlight for a few years, with the exception of the minor single releases "Rush Rush" (1983, from the film Scarface) and 1985's dance track "Feel the Spin". Harry was forced to sell the couple's five-story mansion to pay off debts that the band had run up, Stein owed in excess of $1 million, and drug use was becoming an increasing concern for them. Harry decided to call off her intimate relationship to Stein and moved downtown. She stated in a 2006 interview that she felt she was having a sort of breakdown due to all the stress. After Stein recovered from his illness, Harry resumed her solo career with a new album (Rockbird) in 1986, with active participation from Stein. Meanwhile, Burke became a much-in-demand session drummer, playing for a time with the Eurythmics, and Destri maintained an active career as a producer and session musician.
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