Blondie - Wet Lips and Shapely Hips [Bootleg]

All Music Guide

It's amazing how obsessive some collectors can be. Countless Blondie bootlegs surfaced in the late '70s and early '80s, and some completists were determined to own as many of them as possible -- regardless of how poor the sound quality was in some cases. Back then, it was always interesting to go to a vinyl swap meet and talk to someone who claimed to own 100 Blondie bootlegs but was frustrated because of the ones he/she didn't have. When Wet Lips and Shapely Hips turned up at such swap meets, it quickly gained a reputation as one of the better-sounding Blondie bootlegs available. Taken from a broadcast of a 1979 show in London, this two-LP set is noteworthy not only for performances of familiar songs like "One Way or Another," "Hangin' on the Telephone," "Heart of Glass" and "Picture This," but also because of enjoyable covers of James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)," the Kingsmen's "Louie, Louie," David Bowie's "Heroes" and Donna Summer's "I Feel Love." But as many strong points as... Wet Lips and Shapely Hips has, the double-LP isn't essential. One thing that makes it less than essential is the inclusion of a lot of material from Eat to the Beat -- "Dreamin'" is a classic, but "Living in the Real World," "Atomic" and "Union City Blue" fall under the heading of interesting, but not classic. And unfortunately, the liner notes don't provide an exact recording date or tell you what the London venue of this broadcast concert was. Nonetheless, this bootleg has more pluses than minuses. - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide Read more Less