November 15th, 2015 - A Fruit Ale For Sunday [Girl]... or Organic And Parallel Apricot Lines

Hey there!  Time for some good old' punky '70s rock and roll with your drinkin' buddy the Meista... today I'm here pairing the great "Parallel Lines" by Blondie and a Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot Ale from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)!

Album Info:

• Artist: Blondie
• Title: "Parallel Lines"
• Recorded: June through July 1978 at the Record Plant in New York City, New York
  Release date: September 1978 (3rd studio album by Blondie)
• Record company: Chrysalis Records
• Production: Mike Chapman
• Album cover art: Ramey Communications (art direction and design) and Edo Bertoglio (photography)
• Personnel: Clem Burke (drums), Jimmy Destri (electronic keyboards), Nigel Harrison (bass guitar), Deborah Harry (lead vocals), Frank Infante (guitars), and  Chris Stein (guitars, E-bow, and backing vocals)
• Guest musician: Robert Fripp (guitar on "Fade Away And Radiate") and Mike Chapman (backing vocals)
• Musical style: Power pop, pop rock, proto New Wave, post-punk with elements of 1950s rock and roll, rockabilly, and disco
• Sound: In many ways, "Parallel Lines" defines the sound of the late '70s for me... and definitely defines my childhood.  Apart from the commercially viable, meticulously produced sound of the album and Harry's incredibly versatile voice, the guitar/bass work is really quite amazing and often overlooked in my opinion as is Clem's drum work.
• Major themes: Romantic, yet also fatalistic, themes on "Parallel Lines" include obsession, stalking, sex, lust, desire, love, beauty, vulnerability, anger, and
• Notes: Of the recording sessions, producer Chapman stated the following: "The Blondies were tough in the studio, real tough. None of them liked each other, except Chris and Debbie, and there was so much animosity. They were really, really juvenile in their approach to life—a classic New York underground rock band—and they didn't give a fuck about anything. They just wanted to have fun and didn't want to work too hard getting it."
• Tracks:  

1. "Hanging On The Telephone"
2. "One Way Or Another"
3. "Picture This"
4. "Fade Away And Radiate"
5. "Pretty Baby"
6. "I Know But I Don't Know"
7. "11:59"
8. "Will Anything Happen?"
9. "Sunday Girl"
10. "Heart Of Glass"
11. "I'm Gonna Love You Too"
12. "Just Go Away"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster) (North Yorkshire, Tadcaster, England)
• Website: http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/
• Brew: Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot Ale
• Style: Fruit Ale
• Serving: 19 ounce bottle
• ABV: 5.1%
• Ingredients: Barley and wheat blended with pure organic apricot fruit juice
• Pour: Very cloudy golden-yellow with lots of effervescence and a thin, bright white head that fades into a nice cap/ring with minimal lacing. 
• Nose: The nose is very fruity, floral, and slightly tart.  There are big notes of freshly picked apricots and hints of lemon and wheat.
• Taste: The taste is very fruity with mild hearty grain flavors.  There are notes of apricot syrup, fresh apricots, lemon juice, mild wheat bread, and a very, very slight hint of grassy hops.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is smooth, sticky, and refreshing with a clean, but sweet finish.

Overall pairing: Those sweet, sweet apricot notes of Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot Ale work so well as both a companion and as a foil to the sometimes loving and sometimes harsh notes of Blondie's defining "Parallel Lines".  There is a timeless resonance in both the album and the brew that intertwine in a beautiful and aggressive dance!

Cheers!!