Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein have spoken to NME about the new reissue of their classic 1999 comeback album ‘No Exit’, and how the future of the band could look following the death of Clem Burke.
Released Friday October 31, the remastered and expanded Deluxe Edition of ‘No Exit’ celebrates album that marked their return after a 17-year hiatus and contained the chart-topping hit ‘Maria’. It will be shared on vinyl for the first time, and arrives alongside remixes, updated artwork from Rob Roth, new liner notes, and ‘Hot Shot’ – a track previously released only in Japan.
“It’s been an idea that’s been hatching for a while, but it’s only just come to fruition now,” iconic frontwoman Debbie Harry told NME. “It took a while putting it all together and getting the remixes.”
“It was coming up to the 25th anniversary, so I guess it marks the halfway point of our 50 year career,” guitarist Chris Stein added. “Plus there’s a lot of cool material on it that went under the radar. ‘Maria’ took up the spotlight for that album and period, but there was a lot of other really cool stuff on there too.”
The 2025 edition of ‘No Exit’ was completed before the passing of founding member Clem Burke. The drummer, who was recruited by Harry and Stein shortly after they formed in 1975, died in April following a battle with cancer. He was aged 70.
Check out our full interview with Blondie here, where Harry and Stein tell us about putting together one of the most celebrated comebacks of all time for ‘No Exit’, as well as the artists inspiring them in 2025, advice for emerging talent, new material on the way, and how the band will return to the stage without Burke.
(NME)
