Blondie - Rapture 12”

 I fully admit to sometimes having terrible taste and it's very possible that that's the reason I love "Rapture" so much. Debbie Harry rapping about the man from Mars is definitely cringey and terrible, but it's cringey and terrible in an inexplicably charming way. I can't help but love it and I want to know more about the man from Mars' adventures in eating increasingly preposterous things that rhyme with "Mars."
The first minute or so of "Rapture" is what I feel "Heart of Glass" should have been. The groove is more immediate, the vocal is more sensuous, and the setting is more vivid. The guitar work on this single is great across the board, both on rhythm and lead. Moreover, I do have to lend Blondie some credit for referencing actual hip-hop artists during the rap verse.
As an obvious nod to the Sugar Hill Gang, they even throw in the word "sacroiliac!" The rap, itself, is, of course more Sugar Hill than Melle Mel, but come on! It was 1981! They were brave enough to attempt rap at all; can you imagine how ridiculous it would've been to do something serious? No; it's pure entertainment and beautifully post-apocalyptic. But the REAL highlight of this song is when the man from Mars decides to eat guitars: the best guitar solo of the New Wave generation outside of Television. Stein's Chic-y rhythm is pretty impressive, as well, plus all sorts of Bronx percussion.

Ripped by MyVinylDreams to MP3

A - Rapture (Special Disco Mix)
B - Live It Up (Special Disco Mix)