One of the first New Wave bands to cross over to huge pop success, Blondie has been the subject of a number of posthumous releases and retrospectives since breaking up. The Platinum Collection is the first serious overview of a band that was groundbreaking in its own trashy, fun way. The Platinum Collection gathers all the hits, most of the better album tracks and a few intriguing rarities.

“1999”

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.