On September 24, the famed New York City-born rock group, Blondie, announced the recent rediscovery of one of its long-forgotten tracks, “Yuletide Throwdown.” With the surprise find, the band is now planning to release the number via a new three-song EP, which is slated to drop digitally on October 8 and via limited edition vinyl on November 5.
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“We are thrilled to bring a little more fun to the holiday season with our 3-song holiday EP, Yuletide Throwdown, available digitally on October 8 and on limited edition vinyl on November 5,” Debbie Harrie wrote on Twitter.
The announcement comes a day after the band celebrated the 43rd anniversary of their major album release for Parallel Lines, which came out on September 23, 1978.
Blondie, which formed in 1974 and boasted many hit songs in its decades-long career, is also planning the release of an all-encompassing box set in 2022. As such, the band members are in the process of going through the group’s history of material. In so doing, the band unearthed a 40-year-old gem that it’s ready to bring back to 2021.
The ultra-rare ‘80s Christmas-inspired song, “Yuletide Throwdown,” was co-written and performed with the historic hip-hop pioneer, Fab Five Freddy (born Fred Brathwaite). And Blondie will be releasing the re-discovered track this fall with an exclusive remix by masterful DJ, Cut Chemist, packaged as a three-song EP.
“Yuletide Throwdown” actually began as the original recording for what would later become the band’s hit, “Rapture,” the group said. Blondie had shelved the version, though, because the tempo was too slow. Yet, a year later, Blondie co-founder and guitarist, Chris Stein, recut the track with his co-founder and vocalist, Debbie Harry, and Fab Five Freddie for a “cheeky” holiday ditty.
Originally, the song had only come out in 1981 via a Flexi-disc given away by the U.K. magazine, Flexipop. Soon it will be out for everyone!
