The 1999 comeback that marked the band’s return after a 17-year hiatus has been remastered and expanded
Blondie’s No Exit – the 1999 comeback that marked their return after a 17-year hiatus – is being reissued in a newly remastered and expanded deluxe edition, on 31 October.
A definitive release of one of the band’s most pivotal records, and now available on vinyl for the very first time ever, the deluxe reissue celebrates Blondie’s remarkable second act and revisits the album that marked the legendary band’s creative resurgence and return to the global stage.
The No Exit Deluxe Edition will be available digitally and in three physical formats: a 2CD set, crystal glass clear 2LP and black 2LP vinyl pressings. All formats include the remastered original album alongside remixes, new liner notes, and Hot Shot, a track previously released only in Japan, now widely available for the first time with additional production and mix by David Wrench (David Byrne, The Pretenders, Frank Ocean). The deluxe reissue was produced by Tommy Manzi and Steve Rosenthal, with mastering and sound restoration by Jessica Thompson.
Listen to Hot Shot, the David Wrench 2025 Mix, below:
Renewed Perspective
The updated design brings a fresh visual dimension to the release, with original album photographer and creative director Rob Roth returning to work on all the new packaging. A longtime creative collaborator of Harry and Stein, Roth shot the album’s original artwork inside the seminal NYC nightclub Mother, tapping into late-90s fascinations with surveillance, sexuality, and spectacle. “I was kind of obsessed with the concept of surveillance at the time,” recalls Roth. “To me, it made perfect sense conceptually and creatively.” For this reissue, he builds on that foundation, pairing archival visuals with new design elements to create a vivid, contemporary reimagining of the milestone album.
No Exit began as a far-fetched idea – one forged through years of time apart, individual successes, financial pressures, and a determination to create music together again – quickly became one of the most celebrated comebacks of its time. The album reunited Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Clem Burke, and Jimmy Destri, who began writing and recording in Stein’s Tribeca basement studio before continuing sessions at Electric Lady Studios and Chung King. They were joined by bassist Leigh Foxx and guitarist Paul Carbonara, longtime collaborators who stepped into official roles as the band reshaped its lineup for a new era.
Leading the charge was producer Craig Leon, a veteran of the 1970s New York punk scene whose credits include early work with the Ramones, Suicide, Talking Heads, and Richard Hell & the Voidoids. Drawing on vintage analog gear salvaged from the now-shuttered Blank Tape Studios, the sessions captured the band’s renewed perspective. “We made an effort to not do anything that was predictable while also including a few of those little pop ditties that Blondie became known for,” says Debbie Harry.
Melody & Edge
Originally released in February 1999, No Exit reestablished Blondie’s global presence. Maria became their sixth UK No.1 – two decades after Heart Of Glass topped the charts – and introduced a new generation to the band’s signature fusion of melody and edge.
The album’s title, a nod to Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist play in which three people are locked in a room together for eternity, emerged spontaneously during a rehearsal when Clem Burke kept repeating the phrase. “We were working in my basement and Clem just started yelling ‘No Exit,’ ‘No Exit,’ ‘No Exit.’ He kept saying it over and over again. We couldn’t shut him up,” explains Chris Stein. “But it was a clever concept. We all liked it.” The phrase stuck, and the idea of inescapable creative entanglement – between a band, its identity, and its audience – became a subtle thread running through the album’s themes.
This Deluxe Edition arrives with added poignancy, as it was completed before Clem Burke’s passing earlier this year. A founding member and the band’s rhythmic foundation for over four decades, Clem’s energy and precision are deeply felt across No Exit. His performance here – captured at full creative strength – serves as a lasting tribute to his unmatched contribution to Blondie’s sound and spirit.
No Exit 2LP (Remastered & Expanded) Tracklisting
SIDE A
1. Screaming Skin (2025 Remaster)
2. Forgive and Forget (Pull Down the Night) (2025 Remaster)
3. Maria (2025 Remaster)
4. No Exit (2025 Remaster)
SIDE B
1. Double Take (2025 Remaster)
2. Nothing Is Real But the Girl (2025 Remaster)
3. Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room (2025 Remaster)
4. Night Wind Sent (2025 Remaster)
5. Under the Gun (For Jeffrey Lee Pierce) (2025 Remaster)
SIDE C
1. Out In the Streets (2025 Remaster)
2. Happy Dog (For Caggy) (2025 Remaster)
3. The Dream’s Lost On Me (2025 Remaster)
4. Divine (2025 Remaster)
5. Dig Up the Conjo (2025 Remaster)
SIDE D
1. Hot Shot (David Wrench Mix)
2. Nothing Is Real But the Girl (Boilerhouse Lounge Mix)
3. No Exit feat. Coolio & Loud Allstars (Urban Version Main Mix)
4. Maria (Ether Dub Mix)
No Exit 2CD (Remastered & Expanded) Tracklisting
CD 1
1. Screaming Skin (2025 Remaster)
2. Forgive and Forget (Pull Down the Night) (2025 Remaster)
3. Maria (2025 Remaster)
4. No Exit (2025 Remaster)
5. Double Take (2025 Remaster)
6. Nothing Is Real But the Girl (2025 Remaster)
7. Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room (2025 Remaster)
8. Night Wind Sent (2025 Remaster)
9. Under the Gun (For Jeffrey Lee Pierce) (2025 Remaster)
10. Out In the Streets (2025 Remaster)
11. Happy Dog (For Caggy) (2025 Remaster)
12. The Dream’s Lost On Me (2025 Remaster)
13. Divine (2025 Remaster)
14. Dig Up the Conjo (2025 Remaster)
CD2
1. Hot Shot (David Wrench Mix)
2. Maria (Ether Dub Mix)
3. Nothing Is Real But the Girl (Boilerhouse Lounge Mix)
4. No Exit feat. Coolio & Loud Allstars (Urban Version Main Mix)
5. Maria (Talvin Singh Rhythmic Remix Edit)
6. Nothing Is Real But the Girl (Danny Tenaglia Heart Of Trance Mix)
7. Forgive and Forget (Pull Down the Night) (Ben’s Mix)
8. Maria (White Trash Mix)
Blondie’s No Exit Deluxe Edition will be released digitally, on 2CD, and a 2LP vinyl set via BMG on 31 October. To pre-order, click here
Featured image credit: Rob Roth
Read More: Blondie & Debbie Harry: the complete guide
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