The rest of No Exit, the accompanying LP, came close. “Maria” was the perfect Blondie comeback single, almost rivaling “Dreaming” in its perfection. And that deadpan voice, intoning an ode to the unattainable female: “She’s like a millionaire/Walkin’ on imported air/Ooh, it makes you wanna die…” Blondie, the first band to break out of CBGB into the pop mainstream, were back. It was utterly stop-you-in-your-tracks unforgettable the first time you heard it: a chugging, insistent guitar intro, finally detonated by some of the most recognizably explosive drums in all of rock. Meanwhile, a ghost from punk rock’s past reincarnated itself. Amen fused hardcore with nü metal, Anti-Flag asked “Rage Against What?! ” on their third album and Bikini Kill ’s Kathleen Hanna reinvented herself as a playful electro musician with Le Tigre. Dead Moon, the Hellacopters, Guitar Wolf, the Reatards and Cheater Slicks all released strong LPs that made noise.

Millennial garage-punk, about to swamp the mainstream two years hence, saw its future royal couple the White Stripes issue their first full-length statement, still pretending they were siblings as they headed to divorce court. It was busy priming the world for rock’s future. Time and Rolling Stone both named it the year’s best album. 2, Rage Against The Machine issued The Battle Of Los Angeles, smacking America in the face with a brace of revolutionary left-wing politics and abrasive guitar fury. The charts and MTV were now safe for pop punk once more. And just as radio was getting land-locked by his and Kid Rock ’s caucasian rap and the more metallic variant practiced by Limp Bizkit, b link-182 dropped Enema Of The State June 1.

Eminem ’s The Slim Shady LP unfurled Feb. In England, Fatboy Slim ’s “Praise You” single hit No. Read more: Nirvana’s 1992 cover captures a band breaking into the mainstream

The best of blondie album