Review The Runaways - The Runaways (1976)

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

When the Runaways debuted in 1976 with this self-titled LP, aggressive female rockers were the exception instead of the rule. With this album, the Runaways made it crystal clear that women (or specifically, adolescent girls) were more than capable of playing intense, forceful hard rock that went directly for the jugular. Produced by Kim Fowley.



This album is for the young of age and the young at heart. It’s for those who know it’s great to be young and who enjoy their youth in the best way they know how. Enjoy listening to this album as much as all of us loved writing, playing, singing and creating it for you. When you listen to these songs, you’ll be reminded of all the fun you’re having being and staying young. After all, people say these are the best years of our lives. Well, we know they are and we make every minute count. Take this album and live it and love it. From the Runaways to you.

Joan Jett



1. Cherry Bomb
2. You Drive Me Wild
3. Is It Day or Night?
4. Thunder
5. Rock & Roll
6. Lovers
7. American Nights
8. Blackmail
9. Secrets
10. Dead End Justice

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

Re: The Runaways Debut

OK.. I'm not going to go into a lengthy review about this album.. I'll just say that for a young girl band most only 16 and Lita being 17, these girls for a debut came out with claws and teeth showing.

No wonder they are still some of the best girl rockers out there.. To me, each of these girls had some great talent. And me playing Bass I feel Jackie Fox really added some good Bass playing especially her free stylin on "Thunder".
If you were in a band at 16 and you played this good, well you must know how good it felt to have original material and the ability to make an impression.

This is a must have album if your into this sort of good old Rock and Roll! Buy it and enjoy it!!

 

[Magic]

Re: The Runaways Debut

I absolutely love this album! It is friggin' amazing how talented these ladies were at 16/17 years old. They were fearless and could melt the paint off the walls with their music...........

Shown in the photo are (clockwise from top left): Lita Ford, Sandy West, Jackie Fox, Joan Jett, and Cherie Currie



Thanks for reviewing this album Slip'n. You gave me the inspiration to spin this album today

 

[METALPRIEST]

Re: The Runaways Debut

I love this as well!!! Great band and cool write up!

All together now everybody...

Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Cherry BOMB!!!

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

Re: The Runaways Debut

Thanks for reviewing this album Slip'n. You gave me the inspiration to spin this album today

Your welcome Magic.. I spun it yesterday and I know we kinda talked about this group some time ago.. But you have to admit that for their age they showed alot of talent.. Lita's solo's off this album are truly well played.. No overkill that drowns out everybody behind her..

Some quick Bio's about the band so that anyone curious can understand more about them besides what you saw if you watched the movie called "The Runaways" which didn't cover much or I should say, more of Cherrie than the rest of the band.. Hell, it didn't do much for Lita at all..

Source Link

Early years

The Runaways were formed in late 1975 by drummer Sandy West and rhythm guitarist Joan Jett after they had both introduced themselves to producer Kim Fowley, who gave Jett's phone number to West. The two met on their own at West's home and later called Fowley to let him hear the outcome. Fowley then helped the girls find other members. Two decades later he said, "I didn't put The Runaways together, I had an idea, they had ideas, we all met, there was combustion and out of five different versions of that group came the five girls who were the ones that people liked."

Starting as a power trio with singer/bassist Micki Steele, The Runaways began the party and club circuit around Los Angeles. They soon added lead guitarist Lita Ford who had originally auditioned for the bass spot. Steele got fired from the group, later resurfacing in The Bangles. Local bassist Peggy Foster took over on bass but left after a month. Lead singer Cherie Currie was found and recruited in a local teen nightclub called the Sugar Shack, followed by Jackie Fox (who had originally auditioned for the lead guitar spot) on bass.
Fame

The Runaways were signed to Mercury Records in 1976 and their debut album, The Runaways, was released shortly after. The band toured the U.S. and played numerous sold out shows. They headlined shows with opening acts such as Cheap Trick, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Van Halen. The documentary Edgeplay: A film about The Runaways, directed by former Runaway bassist Vicki Blue (aka Victory Tischler-Blue ) revealed that each girl patterned herself after her idols: Currie patterned her look after David Bowie, Jett after Suzi Quatro and Keith Richards, Ford as a cross between Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and Jeff Beck, West after Queen drummer Roger Taylor, and Fox after Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.[3]

Their second album, Queens of Noise was released in 1977 and the band began a world tour. The Runaways quickly became lumped in with the growing punk rock movement. The band (already fixtures on the West Coast punk scene) formed alliances with mostly-male punk bands such as Blondie, The Ramones and The Dead Boys (via New York City's CBGB) as well as the British punk scene by hanging out with the likes of The Damned, Generation X and The Sex Pistols.

In the summer of 1977 the group arrived in Japan for a string of sold out shows. The Runaways were the number 4 imported music act in Japan at the time, behind only ABBA, Kiss and Led Zeppelin in terms of album sales and popularity. The girls were unprepared for the onslaught of fans that greeted them at the airport. The mass hysteria was later described by guitarist Jett as being "like Beatlemania".[4] While in Japan, The Runaways had their own TV special, did numerous television appearances and released the live album Live in Japan that went gold. Also in Japan, Fox left the band shortly before the group was scheduled to appear at the 1977 Tokyo Music Festival.[5] Jett temporarily took over bass duties and when the group returned home they replaced Fox with Vicki Blue.

Currie then left the group after a blow-up with Ford during a photo session in the fall of 1977. Jett, who had previously shared vocals with Currie, took over lead vocals full time. The band released their fourth album, Waitin' For The Night and started a world tour with their friends The Ramones. Currie released a solo LP, Beauty's Only Skin Deep, produced by Kim Fowley, and began a separate U.S. tour, which included her identical twin sister Marie. Mercury Records chose not to release Currie's album Stateside, although it was available as a pricey import via France. In 1980, billed as Cherie and Marie Currie, the sisters released a poorly-received pop-rock album for Capitol, Messin' With The Boys.

Dissolution
Due to disagreements over money and the management of the band, The Runaways and Kim Fowley parted ways in 1978. The group quickly hired new management, Toby Mamis, who also worked for Blondie and Suzi Quatro. When the group split with Fowley, they also parted with their record label Mercury/Polygram, to which their deal was tied. In the Edgeplay documentary, members of the group (especially Fox and Currie) as well as the parents of Currie and West, have accused Fowley, and others assigned to look after the band, of broken promises as to schooling and other care, using divide and conquer tactics to keep control of the band, along with the verbal taunting of band members. The band reportedly spent much time enjoying the excesses of the rock n' roll lifestyle during this time. They partnered with Thin Lizzy producer John Alcock, after Jett's future partner Kenny Laguna turned down the job, to record their last album And Now... The Runaways.

Vicki Blue left the group due to her medical illness and was briefly replaced by Laurie McAllister in November 1978. Laurie McAllister was referred to the band by her neighbor, Duane Hitchings, who played keyboards on "And Now... The Runaways". Before joining The Runaways, Laurie played with Baby Roulette and the Rave Ons, who had one song released on a Kim Fowley compilation LP called "Vampires From Outer Space." Laurie appeared onstage with The Runaways at their final shows in California during the last weeks of December 1978 and McAllister quit soon after in January 1979.

Disagreement between band members included the musical style; Joan Jett wanted the band to take a musical change, shifting towards punk rock/glam rock while Lita Ford, backed by drummer Sandy West, wanted to continue playing hard rock/heavy metal music. Neither would accept the other's point of view. Finally, the band played their last concert on New Year's Eve 1978 at the Cow Palace near San Francisco and officially broke up in April 1979.



A great cover of "Wild Thing".. They did a good job if not better than the original.. Kinda like it should have always been their song!!

 

[JerseyGirl]

Re: The Runaways Debut

The Runaways...they truly showed that girls can rock just as well as the boys. A band ahead of it's time.

 

[Magic]

Re: The Runaways Debut

Sandy West was an awesome, groundbreaking, drummer. After the Runaways broke up, she put out a solo album "The Beat is Back", then quit the music business and went into construction.



Sandy passed away in 2006 of lung cancer.



This image came from a great story in the LA Weekly:

The Runaways: Wild Thing - How Sandy West was Lost

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

Re: The Runaways Debut

^^^ I didn't check but didn't Jackie Fox just passed away this year too? It seems like that's what I heard on here some where..

 

[Magic]

Re: The Runaways Debut

it was the final bass player for the Runaways that passed away, Laurie McAllister.

http://www.classicrockforums.com/forum/f53/former-runaways-bass-player-rip-17164/

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

Re: The Runaways Debut

it was the final bass player for the Runaways that passed away, Laurie McAllister.

http://www.classicrockforums.com/forum/f53/former-runaways-bass-player-rip-17164/

Ok Magic.. Thanks for that.. I sometimes get some of the girl bands mixed up.. I know one of The Donna's died or was it one of the Girlschool members..