The Runaways (album)
The Runaways | ||||
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Studio album by The Runaways | ||||
Released | June 1, 1976 | |||
Recorded | Fidelity Recorders in Studio City and Criterion Studios in Hollywood, California, 1976 | |||
Genre | Hard rock, punk rock[1] | |||
Length | 34:02 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Producer | Kim Fowley | |||
The Runaways chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | C−[3] |
The Runaways is the debut album by the American all-female rock band the Runaways, released in 1976.
Website AllMusic has praised the record (especially band members Cherie Currie, Joan Jett and Lita Ford), comparing the band's music to material by Led Zeppelin and The Stooges.
According to multiple sources including Cherie Currie (in her memoir Neon Angel), the liner notes of the Raven Records release of The Runaways, and Jackie Fox herself, bassist Nigel Harrison played bass on the first album, due to manager Kim Fowley refusing to let Fox play on the record.[4]
The documentary film Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways states that the album's first track "Cherry Bomb" was written ad hoc during the audition of lead singer Cherie Currie and the title is a play on the pronunciation of Currie's first name. Currie was told to prepare a Suzi Quatro song for the audition; she picked "Fever", a song the band did not know how to play. Instead, Joan Jett and Kim Fowley came up with the song and had Currie sing it for her audition.
In 2009, "Cherry Bomb" was named the 52nd-best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[5] A cover of "Cherry Bomb" is featured in the music video game Rock Band as a downloadable single track. The song also featured in the movies Dazed and Confused, RV, Cherrybomb, The Runaways, and Guardians of the Galaxy, and is played in the opening scene of Margaret Cho's stand-up comedy DVD "I'm the One That I Want".
"You Drive Me Wild" is featured in the 2010 film about the band. Actress Dakota Fanning covers "Cherry Bomb" as well as "Dead End Justice" with Kristen Stewart, as they portray Cherie Currie and Joan Jett respectively.[6]
Track listing
Side A | ||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals by | Length |
1. | "Cherry Bomb" | Joan Jett, Kim Fowley | Cherie Currie | 2:18 |
2. | "You Drive Me Wild" | Jett | Jett | 3:22 |
3. | "Is It Day or Night?" | Fowley | Currie | 2:45 |
4. | "Thunder" | Mark Anthony, Kari Krome | Currie | 2:31 |
5. | "Rock & Roll" | Lou Reed | Jett | 3:17 |
Side B | ||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals by | Length |
6. | "Lovers" | Jett, Fowley | Jett | 2:09 |
7. | "American Nights" | Anthony, Fowley | Currie | 3:15 |
8. | "Blackmail" | Jett, Fowley | Jett | 2:41 |
9. | "Secrets" | Currie, Fowley, Krome, Sandy West | Currie | 2:43 |
10. | "Dead End Justice" | Scott Anderson, Currie, Fowley, Jett | Jett and Currie | 7:01 |
Personnel
Band members
- Cherie Currie – lead and backing vocals, keyboard on "American Nights"
- Joan Jett – rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- Lita Ford – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Jackie Fox – bass, backing vocals (only credited, did not perform on the record)
- Sandy West – drums, backing vocals
Additional musician
- Nigel Harrison – bass
Production
- Kim Fowley – producer
- Andy Morris – engineer
- Bill Jimmerson, Lawrence W. Wendelken – assistant engineers
- Gilbert Kong – mastering
- Rodney Bingenheimer – orchestration
Charts
- Album
Chart (1976) | Position |
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US Billboard 200[7] | 194 |
- Singles
Title | Chart (1976–77) | Position |
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"Cherry Bomb" | US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100[8] | 106 |
Japan Oricon Singles Chart[4] | 1 | |
References
- ↑ Huey, Steve. "The Runaways Allmusic entry". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- ↑ Henderson, Alex. "The Runaways The Runaways review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Review: The Runaways". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- 1 2 Heatley, Michael (2003). The Runaways (CD Booklet). The Runaways. London, UK: Cherry Red Records. CDMRED 237.
- ↑ "Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs". VH1. Spreadit.org. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- ↑ Kreps, Daniel (26 February 2010). ""The Runaways" Soundtrack: Stewart and Fanning, Plus Stooges, Bowie and More". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
- ↑ "The Runaways: Awards – Billboard Albums". AllMusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1998). Bubbling Under Singles & Albums. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 174. ISBN 0-89820-128-4.