The Runaways (album)
1976 studio album by the Runaways
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Runaways is the debut album by the American rock band the Runaways, released on May 17, 1976, through Mercury.[1][2]
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| The Runaways | ||||
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| Released | ||||
| Recorded | March 1976[1][7] | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:04 | |||
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| Producer | Kim Fowley | |||
| The Runaways chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Runaways | ||||
Background
According to multiple sources, including Cherie Currie in her memoir Neon Angel, the liner notes of the 2003 Cherry Red Records reissue of The Runaways, and Jackie Fox herself, bassist Nigel Harrison played bass on the album because manager Kim Fowley refused to let Fox play.[17]
The documentary film Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways states that the album's first track, "Cherry Bomb", was written ad hoc during lead singer Cherie Currie's audition, and that the title is a play on the pronunciation of Currie's first name. Currie had been told to prepare a Suzi Quatro song for the audition; she chose "Fever", a song the band did not know how to play. Instead, Jett and Fowley came up with "Cherry Bomb" and had Currie perform it during the audition.
On January 5, 2009, "Cherry Bomb" was ranked 52nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list.[18] A cover of "Cherry Bomb" was featured in the music video game Rock Band as a downloadable single track. The song has also appeared in the films 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 performs "Cherry Bomb" as well as "Dead End Justice" with Kristen Stewart, as they portray Cherie Currie and Joan Jett, respectively.[19]
Music ratings
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Billboard | no rating[20] |
| Record World | no rating[21] |
| Phonograph Record | no rating[22] |
| Cashbox | no rating[23] |
| New Musical Express | no rating[24] |
| Crawdaddy! | no rating[25] |
| Creem | no rating[26] |
| RPM | no rating[27] |
| Stereo Review | no rating[10] |
AllMusic praised the album (especially band members Cherie Currie, Joan Jett and Lita Ford), comparing the music to material by Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith.[9]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the liner notes of test pressing and original LP.[1][8][28]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cherry Bomb" | Cherie Currie | 2:20 | |
| 2. | "You Drive Me Wild" | Jett | Jett | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Is It Day or Night?" | Fowley | Currie | 2:43 |
| 4. | "Thunder" |
| Currie and Jett (scat-vocals) | 2:35 |
| 5. | "Rock and Roll" | Lou Reed | Jett | 3:14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals by | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lovers" |
| Jett and Currie (scat-vocals) | 2:10 |
| 2. | "American Nights" |
| Currie | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Blackmail" |
| Jett | 2:40 |
| 4. | "Secrets" |
| Currie | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Dead End Justice" |
| Currie and Jett | 7:00 |
| Total length: | 32:04 | |||
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of original LP.[1][8][28]
- The Runaways
- Cherie Currie — vocals and piano (tracks 4, 7, 9)
- Lita Ford — lead guitar
- Joan Jett — rhythm guitar and vocals
- Jackie Fox — bass and vocals (not performed)[17]
- Sandy West — drums and vocals
- Session musicians
- The Runaways, Kim Fowley, Scott Anderson — arrangements
- Rodney Bingenheimer — orchestration (outro; track 10)
- Technical
- Kim Fowley — production, direction
- Andy Morris — sound
- Scott Anderson — production coordination
- Gilbert Kong — mastering
- Bill Jimmerson — recording
- Lawrence W. Wendelken — recording
- Tom Gold — photography
- Recorded at Fidelity Recorders, Studio City in March 1976[1][7]
2003 reissue[6]
- Nigel Harrison — bass[17]
- Andy Morris — sound engineer
- Мickey Steele — engineer
- Alex Blades —production process coordinator
- Bill Jimmerson — recording operator
- Lawrence W. Wendelken — recording
- Desmond Strobel — designer
- Michael Hausman, Niva Bringas — photographers
- Ian McNei, Joan Jett, Michael Heatley, Lisa Francher, Sally O-Jay — text booklet authors
Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | US Billboard 200[29] | 194 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[30] | 31 |