Sick of Sarah - This One's for You - The Runaways
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Artist:
SickOfSarah - This One's for You - The Runaways Sick of Sarah's post awhile ago about what a rock-n-roll godess Joan Jett is, brought me back to my senior year of high school, 1977, and discovering the Runaways, a teenage all girl band who knew how to do raunchy rock and roll, Joan, at age 15, was a founding member of this band. I found them via their THIRD album, Waitin' for the Night. I loved it but had a hard time convincing most people they were as cool as I thought they were. They'd done pretty well in Japan in particular, had a lot of underground buzz, preformed a now legendary show at CBGB, but never quite made it in the US. Lead signer Cherie Currie jumped ship after touring to support their second album. Joan, 17 years old at the time, became the front-woman as well as expanding her role as the primary songwriter for the band for their third album. This album was a showcase for Joan; she wrote 8 out of the 10 cuts and took over lead vocals, which had previously been handled by the now departed Cherie Currie. The results where an edgy hard and tough sound that has Joan stamped all over it. Did I mention she was 17 at the time this was done? Or that Lita Ford played lead guitar. Check out the article below I'm copying in on the bands history below, it's taken from the history page, of an excellent site about about them. You can ever sign a petition to nominate them for The Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame there. Check out the other links above for some lots more great info. too. The article is just below, and I'll follow with a couple more cuts in the comments. "There are 477 different Runaways biographies, and 98% of them are either completely false or racked with "facts" that make the members scratch their heads even today. The truth is, a number of perfectly fated moments put Sandy West, Joan Jett, and Kari Krome together with Kim Fowley. The girls wanted to form an all girl rock band, and Fowley was looking for something new that happened to include rocking teenage girls. The meeting of the four began the wild journey of The Runaways. Links included with the article… Cherie Currie - vocals
With Kari as a songwriter, Joan Jett and Sandy West, with Michael Steele, started playing as a three-piece band in 1975 (photo 1). They recorded some demos that would later be released as "Born To Be Bad." The search for a second guitarist began and Lita Ford, who originally tried out on bass, answered the call. She was hired, quit, and came back, all in a span of less than a week. Michael Steele either left the band or was fired (depending on who you ask), and in that time, the girls and Fowley set out to find a lead singer and bass player. Michael would later resurface in The Bangles.
Kim and Joan ran into Cherie Currie and twin sister Marie at an underage disco called The Sugar Shack. Marie was approached first but she gave a definitive no, but Cherie was more than happy to audition. Bringing her in wasn't a difficult decision.
At the same time, Kim called a local bassist by the name of Peggy Foster (who had been playing in bands like Sasparilla and Champion until then) and she became the original bassist of the five piece lineup (photo 2). Peggy didn't stay long though and after rehearsing and playing some shows she left before the recording of the first album. Jackie Fox, who had auditioned earlier on guitar, was then hired on bass and the original five-piece recording lineup was in place (photo 3).
In early '76, the girls were signed to Mercury Records and released their self titled debut, getting pinned with the nickname "Jailbait Rockers." They toured the world, building a loyal fan base, and released "Queens of Noise," followed by "Live In Japan." Jackie Fox left the band after that tour and was replaced by Vicki Blue (photo 4). Soon after, Cherie also left the band to pursue acting and a solo career. Joan took over on lead vocals and the band continued (photo 5).
"Waiting For The Night" was the next Runaways album to see release, and it failed to chart. Fowley abruptly left and the band brought in new management. In September of 1978, the album "And Now...The Runaways" was released, after the departure of Vicki Blue. Laurie McAllister was brought in on bass and appears in the "Mama Weer All Crazy Now" and "Saturday Night Special" videos, but didn't have time to record with the band before the final breakup in early 1979 (photo 6).
Over three decades after The Runaways' demise however, the band remains more than a short mark in the history books of rock and roll. Bands ranging from Hole to Bikini Kill and dozens more list The Runaways as major influences, and they continue to have a loyal base of rabid fans."
Joan Jett - guitar, vocals
Lita Ford - guitar, vocals
Sandy West - drums, vocals
Michael Steele - vocals, bass
Peggy Foster - bass
Jackie Fox - bass
Vicki Blue - bass
Laurie McAllister - bassss
Locating MOG account...
Comments (6)
This was recorded live in Japan between their second and third albums, but released as part of their fourth, live, album. However, I’m sure that’s Joan singing even though Cherie was still with the band then.
And this is the one major hit they had – in Japan, from their first album. Cherie Currie is doing lead vocals here, no doubt wearing lingerie at the time. Joan wrote this.
Always reaching for the volume knob for "Queens Of Noise". Love that song!
:=)
Wonderful piece. Thank you for posting this.
Waydutch...you might appreciate our tribute to Sandy West from 2006:
http://thetimemachineradioshow.blogspot.com/2006/10/sandy-west.html
Time Machine - Thanks, that is a great link and i enjoyed it much, and now will have to explore your site there more. Only digital version of Queens of Noise I have is an inferior live version. Got to get myself into vinyl conversion or expand my CD collection more. : )
It just got rereleased as a two-fer a month or so ago on the Raven label. It has both "The Runaways" and "Queens Of Noise" plus two songs as bonus tracks from "Waitin' For The Night" ("Trash Can Murders" and "School Days"). It's not a mid-line priced CD...somewhere around $22 at suggested retail.
Hello everyone!
This is Mia from The Runaways Rock over at Myspace. As you may or may not know, I started the petitions for the induction of The Runaways to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I just want to say thank you to all of you Runaways fans out there that have shown your support for The Runaways and their music, and if you haven't had a chance to sign or are confused about where to go, please visit me at :
http://www.myspace.com/therunawaysrock
Here you will find out how you can sign and show your support as well as snag a badge for your webpage! I also included a badge here so you can click on it from here if you like. So... take care, thanks again, and I'll be looking forward to seeing you!
Keep Rockin' ~ Mia