Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Cherry Bomb!
Cashin' in on the March 19, 2010, release of the Floria Sigismondi directed The Runaways film, the comprehensive The Mercury Albums Anthology captures the self-proclaimed "Queens of Noise" high-times '70s recordings via the twin-disc retrospective of teenage-girls-gone-wild rockin' action. The limited edition compilation from Hip-O-Select includes a twenty-four page booklet and Runaways tattoos. Playin' with fire in the low-life world of male dominated hard rock, under the heavy hand of sleazy, all-about-excess puppet-master Kim Fowley, The Runaways were born to be bad neon angels on the road to ruin.
As for The Runaways movie, there is no mention of Kari Krome in the film that commences in glamified 1975, bassist Jackie Fox is completely overlooked, Lita Ford comes off as total bitch, and the timeline is warped. Michael Shannon nails the role of the cold-hearted, Frankenstein-looking, self-centered Svegali Kim Fowley perfectly.
"These bitches suck! That's all there is to it... The whole hype reeks of that age-ole rock 'n' roll maxim - girls are just sissies after all."
- Rick Johnson / Creem magazine (April 1977)
"Sine you seem to know that girls are sissies, come see us sometime and we'll kick your fuckin' ass in."
- Joan Jett / Creem magazine letter to the editor (May 1977)
"Go sit on a sno-cone."
-Rick Johnson's reply to Joan Jett's letter (May 1977)
BANG!
Theirs was a story truly born on the streets of Hollywood and left for all to review in the annals of recorded music. The history of the Runaways, now coming to life again on the big screen (with Kristen Stewart in the role of Joan Jett), is one of discovery, strong determination, bravado, teen lust and what would later become, to some, "a can of worms."
But what we have to reflect back on are four albums: The Runaways, Queens of Noise, Live in Japan, and Waitin' For the Night. All 42 songs that were included on those original albums made for Mercury are contained on two CDs and available now from Hip-O Select.
In 1976, after making several personnel changes since their seminal formation just a year prior, the newly assembled, five-member, all-female, L.A.-based band--all underage minors at the time--and their Svengali-like producer, Kim Fowley, caught the attention of Mercury Records and, soon enough, the dotted lines were signed. In a span of under three years, with different band members and collaborators, they generated three studio albums and one live recording, taped at performances in front of enthusiastic crowds with their biggest fans present in Japan. The phenomenon of this early grrl band may have been lopsided with their spotty, regional appeal, but they broke the mold and set the trend for future female rockers to come.
Comprised of teenagers using various "stage names," the original members often referred to as "jailbait rockers" within the industry--Joan Jett, Cherie Currie, Lita Ford, Sandy West and Jackie Fox--had stars in their eyes and a fire in their bellies. And they learned their instruments on the fly while developing their songwriting skills under the supervision of Fowley, who maintained his role of producer as tensions mounted over a few short years and the band, since all was not rosy below the surface, inevitably began to disintegrate and change course. That's happened to a lot of groups for various reasons if you check the record books. With the Runaways, it, too, was probably a matter of time--but their time is certainly now.
