The Runaways (album)

The Runaways
The Runaways
Studio album by the Runaways
Released	March 16, 1976
Recorded	February 1976
Studio	Fidelity Recorders (Studio City); Criterion (Hollywood);
Genre	Hard rock; punk rock; heavy metal; pop rock;
Length	32:04
Label	Mercury
Producer	Kim Fowley
The Runaways chronology
Singles from The Runaways
	"Cherry Bomb"; Released: March 16, 1976; "Blackmail"; Released: 1976; "Secrets"; Released: November 25, 1976;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
Sounds	no rating^[6]
Record World	no rating^[7]
Cashbox	no rating^[8]
Stereo Review	no rating^[5]
Christgau's Record Guide	C−^[9]
Collector’s Guide to Heavy Metal	4/10^[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[11]

The Runaways is the debut studio album by American rock band the Runaways, was released on March 16, 1976, through Mercury Records.^[1]

AllMusic has praised the album (especially band members Cherie Currie, Joan Jett and Lita Ford), comparing the band's music to material by Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith.^[4]

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, due to manager Kim Fowley refusing to let Fox play on the record.^[12]

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, Jett and Fowley came up with the song and had Currie sing it for her audition.

On January 5, 2009, "Cherry Bomb" was ranked 52nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs list.^[13] 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 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 covers "Cherry Bomb" as well as "Dead End Justice" with Kristen Stewart, as they portray Cherie Currie and Joan Jett, respectively.^[14]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Runaways.^[3]

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Cherry Bomb"	Joan Jett Kim Fowley	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"	Mark Anthony Kari Krome	Currie	2:35
5.	"Rock and Roll"	Lou Reed	Jett	3:14

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
6.	"Lovers"	Jett Fowley	Jett	2:10
7.	"American Nights"	Anthony Fowley	Currie	3:15
8.	"Blackmail"	Jett Fowley	Jett	2:40
9.	"Secrets"	Currie Fowley Krome Sandy West	Currie	2:47
10.	"Dead End Justice"	Scott Anderson Currie Fowley Jett	Jett and Currie	7:00
Total length:				32:04

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Runaways.^[3]

The Runaways

Cherie Currie – vocals, piano (credited only)
Lita Ford – lead guitar
Joan Jett – rhythm guitar and vocals
Jackie Fox – bass and vocals (credited only)
Sandy West – drums and vocals

Additional musicians

The Runaways – arrangements
Scott Anderson – arrangements
Kim Fowley – arrangements
Rodney Bingenheimer – orchestration
Nigel Harrison – bass (uncredited)

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
Desmond Strobel – design

Charts

Chart (1976/77)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[15]	31
US Billboard 200^[16]	194

References

^ ^a ^b McDonnell, Evelyn (2013). Queens of Noise. Boston, MA: Da Capo Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-306-82039-7.
^ ^a ^b Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. London: Rough Guides. pp. 893. ISBN 1-84353-105-4. Retrieved March 25, 2024. THE RUNAWAYS was compressed heavy metal:…
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d The Runaways (1976). The Runaways (liner notes). Mercury Records. SRM-1-1090.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Henderson, Alex. "The Runaways – The Runaways review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Steve Simels (September 1976). "Popular Discs and Tapes: The Runaways: Punk Rock. The Runaways — The Runaways" (PDF). Stereo Review (magazine). Vol. 37, no. 3. New York: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. p. 91. ISSN 0039-1220. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 11, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
^ Edwards, Ben (May 1976). "The Runaways: The Runaways". Sounds. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
^ Album Picks: The Runaways — The Runaways (PDF). Vol. 31. New York: Record World Publications Inc. May 29, 1976. p. 28. ISSN 0034-1622. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2023.
^ Album Reviews: The Runaways — The Runaways (PDF). Vol. 38. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc. June 5, 1976. p. 20. ISSN 0008-7289. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2023.
^ Robert Christgau (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ Martin Popoff (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector’s Guide Publishing. p. 235. ISBN 978-1-8949-5902-5.
^ Marc Coleman, Nathan Brackett; Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4 ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 706. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Michael Heatley (2003). The Runaways (reissue liner notes). The Runaways. London: Cherry Red Records. CDMRED 237.
^ Stosuy, Brandon (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
^ Kreps, Daniel (February 26, 2010). ""The Runaways" Soundtrack: Stewart and Fanning, Plus Stooges, Bowie and More". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
^ David Kent (historian) (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 261. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "The Runaways Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-12-11.

[Evelyn-1] McDonnell, Evelyn (2013). Queens of Noise. Boston, MA: Da Capo Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-306-82039-7.

[Buckley-2] Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. London: Rough Guides. pp. 893. ISBN 1-84353-105-4. Retrieved March 25, 2024. THE RUNAWAYS was compressed heavy metal:…

[Runaways-3] The Runaways (1976). The Runaways (liner notes). Mercury Records. SRM-1-1090.

[Henderson-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Henderson, Alex. "The Runaways – The Runaways review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2018.

[Simels-5] Steve Simels (September 1976). "Popular Discs and Tapes: The Runaways: Punk Rock. The Runaways — The Runaways" (PDF). Stereo Review (magazine). Vol. 37, no. 3. New York: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. p. 91. ISSN 0039-1220. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 11, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.

[6] Edwards, Ben (May 1976). "The Runaways: The Runaways". Sounds. Retrieved March 10, 2024.

[7] Album Picks: The Runaways — The Runaways (PDF). Vol. 31. New York: Record World Publications Inc. May 29, 1976. p. 28. ISSN 0034-1622. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2023.

[8] Album Reviews: The Runaways — The Runaways (PDF). Vol. 38. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc. June 5, 1976. p. 20. ISSN 0008-7289. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2023.

[9] Robert Christgau (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

[10] Martin Popoff (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector’s Guide Publishing. p. 235. ISBN 978-1-8949-5902-5.

[11] Marc Coleman, Nathan Brackett; Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4 ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 706. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[Heatley-12] Michael Heatley (2003). The Runaways (reissue liner notes). The Runaways. London: Cherry Red Records. CDMRED 237.

[13] Stosuy, Brandon (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved December 11, 2018.

[14] Kreps, Daniel (February 26, 2010). ""The Runaways" Soundtrack: Stewart and Fanning, Plus Stooges, Bowie and More". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2011.

[15] David Kent (historian) (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 261. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[ac_Billboard200_The_Runaways-16] "The Runaways Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-12-11.

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v t e The Runaways
Joan Jett Sandy West Micki Steele Lita Ford Cherie Currie Jackie Fox Victory Tischler-Blue Laurie McAllister
Studio albums	The Runaways Queens of Noise Waitin' for the Night And Now... The Runaways
Live albums	Live in Japan
Compilation albums	Flaming Schoolgirls
Songs	"Cherry Bomb" "Rock and Roll" "Wild Thing" "Eight Days a Week" "Mama Weer All Crazee Now"
Films	Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways The Runaways (2010 film)
Category