And Now...The Runaways

If this is one of the most overlooked Runaways albums, it may be because the band had lost charismatic singer Cherie Currie to a solo/acting career attempt. But as evidenced by the opening, sinister, serpentine strut of "Saturday Nite Special," Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Sandy West and Jackie Fox could still kick out the jams like no other young women of the time. And if the production sounds a little cleaner than their previous efforts, that's because Kim Fowley was replaced in the mixing booth with producer John Alcock. But fans of the band are still sure to gush over Jett's enticing take on the Beatles' "Eight Days a Week," followed by a boozy, piano-pounding cover of Slade's "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." Lita Ford's voice on "I'm A Million" and "Little Lost Girls" wasn't yet near the fierceness she would later acquire as a solo performer, but Jett rounds things out with the driving "My Buddy and Me." Their fifth album finds the Runaways a bit past their heyday, but you don't have to be an ardent fan of the band to appreciate what still sounds like good, fun rock 'n' roll.