This reissue is pretty cool. The sound of the Runaways was very tied to its time. Yet, there are plenty of things here that resonate in much later music. This is probably closest to a lot of old glam rock. It’s raw, but has plenty of hooks.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Queens of Noise
This is quite a punky song.. It has some definite old school glam in the mix, too, though.
Take It Or Leave It With a bit of a metal edge, this also has plenty of that punk sound, too. It’s definitely glam rock, too. I really dig the guitar solo on this. It’s not fancy, but it’s tasty.
Midnight Music This is definitely more of a glam rocker. It’s a fun cut. It’s one of the more polished ones here.
Born To Be Bad With a lot of old time rock and roll and even some metal in the mix, this really does feel like a cross between Lita Ford and Joan Jett to me.
Neon Angels on the Road This one is much more of a metal tune, but there is still some punk here. I really like this a lot. It has a real NWOBHM vibe to it in a lot of ways.
I Love Playin' with Fire The opening of this really makes me think of ELO, but it works to more of a cross between metal and powerpop from there. NWOBHM is a fair reference here, too.
California Paradise This lands more in the punky glam territory. It’s perhaps closer to the Joan Jett end of things.
Hollywood Now, this is the most punky song of the set. It’s also very much like what you’d expect from Jett in her solo career. A weird, echoey bit takes it into the next number.
Heartbeat This is more like a classic rock ballad. It’s quite cool. The chorus is powered up and closer to something like Sweet. I am absolutely in love with the guitar sound on the solo. It’s classy and part classic rock and part metal.
Johnny Guitar This blues rocker feels like Heart in a lot of ways. It’s fuzz laden and a real screamer.
