Joan Jett (Still) Loves Rock N Roll... And Rock N Roll Loves Her Back!

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock N' Roll (www.Blackheart.com)

Originally released in '83, I Love Rock N' Roll made a giant leap from The Blackhearts' first album, Bad Reputation, into the mainstream without leaving the band's history behind. From start to finish the album is finely honed with pop punk craftsmanship that still sounds as fresh and as dangerous as when it was released.

Opening with the anthemic, ultimate sing along, "I Love Rock 'N Roll," the band (featuring Joan Jett-vocals/ guitar; Lee Crystal-drums; Gary Ryan-bass/vocals; and Ricky Byrd-guitar/ vocals) made sharp, tuneful songs filled with maximum hooks-per-groove, that helped set the stage for future bands.

Produced by Kenny laguna and Richie Cordell, the brilliant harmonies and ringing guitars along with a rock solid rhythm section are featured on song after song - almost every track could have been a single. Pure pop punk with clever lyrics and winning melodies even when they dipped into covers like Tommy James & The Shondells' "Crimsom and Clover," or The Dave Clark 5's "Bits and Pieces." They were done in earnest without the typical cloning just to capitalize on a past hit that many bands do, sometimes with terrible results. The cool cover of "Little Drummer Boy" finds The Blackhearts' playing simple, basic, rock n' roll but with a fresh, eye-opening version of a decades-old Christmas classic.

A lot of times when bands reissue their records it's more or less the full album and maybe an extra song or two that is usually billed as "rare," but not necessarily memorable. Like the rest of The Blackhearts' reissues they really went out of their way to make a great album even better. Besides outtakes like the rocker "Oh Woe is Me," and a live version of "You Don't Know What You've Got," the covers of "Louie Louie," and "Summertime Blues" are Ramones-worthy, as they're tattooed with the Blackhearts' own original style, while still paying tribute to some of the band's major influences. And speaking of covers, there's a who-would-have-thought-it-possible rendition of "Nag" featuring The Coasters (50's R&B group) that gives the song an nice dose of The Coasters' trademark comedy and R&B groove. But it doesn't end there! They also included a video (use your computer) of "I Love Rock N' Roll" live at The Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ from '83, "Victim Of Circumstance" from '83 in Houston, Texas and The Blackhearts' tour of Panama in '84.

With the reissue of "I Love Rock N' Roll," and the rest of The Blackhearts' catalog, you get a great overview of the recording sessions, and also what some of the songs sounded like pretty much fresh out of the box! - Phil Rainone




Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Album/ Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth (www.Blackheart.com)


These reissues of Album and Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth (a 2 CD set) contain a certain nostalgia factor obviously, but there are not many bands, especially of the punk rock genre, that can look back as much as they look forward on their music, like the Blackhearts can.

Actually, it's more historic than nostalgic, as the lead off track "Fake Friends" (from Album) jumpstarts the record with a fierce yelp which underscores The Blackhearts' distinctive guitar-driven punk rock snarl.

An ambitious album, they add a horn section to "Secret Love" that propels the song into uncharted (cool) territories, as "French Song," with its part English/part French lyrics, rivals Plastic Bertrand ("Se Plane Pour Moi," and The Beatles' German version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" for sheer we-don't-know-what-you're-saying-but-it-sounds-cool vibe. The Blackhearts' reinvigorate The Runaways' "I Love Playin' With Fire" with the band's own evident mojo, into a punk rock anthem. They turn The Stones' "Star, Star," which is an ode to super stardom, into a ridiculously impressive cover that is even cruder than the original (it is SO cool)!

Bonus tracks include a dance mix (the cover of Sly and the Family Stones' "Everyday People" that rivals The Blackhearts' version, but with Kenny Laguna and Thom Panuzio's imprint all over it, you'll want to get out on the dance floor to shake your tail feathers!) They also cover another Runaways' tune, "Wait For Me," that expands on the original's rock reference points, than adds the Blackhearts punk rock vibe - it's the best of both worlds! "Who Can You Trust," "Scratch My Back," and "Locked Groove" (all originals)finish up the outtakes with a flourish of pop punk, leaving you wondering why these gems weren't on the originals. The bonus video footage from The Capitol Theatre in Passaic ("Coney Island Whitefish") and The Summit in Houston, Tx. ("Handyman" & "Star Star") will give you a historic view of why The Blackhearts' live shows were, and still are, an event that is rarely rivaled.

Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth leads off with an inevitable cover of The Runaways' teen angst anthem "Cherry Bomb" which is not a glossed-over tribute, but more of a springboard that jolts open the album. The Blackhearts were, and still are one of the few bands that could fuse punk, rock, glam, and pop into a focused, intensely coherent source of unpretentiousness. The songwriting team of Jett, Laguna, and Byrd, is the focal point on much of the album as they create adventurous, catchy, punk rock tunes that go much further than the verse-chord-verse style of playing it safe, that can cramp a band's style, and send the album down the tubes.

Extras include an over-the-top dance mix of "Cherry Bomb" that would rival Springsteen's remix of "Dancing in the Dark" a few years later, with its ricocheting drumbeats. In hindsight, it was more like deconstructing a wild soup of sounds and lyrics, than a brazen attempt to get hip, commercial airplay. The remake of "Bombs Away" which was co-written by Jett and Runaways guru Kim Fowley, is a blast of rock 'n roll 50's doo-wop and The Blackhearts' creatively ambitious mojo that is perfectly suited for melding the past and present. Bonus footage includes a cover of The Troggs' (it is an exceptional rocker) "I Can't Control Myself," "Frustrated," and a burning-down-the-house version of Gary US Bond's rocker, "New Orleans," from the Record Plant in NYC. Again, The Blackhearts are a band that make good, creative studio albums, and their live shows take that creativeness and multiply it a gazillion times! - Phil Rainone