Misplaced Pages

#844155

70-631: The Runaways were an American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are " Cherry Bomb ", " Hollywood ", " Queens of Noise " and a cover version of the Velvet Underground 's " Rock & Roll ". Never a major success in the United States, the Runaways became

140-698: A Sweet album, and picked up guitar as her instrument. Soon afterward, in the parking lot of the Rainbow Bar and Grill , Fowley met Sandy West , who agreed to play drums. Fowley had Jett rehearse with West at the latter's home in Huntington Beach , and auditioned the pair on the telephone to music journalist Ritchie Yorke . He then turned to two radio stations to advertise for further auditions, which brought lead vocalist/bassist Micki Steele (later of The Bangles ). The Runaways were formed in August 1975. Fowley touted

210-598: A hard rock album, although it also exhibits influences from glam rock . While the album features a range of different tempos , most of it consists of the "heavy" guitar-driven tracks that have come to be seen as the Runaways' signature sound, although it also features two noticeably softer songs that have sometimes been described as early power ballads . While stylistically similar to the band's self-titled debut album The Runaways , Queens of Noise features greater emphases on volume and musical sophistication. The album has received generally positive reviews and has remained

280-459: A "classic" in his review for AllMusic , along with the songs "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin" and "I Love Playin' with Fire", while Jett noted that it "always went over really well" with audiences when it was played live. In sharp contrast to the first two songs on the album, "Midnight Music" is a softer and more melodic song with Currie on lead vocals. She was quite happy with the finished version of

350-447: A 1980 duet album with her twin sister Marie Currie , Messin' with the Boys , in which the duo was backed by members of Toto . The Curries' cover of Russ Ballard 's " Since You Been Gone " reached Number 95 on the U.S. chart. Currie also appeared in a number of films, most notably Foxes with Jodie Foster . Throughout the 1990s, Currie worked as a drug counselor for addicted teens and as

420-514: A cross between Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore , West on Roger Taylor , and Fox on Gene Simmons . The Runaways were the subject of a writeup in People magazine in September 1976. A week later, Fowley severed his ties with the band and forfeited his rights, titles, claims, and merchandising ownership to Mercury Records. Mercury refused to accept Fowley's stakehold in the band and turned it back to him

490-399: A design that Marianne Moro describes as a " stripper pole album cover theme". The Runaways are partially obscured by smoke in the photograph that was used on the front cover of the album, which according to Fox was taken "at the last moment before we all started choking". The back cover features a similar photograph that is posed differently and does not include any smoke, which Fox notes

560-697: A documentary on the Runaways called Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways . In 2005, Tischler-Blue directed Naked Under Leather , a documentary about fellow female rocker Suzi Quatro , which was selected for the Santa Cruz Film Festival in May 2004 but never released. Focusing on music driven productions, she was tapped to executive produce a network special: The Bee Gees "Unbroken Fever"—The 30th Anniversary of Saturday Night Fever . Additionally, Tischler-Blue and Ford teamed up to record music for El Guitarrista , an animated series that Sacred Dogs Entertainment Group

630-529: A party after a Runaways performance at a club in Orange County . Sixteen years old at the time, she was reportedly given Quaaludes by a man who she thought was a roadie and raped while she was incapacitated. Currie said she spoke up against Fowley's actions, then stormed out of the room when he refused to stop. Look Away , a documentary about sexual abuse in the rock music industry features Fuchs' story. McAllister joined another of Fowley's all-female bands ,

700-571: A personal fitness trainer. She married actor Robert Hays and they had a son together, Jake Hays. The couple divorced in 1997. Currie still performs and records, remaining under contract with Blackheart Records , but her current passion is chainsaw carving which she displays at an art gallery in Chatsworth, California . In 2013, Cherie recorded two songs with Alexx Michael for the Munich -based hard rock - glam metal group Shameless, which were released on

770-411: A real problem with me. He has a real issue with me. He sees me as a threat, which is ridiculous because she's like my sister, and I love Joan. It's ridiculous, it's uncalled for, and it's caused a little bit of rivalry between her and I, which is totally uncalled for. It's his fault. The hard part is just trying to communicate with Joan without her manager involved. We had dinner a couple of years ago, what

SECTION 10

#1732898267845

840-600: A sensation overseas, especially in Japan, thanks to the single "Cherry Bomb". In early 1975, the rock producer Kim Fowley had an idea for assembling an all-female band at a time when, according to guitarist Joan Jett , "There were no young girls at all playing guitar or any sort of instruments." Fowley met lyricist Kari Krome at a party held for Alice Cooper , put her on salary, and had her begin looking for female performers. Krome met Joan Jett and brought her to Fowley. Jett successfully auditioned for Fowley by playing ukulele to

910-425: A show without her before she passed away. So I'm the only one that's actually played with all the members. Lita and Joan have a little bit of an issue, and that just seems to be the problem. Lita doesn't like Kenny. I wish they would get over it, honestly, but I don't think so. Kenny was my manager during the early stages of making Blvds Of Splendor . We were very good friends for 20 years. But then, unfortunately, with

980-458: A whole and declared that it "is a lot more listenable" than The Runaways , while Fox felt that it is "not a very good album" overall. The album's titular song has a "heavy" sound and features a distinctive riff as well as a guitar solo by Ford. The only song on the album that was not written or co-written by any of the Runaways themselves, "Queens of Noise" was penned by Billy Bizeau of the Quick ,

1050-474: Is now known as Victory Tischler-Blue. After leaving the Runaways, she shifted her focus to film and television production eventually becoming a producer/director for several reality- and magazine-based television shows including Entertainment Tonight , Access Hollywood , and Real Stories of the Highway Patrol . She went on to form Sacred Dogs Entertainment Group a motion picture production company and released

1120-504: Is producing. Fox returned to using her birth name of Fuchs and graduated from UCLA summa cum laude , with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Italian. She later received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and practices entertainment law. She co-wrote "Delilah's Scissors" with Tischler-Blue and executive-produced and appeared in Edgeplay , Tischler-Blue's 2005 documentary about

1190-631: The Cash Box top albums chart, favorable reviews, and numerous radio and album adds, as well as sales of 70,000 units. The band toured the U.S. in support of headlining groups such as Cheap Trick , Van Halen , Talking Heads , and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers . For their stage performance, the documentary Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways (directed by former Runaway bassist Vicki Blue ) revealed each girl patterned herself after their musical idol: Currie on David Bowie , Jett on Suzi Quatro , Ford on

1260-455: The Manhattan neighborhood of Bowery , a claim supported by Jett's declaration that the song is "about someone who is a born loser". The song has received both highly positive and highly negative reviews. Myers lamented that it is "not one of the best tracks" on the album, while Fox dismissed it as "almost as embarrassing as Johnny Guitar". Written by Ford, Fowley, and Fox, "Neon Angels on

1330-660: The Ramones and the Dead Boys (via New York City's CBGB ) as well as the British punk scene by hanging out with the likes of the Damned , Generation X and the Sex Pistols . In the summer of 1977, booking agent David Libert secured dates in Japan, where they played a string of sold-out shows. They were unprepared for the onslaught of fans that greeted them at the airport. Jett later described

1400-500: The all-female band The Runaways from their self-titled debut album , released on March 16, 1976 through Mercury Records . "Cherry Bomb" was ranked 52nd on VH1 's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs and peaked at number 106 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. Rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Joan Jett composed the song with Kim Fowley , the band's then-manager. In the documentary Edgeplay: A Film About

1470-603: The Blackhearts and other bands. Jett went on to have massive success with a cover of the Arrows ' song " I Love Rock 'n' Roll ", as well as " Crimson and Clover ", " Bad Reputation ", and " I Hate Myself for Loving You ". She also co-starred in the 1987 film Light of Day with Michael J. Fox , and appeared in the 2000 Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show as Columbia. Jett is on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". In 2015, she and her band

SECTION 20

#1732898267845

1540-631: The Blackhearts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . West continued her association with John Alcock once the group disbanded. She formed the Sandy West Band and toured California throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She also did session work with John Entwistle of the Who and became a drum teacher. West died from lung cancer in October 2006, having been diagnosed the previous year. A memorial tribute concert

1610-484: The December 2006 tribute concert honoring Sandy West. A biographical film about the band, inspired by Currie's memoir, was released in 2010. Jett was one of the executive producers of the film. Actresses Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning starred as Jett and Currie, respectively. Michael Shannon played Fowley. None of the band's former bass players were featured in the film; Fox did not want to be involved in any part of

1680-554: The Orchids, who released their only album in 1980. McAllister retired from the music industry and worked as a veterinarian technician in Eugene, Oregon . She died of complications from an asthma attack on August 25, 2011 at the age of 54. Live (Agora Ballroom, Cleveland - July 19, 1976) (2015) Guest appearance: Guest appearances: Guest appearance: The Runaways' success paved the way for many successful female artists and female bands over

1750-622: The Road to Ruin" is driven by a slow riff and a guitar solo that are both provided by Ford. Described simply as a "crunching heavy rock track" and "hard-ass rock", the song is considered by both Henderson and Doherty to be one of the best tracks on the album. Fowley described it as reminiscent of a "European approach to heavy metal", while Fox viewed it as the band's "concession to Lita's heavy metal [desires]." Currie's performance on lead vocals has been called "outstanding", although Fox observed that Currie hated to sing it live night after night because she had great difficulty repeatedly hitting

1820-462: The Runaways (2005), Fowley and former Runaways lead singer Cherie Currie claimed that "Cherry Bomb" was quickly written just for Currie to audition for the band because the band members could not perform the song she originally chose to sing. The song was included in the soundtrack for the made for the TV movie: "Dawn Portrait of a Teenage Runaway" starring Eve Plumb, in 1976. The song was also included in

1890-715: The Runaways did much of the producing themselves, which resulted in a greater emphasis on volume as well as more musical sophistication than the "keep it simple" approach that Fowley preferred. With the singular exception of "Midnight Music", all of the songs on the album were recorded in the same fashion: drums, bass, and rhythm guitar (except for the riffs ) were all recorded "live" at the same time, with West, Fox, and Jett (respectively) all in sight of each other during recordings. They each recorded in separate rooms, however, in order to prevent their instruments from "bleeding" together during recording. Riffs, lead guitar solos , and vocals were then recorded later and ultimately mixed with

1960-521: The Runaways' style because it "lacks their spirit and rough around the edges approach". Written by Fowley, West, and Michael "Micki" Steele during the latter's brief tenure as bassist, "Born to Be Bad" is very slow in tempo and features "unusually mellow" lead vocals from Jett for part of the song. Fox believed that Fowley intended the lyrics to refer at least in part to the Vietnam War but Jett interpreted them as concerning homeless people living in

2030-690: The Runaways, McAllister played with Baby Roulette and the Rave Ons, who had one song released on a Kim Fowley compilation LP called Vampires From Outer Space . McAllister appeared onstage with the Runaways at their final shows in California in December 1978 and quit in January 1979. Disagreement among band members included the musical style; Jett wanted the band to make a musical change, shifting towards punk rock / glam rock while Ford and West wanted to continue playing hard rock / heavy metal music . Neither would accept

2100-432: The Runaways. She also writes an L.A. cat care column for Examiner.com and is an occasional contributor to Listverse.com. She is the author of The Well , an unpublished work of young adult historical fiction, and is currently working on her second novel. In December 2018 she won four games on the game show Jeopardy! In July 2015, after Fowley's death, Fuchs revealed publicly that Fowley raped her on New Year's Eve 1975 at

2170-413: The album Beautiful Disaster on October 2, 2013. Currie's most recent solo album, Blvds of Splendor , was released in 2020. Ford returned to PolyGram as a solo artist in the 1980s, where she released several albums before pairing with manager Sharon Osbourne . She had success with songs like "Kiss Me Deadly" and " Close My Eyes Forever " (the second a duet with her manager's husband Ozzy Osbourne ). She

The Runaways - Misplaced Pages Continue

2240-567: The album. The man selected to both engineer and produce the album was Earle Mankey , most famous for his work with the Beach Boys , although Fowley did remain involved in its production on a periodic basis. Queens of Noise was recorded in November 1976 at Mankey's Brothers Studio in Santa Monica, California , a facility most famous for its association with The Beach Boys . According to Fox,

2310-403: The band's best-selling record in the United States. After their self-titled debut album achieved some critical and popular success in the summer of 1976, the Runaways retained the same five woman line-up for Queens of Noise : Cherie Currie (lead vocals), Lita Ford (lead guitar), Joan Jett (rhythm guitar), Jackie Fox (bass guitar), and Sandy West (drums). According to Fox, the band

2380-418: The choruses. It is a unique track on the album because the guitar solo is split between Jett, who plays the first portion, and Ford. Fowley described it as an " answer to ' California Girls ' by the Beach Boys although musically it resembles a Gary Glitter record". Fox praised it as "probably the best song on the album". Written by Fowley, Fox, and Jett, "Hollywood" features Jett on lead vocals for

2450-443: The covers. Queens of Noise features a total of ten songs that are evenly split between the two sides of the original vinyl record. Nine of the ten songs were written or co-written by members of the band themselves, while the other (the title track "Queens of Noise") was written specifically for the Runaways, meaning that the album does not include any true covers . Jett described herself as "really proud" of Queens of Noise as

2520-447: The drum, bass, and rhythm guitar tracks to achieve the finished product. Ford used multiple techniques for recording her solos, including playing both through a mic'd amplifier and directly into the mixing board . According to Fox, West did not use a click track while recording. In addition to the ten songs that were released on Queens of Noise , the Runaways also recorded two more during these sessions that did not ultimately make

2590-611: The early 1980s, Gayle Welch, an ambitious 13-year-old girl from Kaitaia , New Zealand , wrote a song, "Day of Age", and recorded it in Mandrell Recording Studios in Auckland , New Zealand. The resulting tape found its way to Fowley's desk. He played the Welch tape for colleague and Los Angeles deejay Rodney Bingenheimer , who played the song on his show on radio KROQ and included it on his annual compilation of his most-liked music for

2660-530: The excesses of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle during this time. They partnered with Thin Lizzy producer John Alcock, after Jett's future partner Kenny Laguna turned down the job, to record their last album And Now... The Runaways . Blue left the group due to medical problems and was briefly replaced by Laurie McAllister in November 1978. McAllister was referred to the band by her neighbor, Duane Hitchings, who played keyboards on And Now... The Runaways . Before joining

2730-467: The fifth and final time on the album, while Fox provides backing vocals. According to Jett, the lyrics of the song concern "a girl wanting to become a star knowing that you can become one." Doherty described it as "one of the weaker [songs] on the album", although Myers considered it one of the four songs that made up the "consistently enjoyable" stretch between "I Love Playin' with Fire" and "Heartbeat". Originally written by Ford and Fox, "Heartbeat"

2800-604: The film Dazed and Confused (1993), the 16th episode of season 4 of Warehouse 13 with guest appearance by Currie (2013), the film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), in the second episode of the Amazon Prime series The Boys (2019), in the seventh episode of the FX / Hulu miniseries Mrs. America (2020), and in the Netflix film Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021). Jett re-recorded

2870-472: The film, and requested that her name be changed in the story. The fictional replacement is named Robin Robbins. The film was written and directed by Floria Sigismondi , and was released to limited theaters on March 19, 2010. The Runaways received generally positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film has a 70% rating based on 187 reviews, and an average rating of 6.19/10. In

The Runaways - Misplaced Pages Continue

2940-493: The final cut for the album: "Hollywood Dream" and "C'Mon". Both of these songs were eventually included on the 1980 album Flaming Schoolgirls , which included previously unreleased material that was not made public until after the Runaways' breakup in 1979. According to Fox, the recording and potential inclusion of "Hollywood Dream" on this album sparked a "true band rebellion" because only lead vocalist Currie wanted to see it released. Ford and Fox were so displeased with

3010-497: The first song on the CD, "I Want to Run With the Bad Boys". Millay played guitar, David Carr played keyboards and a drum machine rounded out the team. Glenn Holland, also from New Zealand, a friend of both Bingenheimer and Fowley, facilitated. The album, Young and Fast , was released in 1987, and was a minor hit. Cherry Bomb (The Runaways song) " Cherry Bomb " is the debut single by

3080-489: The following week. Fowley and the band reconciled in November and returned to the studio to record their followup album Queens of Noise . The album was released on January 7, 1977. The Runaways performed a world tour in support of Queens of Noise. The band quickly became lumped in with the growing punk rock movement. The band (already fixtures on the West Coast punk scene) formed alliances with mostly male punk bands such as

3150-602: The group too and was replaced by Jackie Fox , whom Fowley's colleague Rodney Bingenheimer found at the parking lot of the West Hollywood nightclub the Starwood . Phonogram/Mercury Records' West Coast director of A&R, Denny Rosencrantz, agreed to sign the Runaways on December 12, 1975. The band recorded their debut album The Runaways in January 1976 and released in March through Mercury. An album to an initial position of #188 on

3220-416: The highest notes in the song. The first track on the second side of the original album, "I Love Playin' with Fire" is the second song on Queens of Noise that was written by Jett alone. It is an up-tempo song with Jett providing lead vocals that Myers describes as "divinely decadent", while it also features both a powerful riff and another guitar solo from Ford. Fowley described the lyrical content of

3290-476: The mass hysteria as "just like Beatlemania ". While in Japan, the Runaways had a TV special, made numerous television appearances, and released the album Live in Japan , which went gold. Jackie Fox left mid-tour and was replaced by bassist Vicki Blue when the group returned to America. Cherie Currie left the band on August 9, 1977. Fowley recorded the Runaways' third LP, Waitin' for the Night , at Larrabee Studios

3360-517: The new group the Runaways as "an all-girl answer to Grand Funk ," and the band signed to Kim Fowley Productions for management in September 1975. The lineup of Jett, West, and Steele made its live debut playing the Whisky a Go Go September 28–29, opening for Fowley's previous conceptual band the Hollywood Stars (then billed as "The Stars"). But on October 30, Steele left due to creative differences and

3430-400: The other band that Fowley managed. Jett noted that the title of the song was derived from a lyric in the song "American Nights" from the album The Runaways , while Fowley referred to it as a "great opening song and statement". According to Fox, Currie believed that the song had been written with the intention that she would sing the lead vocals, but Jett insisted on singing them and, with

3500-498: The other's point of view. The band played their last concert on New Year's Eve 1978 at the Cow Palace and officially broke up in April 1979. In 2010, Jett and Currie reunited to re-record the song "Cherry Bomb" for the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock . In a 2015 interview with WHMH-FM , Ford said that she decided against a possible reunion in the early 1990s because " Nirvana

3570-648: The past 30 years, including the Bangles , the Go-Go's , Sahara Hotnights , L7 , the Donnas , and Vixen to enter the male-dominated arena of rock music. They are named as influences by several artists, including the Germs , Courtney Love , the Adolescents , Taylor Momsen , White Flag , and Rhino Bucket who acknowledged the Runaways' influence on their music during their performance at

SECTION 50

#1732898267845

3640-407: The record, with them holding up Blvds Of Splendor for 10 years, that kind of eroded my friendship with him a bit." Jett went on to work with producer Kenny Laguna and after being rejected by 23 record labels, formed their own label, Blackheart Records , in 1980. In doing so, Jett became one of the first female recording artists to found her own record label. The label continues to release albums by

3710-494: The same month, with the band as a four-piece and with Joan Jett on vocals. The album was released in October 17, 1977, and was the final album that Fowley would record with the group. Due to disagreements over money and the management of the band, the Runaways and Kim Fowley parted ways in 1977. The group quickly hired Toby Mamis, who worked for Blondie and Suzi Quatro . When the group split from Fowley, they also parted with their record label Mercury/ PolyGram , to which their deal

3780-453: The song as Jett's perspective on "getting ripped off and almost destroyed by superficial love". Fox remarked that it was "always a lot of fun to play" and that she thought that Ford's solo was "one of her best". The song also features hand clapping during the third verse, which the Runaways recorded with a group of friends that included Rodney Bingenheimer , an experience that Fox remembered as an excruciatingly long process because "someone

3850-446: The song that they both refused to record their respective instruments on the track, and with the support of Jett and West they helped ensure that it was not included in the finalized album. Queens of Noise was released on three different formats: vinyl record , Musicassette , and Stereo 8 track tape . The cover features all five of the Runaways dressed in similar black shirts and pants, all "clinging to long, metallic shafts" in

3920-414: The song with her band the Blackhearts for the album Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth (1984). Cherie Currie also re-recorded "Cherry Bomb" with Marie Currie , her twin sister, on their 1997 re-released version of the album Messin' with the Boys (1980). The Runaways: Additional musician: Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Queens of Noise It's fundamentally

3990-445: The song, "Take It or Leave It" challenges the title track in terms of strength and power with its "thunderous" drumming from West, who begins the song with a drum fill , and "powerful" guitar playing by both Ford and Jett. Barry Myers praised it as "possible single material" while Fowley referred to it as "pure Runaways", although Fox dismissed it as "one of my least favorite Runaways songs". Alex Henderson nonetheless deemed it

4060-414: The song, remarking that it "turned out more fantastic than I thought it would". Written by local songwriter Steven Tetsch, Fowley, and Currie together, Fox noted that the song was initially unpopular with the other four members of the band, but in 2000 remarked that upon further listening it was "actually one of the better songs on the album". Despite this, Doherty argued that it is not representative of

4130-414: The support of the rest of the band, did so. However, according to Currie, she was unable to sing the lead vocals because she had an abortion shortly before the song was recorded, and by the time she had recovered and returned to the studio, Jett had already recorded the lead vocals. According to Fox, Currie was infuriated by the decision to include Jett's version on the album, although as a compromise she

4200-435: The year. Also on that compilation was a song that featured Chicago -native guitarist Bill Millay. It did not take long before Fowley, who still owned the Runaways trademark, was putting together a new Runaways band built around Welch. Missy Bonilla was recruited from the typing pool of CBS Records, Denise Pryor came from Compton and Kathrine Dombrowski ("Kathy DiAmber") was also added. Welch was present only on tape and only on

4270-434: Was allowed to sing the first verse during live performances of the song while Jett sang the second verse. Both Fox and Andy Doherty believe that this song in particular serves as a microcosm of the growing tension between Currie and Jett over the issue of lead vocals, a tension reflected by those duties being evenly split between the two on this album. Written singlehandedly by Jett, who also handles lead vocal duties on

SECTION 60

#1732898267845

4340-407: Was contractually obligated to produce two studio albums each year for their label (Mercury Records), which led to the eventual release of Queens of Noise on January 7, 1977. Before the recording of Queens of Noise began, the increasingly poor relationship between the Runaways and their manager, Kim Fowley , led them to arrive at the mutual decision to bring in a different day-to-day producer for

4410-584: Was just kicking in, and it was really bad timing; it wouldn't have worked. People would have just turned their nose up at it." In December 2018, Ford said that a Runaways reunion would never happen and blamed Jett's manager Kenny Laguna as the reason, saying, "Joan Jett is very much in 'Joan Jett land,' I guess you could say. Will she ever come out of Joan Jett land? I don't think so. I think her manager controls that, and it's really up to him and her. It seems to me like Joan Jett's manager just runs her life in every way, shape, or form. He's very controlling and he has

4480-476: Was later held in Los Angeles, featuring the Sandy West Band, Cherie Currie, the Bangles , the Donnas , and Carmine and Vinny Appice , among several others. Steele (as Michael Steele) joined the band the Bangles and went on to success with songs such as " Manic Monday ", " Walk Like an Egyptian " and " Eternal Flame ". Upon leaving the Runaways, Currie released a 1978 solo album titled Beauty's Only Skin Deep and

4550-575: Was married to Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P. , and to former Nitro singer Jim Gillette , with whom she has two sons. After a long hiatus, Ford staged a comeback, performing at Rock The Bayou and other hard rock festivals during the summer of 2008. She released Wicked Wonderland , her first studio album in 14 years, on October 6, 2009. During that year Ford toured as a special guest of progressive metal band Queensrÿche and performed songs from Wicked Wonderland and reprised her duet "Close My Eyes Forever" with Queensrÿche lead singer Geoff Tate . Vicki Blue

4620-538: Was off on every take". Written by Fowley, Jett, West, and Kari Krome (Jett's friend and an important catalyst in the band's formation), "California Paradise" was the first of the Queens of Noise songs to be penned, and it was even one of the songs that Fox learned while auditioning for the band. After beginning with another opening drum fill from West, the song quickly becomes a guitar-driven "stomping rock track" with Currie on lead vocals and Jett harmonizing with her on

4690-409: Was originally intended to grace the front of the album, while the eventual front image was initially planned to be put on the back. After Fox suggested that the smoke-filled image would draw more attention on the front of the album, as well as noting the practical concern that it would not lend itself well to having the track listing and other notes printed over it, Mercury Records agreed and switched

4760-417: Was replaced by lead vocalist Paul Goldwin and bassist Peggy Foster in November, respectively. Lita Ford had joined to the group as lead guitarist, allowing Jett to focus on rhythm guitar. Trio were previously members of Dangerous. After Goldwin left, Fowley and Jett discovered Cherie Currie at the teen nightclub The Sugar Shack and brought her in as lead vocalist for the group. In two weeks, Foster left

4830-459: Was supposed to be a girl's night out, and she brought her manager with her. So it's like, dude, answer the question. I'm trying to ask you a question. Are you interested in putting The Runaways back together? She never answered the question." On May 12, 2021, Currie was asked about a reunion, to which she responded, "I've played with all the girls individually; I've played with all of them — with Lita, with Joan, and, of course, with Sandy; I never did

4900-401: Was tied. In the Edgeplay documentary, members of the group (especially Fox and Currie) as well as the parents of Currie and West, have accused Fowley and others assigned to look after the band of broken promises as to schooling and other care, using divide and conquer tactics to keep control of the band, along with the verbal taunting of band members. The band reportedly spent much time enjoying

#844155