Cherie Baby

Boy, I've been a lazy devil of late.
Take today for instance.
I lounged around in bed for most of the day getting stuck into Cherie Currie.

Something I can highly recommend.

Yes, her book is highly enjoyable; very entertaining; and makes an interesting comparison and pleasant change to the regular macho posturing to be found in so many rock autobiographies by the likes of Slash, Ozzy and the rest.

Okay, so it ain't Greil Marcus, and despite the slightly alienating Jackie like beginning (I am a bloke in his mid-forties after all; and I did feel rather peeping-Tom like, a little sordid even, while reading about her early teen years [although I'm sure that could be an attractive element for some potential readers]), but once The Runaways story begins the book turns into a right good romp.

There's some great moments captured (the delineation of Kim Fowley is particularly interesting), told well enough to inspire me, at least, to return to their music - which I hadn't listened to for some time - and much to my surprise, sounds just as good now - in fact better in that wonderfully naive way - as it did at the time.

It also reminded me as to just how punk their sound was.
Sure, they were a glam-metal band, but their songs were very pared down; very 'rock n roll'; and I think quite comparable to a lot of the bands involved in the American blooming punk scene.

So here's an early show from 76.
An excellent recording, capturing the band at their most enthusiastic and energetic.
Revealing a sound that soon allowed then to shake off the "Novelty" tag Fowley had labeled and marketed them with.
Proving to the world that an all girl band (not one of them is over eighteen during this gig) could play with just as much balls as so many of their male contemporaries.

The Runaways - Cleveland 76

California Paradise
Cherry Bomb
Take It Or Leave It
Secrets
You Drive Me Wild
C'Mon
Blackmail
Wild Thing
Don't Use Me
Rock and Roll
Is it Day Or Night
Johnny Guitar
Dead End Justice

Cd rip to mp3s, art included.
Run-run-run-run-run-Runaway here