Customer Reviews

Bad Reputation

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't describe how much this album rocks! I bought this on Lp back in 82,after having bought (and being pleased with)I love Rock and Roll.They had just rereleased Touch Me on the radio,and I knew I had to have it.This reminds me of stuff like Heaven Tonight or In Color by Cheap Trick-it has that rebellion/but not quite punk energy.The best tracks are Bad Reputation, too Bad,Shout, and the Gary Glitter lost gem-Doing All RIght With The Boys-which she does BETTER.The Isleys would be proud of the middle breakdown on SHOUT.She is not the best singer around, but her energy,and conviction make up for it. Two of the Sex Pistols were on this album,which is why it has so much late 79 energy. When they finally put this on cd in 92, they added 4 songs, including SummertimeBlues-which was a radio hit for her,but extremely difficult to find and own at the time.The fact that she covers so much from the 60's shows how into rocknroll she really is-that was the golden age of rock.The sound isnt that bad for it's age,it is quite good for a low-budget recording. p.s. 10 things i hate about you has Bad Rep (the song) in it,and there is a show on TV that uses Bad Rep as it's intro

This is the first album I heard that Joan Jett released. I saw the video for "Bad Reputation" on VH-1. I then bought the album, I will never regret it! This album is a classic, I personally think this has better material than "I Love Rock N' Roll," but don't get me wrong, that is great also with awesome material. My favorite tracks are "Bad Reputation," "You Don't Own Me," "Hanky Panky," and "Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah!)." If you are a classic rock fan you will love this in your collection.

Joan really does a great job on her debut album. Her best songs from here are the self-penned "Bad reputation" and the cover song "Do you wnt to touch me" but these are just the two highlights there are many other great songs like another self-penned track "You don't know what you've got" and more fantastic covers like "Shout" and Make believe". This album was one of my very first tastes of Joan and helped to make me a fan for life.

...and this was released before "I Love Rock & Roll" propelled Jett and her band into black-leather infamy. In her very early twenties, Jett here shows remarkable musicianship with a tip of the hat to European garage bands of the Seventies. On both covers and originals, she manages to pull off a number of styles - honky-tonk blues on "Too Bad On Your Birthday," crooning balladeering on "You Don't Own Me," and bubble-gum dance pop on "Doin' All Right with the Boys." This freshman solo effort was her magnum opus - intelligent experimenting on her part, and a lot of fun to boot!

JJ's first solo outing after breaking from The Runaways leaves no stone unturned, combining poppy originals with glam and classic rock. This was recorded when Joan's managers were reduced to hawking LP's from the back of a van after shows, so it has a very loose feel. No studio tricks. No vocal echoes. No slick sheen. Joan at her rawest...and probably best.

Great rock CD's maintain their ability to thrill listeners years after any initial hype has died down. This is one such CD. From the opening chords of "Bad Reputation" [studio version] to the final coda of Bad Reputation [live], this CD is explodes with power pop, punk, new wave and flat out rock and roll material.

Most of the songs here are covers of other people's material. It sounds like Joan Jett was 'cutting loose' and just having a blast when she recorded these songs. The Runaways had prety much run their course in 1981, and regrettably, it looks like any chance for a reunion is fading fast (word is that Cherrie Curry & Jackie Fox have been having health problems recently, and would not be able to record or tour).

The only thing that keeps this CD from being 5-star material is the rushed production and rather crude engineering on the songs. I guess Joan & co. didn't have much money when they made these recordings, and unfortunatly, the sound is a bit "low budget". While many of rock's most memorable tracks have been so; The Kinks, The Who, The Ramones, Iggy & The Stooges, and most 1970's punk acts have the same low budget sound. What does come through is raw energy -- something that is often missing from more slick and 'well produced' records.

Oh well, it sounds like Joan & the band had a lot of fun here, and their sense of fun is really infectious. Joan Jett was a 'veteran' rocker when she made this CD, but she clearly never lost sight of the roots of rock -- the music and the performance testify to that.

After leading and then leaving 70s rock 'n' roll girlgroup, The Runaways, Jett continued to find her voice as a solo artist. Her initial foray was a single produced by the Sex Pistols' Cook & Jones, followed up by this Kenny Laguna produced LP.

Here she continues to play rock 'n' roll with the title track, and with nods to the 60s (Tommy James' "Hanky Panky", The Who's "Call Me Lightning" and The Isley Brothers' "Shout") and 70s (Gary Glitters' "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)." Enticingly, she also applies herself to some slower, more dramatic material, like Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me."

Her next album (with its re-recorded version of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll") propelled her to worldwide stardom, but this debut, in many ways, is a lot more fun. It's large ration of covers and Jett's general exuberance make it a winner.

this is probably her second best behind Up Your Alley. You definitely want this one.

honestly folks this release was and still the greatest thing joan jett ever came out with. this LP has really fast songs, sexual songs, and some other emotional songs. a great deal of variety went into this classic. all other releases besides "Bad Reputation" are boring, lacking!