Flashback: Greatest Hits

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 15, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blackheart Records
• ASIN: B000001L64
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,792 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hide and Seek

2. Summertime Blues

3. Indian Giver

4. I Hate Long Goodbyes

5. Cherry Bomb

6. Fantasy

7. Light of Day

8. Gotcha

9. She Lost You

10. MCA

11. Louie, Louie

12. Star, Star

13. Rebel, Rebel

14. Be My Lover

15. Bring It on Home

16. Play with Me

17. Activity Grrl

18. Heartbeat

19. Stand Up for Yourself

20. Black Leather

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flash back with Joan Jett, February 23, 2004

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flashback: Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

Along with being an odds and end compilation, it more or less tells who Joan Jett's influences are, mostly via cover songs. This shouldn't be surprising given her Hit List cover songs album or the odd cover she did on her albums e.g. "Do You Wanna Touch Me," "Crimson And Clover," or "Everyday People."

This also collects her soundtrack songs, of which there are four. First off is the crunch rocker/dreamy chorus vocals of "Fantasy" from the Dennis Hopper film invariably titled "Riders On The Storm" or "The American Way." Then, one that shows her 50's rock roots, the Springsteen-penned rocker "Light Of Day", taken from the movie of the same name which she starred and sung in and was a Barbuster and not a Blackheart. That's Heartbreaker Benmont Tench on Hammond Organ. Another self-titled movie song, "Gotcha" is a bit more poppy given the New Wave synth keyboards, but Jett makes this work. Finally, the bluesy "She Lost You" from Less Than Zero, originally by the Zephyrs. She can do blues as well!

Given what she'd done on The Hit List, I shouldn't have been boggled at the number of covers here, but I'm impressed by what I hear, particularly David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" and its hard riff. Her take on the Sex Pistols' "EMI," here titled "MCA" reflected her dissatisfaction at their label. Even the rude noise at the end of the original is duplicated here. Looking at the timeline and the year she covered this, it would've been on their Glorious Results album had producer Jimmy Iovine convinced them to discretely leave off. They switched to Sony/CBS for their next album.

The riproaring cover of the Stones' "Star Star" was a playful joke on the group's part, but which led to both cassette and LP of Album, despite its inclusion on the former, being pulled from stores. I heard the Stones had to edit the song for US release, but the original "keep your p---y clean" seems intact here.
Their cover of "Louie Louie" originally done by Richard Berry but popularized by the Kingsmen, later wound up as a bonus track on the 1998 reissue of I Love Rock And Roll, and Jett did not want to do this, but she did it for Neil Bogart of Casablanca Records, who did give them the break they needed. In contrast, for whatever reason, he didn't put out their cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues," which the group sent to AOR stations under his nose. And yes, I do detect the Ramones-influence on this cover.

The mid-paced "Indian Giver" originally by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. shows how Joan's not only suited to doing roaring rockers. The same goes true for Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home" which features no guitars--just strings and a Wurlitzer keyboard.
A live rendition of "Cherry Bomb" was done between her and L7 at a pro-choice concert, with Donita Sparks on verse 1, Joan on the second, and Jennifer Gardener on the last verse. This is also found on the Spirit of 73 compilation.

Other notable songs is "Heartbeat" with some hardened skiffle riffs, "Black Leather," with Jett raps set a crunching guitar
The version of "I Love Rock And Roll" is the demo version done with Steve Jones and Paul Cook, respectively the guitarist and drummer of the Sex Pistols, after the Runaways ran away for good.

As well as brief comments on each song, there is a small continuing timeline at the bottom of the booklet from the time the Runaways broke up in early 1979 to 1993. All told, a great and probably only way to collect Ms. Jett's rare and non-album tracks on one CD, with the exclusion of the worthy KISS-sounding "Long Live The Night" from the Days Of Thunder soundtrack isn't that big of a deal.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Golden Rarity., July 21, 2006

By 

Blake Hart (Jax Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flashback: Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

After the 'CD' became the musical mainstream versus vinyl and cassette in 1988 and 1989. Blackheart Records reissued much of the Blackhearts' albums in CD form. With more space on the CD some songs made the move to other CDs.

"Hide and Seek" went to 'Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth'

"Summertime Blues" and "Call Me Lightning" went to 'Bad Reputation'

"Louie Louie" went to 'I Love Rock and Roll'

"Star, Star" went to 'Album'

and put in their place was "Real Wild Child" from an Iggy Pop and the Stooges Tribute CD.

A live version of "Bad Reputation".

Also the song "Right Til The End" from the EP 'Cherry Bomb' issued in 1995 as a Jett-Head fan club special.

This CD is indeed a rarity because of the song "Stand Up For Yourself". I don't know if Joan knew while she was recording it but it is a musical carbon copy of the song "Rock and Roll Me Again" by the group '"The System"' on the Beverly Hills Cop 1 CD. I would have to say that maybe for legal reasons she didn't transfer this song to the new reissue of 'Flashback'. If she did she would owe 'The System' a royalty. Much like MC Hammer and Weird Al Yankovic paid to Rick James for their lyrical versions of "Superfreak".

That and in the liner notes she was told... "This song wouldn't do her career any good."

You'd think with all the Political Correctness that Indian Giver would have to go too but it stayed.

The other songs are right up there with her 3-chord rock style.

'Bring It On Home' is a bluesy song in which Joan sings to the musical backdrop of a wurlitzer.

'Black Leather' on this CD is more hip-hop pop rock here than on Good Music where Joan crosses a hip-hop theme to her 3 chord style.

This was the original CD I bought and I think that it rocks!!!

The new one looks good too but the missing of 'Stand Up For Yourself is what would keep my personal preference to this original issue.

Of course I also own her 'Cherry Bomb' and '1979' EPs as well.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Strong Collection of Various Bits and Pieces...., December 23, 2006

By 

John Noodles (A Field in ND, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flashback: Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

've often liked Joan Jetts cover songs better than the ones she has written herself. This album is mostly covers. The other reviews give a pretty good idea of what to expect from this CD.

I was especially pleased to have Star Star again, her cover of the Stones tune from their Goat's Head Soup album. It originally appeared on the cassette version of the Album, and, I understand, the CD, which I never had and which is not being produced right now. Hearing a woman sing such a bawdy song isn't scandalous now, as it was when she first did it, but it's still a fun 3-chord rock-n-roll song.

Hide and Seek is another fun one.

If you're a Joan Jett fan and don't have these songs on other albums, you'll want this one. If you're a Joan Jett fanatic (are there Joan Jett fanatics?) you'll want the album because it offers alternative versions of some of her popular songs, like "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," and "Bad Reputation," and "Black Leather."