Live recordings:
This section is dedicated to The Runaways live recordings and studio sessions. We are lucky to have recordings from nearly every tour and even from the early days. Some of these recordings were recorded professionally, but most of them were recorded by fans in the audience, so their quality may not always be the best. But they are still worth listening to, mainly for historical reasons...
Studio sessions:
Only three recordings from studio sessions have leaked to the public over the years. And interestingly, they all come from the early days of the band, when The Runaways were only a trio formed by Micki Steele, Joan Jett, and Sandy West.
| Running time: | Approx. 36 min. |
|---|---|
| Source: | Soundboard recording |
| Quality: | very good |
| Lineage: | “Born To Be Bad” album |
Lineup:
- Micki Steele - lead/backing vocals, bass guitar
- Joan Jett - lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar
- Sandy West - drums, backing vocals
Track list:
- Yesterday's Kids
- Is It Day Or Night?
- Let's Party Tonight
- All Right Now
- Thunder
- Rock And Roll
- American Nights
- California Paradise
- I'm A Star
- You Drive Me Wild
- Born To Be Bad
- Wild Thing
Description:
This demo is the earliest Runaways recording ever. It was recorded by Kim Fowley using a Roberts tape recorder on a 7 ½ IPS reel-to-reel tape in early August 1975. The location was most likely the band's rehearsal room on the corner of San Vicente Blvd. and Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, California, above the Rexall's drugstore.
The recording was officially released on the Born To Be Bad LP by Marilyn Records in France in 1991 and later reissued in the US as well on both vinyl and CD.
| Running time: | Approx. 13 min. |
|---|---|
| Source: | Soundboard recording |
| Quality: | Excellent + |
| Lineage: | “Goldstar Demos” bootleg LP |
Lineup:
- Micki Steele - lead/backing vocals, bass guitar
- Joan Jett - lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar
- Sandy West - drums, backing vocals
Track list:
- Yesterday's Kids
- Secrets
- Thunder
- Rock And Roll
- You Drive Me Wild
This was the first professionally recorded demo. It was recorded at the Gold Star Studios in West Hollywood and engineered by Stan Ross. The first copies of this demo were sourced from a cassette tape that was obtained from Kim Fowley's office in the '80s. Nowadays, a transfer of one of the original studio reel-to-reel tapes (copies of the master) is circulating among collectors.
| Running time: | Approx. 27 min. |
|---|---|
| Source: | Soundboard recording |
| Quality: | Excellent |
| Lineage: | “Cherokee Recording Studios” bootleg LP |
Lineup:
- Micki Steele - lead/backing vocals
- Joan Jett - lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar
- Sandy West - drums, backing vocals
- John Locke (Spirit) - keyboards
- Mark Andes (Jo Jo Gunne) - bass guitar
Track list:
- Born To Be Bad
- Who Do You VooDoo
- California Paradise
- I'm A Star
- American Nights
- Yesterday's Kids
- Secrets
- Thunder
- You Drive Me Wild
- Rock And Roll
Description:
This studio session was most likely recorded in late September or early October 1975. The purpose of this session was to find out how the band can sound with five musicians instead of three. So two additional guest musicians, John Locke from Spirit and Mark Andes from Jo Jo Gunne, were invited to play on keyboards and bass guitar.