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Rock 'n' roll girls
For those about to rock, we give you the Donnas, the Go-Go's and the RUNAWAYS
from: Post-Gazette
by Ed Masley
So you fell in love with rock 'n' roll to "Josie and the Pussycats" and now you crave another shot of effervescent, Bubblicious girl-power pop with the chunky guitars and chewy hooks so big you could probably park a mid-'70s Mercury Cougar in their shadow?
Well, there's plenty more where that came from. And I'm not talking anything as savage, mosh-intensive and/or Ozzfest-friendly as L7 and/or Kittie. Nor am I feeling especially bad for having snubbed the likes of Jewel or Lisa Loeb, who, after all, it should be noted, had their day at Lilith Fair.
These are the women and/or girls who paved the way for Josie with their take-no-prisoners attitude, their take-you-prisoner hooks, their youthful energy and most of all, their willingness to put that other dime in the jukebox, baby, out of nothing less than the deepest, most abiding love of rock 'n' roll, from JOAN JETT's early RUNAWAYS experience to the rise of America's punk-rock sweethearts, the Donnas.
THE DONNAS are the punk-rock prom queens Josie only claims to be in the opening track of the soundtrack, having played the prom band in two recent movies. You can chart their growth, or lack thereof, from "American Teenage Rock and Roll Machine" to "The Donnas Turn 21," their latest (some would argue greatest) effort. But no matter where you start, you'll find the Donnas -- all named Donna -- taking the "Cherry Bomb" vibe of the RUNAWAYS to new extremes of bad-girl sexuality in such essential cuts as "40 Boys in 40 Nights," "You Make Me Hot" and "Skintight." And the sound? The Donnas like to start with old-school, user-friendly New York City punk, then top it off with heavy metal, glam and bubblegum. You'll wanna be sedated. Required listening: "American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine," "Get Skintight," "The Donnas Turn 21."
THE MUFFS Kim Shattuck screams as much as anyone this side of Courtney Love (or Bobcat Goldthwait). And it's obvious from the sound of the buzzsaw guitars that tend to dominate her records that Shattuck, a former Pandora, cut her teeth on "53rd and Third" with the early Ramones. But Joey and the boys were never as sophisticated with a chord change or melody line as the Muffs. The hooks are nearly Beatlesque at times, but like the old sophisticated Beatles if they'd still been popping all those pills they took to rock all night in Germany. Required listening: "The Muffs," "Blonder and Blonder," "Happy Birthday to Me," "Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow."
FASTBACKS All hopped up on "Pet Sounds," Brian Wilson vowed to make the follow-up a "teen-age symphony to God." It never saw the light of day, of course. But Fastbacks did. And Kurt Bloch's pocket symphonies to the gods of heartbreak and guitar have always been more teen-age-sounding than the Beach Boys -- trashy yet majestic little valentines to loneliness that rock in tribute to the fact that punk and power-pop, at best, have always been the same thing played with different attitudes. There's certainly nothing especially punk about the nonstop, often Queen-like soloing. And yet it fits because he makes it fit. Like Spector, Bloch relies on other vocalists to put his tunes across, although it's doubtful Phil would let a voice as unconventional, yet sweet and perfect for the task at hand, as Kim Warnick or Lulu Gargiulo sweep the floor, much less go near a mike. And that would be a very sad fate for us all. Required listening: "...And His Orchestra," "Very, Very Powerful Motor," "Zucker," "Answer the Phone, Dummy."
VERUCA SALT -- The glamour girls of commercial-alternative radio, Veruca Salt emerged in 1994 to rock your local radio -- and MTV, of course -- with "Seether," the obvious standout on an album, "American Thighs," whose title stood seductively in tribute to an AC/DC lyric. But while many wrote them off as sexy one-hit wonders, Nina Gordon and Louise Post just kept getting better through the monster hook of "Shimmer Like A Girl" to the glorious self-referential sass of their catchiest single yet, "Volcano Girls." "Here's another clue if you please/The Seether's Louise," teased Gordon. Then, she quit. And now the seether is Louise, who carried on with, some would argue, diminished results on "Resolver." Required listening: "Seether," "Blow It Out Your A--, It's Veruca Salt," "Eight Arms to Hold You."
LETTERS TO CLEO An obvious place to start for those who only want another shot of Josie, Letters to Cleo vocalist Kay Hanley is the voice you hear on all your favorite Josie hits. They may not be as punk as Josie, but Letters to Cleo is all about the juicy pop hook. And two of the members are from Pittsburgh, so you've even got a local angle. Required listening: "Go!"
THE RUNAWAYS A better concept than a band, or so the critics like to argue. But whether you choose to see the RUNAWAYS as pioneers or merely putty in the hands of producer Kim Fowley, "Cherry Bomb" remains a classic, the greatest example of stuttering as a pop hook since the Who started talkin' about its g-g-generation. And you've gotta give them extra points for giving the world its earliest taste of JOAN JETT. Don't forget to take some points away, though, for giving the world its earliest taste of Lita Ford. Required listening: "Best of the RUNAWAYS"
JOAN JETT That rare breed of cultural icon whose career was built on other people's hits, JOAN JETT emerged in 1982 to top the charts for seven weeks with "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," a cover she followed with high-charting covers of tunes by Tommy James and Gary Glitter (and later, Bruce Springsteen and Sly and the Family Stone). But what makes Jett such a seminal figure is her attitude and style, not to the mention the fact that when she did record her own songs they were often as good as -- or in the case of her wonderful "Bad Reputation" -- better than the covers. And she wasn't kidding on her greatest hit. Her love of rock 'n' roll (and punk and glam) informs her every move. And it's contagious. Required listening: "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "Fit to Be Tied: Great Hits by JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS."
THE GO-GO'S When the Go-Go's appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone cavorting in their underwear, the pose said, "Where's the slumber party?" Not "Seduce me." And that says a lot about the band's appeal. They were cute, not sexy. Fun, not dangerous. Perky, not punky (although they started as a punk band and the DIY approach of punk is clearly evident in the classic remedial soloing of early cuts as irresistible as what would be their biggest hit, "We Got the Beat."). They peaked a little early on the charts and broke up only three years down the road from the innocent girl-group splendor of "Our Lips Are Sealed," their chart debut. But what they left behind on record -- the best of it, anyway -- has aged a whole lot better than most of the music that charted in their early '80s prime. And by the way, Jane Wiedlin gets a writing credit on the Josie soundtrack. Required Listening: "Beauty and the Beat," "Talk Show," "VH1 Behind the Music Go-Go's Collection."
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