Some of the songs (especially the ones she recorded on The Hit List) are quite well known, and it seemed unnecessary to include all of them. I settled on a single set of Songs That Joan Jett Taught Us.
There were more than enough cover songs for two CD-length volumes. A few covers appear as "bonus tracks" on Songs That Joan Jett Taught Us.
It's a short leap from bubblegum to glam, from Kasenetz & Katz to Chinn & Chapman. It's not much farther from "Can The Can" and "Funny Funny" back to the simple pleasures of "Hanky Panky" and "Wooly Bully".
Maybe it was Laguna and Cordell who brought her The Belmonts, The Halos, The Zephyrs, Bunker Hill and Gary U.S. Bonds. Maybe Joan heard them as a child, or was influenced by the glam bands that drew inspiration from the 50's and early 60's (like The Rubettes, Wizzard, and Showaddywaddy). Regardless of who chose them, they're great songs (both the originals and Joan's versions).
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts' newest release (which came out last month) is the acoustic Changeup. Joan remains popular with generations of listeners, from stadium rock audiences to riot grrrls. She's done everything from fronting Evil Stig and Nirvana to performing in Rocky Horror on Broadway.
Songs Joan Jett Taught Us: https://tinyurl.com/2k3c6dkt
ReplyDeleteJoan Jett’s Jukebox, v.1: https://tinyurl.com/5277ymdm
(covers of songs from 1958-1969)
Joan Jett’s Jukebox, v.2: https://tinyurl.com/2p8a6kfm
(covers of songs from 1969-1991)
Thanks Mano! Be Well.
DeleteSweet. Loved the history with Laguna et al. I was unaware. What a great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! Ritchie Cordell wrote "Mony Mony" and "I Think We're Alone Now". He and Laguna worked with Bo Gentry, Joey Levine, and Bobby Bloom -- songwriters who were responsible for a lot of big hits from the 60's and 70's.
DeleteOne thing I cut from the post is that the b-side of the 1969 "Make Believe" single (which was recorded with Tony Orlando as part of a studio group called "Wind") was a throwaway instrumental co-written by Kenny Laguna called "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe". A version of "Mr. Bloe" became a massive hit in the UK in 1970.
https://www.discogs.com/release/1302032-Wind-Make-Believe-Groovin-With-Mr-Bloe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Bloe
I didn't know of Ritchie but grew up with Mony and I Think ... both are great tunes. What a resume these guys have. Tony Orlando! I remember Mr. Bloe quite a bit. Thanks for stirring up the grey cells!
DeleteThank you, thank you, thank you a million times! Last time I saw Joan was at a street party in Mpls. somewhat smaller than when I saw her in a huge stadium at Summerfest in Milwaukee during college way up high in the stands, but up close she gave me that sexy smile of acceptance as I looked at her and danced a swirl to make the Great Eye for all time.
ReplyDeleteCool! There's a recent interview with Joan (I can't find it right now) where she talks about the importance for her of making eye contact with members of the audience. She has played twice in the past couple years at small outdoor venues near where I live, and I wish I had gone to see her. Meanwhile, she's getting ready for a big summer stadium tour with Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Poison. She works hard and loves to play for her fans, and she's been doing it for almost 50 years!
DeleteSuper cool comp choice Jonder, Joan has always had great taste, thx a ton.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeremy! I don't want to shortchange Joan as a writer and performer of original songs. But it was cool to listen to all her cover songs in one place, and you can tell that she and the Blackhearts had a lot of fun playing them.
DeleteI forgot to mention that the cover image on the three compilations is a Shepard Fairey portrait of Joan.
Groovin' With Mr Bloe Is A Great Track, I Can't Imagine It With Vocals
DeleteTel, I hope I didn't cause a misunderstanding. The only version of Mr. Bloe that I've heard with vocals is this one:
Deletehttps://youtu.be/GkrwRrYU6z0
Post Joan Jett and "The phone's light up!" Great comps, Jon!
ReplyDeleteI (also) love Joan Jett--hers is the only fan club I ever joined! I've seen her from so far away she was a speck, from so close in a SF club that I could see her eyeliner was uneven, and at a free show on the beach (maybe Coney Island?). Three times in all and she NEVER disappoints.
According to legend Joan & the band used to play CRIMSON & CLOVER during sound checks to tease Kenny Laguna who (according to songfacts.com) played keyboards and sang background on it, and decided that they should record it.
Here's something I didn't realize! That Cher and (her son with Gregg Allman) Elijah Blue recorded their own version of Crimson & Clover for the film A WALK ON THE MOON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnxAJI3L5Ag
Correction: Kenny Laguna didn't play on the record, but he played keyboards with The Shondells for a time, so he played Crimson & Clover a lot!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jonder -- great concept! I recently watched the Joan Jett documentary Bad Reputation(2018) on Tubi and it was very interesting and inspiring (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7525514/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3). She had to make her own rules as she fought her way up and walked the walk like very few others. It covered all the points make above and she mentioned how Iggy taught her to play your heart out whether you were playing to an audience of 2 or a stadium of fans which got them both through some very lean times before people started taking notice of them again and revitalized both their careers. Long Live Joan!
ReplyDeleteLong live Joan indeed! Thanks to everyone who commented. It's clear that a lot of people love her music and respect her hard work. I'm glad that readers enjoyed this post.
DeleteWow! Absolutely fantastic! Just what I needed to listen to! Thanks, Jonder and Stinky!
ReplyDeleteThose comps are pure Jonder, Andre, but there's one in the pipe from me that I made avoiding the tracks Jon used!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for these 3 compilations, much appreciated. I saw Joan once in concert in Hilversum, Netherlands, probably just after her hit Crimson Clover. Unfortunately most of the audience were not into her kind of music at all, she got more and more frustrated and towards the finish grumbled some curses, sad really.
ReplyDelete