The Runaways - Waitin' For the Night

This third release by the all-female band was released in 1977 after the departure of Cherie Currie (to

concentrate on a solo and movie career) and Jackie Fox (replaced by Vicki Blue) and show the group as a focused, hard-rockin' quartet.

Joan Jett took the reins and ably handles the lead vocals here, as she did in the later Black Hearts. Her melodic wails in "Little Sister" show the growth of their combination of pop and hard rock. The riffin' "Wasted" follows and then "Gotta Get Out Tonight", with its mix of glam, punk and metal. "Wait For Me" has some clever progressions and shows that Joan could sweetly croon as well as wildly scream, which she ably does at the end of the song! Lita provides the lick-laden, metal-y "Fantasties" along with "Trash Can Murders" and Joan collaborates with Kim Fowley on the teenage, Sweet-like anthem "School Days" and the power(ful) ballad-y title song, while providing she doesn't need anyone else's help on great numbers like "Don't Go Away" and "You're Too Possessive" (an updated "You Don't Own Me", which she later covered).

This is a damn solid release - actually more so than the two first classic albums, though those may have some higher heights, as well. I still say the debut should be the record that anyone starts with but this one is pretty essential, as well.