Album (Joan Jett album)
Encyclopedia
Album is the third studio album
by Joan Jett
and the second to feature her backing band The Blackhearts. The album was originally released in 1983. The Cassette Tape version had 2 different issues, the first one was issued in a regular black plastic box MCA MCAC-5437] and a second later version issued in a red plastic box [MCA MCAC-5445]. The initial black box version contained the extra Rolling Stones banned song "Star Star" on it as a hidden [unlisted] track at the end of side one. The second later red box version deleted the song and was designated as "Album Version Only". The album was re-released in 1992 with six more bonus tracks.
Tracks 13 through 18 are bonus tracks on the 1992 re-release.
The first single released from the album was the kick-off track "Fake Friends". The 7-inch vinyl featured "Nitetime" on the reverse side, with a locked groove at the end of the song. This meant that jukeboxes playing the track would have to be unplugged in order to reset the needle. A video was shot for "Fake Friends", where Joan and the Blackhearts were continually mobbed by 'fans' and hangers-on who quickly turned into cardboard cut-outs and fell over. It received heavy airplay on MTV, though the song was a relative disappointment on Billboard's Hot 100. Kenny Laguna later told Creem Magazine that he had objected to "Fake Friends" being the first single, as it wasn't a natural fit for rock radio, but was rebuffed by the label.
The second single, "Everyday People" (backed with "Why Can't We Be Happy") was somewhat better received, and came accompanied by a slapstick video in which Joan was plagued by a smoking hair-dryer, a defunct alarm clock, and a collapsing bed. A promotional 7-inch and 12-inch Dance Mix of the song was sent to radio stations; the 12-inch record featured the notorious "Star Star" on the b-side.
A third video was filmed for "The French Song", but MTV gave it scant air-time and a single of the track was only released in Canada, where it was backed with "Coney Island Whitefish".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
and the second to feature her backing band The Blackhearts. The album was originally released in 1983. The Cassette Tape version had 2 different issues, the first one was issued in a regular black plastic box MCA MCAC-5437] and a second later version issued in a red plastic box [MCA MCAC-5445]. The initial black box version contained the extra Rolling Stones banned song "Star Star" on it as a hidden [unlisted] track at the end of side one. The second later red box version deleted the song and was designated as "Album Version Only". The album was re-released in 1992 with six more bonus tracks.
Track listing
All tracks written by Joan Jett and Kenny Laguna except where noted- "Fake Friends" – 3:23
- "Handyman" – 3:23
- "Everyday People" (Sylvester StewartSly StoneSly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
) – 2:40 - "A Hundred Feet Away" (Jett, Laguna, Peter Anders) – 2:33
- "Secret Love" – 4:03
- "Star StarStar Star"Star Star" is a song by The Rolling Stones that appeared on their 1973 album Goats Head Soup. One of the raunchiest songs in the band's catalogue, the song was originally titled "Starfucker" until Atlantic Records guru Ahmet Ertegün insisted on the change...
" (Mick JaggerMick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, Keith RichardsKeith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
) [*on 1st Cassette Tape Version only] – 4:00 - "The French Song" (Jett, Laguna, Ricky Byrd, Mike Winter Jr.) – 3:35
- "Tossin' & Turnin'" (Ritchie Adams, Malou Rene) – 2:25
- "Why Can't We Be Happy" – 3:53
- "I Love Playing With Fire" (Jett) – 3:03
- "Coney Island Whitefish" – 3:35
- "Had Enough" (Jett, Laguna, Ricky Byrd) – 2:26
CD bonus tracks
- "Nitetime" – 4:52
- "Everyday People (Dance Mix)" (Sylvester Stewart) – 4:19
- "Wait For Me" (Jett) – 4:33
- "Who Can You Trust" (Jett, Laguna, Stephen Lunt) – 2:51
- "Scratch My Back" (Jett, Laguna, Stephen Lunt) – 4:13
- "Locked Groove" – 3:47
Tracks 13 through 18 are bonus tracks on the 1992 re-release.
The first single released from the album was the kick-off track "Fake Friends". The 7-inch vinyl featured "Nitetime" on the reverse side, with a locked groove at the end of the song. This meant that jukeboxes playing the track would have to be unplugged in order to reset the needle. A video was shot for "Fake Friends", where Joan and the Blackhearts were continually mobbed by 'fans' and hangers-on who quickly turned into cardboard cut-outs and fell over. It received heavy airplay on MTV, though the song was a relative disappointment on Billboard's Hot 100. Kenny Laguna later told Creem Magazine that he had objected to "Fake Friends" being the first single, as it wasn't a natural fit for rock radio, but was rebuffed by the label.
The second single, "Everyday People" (backed with "Why Can't We Be Happy") was somewhat better received, and came accompanied by a slapstick video in which Joan was plagued by a smoking hair-dryer, a defunct alarm clock, and a collapsing bed. A promotional 7-inch and 12-inch Dance Mix of the song was sent to radio stations; the 12-inch record featured the notorious "Star Star" on the b-side.
A third video was filmed for "The French Song", but MTV gave it scant air-time and a single of the track was only released in Canada, where it was backed with "Coney Island Whitefish".
Certifications
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 20 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 85 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 29 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 19 |
Personnel
The Blackhearts:- Joan Jett – vocals, guitar
- Gary Ryan – bass
- Ricky Byrd – guitar
- Lee Crystal – drums