Producer: Kenny Laguna,
Engineer: Staurt Hallerman,
Tracks: Sign of the Crab; Bob (Cousin O.); Drinking
Song; Spear & Magic Helmet; Last to Know; Guilt Within Your Head;
Whirlwind; Another Shot of Whiskey; Second Skin; Activity Grrrl; You
Got a Problem; Crimson & Clover; Drunks
Joan Jett fronts the remaining Gits (former lead singer Mia Zapata was raped and murdered. The crime is still unsolved). Royalties from this recording will help to fund the ongoing investigation and also will be donated to groups that deal with curtailing abuse of women. The tunes are (mostly) Gits songs. Jett crosses over the rock generation gap neatly. If the Runaways started in the 90s instead of the 70s they'd definitely embrace the role female rockers, especially the so-dubbed riot grrrls, have evolved into. Today's women rockers are more confident, (appear to be) more self-assured and have a better handle on what they can do in the rock arena. One needn't look further than Jett's performance here to see how far she's travelled, evolving along the way. While she can never replace Mia Zapata, she slides into Zapata's role as if she'd invented it. Her outrage is real. The pain of Zapata's unsolved rape and murder is all over this recording. Much of this will not see the light of day on commercial radio, but this is one recording where every 'fuck' deserves to be heard.
Rating : ****1/2
Text says: Until the killer
of Mia Zapata is found, artists royalties from this record will go to
the Mia Zapata investigative fund. Additional funds will be donated
to groups dealing with curtailing abuse of women. Any contributions
should go to: Mia Zapata Investigative Fund, 1202 E. Pike
St. #1221, Seattle, WA 98122