Of all the studio albums that
the Runaways recorded in the late 1970s,
And Now... The Runaways is the least essential. This isn't to say that
And Now is a bad album; it's generally decent, if uneven, but it certainly isn't in a class with such gems as
The Runaways,
Queens of Noise and
Waitin' for the Night. Recorded in 1978, it offers the same lineup heard on 1977's
Waitin' for the Night: Original members
Joan Jett,
Lita Ford, and
Sandy West were still on board, but singer
Cherie Currie was gone and Vicki Blue had replaced original bassist
Jackie Fox. This recording marked the first time that a
Runaways album wasn't produced or co-produced by
Kim Fowley;
John Alcock is the producer, and
Fowley's input is definitely missed. That said, hardcore
Runaways fans will find that this album has some enjoyable moments.
Jett gives a surprisingly lackluster performance on
the Beatles' "Eight Days a Week," but she is in good form on "My Buddy and Me" and a fun cover of
Slade's "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." Meanwhile,
Ford provides a memorable vocal on the eerie ballad "I'm a Million." A killer guitarist,
Ford didn't do a lot of lead singing when she was with
the Runaways, but she made singing a very high priority when she went solo a few years later. A solo career was also inevitable for
Jett -- as inevitable as the band's breakup. Though it has its moments,
And Now... The Runaways is clearly the work of a group who were past their prime, and an album that is strictly for diehard fans. ~ Alex Henderson