Just a year out of The Runaways, Joan Jett put out her first album, and its strongest cuts made it clear that she was refreshed and ready to get back down to work. With its balance between covers and self-penned originals, Bad Reputation recalled early-sixties LPs, as did the songs she selected to adapt. If "Shout" and "Wooly Bully" seemed more fitting for a bar band than a heavy hitter, at least Jett's sneering rendition of Leslie Gore's "You Don't Own Me" gave her something to sink her fangs into and emphasize that she wasn't going to be anyone's dolly bird. She doubled down on that stance with her own compositions, especially "You Don't Know What You Got", "Jezebel", and "Don't Abuse Me".
All written content of Psychobabble200.blogspot.com is the property of Mike Segretto and may not be reprinted or reposted without permission.
