The Runaways

There's no denying the Runaways' immense contribution to rock music. But that said, their studio recordings never truly reflected the raunchy punk attitude of their live shows. So perhaps the best way to experience the Runaways nowadays (since the band is long gone) is to start off with a "best-of" compilation, such as 2008's import set Japanese Singles Collection. As its title suggests, what you get are all of the band's singles issued in Japan (where the group was absolutely huge), in a pretty impressively assembled package -- which includes lyrics, discography, sleeve notes, etc. All of your favorite Runaways classics are included here, including "Cherry Bomb" (how this song didn't become an arena-shaking anthem remains a head-scratcher), "Blackmail," and "I Love Playing with Fire" (which along with "Cherry Bomb" would be re-recorded by Joan Jett early in her solo career), among countless others -- including the group's last-ever U.K. single, "Right Now," and its B-side, "Black Leather" (the latter penned by ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook). For a single-disc set of Runaways classics, Japanese Singles Collection is pretty hard to beat. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide