Arriving mere months after their initial assault, The Runaways crank up the intensity on their dominant second album, painting stark pictures of teenage rebellion across a stunning set of originals. This final album featuring original vocalist Cherie Currie, Queens Of Noise displays advances in The Runaways’ songwriting and playing while keeping their take-no-prisoners attitude totally intact. Released in January 1977, Queens Of Noise finds The Runaways out to prove they were not some novelty act, but a genuine rock and roll animal. The album kicks off with the title track, written by Billy Bizeau (keyboardist for the Quick, another band associated with Kim Fowley, the man "behind" The Runaways), and it blasts out like a declaration of rock and roll as sung by Joan Jett. "Take It Or Leave It," written by Jett, follows and shows the ladies were more than able to hold their own against other hard rockers of the era. "Midnight Music," co-written by singer Cherie Currie and Fowley, is power pop meets hard rock while "Born To Be Bad" finds the band getting even heavier. The song dates back to the band's earliest days and was written by drummer Sandy West and former member Micki Steele (later a member of the Bangles). Penned by guitarist Lita Ford and bassist Jackie Fox along with Fowley, "Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin" could be the girls' theme song with its classic glam swagger and ace guitar work from Lita Ford. Queens Of Noise should have been the ticket to catapult the girls into big league rock and roll glory, but alas, it was the beginning of the end. Lead singer Cherie Currie left the band before their next album and within two years, the band were no more. "The atmosphere was very different," Currie said of the sessions. "Things were quickly turning sour within the group. The tensions and rivalries that we'd put aside during the first album and tour were now simmering, ready to explode." Time has tried to correct some of the misconceptions of what The Runaways were all about, but all one needs to do is listen to those first two albums to see they were far from some manufactured product. This was a genuine rock and roll band that could kick it out with the best of 'em.
