Everyone knows the title track. Big huge chorus, guitars slightly grittier than they need to be and sing along lyrics about a care free wild night out. Pop and rock thrust together in a perfect marriage of questionable intent. Safe enough for the parents but hip enough for kids in the know. Pretty classic song, but what of the rest?
Well, the title track may be the stand out here, but there are no shortage of bright spots. Joan's tough NYC girl vocals and bad relationships have shades of the Ramones, and the band grooves like a tighter, cleaner and poppier New York Dolls. The classic 45's covered here ("Crimson and Clover" and an under appreciated Dave Clark 5 song "Bits and Pieces") plant one foot firmly in classic rock and roll while the production and post punk attitude set the songs perfectly in the time. Fortunately the material has aged well and still sounds great.
I really like some of the other album tracks like "Victim Of Circumstance", "Nag" and "(I'm Gonna) Run Away"-(pun intended?)- and they are prime candidates for getting stuck in the noggin just as much as "I Love Rock And Roll" itself. About the only flaw is the lame out Christmas track at the end. Surely some label exec. thought it would be lucrative to have a modernized version of "The Little Drummer Boy" by one of it's happening artists to cash in on in December. Bad idea, worse result. but the of the package is pretty darn good.
Bottom line: This record is an early 80's classic that came from the all too short time period after punk petered out and disco died, but right before new wave cheesed it all up and hair metal got so silly. There were a lot of great records from this era and this is one of the best.
4 out of 5 Daves.
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