Joan Jett And The Blackhearts: “Acoustics” (2022) Vinyl Review

I’ve been a fan of Joan Jett’s music since I was nine years old, when the song “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” was released, and I have also long been a fan of folk and acoustic music, so Acoustics was understandably high on my wish list for Record Store Day. This record features acoustic renditions of eight classic Joan Jett And The Blackhearts songs, including two performed live. The music is presented on traditional black vinyl, which feels perfect for the Blackhearts. I do wish this release contained liner notes, listing the musicians, or at the very least revealing just which specific concert the two live tracks are from.

Side A

The album opens with “You Drive Me Wild,” a hard rockin’ song that Joan Jett originally recorded with The Runaways back in the 1970s. She counts it off here, delivering a seriously cool version. The song has a great raw bluesy vibe, quite a bit different from earlier versions. Plus, it features some excellent work on guitar, helping to make this track a highlight of the record. “My head is all filled with these crazy thoughts.” That’s followed by “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got,” an early favorite of mine. This song was originally included on her 1980 self-titled debut solo album, which was re-titled Bad Reputation for its re-release in 1981, which is when I got my copy. I listened to that cassette over and over. And yes, I love this acoustic rendition. The power is still there, but a new intimacy is created, or revealed, in this approach. It feels more personal.

“School Days” is another song that Joan Jett originally recorded when she was with The Runaways. This track has an even more raw vibe and sounds so good. “I’m starting to slip, I’m losing my mind.” That’s followed by “Good Music.” As it begins, this one has kind of a folk vibe. It’s like folk mixed with an early 1960s pop thing, and it works really well. “It always feels so good to hear good music.” Indeed! “I think that I would die without good music.” Yes, that is just about right.

Side B

The second side opens with “Fresh Start,” a song that is a whole lot of fun. And hey, who couldn’t use a fresh start? “Rewind the tape, reset the clock.” This song makes us feel that we still have the time, the energy, the power to change and improve our lives. The music is here to help us do it. That’s followed by “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” which was the opening song on Up Your Alley. I wasn’t expecting either of these songs to work as well as they do in this acoustic setting. This version of “I Hate Myself For Loving You” retains all the power and attitude of the original, and is wonderful. It has lost none of its edge.

Then we get into the live tracks, both of which were recorded in Los Angeles. The first is “Androgynous,” the only song on this record not written or co-written by Joan Jett. It was written by Paul Westerberg and originally recorded by The Replacements. A song that was ahead of its time. Joan Jett included this song on a couple of other albums, including that excellent 2006 release Sinner. This live acoustic version is fun, with a certain amount of joy to the delivery. There is even some laughter at the end. The record concludes with a hopping, rocking rendition of “Bad Reputation.” This was always a great one to sing along to, and still is. “I don’t really care if you think I’m strange/I ain’t gonna change.”

Record Track List

Side A

1. You Drive Me Wild
2. You Don’t Know What You’ve Got
3. School Days
4. Good Music

Side B

1. Fresh Start
2. I Hate Myself For Loving You
3. Androgynous
4. Bad Reputation

Acoustics was released on April 23, 2022 through Blackheart Records and Sony Music. It was limited to 6,550 copies.