Pure and Simple is the ninth studio album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, released in 1994. The album includes several tracks co-written with Kathleen Hanna,[3] including "Go Home", a response to the murder of Mia Zapata.
| Pure and Simple | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover photo by George Holz | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 14, 1994 | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory, New York City, Studio Works 11, Island Park, New York, Armoury Studios, Vancouver, Canada, Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington, Indigo Ranch, Malibu, California, Music Palace, New Hempstead, New York | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, power pop | |||
| Length | 46:57 | |||
| Label | Blackheart/Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Kenny Laguna, Thom Panunzio, Ed Stasium, Desmond Child, Jim Vallance, Joan Jett | |||
| Joan Jett and the Blackhearts chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Pure and Simple was the first album to feature a new line up of Blackheart band members since the departure of longtime guitarist Ricky Byrd and bassist Kasim Sulton after the release of Jett's last album, Notorious. This new line up consisted of bassist Kenny Aaronson and lead guitarist Tony "Bruno" Rey. Pure and Simple would be the last Joan Jett & the Blackhearts release until 2006's Sinner. In 1995, both Aaronson and Rey went on to other projects. Aaronson would eventually become a member of the reunited New York Dolls – coincidentally taking over for bassist Sami Yaffa, his replacement in the Blackhearts and Rey became the musical director for Enrique Iglesias and Rihanna.
The CD and other versions feature collaborations with performers from Riot Grrrl and Riot Grrrl-associated bands. On all editions, songs "Go Home", "Spinster", "Activity Girl", and "You Got a Problem" were written with Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, The Julie Ruin, Le Tigre); on the vinyl release "Here to Stay" was written with Kat Bjelland (Babes in Toyland); on the Japanese edition "Hostility" was written with Donita Sparks (L7).
"World of Denial" was also added to the Japanese pressings. The Japanese cover differs from the regular cover. "Get Off the Cross" was also recorded during these sessions. Concurrently released in the US on vinyl LP, CD, and cassette, all versions varying slightly. The record album came with a hype sticker that read "All Rock. No Ballads", and omits both "As I Am" and "Brighter Day". A few seconds of the song are also heard on the cassette at the very end of side one before fading out. Jett independently put out "Spinster" as a 7-inch blue vinyl single in the US with a picture sleeve. The B-sides were "Go Home" and "Hostility". The track "World of Denial" was eventually released in the US on Jett's greatest hits album Fit to Be Tied.
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Go Home" | Joan Jett, Kathleen Hanna | 2:42 |
| 2. | "Eye to Eye" | Jett, Jim Vallance, Kenny Laguna | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Spinster" | Jett, Hanna | 2:44 |
| 4. | "Torture" | Jett, Vallance, Laguna | 3:35 |
| 5. | "Rubber & Glue" | Jett, Hanna | 3:19 |
| 6. | "As I Am" | Jett, Desmond Child | 4:35 |
| 7. | "Activity Grrrl" | Jett, Hanna | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Insecure" | Jett, Vallance, Laguna | 3:11 |
| 9. | "Wonderin'" | Jett, Vallance, Laguna | 4:53 |
| 10. | "Consumed" | Jett, Thommy Price | 4:40 |
| 11. | "You Got a Problem" | Jett, Child, Hanna | 3:57 |
| 12. | "Brighter Day" | Jett, Child | 6:06 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Here to Stay" | Jett, Kat Bjelland | 3:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Hostility" | Jett, Donita Sparks | 3:37 |
| 12. | "World of Denial" | Jett, Kenny Aaronson | 4:14 |
Personnel edit
The Blackhearts edit
- Joan Jett - guitars, lead vocals, producer on "Hostility"
- Tony "Bruno" Rey - lead guitars
- Kenny Aaronson - bass
- Thommy Price - drums
Additional musicians edit
- Ricky Byrd, John Marshall, Billy Karren
- Blake Brocksmith - harmonica on "Go Home" and "As I Am"
- Mike Howe, Kathleen Hanna - vocals
- Chuck Kentis - keyboards
- Arno Hecht - saxophone
Production edit
- Kenny Laguna - producer on all tracks
- Thom Panunzio - producer on tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10 and bonus tracks, engineer, mixing
- Ed Stasium - producer on tracks 1 and 8
- Jim Vallance - producer on tracks 2 and 4
- Desmond Child - producer on tracks 6, 11 and 12
- John Aiosa - engineer, digital editing
- Lance Clark - digital editing
- Carl Glanville, Lee Anthony, Tim Donovan, Mike Thompson, Neil Perry, Danny Kadar, Adam Kasper, Delwyn Brooks, Chuck Johnson - assistant engineers
- Bob Ludwig - mastering at Gateway Studios, Portland, Maine
Album Design-Spencer Drate, Judith Salavetz Art Direction-Meryl Laguna Photography-George Holz
Charts edit
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[4] | 142 |
References edit
- ^ Loftus, Johnny. "Joan Jett / Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - Pure and Simple review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ "Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Consumer Guide Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Zacharek, Stepanie (September 22, 1994). "Pure and Simple - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ^ "Joan Jett's ARIA chart history, received from ARIA in 2022 page 1". ARIA. Retrieved December 3, 2023 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.