Live recordings
Every surviving live recording preserves a performance that would otherwise exist only in memory.
This section brings together the currently known live recordings and studio sessions by The Runaways, documenting the surviving legacy of the band's live career.
Thanks to dedicated fans and collectors, as well as professional recordings made throughout the band's career, performances from nearly every tour have survived in one form or another. Some recordings were captured professionally, while many others were taped by audience members using the equipment available at the time.
Although the recording quality varies considerably, every recording has its own historical value. Whether it is a professionally recorded broadcast or a distant audience tape, each one captures a unique moment in the band's history and helps preserve performances that would otherwise have been lost.
Studio sessions
Only three recordings from The Runaways' studio sessions are known to have surfaced publicly over the years. Interestingly, all three date back to the band's earliest days, when The Runaways were still a trio consisting of Micki Steele, Joan Jett, and Sandy West.
In addition to these recordings, a Scotch ¼-inch, 15 IPS studio reel containing rough mixes from the Queens Of Noise sessions surfaced in 2025. The tape has not yet been digitized, and the number 6 marked on its box suggests that it may have originally belonged to a larger set of studio reels. It reportedly comes directly from the archives of Brothers Studio, where Queens Of Noise was recorded in late 1976.
| Location: | West Hollywood, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Date: | ? |
| Running time: | Approx. 36 min. |
| Source: | Soundboard recording |
| Quality: | Very good |
| Lineage: | “Born To Be Bad” album |
Lineup:
- Micki Steele - lead/backing vocals, bass guitar
- Joan Jett - lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar
- Sandy West - drums, backing vocals
Track list:
- Yesterday's Kids
- Is It Day Or Night?
- Let's Party Tonight
- All Right Now
- Thunder
- Rock And Roll
- American Nights
- California Paradise
- I'm A Star
- You Drive Me Wild
- Born To Be Bad
- Wild Thing
Description:
This demo is the earliest known recording by The Runaways. It was recorded by Kim Fowley in early August 1975 using a Roberts reel-to-reel tape recorder running at 7½ IPS. The session most likely took place in the band’s rehearsal room above the Rexall drugstore at the corner of San Vicente Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California.
The recording was officially released on the Born To Be Bad LP by Marilyn Records in France in 1991 and was later reissued in the United States on both vinyl and CD.
| Location: | Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Date: | September 3rd, 1975 |
| Running time: | Approx. 13 min. |
| Source: | Soundboard recording |
| Quality: | Excellent + |
| Lineage: | “Goldstar Demos” bootleg LP |
Lineup:
- Micki Steele - lead/backing vocals, bass guitar
- Joan Jett - lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar
- Sandy West - drums, backing vocals
Track list:
- Yesterday's Kids
- Secrets
- Thunder
- Rock And Roll
- You Drive Me Wild
Description:
This was The Runaways' first professionally recorded demo. It was recorded at Gold Star Studios in West Hollywood and engineered by Stan Ross.
The recording first circulated among collectors from a cassette tape obtained from Kim Fowley's office during the 1980s. Today, higher-quality transfers sourced from one of the original studio reel-to-reel tapes (a copy of the master tape) are also in circulation.
| Location: | Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Date: | ? |
| Running time: | Approx. 27 min. |
| Source: | Soundboard recording |
| Quality: | Excellent |
| Lineage: | “Cherokee Recording Studios” bootleg LP |
Lineup:
- Micki Steele - lead/backing vocals
- Joan Jett - lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar
- Sandy West - drums, backing vocals
- John Locke (Spirit) - keyboards
- Mark Andes (Jo Jo Gunne) - bass guitar
Track list:
- Born To Be Bad
- Who Do You VooDoo
- California Paradise
- I'm A Star
- American Nights
- Yesterday's Kids
- Secrets
- Thunder
- You Drive Me Wild
- Rock And Roll
Description:
This studio session was most likely recorded in late September or early October 1975. Its purpose was to explore how The Runaways would sound as a five-piece band rather than a trio. To achieve this, two guest musicians were invited to take part in the session: John Locke of Spirit on keyboards and Mark Andes of Jo Jo Gunne on bass guitar.