Bad Reputation

Bad Reputation is the debut solo album by Joan Jett, originally self-released in 1980 as Joan Jett after her previous band The Runaways disbanded, then re-issued on Boardwalk Records in 1981 as Bad Reputation. After independently recording the album with producer Kenny Laguna, Jett took the record to a number of major record labels, all of which were uninterested in releasing the project. Rather than continue to hunt for a willing label, Laguna and Jett decided to fund the pressing of the album themselves. The original, self-released, version of the album was simply titled Joan Jett and was sold directly to concert-goers and record stores out of Laguna's trunk. The album sold relatively well, prompting its re-release a year later as Bad Reputation on Boardwalk Records, with identical tracklisting. Jett said that the new title referred to the bad reputation that she had as a former member of the Runaways. Recorded before Jett formed The Blackhearts, it includes performances by a large number of well known musicians, including The Sex Pistols' Paul Cook and Steve Jones, Blondie's Clem Burke and Frank Infante, The Ramones' Dee Dee Ramone and Marky Ramone and The Tyla Gang's Sean Tyla, Micky Groome and Paul Simmons.