Publicity Photos of The Runaways’ Members From Their ‘Live in Japan’ Album

“Big in Japan” was, for a long time, the pre-cursor to a band being wholly unlistenable. The idea that a group who didn’t sell very well in the US or UK, therefore, would sell well in Japan was an easy association to make in the 20th century. The country had taken to rock and roll in a big way over the years and by the late seventies Japanese consumers weren’t content with the big names and bright lights music had to offer. They wanted the weird and wonderful artists most of all. One such band was The Runaways.

During the summer of 1977 The Runaways took the unsuspecting nation of Japan by storm becoming the fourth most popular imported musical act behind Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. The band are on fire as they rip through songs like “Wild Thing”, “Queens of Noise” and “Rock N Roll” without a second thought. The group are welcomed like a second dose of Beatlemania and never really given the space to breathe once. The crowd are cloying and desperate for their songs, making this one of those performances that will keep you captivated for years after watching it.

Live in Japan is the second live album from The Runaways, released on August 13, 1977. The album was originally released only in Japan (their only major fan base), and some other regions including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. It was the last Runaways album Cherie Currie and Jackie Fox appeared on and not intended for release in the United States or the United Kingdom.

Cherie Currie

Joan Jett

Lita Ford

Sandy West

Jackie Fox