''Pure and Simple'' is the ninth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

, released in 1994. The album includes several tracks co-written with

Kathleen Hanna Kathleen Hanna (born November 12, 1968) is an American singer, musician, artist, feminist activist, pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s she was the lead singer of feminist punk band ...

, including "Go Home", a response to the murder of

Mia Zapata Mia Katherine Zapata (August 25, 1965 – July 7, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead singer for the Seattle punk band The Gits. After gaining praise in the emerging grunge scene, Zapata was murdered in 1993 while on her way home fr ...

. ''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 Notorious means well known for a negative trait, characteristic, or action. It may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Notorious'' (1946 film), a thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Notorious'' (1992 film), a TV film re ...

''. This new line up consisted of bassist

Kenny Aaronson Kenny Aaronson (born April 14, 1952 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American bass guitar player. He has recorded or performed with several notable artists such as Bob Dylan, Rick Derringer, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Foghat, Sammy ...

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 New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...

– coincidentally taking over for bassist

Sami Yaffa Sami Yaffa (born Sami Lauri Takamäki; 4 September 1963) is a Finnish bass guitarist best known for his work in New York Dolls, Michael Monroe's bands, and Hanoi Rocks. He is currently the bassist for the Michael Monroe band and The Compulsions ...

, his replacement in the Blackhearts and Rey became the musical director for

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...

and

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

. The CD and other versions feature collaborations with performers from

Riot Grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcultur ...

and Riot Grrrl-associated bands. On all editions, songs "Go Home", "Spinster", "Activity Girl", and "You Got a Problem" were written with

(

Bikini Kill Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered the ...

The Julie Ruin The Julie Ruin is an American band formed in 2010 in New York City. The band rehearses in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and records at Oscilloscope and Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn. Band members include Carmine Covelli, Sara Landeau, Kathleen Hanna, Ka ...

Le Tigre Le Tigre (, ; French for "The Tiger") is an American electronic rock band formed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced by JD Samson for the rest ...

); on the vinyl release "Here to Stay" was written with

Kat Bjelland Katherine Lynne Bjelland (born December 9, 1963) is an American musician. She rose to prominence as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the alternative rock band Babes in Toyland, which she formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1987. ...

( Babes in Toyland); on the Japanese edition "Hostility" was written with

Donita Sparks Donita Sparks (born April 8, 1963) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter most notable for being the co-founder of the band L7. Sparks also initiated, performed, and released original material with her solo project, the band Donita S ...

( 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

Personnel

The Blackhearts

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

- guitars, lead vocals, producer on "Hostility" * Tony "Bruno" Rey - lead guitars *

- bass *

Thommy Price Thommy Price (born December 9, 1956) is an American musician. He has played drums in a number of bands, including Scandal, Billy Idol, Blue Öyster Cult, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and is an in-demand session drummer. History Price was a ...

- drums

Additional musicians

*Ricky Byrd,

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

Billy Karren William Francis Karren is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the punk/ riot grrrl band Bikini Kill, formed by Kathleen Hanna, with Karren, Tobi Vail and Kathi Wilcox. He was also active in many other music projects, includi ...

*Blake Brocksmith - harmonica on "Go Home" and "As I Am" *

Mike Howe Mike Howe (August 21, 1965 – July 26, 2021) was an American heavy metal singer who performed with Metal Church, Heretic, and Snair. Career Howe began his career as the singer for a Detroit band called Hellion (later renamed Snair after movin ...

- vocals *Chuck Kentis - keyboards *Arno Hecht - saxophone

Production

Kenny Laguna Kenneth Benjamin Laguna is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Joan Jett. Biography Laguna was born in Greenwich Village, New York City, United States, and started playing piano at high school dances from th ...

- producer on all tracks *

Thom Panunzio Thom Panunzio is a music producer and engineer. His career began in 1974 at the Record Plant Studios NYC, working with John Lennon. Later, he became a staff engineer at the Record Plant, and later at The Hit Factory. Panunzio worked often with ...

- producer on tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10 and bonus tracks, engineer, mixing *

Ed Stasium Ed Stasium is an American record producer and audio engineer, who has worked on albums by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Motörhead, the Smithereens and Living Colour. History Stasium began his recording career in 1970 fronting the band Brandywine. ...

- producer on tracks 1 and 8 *

Jim Vallance James Douglas Vallance (born May 31, 1952) is a Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer. He is best known as the songwriting partner of Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Vallance began his professional career as the original drummer and main song ...

- producer on tracks 2 and 4 *

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovi ...

- 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 Danny Kadar (born August 15, 1969) is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer, living in New Orleans. While growing up in New York City, Kadar first began as a student photographer studying at Pratt Institute, he later decided to g ...

Adam Kasper Adam Kasper is an American, Seattle area record producer and engineer, with platinum and gold awards, working with such bands as Aerosmith, Mudhoney, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, The Tragically Hip, R.E.M., Soundgarden and ...

, Delwyn Brooks, Chuck Johnson - assistant engineers *

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

- mastering at Gateway Studios, Portland, Maine Album Design-Spencer Drate, Judith Salavetz Art Direction-Meryl Laguna Photography-George Holz

References

{{Authority control Joan Jett albums 1994 albums Warner Records albums Blackheart Records albums Albums produced by Thom Panunzio Albums produced by Desmond Child Albums produced by Ed Stasium Albums produced by Joan Jett