Up Your Alley

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Though Up Your Alley isn't her best album, it did garner Joan Jett considerable attention, mostly due to the hit single "I Hate Myself for Loving You". Though most of the material on this album isn't as good, there are a few high points, including the cover of Chuck Berry's "Tulane", the original songs "Desire" and "Ridin' With James Dean", and "Little Liar", which was co-written with hit-making songwriter Desmond Child. While not as energetic as her earlier material, Up Your Alley contains plenty of Jett's crunching guitars, gravel-throated voice, and defiant sneer. -- Genevieve Williams

Tracks:

I Hate Myself For Loving You
Ridin' With James Dean
Little Liar
Tulane
I Wanna Be Your Dog
I Still Dream About You
You Want In, I Want Out
Just Like In The Movies
Desire
Back It Up
Play That Song Again

Amazon.com

Though Up Your Alley isn't her best album, it did garner Joan Jett considerable attention, mostly due to the hit single "I Hate Myself for Loving You". Though most of the material on this album isn't as good, there are a few high points, including the cover of Chuck Berry's "Tulane", the original songs "Desire" and "Ridin' With James Dean", and "Little Liar", which was co-written with hit-making songwriter Desmond Child. While not as energetic as her earlier material, Up Your Alley contains plenty of Jett's crunching guitars, gravel-throated voice, and defiant sneer. -- Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

Joan Jett drives a comeback up your alley.......2007-06-03

Joan Jett's career had hit something of a speed bump. Her album "Good Music" had not matched her prior successes and the film that was to be her Hollywood break ("Light of Day" with Michael J. Fox) wasn't the smash it was supposed to be. What was left to do? Return to her roots. Teaming up with mega-producer/songwriter Desmond Child, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts made a solid rocking record with "Up Your Alley" that reminded us exactly why we all loved Rock and Roll.

The lead track and top ten single "I Hate Myself For Loving You" was perfect for Jett. Co-written with Child, the big beat drum opening is quickly followed by Gary Glitter guitar wallop, a yelp from Jett and charges straight into a mega-catchy handclap chorus. It couldn't have missed short of being shot from a water pistol. That single brought focus back to Joan Jett's forte of plain and simple rock with few frills tarted up with expert cover choices. (In this case, Chuck Berry's "Tulane" and Iggy Pop/The Stooges' "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog.")

Like most of Jett's albums, there is still filler ("Back It Up" and "Desire" - which sounds desperate to be a hit - are "Up Your Alley's" culprits). The difference is that the ace material smothers the slack, and Child was on a red-hot streak at the time. He got Jett and company at a moment when both parties were hungry to prove that they were worthy of attention, and the resultant "Up Your Alley" remains a high water mark for both of them. Jett is still best served, however, by her landmark "I Love Rock N' Roll" and "Fit to Be Tied: Great Hits by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts."

Sounds better than I remember.......2007-01-10

One of Joan Jett's better albums. It's great to trade in my old cassette for a CD that I can actually play in the car.

The Woman Can Rock Better Than Most Men!.......2006-11-09

Anything else said about this album would be redundant. I just can't imagine, for the life of me, why no one has mentioned (are you listening, Amazon?) the fact that Rolling Stone Mick Taylor plays those instantly-recognizable riffs on "I Hate Myself For Loving You."

SWEEEEEET!!!!!!!!.......2005-08-05

First of all, I have to say that JOAN JETT rocks!!!!!!!!!!!! She's the girl to top, the finish line, the very best. She's a kind of a softpunk-hard rock-crazygirl-greatmusician.

Having said that, Up Your Alley is probably her best work to date, although she has done a lot of great recordings. This one stands out for it's own.

This time she teams up with "hitmaker" Desmond Child which she co-wrote and co-produce a few songs. But to clear this up, this is like a 3 part album. 1) Music with D.C.: *I Hate Myself For Loving You *Little Liar *You Want In, I Want Out * 2) Music with his old-partners Kenny Laguna and Ricky Bird: *Ridin' With James Dean *I Still Dream About You *Just Like In The Movies *Desire *Back It Up *Play That Song Again 3) And the usual Joan Jett covers: *Tulane *I Wanna Be Your Dog.

It's pretty easy to think that the best songs are the ones with Child, and probably they are, at least they are the catchy-radio friendly ones. But, in a whole, like an entire picture, all the songs match perfectly. And that is only because of Jett. To explain this a little bit better, at the second part of the 80's, if you wanted to have a song played on the radio you needed to hire Desmond Child to produce your album or at least to cowrite a few tunes. If you still don't know who am I talking about let's see if this songs don't ring your ear: *I Was Made For Loving You *Heaven's On Fire *Reason To Live (KISS) *Poison *Trash (And the rest of the album from ALICE COOPER) *Angel *Dude (Looks like a Lady) *What It Takes (AEROSMITH) *Livin' On a Prayer *Born to be my Baby (BON JOVI). So, as you can see, he was the hitmaster, until....................................he went to the dark side of the force and start producing for plastic musicians like Ricky Martin (How gay can you get????????????????????????).

Enogh about Child and all my respect to him.................................back to Jett. Her team with Ricky Bird was doing what they usually did, exploded everytime they got together, and probably that was one of the reasons she and the band kept playing cover tunes constantly, because they could played any songs from any band, and they could make it sound perfectly and like if they were from there own. At least, on this album, Tulane sound perfectly.

As I said before, the D.C. songs are very catchy, but Ridin' With James Dean, I Still Dream About You, Desire and Play That Song Again are perfect for the moment and they make them sound so smooth .

If you are in the 80's and don't have this one, GO HANG YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!!!!! This is a jewel.

Highlight: All the songs, maybe except for I Wanna Be Your Dog. And, of course, the cover.
Lowlight: I Wanna Be Your Dog.

More cheesy rock music from Joan Jett........2005-06-21

Up Your Alley is another in a long line of Joan Jett Albums.
She's one of those musicians who knows a sucessful formula and doesn't stray from it. But that also means the
old adadge "You have one you have them all". True, but this one has her "hit" I hate myself for loving you! A classic cheesy pop song from one of the last rock n' rollers. Kudos for her for not selling out to the blah, blah synth-pop of the 80's. Just straight forward rock (aided and abeted by producer Desmond Child). Guitars and drums, what else do you need? CD comes with lyrics and band photos.

Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau recorded a version of I hate myself.. and it was a huge hit in Asia!

Recommended for Joan Jett fans.

Keep On Smiling: Songs By Irving Berlin, 1915 - 1918

Average customer rating:

Great for home and classroom

Keep On Smiling: Songs By Irving Berlin, 1915 - 1918
Benjamin Sears , and Bradford Connor
Manufacturer: Original Cast Record
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Tin Pan Alley | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Traditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Easy Listening | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000004CRG
Release Date: 1996-09-17

Tracks:

The Circus Is Coming to Town
Araby
I've Got a Sweet Tooth Bothering Me
Until I Fell in Love With You
Cohen Owes Me Ninety Seven Dollars
When I Leave The World Behind
Down Where The Jack O'Lanterns Grow
Polly Pretty Polly (Polly With A Past)
The Eyes Of Youth See The Truth
The Sterling Silver Moon
While The Band Played An American Rag
The Voice Of Belgium
The Devil Has Bought Up All The Coal
They Were All Out Of Step But Jim
Smile And Show Your Dimple
Dream On Little Soldier Boy
When I Get Back To The U.S.A.
I'm Gonna Pin My Medal On The Girl I Left Behind
Yip-Yip-Yaphank Medley: Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning/Kitchen Police (Poor Little Me)...
We're On Our Way To France

Customer Reviews:

Great for home and classroom.......1999-03-21

No other composer so closely kept his fingers on the pulse of American thinking and gave the country so much of what it thought it wanted. "Yiddle on Your Fiddle" tells us more of the second-generation immigrants' desire to become Americanized than all the history and sociology books can ever do. So it is a double pleasure to announce the appearance of "Come on and Hear!: Early Songs by Irving Berlin, 1909-1915" and "Keep on Smiling: Songs by Irving Berlin, 1915-1918," two fantastic CDs or tapes on Oaktown label and released through a friendly little Connecticut company calling itself Original Cast Records. Between the two sets, you have 41 tracks of the Berlin output from "Everybody's Doing It Now" to "We're on Our Way to France." The soloist is Benjamin Sears, who with pianist Bradford Conner has something of a reputation around the Boston area. Now some of this material is duplicated by the more widely known Joan Morrison on two RCA Victor releases, possibly out of print by now; and like those discs could use another voice now and then. (Conner does join in where a duet is called for, but my point remains.) Sears is a capable if not an outstanding baritone, who does justice to these historic expressions of Americana. So not only do I recommend both of these sets for their enjoyment value, but I wish to continue to point out to Social Studies teachers how valuable sets like this would be to classes who have no concept of how people really felt (as opposed to what they merely said and did) "way back when." And I might even stick out my neck so far as to offer to come to any school (in reasonable distance of where I live) to give a sample lesson on how these sets can be used.

Average customer rating:

Blind Date
Blind Date
Manufacturer: Perris Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Berzerk
Rough Cutt/Rough Cutt Wants You!
Passion Risk
The Love Drag Years
Big Bang

ASIN: B0009J2SJ8
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Tracks:

Don't Wait Up
Can You Feel It
She's Walking
Daddy's Little Girl
Broken Promises
Everybody's Baby
We Keep Falling in Love
Dreaming
Without You're Love
When I'm Alone

Average customer rating:

E 5 Inch

Manufacturer: Alley Cat Habitat
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAAOT0
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Average customer rating:

P 5 Inch

Manufacturer: Alley Cat Habitat
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA3LM2
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Average customer rating:

Up Your Alley
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Manufacturer: Jvc Victor
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0001N1NV6
Release Date: 2004-04-26

Tracks:

I Hate Myself For Loving You
Ridin' With James Dean
Little Liar
Tulane
I Wanna Be Your Dog
I Still Dream About You
You Want In, I Want Out
Just Like In The Movies
Desire
Back It Up
Play That Song Again

Album Description

Japanese reissue of 1988 album features 13 tracks including 2 bonus videos, 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' & 'Little Liar' (Live). JVC. 2004.

Average customer rating:

R 5 Inch

Manufacturer: Alley Cat Habitat
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA8DMA
Release Date: 2004-01-20

Tracks:

Meet The Repeats
Three Minutes More
Bulimic

Average customer rating:

Think Outside the Idiot Box Set

Manufacturer: Alley Cat Habitat
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA7LXW
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Average customer rating:

S 5 Inch

Manufacturer: Alley Cat Habitat
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA729U
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Average customer rating:

T 5 Inch

Manufacturer: Alley Cat Habitat
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Glam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA6WZK
Release Date: 2005-01-11

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