Hit and Run (Girlschool album)
Hit and Run is the second studio album by the British heavy metal band, Girlschool, released in 1981 on Bronze Records.
| Hit and Run | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 April 1981 | |||
| Recorded | December 1980–January 1981 | |||
| Studio | Jackson's Studios, Rickmansworth, UK | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 35:51 62:18 (re-issue) | |||
| Label | Bronze (UK) Stiff America (US) Solid Gold Records (CAN) | |||
| Producer | Vic Maile | |||
| Girlschool chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Hit and Run | ||||
| ||||
Overview
The album represented Girlschool's sophomore effort, and like its predecessor Demolition (1980) it was recorded at Jackson's Studios, England. The band were in the studio from December 1980 to January 1981 with Vic Maile again serving as producer.
Hit and Run is the most successful Girlschool album, having reached No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart,[1] with the single of the title track climbing to No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] The band appeared on the BBC show Top of the Pops on April 16, 1981, miming to the hit song. The 7-inch single (Bronze BRO 118) had "Tonight" as B-side, with the 10-inch adding the cover version of the famous ZZ Top song "Tush". Lead track "C'mon Let's Go" was featured in the Gemini Award winning 2005 documentary film Metal: A Headbanger's Journey.
The car on the cover is a 1972 Buick Riviera.[3]
The album was reissued on CD in 2004 by Castle, a subsidiary of Sanctuary Records, with bonus tracks and extensive sleevenotes by Record Collector's Joe Geesin.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[6] |
| Sounds | [7] |
In 2005, Hit and Run was ranked number 289 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[8]
Track listings
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "C'mon Let's Go" | Kim McAuliffe, Kelly Johnson | 3:35 |
| 2. | "The Hunter" | McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:15 |
| 3. | "(I'm Your) Victim" | McAuliffe, Denise Dufort | 2:42 |
| 4. | "Kick It Down" | McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:03 |
| 5. | "Following the Crowd" | Enid Williams, McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:08 |
| 6. | "Tush" (ZZ Top cover) | Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard | 2:16 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Hit and Run" | McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:08 |
| 8. | "Watch Your Step" | Williams, McAuliffe, Johnson | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Back to Start" | Johnson, Williams | 3:32 |
| 10. | "Yeah Right" | McAuliffe, Johnson, Dufort | 3:21 |
| 11. | "Future Flash" | Johnson, McAuliffe | 4:27 |
| No. | Title | Music | Source | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Please Don't Touch" (Performed with Motörhead) | Johnny Kidd, Guy Robinson | St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP | 2:49 |
| 13. | "Bomber" (Motörhead cover) | Eddie Clarke, Ian Kilmister, Phil Taylor | St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP | 3:28 |
| 14. | "Tonight" | Williams, McAuliffe, Johnson, Dufort | B-side to "Hit and Run" | 2:34 |
| 15. | "Demolition Boys" (live) | McAuliffe, Johnson | B-Side to "C'mon Let's Go" 10-inch single | 3:07 |
| 16. | "Tonight" (live) | B-side to "C'mon Let's Go" single | 2:40 | |
| 17. | "Yeah Right" | BBC Radio session broadcast on the Richard Skinner Show, 26 January 1981 | 2:35 | |
| 18. | "The Hunter" | BBC Radio session broadcast on the Richard Skinner Show 26 January 1981 | 3:00 | |
| 19. | "Kick It Down" | BBC Radio session broadcast on the Richard Skinner Show 26 January 1981 | 3:06 | |
| 20. | "Watch Your Step" | BBC Radio session broadcast on the Richard Skinner Show 26 January 1981 | 3:08 |
Other Versions
Hit and Run did not get a proper release in North America. Instead compilation albums featuring the title and artwork from Hit and Run, and tracks from both Demolition and Hit and Run, were released. Canada and the United States each received their own unique releases.
In the United States Stiff Records released an album titled Hit and Run on both vinyl and cassette.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hit and Run" | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Watch Your Step" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Race with the Devil" | 2:50 |
| 4. | "Yeah Right" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Not for Sale" | 3:30 |
| 6. | "Future Flash" | 4:26 |
| 7. | "C'mon Let's Go" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "The Hunter" | 3:13 |
| 9. | "Kick It Down" | 3:02 |
| 10. | "Take It All Away" | 3:40 |
The Canadian release was put out by Solid Gold Records and featured the same songs as the American release, however the order of the tracks was different.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Race with the Devil" | 2:50 |
| 2. | "Hit and Run" | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Watch Your Step" | 3:20 |
| 4. | "Yeah Right" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Take It All Away" | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Future Flash" | 4:26 |
| 7. | "C'mon Let's Go" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "The Hunter" | 3:13 |
| 9. | "Kick It Down" | 3:02 |
| 10. | "Not for Sale" | 3:31 |
Personnel
- Band members
- Kim McAuliffe – rhythm guitar, vocals on track 4
- Kelly Johnson – lead guitar, vocals on tracks 1, 2, 7, 11, 12
- Enid Williams – bass, vocals on tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14
- Denise Dufort – drums
- Production
- Vic Maile – producer, engineer, mixing
Release history
| Date | Region | Label | Catalogue | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 April 1981 | UK | Bronze | BRON 534 | vinyl | [4] included a limited pressing in red vinyl |
| 1981 | Europe | Bronze | 203,556-320 | vinyl | |
| 1981 | Japan | Bronze | VIP-6779 | vinyl | |
| 1981 | Canada | Solid Gold | SGR 1003 | vinyl | actually a compilation of songs from Demolition and Hit and Run |
| 1981 | USA | Stiff | USE 18 | vinyl | actually a compilation of songs from Demolition and Hit and Run |
| 1991 | UK | Dojo/Castle | LOMA CD1 | CD | published in a double album compilation with Demolition |
| 2004 | Worldwide | Castle/Sanctuary | CMRCD950 | CD |
References
- "Girlschool – Hit and Run chart stats". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- "Girlschool – Hit and Run (single) chart stats". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- "Buick Riviera 3rd generation versions & types". Automobile-catalog.com. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- "Girlschool Hit and Run (1981)" (in German). Musik Sammler.de. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Girlschool Hit & Run review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
- Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- Millar, Robbi (4 April 1981). "One woman's personal paradise". Sounds.
- [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 97. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "Girlschool - Hit And Run (US Vinyl details)". Discogs. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- Hit and Run (vinyl), Canada: Solid Gold Records, 1981
- "Gold Platinum Search for Girlschool". Music Canada. Retrieved 31 January 2013.