Gibson.com just reminded me that I Love Rock-n-Roll turns 30 this year, because, technically, the album was released in 1981. I need to sit down. Hold on a sec.
*passes out* … *comes to*
Whew, OK. In a feature released today (“Joan Jett: 30 Years of Rock and Roll”), Gibson.com celebrates the 30th anniversary of ILRNR, and the Gibson Melody Maker guitar that brought this iconic album to life. Here’s a snippet:
To get a close-up look at how Jett and her scalding tone are wired, check out the album that elevated her from the club scene to arena and festival stages, I Love Rock ’n’ Roll, which was released 30 years ago but still smells like a fresh power-pop bouquet.
The disc featured the twin six-string attack of Jett and Ricky Byrd, although it’s Jett’s raging rhythms that drive the entire affair. Jett is known for using a Mesa-Boogie Mark III head with Marshall or Mesa cabinets as well as a Vox AC-30 in tandem, but, according to her current guitar foil Dougie Needles, she used a MusicMan 2×12 combo for her power playing on the album’s title track, turned up to “stun.”
Jett’s grounding in punk rock and her scholarly knowledge of ’60s garage rock and pop created the album’s overall blend of punk-inspired heat balanced by concision and mainstream accessibility.
…
The Arrows weren’t the only group from the past that Jett tapped for material. As the crafty hooks, classic pop length and focus on melody at the core of her own writing indicate, she is a student of great ’50s and ’60s pop-rock. So the I Love Rock ’n’ Roll album also features tunes originally cut by Tommy James and the Shondells (“Crimson and Clover”), the Dave Clark Five (“Bits and Pieces”), the Kingsmen (“Louie Louie”), Eddie Cochran (“Summertime Blues”) and the Coasters (“Nag”). That the album’s original songs like “Love Is Pain” and “Be Straight” hold up to the chestnuts Jett covered is tribute to how well she absorbed the lessons of the past.When it comes to guitar playing, Jett’s mantra remains “keep it simple, but effective.” Few artists have gotten, or continue to get, as much mileage out of down-stroked trimmed-to-the-core rhythm guitar as she does. Today Jett’s discography includes 14 studio albums, including 1995’s Evil Stig backed by the Gits, and half as many compilation discs.
Read the rest here: http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/joan-jett-0127-2011/
Read more about the history of I Love Rock-n-Roll HERE. The album was released just before Christmas in 1981, so we have all year to plan the celebration! 😀
Born to be Jetthead 
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Hell yeah lets bake a cake<3
The original release in history was May 9, 1975 by the Arrows. RAK records, produced by Mickie Most. So the song is actually 38 years old now. The Arrows single got them their own weekly TV series the following year 1976 after performing the song on a Muriel Young produced show “45.” The song served the band well. The weekly series was called The Arrows show and it ran two seasons and there were 28 shows in all. Joan Jett saw the Arrows on TV when she was on tour with the Runaways and obtained their record. Without the Arrows writing the song and releasing the first version there would be no “I Love Rock N Roll” to discuss. Basic fact.
Hi Jo, thanks for all the cool info! Yes, the Jettheads are well aware of the legend of this song, and I payed tribute to The Arrows’ version in my earlier post, Joan Jett’s Cover Tunes: Appreciating the Originals. This post here is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ album I Love Rock-n-Roll, not the song. This album is very near and dear to our hearts, and contains many wonderful songs, including “Love is Pain,” “Be Straight,” “(I’m Gonna) Run Away,” and “You’re Too Possessive,” a song she originally wrote and recorded while in her first band, The Runaways.