The Donnas – The Atlantic Years 2002 –2005
Cherry Red Records
Release date: 30/05/2025
Running time: Well it’s 3 CDs of Rock’n’Roll goodness, so it’s good vfm
Review by: Alun Jones
9/10
Hey all you Rock’n’Rollers, you are in for a well deserved treat! Cherry Red records have compiled all of the output from legendary Bad Girls of Rock, The Donnas, into one neat and sweet boxed set. Between 2002 and 2005, The Donnas were signed to major label Atlantic, and their star was on the rise like a comet – the label marketing the band in movies, games ad infinitum. Surely The Donnas would conquer the world?
The first disc in the set covers the absolute must-have “Spend the Night” album. Take it from me, “Spend the Night” is a total Rock’n’Roll classic – one of the greatest guitar Rock albums of the 21st century. The perfect collision of supersonic, Ramones and Runaways pop punk power with AC/DC riffology – this is a 10 out of 10 timeless wonder that anyone who loves Rock’n’Roll should treasure.
I mean. ‘It’s on the Rocks’, ‘Take it off’, ‘Who Inviited You’ – the rockin’ starts and it just doesn’t stop. And when you’re invited to a Donnas shindig, you’d better be prepared – these girls know how to party. With songs about drinking, partying, staying up all night and peer group alienation, The Donnas are total, unfiltered ROCK STARS. There’s not a bad song here, it’s diamond class all the way, cheekily witty lyrics included. Two bonus tracks add to the fun, and with songs like “Too Bad About Your Girl” you’re gonna annoy the hell out of the neighbours till ‘5 O’clock in the Morning’!
Hopes were high for the follow up album, “Gold Medal”, but sadly this doesn’t quite hit the same heights. The sound was augmented with acoustic guitars and a wider ranging approach to songwriting, which is to be applauded. For the most part this works well, and nothing has changed that much really. Overall, the thrill isn’t quite the same, however.
With songs like ‘I Don’t Want to Know (If You Don’t Want Me)’ and ‘Don’t Break Me Down’ we’re in familiar Donnas territory, and the lyrics are sharpened up and more mature. ‘Fall Behind Me’ is the justifiable stand out song here, rolling along as The Donnas snarl defiantly in what is one of the best songs in the entire compilation. With a bonus track tagged on, it’s a solid collection – but it’s a house-trained version of its predecessor.
Disc 3 cobbles together everything else that was left in the Atlantic catacombs. There’s a handful of great but not excellent unreleased tracks, some acoustic versions of songs from “Gold Medal”, a batch of pretty bloody electrifying live tracks and a fun cover of Billy Idol’s ‘Dancing With Myself’. Nothing completely indispensable, but a fine way to complete the collection for the die hards.
And that’s about it for The Donnas. They released one more album – “Bitchin’” – on their own label, and called it a day. The Donnas will never reform. They’ve all moved on to other things. But for a short while in the early part of this century, they were perfection. This release testifies to that. If nothing else, you need “Spend the Night” – you’ll never party the same without it. You’ll love it, like I do, and you’ll want as much other music by The Donnas as you can find. Start here.
Find out more about The Donnas on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Spotify.
This review is brought to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal.
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