As "Fit To Be Tied" proves clearly, Joan Jett isamong the most quietly influential rockers, male or female, of thelast 20 years. What surprises is how, despite looking and dressing the punk part, how traditional her rock and roll was. She grabbed equally from Darlene Love, the Beach Boys, The Who, and Iggy Pop (all are thanked in the liner notes, along with Charles Bronson and the Baltimore Orioles) and created, with collaborator Kenny Laguna, a sound identitified only with her. Jett had song sense to spare. Her vocal on "Crimson and Clover" (she doesn't change the gender protagonist) is true to Tommy James' original but adds excitement and anticipation, paying off in the grinding rock that follows. Her versions of Sly Stone's "Everyday People" and Wind's obscure 1969 hit "Make Believe" add some guitar sting to what were pure pop hits. Her version of "Cherry Bomb," originally done with her band the Runaways, actually outslaps the original. The only trouble with her redoing the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" theme is that it's too short. Speaking of originals, her chart anthems are here too: "Do You Wanna Touch Me," 1982's #1 "I Love Rock n' Roll," the acidic, excellent "Fake Friends," even Bruce Springsteen's "Light Of Day" (Scott Litt's production makes that one of the less effective tracks.) "Fit To Be Tied" is essential listening from a rock and roll survivor who loves,lives and breathes the music. (It can also be interesting viewing; its an enhanced CD that shows a Jett picture collage and links to her Web site.)

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts have to be one of the best kept secrets in rock music. This selection has their best known songs, including their only real "hit", I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL, from way back in 1982. If you've never heard the songs here, consider yourself deprived.

A marvelously insouciant set, starting with "Bad Reputation". At the time it was written, Joan Jett was fresh out of The Runaways -- no contest here, they were [and remain] the all time best 'chick band' in rock history. And it gets better from there; with killer versions of "RoadRunner" (the song by The Modern Lovers, not the old Junior Walker tune of the same name), and "Cherry Bomb" [a Runaways tune], along with some movie songs; "Light of Day" and "Love Is all Around". In between, there are some really great (but rarely-heard-on-radio) songs by The Blackhearts, including "I hate Myself For Loving You", and of course "I Love Rock and Roll".

After listening to this CD, it ooccured to me that it really belongs on a 100-best-of-all-time list (where it could displace one of the obvious-filler CD's that's usually put on such lists).

Dave Marsh's liner notes got it right: Joan Jett is the female Chuck Berry.

I bought: Fit To Be Tied: Great Hits By Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and its my new favorite cd ever! She is awesome! When I saw it in the store I was thinking that his cd isnt going to have but one good song, since I have to admit that i had only heard of 2 songs by her, but then I put it in and all of it rocks!

Now that Joan Jett is getting her due as a seminal rock and roll influence, it's about time a decent hits set appeared. Sadly, this isn't it. While the music on "Fit To Be Tied" certainly merits the four star rating, I am going to have to assume contractual issues with CBS forced Jett to either omit or substitute alternative versions of well-known songs.

For instance, her huge hit "I Hate Myself For Loving You" is an alternate take from the "

" version, and "Little Liar" is a live version. I am not sure how many versions of "Roadrunner" Joan has recorded so far, but the take here is previously unreleased and kicks butt. So does the new recording of the signature Runaways song, "Cherry Bomb." MIA are such well known Jett tunes as "Good Music" and her version of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap." The albums she recorded for Warner Brothers are bypassed entirely.

Nonetheless, you still get some of the great proto-grrll rock from "Bad Reputation" to the terrific new "World of Denial." Joan Jett also was queen of the perfect cover choice, as her hit versions of "Everyday People," "Crimson and Clover" and - of course - "I Love Rock and Roll" prove. She also had that glam bam done like few before or since. The BOOM/whack/BOOM/whack that explodes from her cover of Gary Glitter's "Do You Wanna Touch" and her own "I Hate Myself For Loving You" made both songs burst from whatever radio played them some eight years apart. You'd be hard pressed to know that much time had passed between these songs...which proves that Joan Jett is a timeless artist.

But she deserves better. There is a good Japanese compilation that covers all the albums up to "

" (which eventually formed the base of "

"), called "

." It boasts a pretty hefty price tag, so if you're just a casual fan looking for "I Love Rock and Roll," this will do. If not, hit that link.

only complaint is the new version of Hate Myself For Loving You. I like the old version better.