Lita Ford - Out for Blood

By the time guitarist/singer Lita Ford made her solo debut in 1983 with Out for Blood, she was already a seasoned veteran in the rock business. At age 16, in 1975, she was one of the members of the all-female rock band the Runaways (along with Joan Jett and others).

Today, to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary, we will give this album a listen. Joining her on the record were Neil Merryweather (bass and vocals as well as co-writer on many of the tracks), and Dusty Watson (drums and backing vocals).


Side one opens with the title track “Out for Blood”, a high energy rocking tale of vengeance. The song is full of in-your-face attitude and plenty of roaring guitar riffs. It really kicks things off on a good note.

I like how “Stay With Me Baby” opens with just a bass riff. It gives the song a classic 70’s rock sound that I grew up on. Ford implores her lover to spend the night, though I cannot imagine any boyfriend of hers ever having to be asked twice.

“Just a Feeling” takes it down one more notch as Ford sings this ballad from heart. If the last song were driven by lust, this one is clearly driven by love.

“Ready, Willing and Able” has a slinky, sexy strut to it that perfect fits Ford’s image at the time.

Watson‘s thundering drums usher in “Die for Me Only (Black Widow)”, a song that reflects the album’s cover of Ford standing before a giant spider’s web. The lyrics speak of the ultimate commitment - until death.

Side two begins with the declaration of “Rock ’n’ Roll Made Me What I Am Today”. The song is very autobiographical, fitting Ford‘s life as a teen rocker. Ironically, it is one of the tracks on the album that she did not write; it was written by Pete Heimlich.

It takes the first verse for the guitars and the drums to sync up on “If You Can’t Live With It”, but once they do the track starts to cook.

“On the Run” is up next. On this one, Ford has had enough of a volatile relationship and takes off.

Next up is “Any Way That You Want Me” which was written by Chip Taylor, who wrote the song “Wild Thing” which the Troggs covered in 1966. If you listen carefully, you can pick up hints of that one’s famed guitar riffs here.

The album closes with “I Can’t Stand It”

I really like discovering music I have not heard before; I most definitely liked Out for Blood. Lita Ford has crafted a number of sold rock songs and further adds icing to the cake with her performances. This one is a tough one to locate, either on vinyl or on the rare import CD. Hopefully it will show up for sale on the digital market in the future.