Reviews (page 2 of 8)
I wanted to like it.
Fairly decent punk
Kind of interesting but most songs didn't do much for me, and vocals can get kinda annoying, sounds like a rick and morty character, I mean, it's listenable and sometimes even enjoyable but I don't think I'd stand listening any album of them back to back, kind of similar to rick and morty I can see myself wanting to listen to it again or at least something similar, everything sounds integrated and it feels looser than normal punk which can be a nice change of pace Sex Beat ★★⯪✩✩ Preaching the Blues ★★⯪✩✩ Promise Me ★★★✩✩ She's Like Heroin to Me ★★✩✩✩ For the Love of Ivy ★★★⯪✩ Fire Spirit ★★⯪✩✩ Ghost on the Highway ★★⯪✩✩ Jack on Fire ★★⯪✩✩ Black Train ★★★✩✩ Cool Drink of Water ★★⯪✩✩ Goodbye Johnny ★★⯪✩✩
Pauleira, muito bom. 4/5
A bangery sound to the first song. The second blues one is less my style. 4 is a strong track. Hard hitting and smart. 5 is enthusiastic but not beautiful enough. 6 is more dynamic The bluesimess of 7 is done better that 2. 8 has something Beatlesy to it. Quit nice. I must admit this is my second listen to it. The first was actually nice but I couldn't really concentrate enough. Song 9 demonstrates the not so pleasant second listen. 10 aswell is wimsy and has a unique sound, but not necessarily my thing. Maybe the second time makes it less exiting and more repetitive. This track especially- too long... The closing track of the album is actually pretty nice. Some early psychedelic Pink Floyd, which is always welcomed. Overall, the second time with this one wasn't the easiest. I'll still put more emphasis on the music, even though I was listening to it waiting for an 8 hour delayed track... 2.2
5/10
Early 80s punk/alternative. It’s ok. Guy sounds a bit like Iggy Pop.
- Sex Beat - Ghost on the Highway
Solid
early punk. Not angry enough and a bit of a slog to get trouhg. Didn't vibe with the singer
Not my jam
Gothic rockabilly punk. What other band is gonna do that? Not many. This album is insanely good, somehow sounding exactly how the cover looks and also nothing like how the cover looks. Gotta say I love all of this, what a genius record. The Gun Club was on a fucking roll here
2.5
My first listen to this band, thank you!
This is really fuckin cool. I love this vein of punky Americana and you can really trace this energy and sound through to the modern day. ML403
Pleasant surprise, this!
I really love that this project is getting me to look outside of streaming services. This was very good
The Gun Club – Fire of Love (1981) On Day 258, this was not it, unfortunately. It was certainly a new sound for me, and southern cowpunk wasn't something I was particularly ready for, but here we are. Ultimately, nothing stuck; the songwriting and delivery felt dull and uninspired from my perspective. The only real upside was that the record was mercifully short, which is enough to earn it a couple of marks. An underwhelming 2/5.
3.7 Pretty good early punk sound, but still upbeat and energetic enough to be engaging. sounds ahead of its time. Some of the stuff in the second half lost me and started getting a little monotonous.
Fun punk album, was surprised they were from LA I would have guessed they were British
Not really doing much for me, but I give it a bit more respect due to the fact that it’s heralded as one of the first rockabilly punk records.
Just another run of the mill punk album with some wild lyrics. Meh overall.
I really like these guys sound. Kind of an easy punk vibe that you can get into and jam with. I added "She's Like Heroin to Me" to my skate playlist.
Pretty sweet album, want to dive in more, especially after reading so much about this bands lead singer in Mark Lanegan’s autobiography. She’s like Heroin to me is a ripper but plenty of other solid songs
Pretty decent
Another disturbingly annoying record in this list. What do people find fascinating about it? This was hard to bear.
4/5
A combination of punk and rockabilly. It was okay.
Interesting... the album cover has the same color scheme and low-tech vibe as Teenage Fanclub's 'Bandwagonesque'... And here's another interesting parallel: I have absolutely zero interest in joining either one of these shitty clubs. Seriously - this sucked. Oho! And would you look at that! ANOTHER ass band with a connection to Nick Cave. The pattern here is undeniable.
But why? What the fuck?
Raw punk, good stuff.
This album was pitched as “punk and blues” so I was very prepared to hate it. Turns out it actually has a pretty decent sound! The blues really sound more like southern rock and the punk sound is mercifully mild.
Good grief. 1.0
Len Houmous once claimed to own a gun club. He didn’t. 4.4 4/11 She’s Like Heroin To me
I enjoyed vibing out to this one. Pretty funky and fun
The energy is intriguing, the vocals don't suck, the instruments utilize silence and dynamics and don't just punch you in the jaw over and over. I appreciate that the guitar tones/styles actually have some character and aren't just washed out repetitive fuzz hurrying to the end of the song. This might be my new favorite "punk" album. It's raw without being pretentious about it.
I could do without another one of these obscure post-punk bands. Maybe I should rephrase after getting into the album a little deeper...I could do without some of those other post-punk bands...this is better than a lot of them.
Voto 2/5. Coraggioso ma non nel mio genere
I like blues okay, I don’t really like rockabilly, and I hate punk. This mixture of the three, plus the whole “we’re really scary tough guys and not just a bunch of nerds dressed like early-2010’s online pick-up artists” makes this a hard no for me. I did enjoy this quote from the album’s Wikipedia page: “Several musicians have cited Fire of Love as an influence.[who?]“
Not a huge fan of post punk. I prefer the real deal. This wasn't terrible though. No songs really stuck out to me however.
I'm not much for punk music, but that was not a bad listen.
this is the debut album of rock band the gun club, a band that's said to be a true "psychobilly" rock band among music critics. blossoming in the los angeles punk scene, these guys came together through ordinary means, sharing their similar musical tastes and skills. it was a surprising success, quite a few music reviewers and aggregators found it a great release. it's really consistent edgy blues music, that's how i can describe this one. it's the kind of dark, murky music that would be fun for a halloween party or a generic (adults-only) party with low lights and alcoholic beverages. i listened to this while walking, and some of the tracks made me want to straighten up and move just a bit faster. a high point especially considering i tend to rate blues stuff a little lower most of the time...
It wasn’t bad. The Rockabilly mixed with punk rock was an interesting combination. If there was better vocals, I would give this album five stars.
# Album Name: Fire Of Love # Artist: The Gun Club # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Good Listen! I enjoyed the album. Love the punk vibes. # Top Tunes: Sex beat / Preaching the blues / Shes like heroin / Fire spirit / Water blues / black train # Would I listen to it again? Yes
Not bad... Bases in the explanation I thought it would be way more intense and it wasn't, so I enjoyed it. The blues influence was definitely there and a good spin on punk.
Is this band racist or are they making a point against racism of some sort in their music and art? All I know is that I heard the N word at least twice, there’s a song about riding on a black train, and it’s a white band with black people as their album cover. I already don’t love the music but would probably throw it a 3 if this didn’t feel so problematic.
I thought it a dull, one-dimensional punk lite album with the occasional song that I REALLY hated ('Cool Drink of Water Blues)
Such a rocking album, from start to finish
Liked it!
I might have rated it higher, but I don’t vibe with them using the N-word.
not so good
kind of a nothing burger. its not bad but its definitely nothing special. gotta be in the right mood to listen to something like this
A corner-puzzle piece of American post-punk that I didn’t know I was missing. More of a satisfying little curiosity than a banger though.
Great
nice enough
*Fire Of Love* is a sure-footed, sharply-played album by a band that vividly fleshes out singer Jeffrey Lee Pierce's blues-inflected punk songs.
I really liked this. Started out strong, but the last few songs seemed it fizzled out. 4.5/5
I enjoyed not having a frame of reference for this one and being pleasantly surprised.
I’ve heard this before, I thought it was ok. It’s still fine, kind of sounds like. Violent Femmes but not as good.
A good album yet it’s so annoying to me when i listen to it sometimes. Final track is the highlight.
On paper this should be right up my alley, and I think taken individually I would maybe like these songs more, but as an album it is repetitive and got a bit boring. It’s not bad, but didn’t inspire much in me either.
OK, this was an interesting one. The opening title track was fairly standard post-punk, but then the second track added some slide guitars and turned out to be a cover of a Robert Johnson blues number, given considerable energy. The rest of the album continued to surprise, mixing blues, roots and punk, putting me in mind of the energy of stripped down Western Swing but with lyrics about sex, heroin and shooting people. There is one very inadvisable use of the N word, but front man and writer Jeffrey Pierce was mixed race so we can probably let that one slide, as well as waiving the usual caveats about white people playing the blues. There was enough here to keep me listening and also wanting to explore some more of their albums - Patricia Morrison was part of the band later on, as a bass player pre Sisters of Mercy. Cowpunk-tastic!
not my thing
Excellent album. Came to this late but it’s great record
Just couldn’t get into it.
Mira, yo intento buscar lo bueno en la mayoria de canciones, pero no veo lo especial de este album, no entiendo como esto termino en los 1001 albumes de la historia, las canciones son repetitivas, las liricas son tortuosas de escuchar y siento que con las unicas 2 o 3 canciones decentes que hay hacen de esto una experiencia un poquito menos tortuosa. ⭐️ Mi cancion favorita: Sex Beat
Meh
Disquinho insignificante.
I love Celebration Rock by Japandroids but I never knew For the Love of Ivy was a cover until this! Good track but the rest of the album is just fine.
From the comments I expected not to like this as much. This was a fun album, some songs reminded me of Reverend Horton Heat or Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Favorite tracks: Preaching the Blues, Sex Beat, Ghost on the Highway
Finger of hole
1 bullseye out of 10 (DNF) This is an album for all those people who have ever thought "The Pixies are great, but they don't use the N-word enough". Plunders punk, colonises blues, fuses them into a garage-level produced proto-Pixies/Nirvana sound, quite reminiscent of The Replacements, just not as good.
Decent punk album that doesn't do anything offensive, but lacks a gripping quality that similar albums have. Fine enough to listen to. Nothing groundbreaking or unique. Top tracks: Sex Beat, For the Love of Ivy, Fire Spirit
Kinda bluesy punk. Was a surprise to hear For the Love of Ivy. Since I had heard The Japandroids cover it many years ago. This version was just as good as the cover.
this was rough.
Pointless stupid boring. Theres nothing remotely interesting or original about this and it was a slog to get through it.
When this started I thought it was gonna be cool but I found it boring by the end
Seems decent. Every song was basically the same. Miami sounds like it might be the better record.
I usually avoid punk because it's usually all over the place, in a bad way. Bit this is nicely recorded, great punk vox without too much screaming. Nice punchy bass with actual bass lines that drive the track. Nice spikey guitar that isn't splitting my ears. There are bits that sound like the pixies and bits that sound like slint. Great combo. For a punk album, it's not really in your face at all. But it's a decent record.
Not really this album's fault, but I've heard this music so many times before. Absolutely nothing stood out, despite having promise at the very beginning
pretty cool upbeat punk
Ei ollut mun juttu
This album fuckin' rips.
yesh
Listened before? nope Sex Beat - 5/5 Preaching the Blues - 4/5 Promise Me - 3/5 She's Like Heroin to Me - 5/5 For the Love of Ivy - 4/5 Fire Spirit - 4/5 Ghost on the Highway - 4/5 Jack on Fire - 4/5 Black Train - 4/5 Cool Drink of Water - 3/5 Goodbye Johnny - 4/5 Average score: 3.9/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this is the 2nd psychobilly record i've heard off this list. i believe the 1st i heard was the debut album by The Cramps. i think i enjoyed this slightly less (i gave the other album about half a star more in comparison), but this was still pretty solid
Sounds like a great live act that's a little boring on vinyl
I'd never heard of the band or album before today's selection, and I'm glad I have now. Although I'm not sure I'd necessarily listen to this again, I can totally see why this became a cult favorite as well as a favorite among the likes of White Stripes and their ilk, and you can hear echoes of this album in later 80s and 90s bands like Meat Puppets or Wilco. They may have belonged to the punk scene, but this is *so* much more interesting and listenable than most of what we've had from that genre, and largely because of the strong blues focus. An odd pairing but it largely works, especially when they play their own interpretation of traditional blues songs ("Preaching the blues" and "Cool drink of water"), but also on some of their originals (especially "Promise me", "For the love of ivy" and "Goodbye Johnny"). Too bad they couldn't repeat the magic on later albums.
Sometimes I jot down a word or two as I'm listening to these albums so I remember to include that reaction in my notes. I'd just written the words "genuinely stupid" while listening to the first song when the singer began singing about how everyone's so stupid, so, like, yeah, got that right. Spoiler: "For the Love of Ivy" is NOT a redo of the Mamas & Papas song.
buenos ritmos
I liked the first half but the second half was getting pretty rough
I like the energy but don’t fuck with rockabilly punk. Some of the songs were long and got annoying. And a white man using the n word is an absolute no go. 1.5 stars
Fun rockabilly vibes. Lyrics are pretty wild
This is an interesting album. Punk blues was a new genre for me, but for the most part I found it catchy and entertaining. Jeffrey Lee Pierce's voice wears on me after a while. It fits the raw, unpolished sound of the album, but it's definitely something I prefer in smaller doses. I can see why Fire of Love is on this list, but I think these songs work better sprinkled throughout a playlist than listening to the entire album in one sitting.
There are better examples of this genre on the list. Clearly Jack White listened to this in his formative years.
Love finding these hidden gem albums from bands I never heard of.
This was ok. I’m definitely not in the mood for it this morning, so this review will be harsher than it deserves. Some good moments but most of the time I was waiting for it to be over.
eh
It was a decent listen. I doubt I’ll revisit it again, but not upset I heard it once in my life.
This is so fun! It feels like it has fed into a bunch of 00s indie garage punk that I don't particularly care for but this raw punky bluesy stuff is really fun. Took me a moment to really get into, but I'm glad I had the patience
Not bad.
Can’t say I totally get why this is such a great album, but I find myself liking it more than yesterday’s by a hair. High 2
I loved this
I think this has an unfairly low average score. I think that the hybrid rock/blues/country (at times) sound sets the band apart from the usuals from that era.
The first few songs are the indie equivalent of black metal. Annoying reverby vocals, tinny, shittily recorded guitars etc. That being said, halfway through, the album gets listenable and quite enjoyable. Nothing amazing, but not bad.
Pretty good. I've never listened to this band. I would gladly listen to more of their stuff.
Punk rock 🤘 but also kinda bluesy Likes: Sex Beat; Preaching the Blues; She’s Like Heroin to Me
Fuckin' A: this washes out the dregs that was the Kate Bush shite. From that banal crap to one of the greatest albums ever put on vinyl (or whatever). One of my favorite albums. It "cannot miss a vein." Turn it up and leave me be, I gotta drool. 5 "glorious chaos at the solar-edge" stars.
Annoying with a few decent tracks. 2.5
Meh.
honestly, a solid indie garage rock album of the 80's
Punk blues and cowpunk built from ragged guitars, primal rhythms, and feverish vocals feels like stumbling into a roadside bar where a blues band sounds as if it's one song away from falling apart—but somehow never does. Wild, dirty, and full of momentum, the album's raw energy kept me entertained even when its rough edges threatened to overwhelm it. The unpolished production and relentless drive make every song feel immediate, while Jeffrey Lee Pierce's desperate, half-unhinged vocal delivery gives the chaos a convincing emotional core. Lyrically, the record thrives on obsession, violence, and blues mythology, favoring visceral impact over subtle reflection, which suits its reckless spirit perfectly.
This fucking sucks
80s post punk. Rock n roll and blues influences, country. Excellent.
This reminded me of your friend’s band when you were in high school - a few decent songs and an unironic low production value.
I guess there's charm in how unpolished and yet melodic it is
it's...punk blues? the vocals in particular end up much too punk for my taste, but the band's playing is quite interesting.
this was a really fun listen, I definitely hear the influence of a lot of other punk and post punk I've enjoyed
A big sweaty fuck-off from me. It was turned off after 5 tracks. In all honesty it should have been well before then really, but I always try to give an album every chance to not be jank! I had a quick look at the wikipedia page and was drawn to this line... "the album does not feature founding guitarist Kid Congo Powers, who had been asked to join the Cramps in late 1980" ... which explained a lot. The Cramps album that this site served up was the single worst listening experience of my life!!
mid
Strange mix of punk rock, bluesy prog rock and Americana. Feels simultaneously anachronistic and vey much of its time. Vocals remind me of Primus a bit. Interesting record.
67/100. Punk blues and psychobilly. Basically an edgier form of blues with country influences. At times I found it really enjoyable, but the more the record went on the less interested I became. Most of the 'magic' here was the initial shock of a completely new sound. After the first two tracks my expectations skyrocketed, and what played out after didn't really live up to those. In a way it's very minimalistic, quite fascinating how varied they managed to make the record sound.
Very moany and droney
A great mix of punk and blues! Its very Cramps/ psychobilly like stuff, but not as extreme. Maybe that is what might be missing to make it a great album for me.
These guys are a perfect mixture of punk and Blues. I like everything about this album and I had never even heard of these guys before.
This is pretty awesome. I’ve never heard it before, but I just love the mix of genres on here
Just straightforward good punk. Love hearing the OG For the Love of Ivy. I didn't know the Japandroids version was a cover, but hearing the more adventurous original was pretty sick
This album is more primal than complete. It is not especially varied. It lives inside one hot, dirty, feverish mood for most of its runtime. If you do not respond to Pierce’s voice or to the record’s sleazy, half-feral attack, it can feel one-note rather than hypnotic. And some of its power absolutely comes from atmosphere and attitude rather than pristine songwriting craft.
This album did nothing for me. This is not a post punk album, this is a raggedy, hook free blues country tinged ramble.
Sounded like any other 80s punk but slowed down and not as fun
Mediocre
I may have found my new favourite band!
punk. no te puedo decir mas que eso
Never heard of this before. It started off strong with a standard punk song but then I see their thing was mixing blues in there which I don’t like, so ya it was just ok.
A great album - Sex Beat is an all time favourite
New to me and I really enjoyed it, tailed off a bit towards the end
Brand new to me but enjoyed this
A heresy I know but I’ve never really got on with this, towards the top of the two stars but I can’t hear or see what others clearly do. Tom.
Dirty goodness
80er Punk Rock. Klingt alles recht ähnlich. Kann man mal hören, einmal reicht aber auch. 2/5
great start, boring end 3/5
This was interesting. It felt a bit like Iggy Pop or something at times. Maybe a bit of The Doors. I had a hard time pinning down what this was and where it came from.
Was ready to rate this lower, but gave it another listen. I got some early grunge mixed with a bit of rockabilly vibe. A cohesive and interesting album.
This is more in line with what I have come to expect as a traditional punk sound from growing up. Lots of aggressive guitar, drums and wailing vocals. Helps that its paired with some old school American blues style, which made it grow on me over repeats to the point I would recommend this to friends without too much worry.
would I listen again: no mid rock album
This is a fun run - some good psychobilly tracks here.
Sex Beat 3.7 Preaching the Blues 3.5 Promise Me 3.4 She's Like Heroin to Me 3.4 For the Love of Ivy 3.5 Fire Spirit 3.3 Ghost on the Highway 3.4 Jack on Fire 3.6 Black Train 3.3 Cool Drink of Water 3.6 Goodbye Johnny 3.3 Score: 3.454545455
Ok
勾八的听起来都一样
Quite similar to many of the other post-punk albums on this list. Nothing really spectacular about this. 2.5/5 Won't listen again
This feels like a band I should know more about given the mix of musical influence. Never heard of them prior. I definitely enjoyed the album.
Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Sex Beat, Preaching the Blues, She's Like Heroin to Me I like the blues and I am increasingly liking punk music, and so the fusion of the two genres is pretty dope. The blues genre, in my opinion, doesnt really come out until the middle of the album, so at first I was like, how exactly is this blues music? But by Ghosts on the Highway, the bluesy sound was really starting to shine. I like this.
Who? Bases on the T1001 so far, let me guess, they are a Brit band from the foggy town of Fingringhoe (Essex) who had a hit in 1981 but no one outside of England has ever heard of them. Sound right? Wrong, turns out they're from L.A. and no one from England has ever heard of them. For a 45 year old album no one has ever listened to it, the most popular track "Sex Beat" has just over 10M listens and not another song has over 2.5M. Must hear? Who thought this should be included? This is a REMASTER I'm listening to, who begged the label to remaster it? This got included but we skipped Petty's "Full Moon Fever", INXS "Listen Like Thieves", Journey's "Escape", Weezer "Weezer", Killers "Hot Fuss", Pink Floyd "Animals", etc? This is literally garage rock, no one would pay to hear this. The vocals suck, the songs suck, the musicianship is weak, no hooks or anything to draw the listener in, zero payoff. I've heard better bar bands on a Wednesday night in Beaverton, Oregon. No hits, no good songs, no legacy, no influence. 1 star.
cool drink of water is so insanely good
I think I've heard this before and liked it. Interesting punk but treads the same ground over and over. Can hear the influcnce they had the Pixies. Had high hopes for this one, thought I was missing out on something, but not really. 3 Heard before? Some Owned: No, 88/335 (26%) Will I get: Maybe
I like blues, I like punk, and the good parts are very good, but it often seemed too discordant for good blues and too experimental for good punk
This was pretty good, I reckon Frank Black likes it too.
No a fan of this album
I think I could go to any drop in night at any bar and hear something of this quality.
Nice but generic in my opinion
Eh. This should be right up my alley but this was just kinda meh. Not bad but I didn't love it the way I think I should have on paper. 6/10
New to me, pretty decent
Just...not...in... the...mood... for...this. zero stars
This dude seems like a fucking loser
album cover feels like what the album sounds
Not my ting and dat
not for me
Really rated this, might have to delve deeper into their back catalogue
Love!
Cool sound. Some interesting songs but no real standouts. I enjoyed this. On the 4 side of a 3.5
No strong feelings, kind of boring
It’s fine I guess
Yes, this is nice. But really, one of the 1001 albums you need to hear before you die? No, don't believe it is.
This was a chill album. It was nice to listen to in the background.
Not really my thing, was okay though
An interesting blend of Bauhaus-style punk and rockabilly. This sound is very reminiscent of many punky indie bands and garage blues outfits from the early 00s. But it turns out they got it all from The Gun Club.
Psychobilly. What a great sub-genre. The twangy punk. An homage to Rockabilly, Blues and even Country/Western at times. The Gun Club does a fantastic at producing a unique and (dare I say) revolutionary record for their debut. 4.5 (too long for this listener)
The longer tracks that have this swampy vibe are actually quite amazing. However most of the track are a flavour of punk that just doesn’t work for me. The album art of this album does not at all convey the style what the actual music carries. Also, insane number of members this band had!
surprised me!
So this is where blues punk started. Most albums of that subgenre tend to be a bit rubbish. "Fire of Love", for the first few tracks, wasn't good. However, it redeemed itself in the second half. The cover of "Cool Drink of Water" is the best track. 3 stars for "Fire of Love".
Interesting, unique for LA punk rock 3.5/5
I loved it
- Oh great, more punk - Ok I’m not hating this as much as the other punk records
Another band I was not at all familiar with, but a great post punk discovery. I will listen again, and do a deeper dive on The Gun Club in general.
Solid ok
Overall Rating - 2.86/5 (5.73/10). Overall a decent album. Nothing great, nothing terrible.
Very solid! Never heard of this but I love the punk sound, the dynamics, the combination of some blues elements. Really fun, engaging, creative work. The only thing I wish it had was a little more of an arc across the whole album. Good songs but not quite a complete work. Still fun to listen to! 4/5
Pretty cool
Old School funk - flot albumcover
Interesting mix of blues and punk. Didn't hate it but wasn't my favorite either. 7.25/10 Top song Sex beat
I like the overall vibe and the first side was great though it started to feel repetitive on side b
Доволі оригінальне поєднання блюзу і панку. Єдина притензія хіба до не надто якісного продакшену, але думаю так і задумувалось. А ну і ще альбом у другій половині нормально так просідає. Але це все одно альбом хороший. Оцінка: низька-середня 7
Just a bit shit innit
Weirdly bluesy.
You know what? HELL YEAH. I've never heard of these guys before but I am INTO IT. It's like if The Cramps went to Texas? New obsession forming in three...two...one...
500/1089 - Eh. All of these past albums have been flicks. Where's the cinema? The kino?
Jerry Lee Lewis if he was punk and paranoid. This was great.
Bland English rock
Pretty good punk album. I'm fairly picky with punk, and this was good.
Good album. I hear of them as a precursor to the Paisley Underground round like Green on Red and Dream Syndicate.
not for me but its not bad all the songs sound the same kinda
Never heard of them before That’s the main reason I’m enjoying this experience, if got stuck in a rut listening to the same handful of bands I’ve listened to since I was a teenager. Not sure how the gun club had totally escaped me up until now, because it’s exactly my sort of thing. It’s fucking great Favourite track: preaching the blues
Bueno
Trying so hard they’re Boring.
Verse 3 on For The Love of Ivy. Yeah, I'm not listening to anymore
Kinda like a mix between blues and punk. Okay.
C'était un album de punk. Voilà. Pas grand-chose de plus à dire. Pourtant, si l'on en croit la description de Wikipédia, ce n'est pas non plus n'importe quel album. Visiblement, il a été très influent sur plusieurs artistes, notamment dans le garage rock. Donc j'en conclus qu'il a bien sa place ici, mais sans le contexte, il a l'air plutôt oubliable.
Cool gedaan, die country invloeden door een echt postpunk album. Ik had dit nog nooit geluisterd, erg nice.
Was familiar with this album already, love it. Lots of fun riffs and lyrics about death and lust and fire and all that. You could easily put some 70s British punk singer over these guitars fwiw.
Catchy and rocking. I liked the energy! Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars for me, so I'll round up to a 4.
Extremely cool blues punk. Sounds like a foundational text for a lot of music I loved in high school.
How have I never heard of this band? This is quintessential LA Punk. You can very clearly hear the influence this had on dozens of other bands. This is a good bit of fun. Sounds the way a mosh pit feels.
Audierne
post punk. rock/blues/punk. not bad
Loved this. How had I not heard it before?
To put it mildly, it didn't impress me. By the end it even got tiresome — repetitive arrangements and stupid vocals
A constellation burst out of this assignment, and I’m astounded I never heard them. Wipers, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, a dash of Violent Femmes, later bands like the White Stripes, all and more in conversation with this bright little record.
Wow - did not expect to like this so much as I'm often bored by what I thought it draws from, and later inspired. However, it's a really a great mix of styles that pioneers "alt" stuff I love like early Pixies and recent Goat Girl, packed with tunes and cool sounds. I'll check 'em out in full.
Decent 4
Nothing remarkable about this light punk record than that I have no idea why this is on this list.
the cover catfished me into thinking this would be good.
This was a very pleasant surprise. The album cover art left no clues to this gritty lo-fi rockabilly-esque gem
Unremarkable
Look the album is fire, but why is a song named 'THE Fire of Love' better the entire album but not inside the album?
naj
Den skiva her er så jævlig underrated -- og jeg er medskyldig. Hvorfor har denne aldri kommet inn i rotasjonen til tross for at jeg har hørt den flere ganger? Her er det bare å legge seg flat! Hadde vi hatt Violent Femmes og Meat Puppets uten The Gun Club? Høres ikke sånn ut! Det mister litt energi etter sidebytte slik at entusiasmen min ikke er like raus idet jeg faktisk skal gi skiva en karakter, men det endrer igrunn ingenting: fett, innflytelsesrikt, unikt, og utvilsomt et album man skal høre.
Kom aldri lenger enn "Mother of Earth" på min reise i The Gun Clubs verden. Den er til gjengjeld jævlig fet, men låter ikke som noe annet The GC har laget, har jeg skjønt. Fire of Love anerkjenner opphavet og tar punken tilbake til bluesen. Jeg blir fan fra første låt. Det minner meg også om Jon Spencer Blues Explosion og 16 Horsepower, som jo er bra. Jeg har vært heldig for å ha hatt de to banda med meg så lenge, men jeg kan godt være grådig og si at jeg gjerne skulle hatt med Gun Club i tillegg.
This is #day645 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to some psychobilly/post-punk from the early '80s. I've come across the cover a few times, but never actually got around to listening to it until today. This album definitely deserves a higher score than its current rating suggests. If there's more late '70s-early '80s weird shit, bring it on, and I'll gladly take care of it. "Cool Drink of Water Blues" weirdly rang a bell from hell knows where. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day646.
6/10… cowpunk / psychoblues / *1981
Ok, didn't capture me. 3/5
Liked it more than most punk
Sounds like the inspiration for The Pixies. 2.5
The idea of combining punk with blues sounds interesting on paper, but the implementation sucks.
Not for me, 2 stars
I didn’t hate this. I bet it was fun to see this group live. I did hear at least one N-word which gave me pause. A lot of the songs sounded the same.
Not bad. Good.
3 songs in and nothing jumps out as being special so far. It’s just ordinary Eighties punk, but maybe influential, I guess. I think maybe the Violent Femmes did it better. Ok for a one off listen, but doubt it should have been included on a list like this. 2.5 stars
A good, not great album. I can see how it was influential, but it's too similar to The Cramps or X to be significant.
Alright, another 1980s punk/new wave album. Interestingly, the band is American rather than British like most of the random new wave bands. It does have some blues and country influences in the guitar playing, but mostly just sounds like basic post-punk. The songwriting isn't very notable, and neither are the lyrics. While the songs are energetic, none of them are particularly enjoyable, and the album is more boring than anything else. The vocalist is actually very annoying at times, and it's pretty much the only thing on the album that inspires actual emotion. An absolute nothingburger of an album that is rightfully consigned to the dustbin of history.
Kind of punk rock/garage rock from the early 80’s. Not bad. Some good songs for sure, a lot of same sounding stuff though.
An actual forgotten masterpiece.
Я відчувала легке роздратування під час прослуховування
Interesting but not surprised that I'd never heard of this band before. Seems more like a scene than a band.
I love classic punk, and i also love early alternative music... then I listened to this album, and I "GET" what is going on here as far as being unique and influential, AND I did enjoy it to an extent, but wasn't hitting the right way as classic punk or early alternative usually hits. It's not you, it's me.
What a nice surprise with this album. Nice punk roots along with the jazz sound. Would have been fun to see them in a small club.
I listened to this album on my first patrol walk around the parking garage of our new work building. My perception of The Gun Club's Fire of Love took a series of unexpected turns. At first, I was intrigued by this album's approximation of early rock and blues, even if its energy quickly became a bit too manic for me. The songs on this album sometimes felt split between a slower blues tempo and faster rock sensibilities, leaving them feeling awkwardly torn between the two; the songs where the band more fully commits to a punk sound typically were the strongest points on the album. But the more I listened to this album, the more confused I became about The Gun Club's vibe. The prominent portrayals of scary black people on the cover at first just seemed like an innocuous choice, but then I was absolutely taken aback by the sudden appearance of the n-word on For the Love of Ivy and Black Train, and suddenly I had to interrogater how I felt about what this album was trying to do and say. I don't believe The Gun Club to be maliciously racist, but at best, this lyrical choice seems ill-advised; it's as if the band is attempting to use these images and this language as a provocative counterculture symbol, but that feels reductive. True punk spirit would punch up at institutions of power, not making provocative points at the expense of marginalized groups. It seems clear that the word is being used in character, but that character is poorly fleshed out and not nearly clear enough to even come close to landing whatever artistic statement would even come somewhat close to justifying the language choice (and for the record, according to my preliminary research, even the other members of the band were against using the word). What once made a first impression as an interesting slice of early punk thast just wasn't for me only soured the more I dwelled on it, and while I can appreciate it for its place in history, I get almost nothing out of this album personally. Highlights: She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy
Just ok, I liked the punk part but blues is very simple
Was stoked to dive into this record. My knowledge of music history is sparse but I know from listening to a lot of modern bands that I'm always excited when I get to discover new punk and rock records. The cover art is simple but effective, and I was liking it... Up until the gratuitous use of the n-word. It may be him doing a character or playing up the absurdity. Maybe it isn't serious enough for me to be so harsh, and I can tell its genre mixing of punk and blues was novel for its time. But using this album as my only reference, to me it's just not excusable every which way you slice it. It really was shaping up to be 3 stars but I bumped it down to a 1. Beyond that, there are quite a few enjoyable songs, but it did become a little repetitive as I listened through.
Oh yeah, that’s nice. Like winterfresh mouthwash after eating yesterday’s turd.
I love this evil little album
Listened to A side of the album and the next song after. Didn't need to listen to the rest, absolutely mid! I don't know why this album is in top 1001 albums to listen to. Skippable for sure
Review - an '80s punk band I'd never listened to. What a treat. They get referred to as rockabilly which I think always put me off. But they're a lot more like Wipers than The Cramps. Good stuff Score - 7/10 Need to listen? YES
Punk-country, punkabilly, punk infused with Americana - call it what you will, but it’s not my thing. For those that say this is a proto-Pixies or Violent Femmes album, I’m just not hearing the same things that you are. I mean, I guess it was…fine… 2⭐️
Not all that bad really, and far better than some of the reviews would lead you to believe. Still, whilst it was good for the most part, I'm not sure it will have much of a lasting impression.
Could've been better
Nooo me llamó la atención pero es una gran banda
Sometimes quite nice, but mostly just o.k. and a bit repetitive. favourite: "Sex Beat" 2,5
Meh this was fine. My first time coming across The Gun Club, and it seems to blend into other bands and music I’ve heard before but can’t exactly pin down, which is maybe its downfall. Don’t get me wrong, I love punk rock. There’s good energy, I like the blues influence, and it’s fun, as any good punk rock album should be. I probably like the guitar in Fire Song more than others, and I liked Goodbye Johnny but this is a more ambivalent “I guess?” than any strong feeling. If you put this album on, would I complain? No. But would I actively reach for it or have any burning desire to come back to it? Nah. Am I losing my faith in punk rock more than a mood? Perhaps.
This is serviceable music, but nothing beyond that. If we ignore the lyrics, the opening track sounds like a perfect candidate for an intro theme from an early-2000s animated series. I almost found myself looking for a Beyblade or a duel disk. Most of the songs follow a similar structure, and while they’re not bad, there isn’t much to them either. If it wasn't obvious by now, I liked "Sex Beat" and "She's like Heroin to Me".
I enjoyed the first three songs on the album. The fusion of the punky angst with bluesy guitars is unique to my ears! After these three songs, I lost interest She's Like Heroin To Me and For the Love of Ivy sound really similar to me, and are a little annoying. I found the rest of the songs to be repetitive and found myself losing interest. Favorite Tracks: Sex Beat Preaching the Blues Promise Me
You Will Never Get My Soul 1001 Albums Generator 280 (4/29/2026) Me: Surely he won't say any slurs on this album. The humble N-word: Anyway, that honestly doesn't bother me too much. Fire of Love is the debut album by The Gun Club and it is a unique blend of punk, blues, and old school Rock'n'Roll. Sex Beat and She's Like Heroin to me are really simple, powerful punk. Promise Me is really strange and interesting; it see The Gun Club in a more chill sound and it never feels like it's fully settled. Strange things happening with the time signatures too, which I can't quite figure out. However, I don't like a lot of this album, especially the second half. Black Train is fun, but Cool Drink of Water is really overlong and annoying. Very mixed bag here, feeling a 2.5/5, rounded down to a 2. Favs: Sex Beat Promise Me She's Like Heroin To Me Least Fav: Cool Drink of Water
143. ok
Meh. Algunas son molestas, algunas son buenas, normal qcy
Det her va ganske fornøyelig punk. Ikke sånt æ tror æ kommer til å høre mye på framover, men sånt æ blei glad av å høre på mens æ hørte på det!
One of the weaker punk albums Ive listened to. Clearly the musicians have talent but the singer is awful. Nothing on this album warrants it being on this list.
kinda cool 3.5
It's a 5, raw, garage, throw in Iggy, punk, blues and Rockabilly influences and go for it. But at least we know who Frank Blacks dad is, and it sounds like he may have been responsible for Jack White as well 🤣
*1981. LA punk rock. *Sounds a bit like the Violent Femmes, who I don't care for... Not bad, but just never something I would be in the mood for. *Kind of country at times, kinda bluesy, mostly rockabilly. *I think I could appreciate this after several listens, but I have no desire to listen again. RATING - 5.5/10
first song good, rest was a bit of a wash
Sounds like punk paying homage to its roots (rock). It was an interesting blend of singing and talk-singing, but the vocalist is out of tune, which took away from my listening experience (2.5-3).
Kind of cool, but also kind of tone deaf? Which I mean literally, I'm not sure the singer can hear tones. It's frenetic and exciting in a way which I think requires an attentive ear to the lyrics to properly appreciate, which I'm maybe not giving it. There are some pretty cool grooves and riffs in here. The slightly detuned, twangy guitar feel reminds me of early Metronomy. Having said that, I'm really struggling to listen to it, by which I mean it also has some of the less fun qualities of nails on a chalkboard.
Jamais écouté avant. J'en espérais beaucoup, mais c'est loupé... Un album pionnier, sans doute, mais le mélange de punk et d'americana ne fonctionne pas vraiment ici. L'agression punk est édulcorée, le chant est brouillon, les inspirations blues n'ajoutent pas suffisamment d'âme et de vista mélodique pour compenser. D'autres feront tellement mieux avec les mêmes ingrédients... Top : Sex Beat Flop : For the Love of Ivy
2.5
First Listen; 3.5; This is a band and album I'm surprised that I've never heard before. Right up my alley - lo-fi, driving, punk/new wave/indie sound. I really like the sound of the guitar, distorted, jangly open chords, off-kilter leads; straight-forward drums; and yelping vocals. As to whether or not this is one of the albums you have to hear before you die, I'm not sure, but it's one I really like. Reminds me a lot of Angry Samoans and Parquet Courts. Favorite Track: Preaching the Blues
Like proto-Pixies. Fab.
Number: 106 Date: 04/18/2026 Artist: The Gun Club Album: Fire Of Love Year: 1981 Genre: Psychobilly Punk Familiarity: Well‑versed Rating: Before: ======= I am quite familiar with the Gun Club but not this particular album which is their debut. I have their 2nd album, Miami, and used to listened to it all the time back in the day. There is nothing else quite like it when you want that particular vibe. During: ======= 4 Sex Beat 5 Preaching The Blues 3 Promise Me 4 She's Like Heroin To Me 4 For The Love Of Ivy 4 Fire Spirit 4 Ghost On The Highway 3 Jack On Fire 3 Black Train 2 Cool Drink Of Water 3 Goodbye Johnny ----------------------------------------------------- 3.46 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= Miami is a much better album than this one, albeit slightly more polished, I must say. I went on to listen to that after finishing with Fire of Love. 3 my personal rating 4 suitability for this list 5 impact ----------------------------------------------- 4 composite rating
Awesome rock'n'roll album, took the blues and americana and made it punk. It rocks pretty hard
This got better the more I listened to it
idk if it's just because i listened to this at 8am but his voice is so god damn annoying
Vocals ruined it for me.
I thought the start of the album was great however the rest of the album doesn’t live up to the start but overall an alright album
Shite
The Cramps + Velvet Underground + Television + Rolling Stones + The Clash and mix in delta blues.
Rockabilly bluesy punky vibes. Pretty cool but not my favorite
I am nearly half way through the list and I have heard quite a few albums that sound pretty similar to this. Unfortunately most of the others did it better.
First Gun Club album I've done cover to cover and thought it was excellent. Stooges with blues licks
Very interesting. Will probably never listen again.
Not wholly terrible but not wholly good either
Meh. 2 stars, not really grabbing me.
Punk just doesn't work for me. 2 stars
Ma che è sta roba.
kinda punk
beat sex of love fire spirit fire WATER GASOLINEEEEE
Punk verging on post punk. There’s anger, but it’s nicely restrained and songs actually feel structured
this sounds like a generic album from the 80s
Enjoyed this more than some of the previous punk albums. Reminiscent of Rolling Stones sometimes but with a bit of a twang
Ok
94
3 decent
Lowkey bootyhole
Really good