Reviews (page 2 of 7)
Richman vibe, i.e. lofi/proto-punk cannot get less than five out of five.
Love this band and love this album. Raw garage punk rock at its finest. Miami is my favorite GC album though. So I won't officially give 5 stars here, but will round up to 5. 4.5/5 #195
Throw away all the boring genre labels with modifying adjectives, this is stripped down, amped up, spun out good time rock and roll with old fashioned beats and classic guitar sounds and timelessly charismatic vocals.
I lik it.
Man, there's so much stuff in that '76-'84 period that's so interesting and totally new to me, stitching together all kinds of influences together and leaving a trail of influenced afterwards. Just the first couple tracks here tie together the blues to The Pixies. Then it's a kind of rockabilly punk. So much going on in here it's like a musical missing link. Great discovery. 4.5 stars
genuinely this was fucking banging I enjoyed greatly
Fantastic time capsule. Great attitude, sticky tunes. This album is legendary!
Raw, swampy punk-blues chaos that crackles with danger. Every note feels like setting fire to midnight.
Never heard of them. Very much enjoyed this album.
Blues and Punk! Awesome!
An absolute country-punk classic. Damn good album.
loved it, if you like modern garage psych stuff like Osees or King Gizz you can't go wrong with this one.
That was sick
This is right up my alley. Great stuff! I appreciate the energy, the creativity, the musicianship, the quality of the recording... it's just a fantastic example of intelligent post punk.
not enough stars for this one, God bless you Jeffery Lee
Furious, primal blues. Fear and lust and avarice all bundled together - all dressed up like an Elvis from hell. Jack White studied this closely! Five stars
Where has this been my whole life? Demented blues punk and the singer sounds weirdly like Jonathan Richman. It's like if someone merged the Modern Lovers with the band playing instruments made from corpses in From Dusk Til Dawn. Slaps.
Knew I recognised the name but it only clicked once for the love of ivy came on. As well as covering the song there are a lot of clear influences on Japandroids, little turns of phrase and the general sound really. Must be super influential on garage rock. This sort of music benefits from better recording/production options so it sounds a bit thinner than you'd like but the song quality shines through. At the time this must have been incredible. 4.5.
Five stars awarded for outstanding achievement in the field of overall vibes. Am I able to hum any of the melodies after listening to this? No. Did the album feel great from start to finish? Yes.
I was definitely surprised by this album. For me this is much more interesting than X or The Cramps who come across as very simple or novelty based, the album is musically wild and adept at the same time. They don’t just bang out Psychobilly rants. Everything sounds very tight and beautiful even at its wildest.
Good stuff
The Gun Club really nails this great combination of blues and punk, with some tracks even carrying a strong country vibe. The punk element gives their music a rebellious edge, while the blues brings a gritty, raw feel to it. On top of that, they have a wonderful Gothic Americana vibe that truly sets them apart from any other punk band out there. If I were ever to make a list of my top songs of all time, “Sex Beat” would definitely be on it. It’s one of my absolute favorite tracks.
sex beat seeeehr cool irgendwie ultra attitude. preaching the blues isch afoch sehr geile new wave punk aber au no blue i love it? nai fr fr huere geil. ah isch auno robert johnson. super cooli version. promisenme mega ruhig aber groovy mit de geld wo macht de rhythmus. d giige wo sich durezieht wird mit de ziit fast unagnehm aber das isch glaub de sinn. shes like heroin to me au uuuhuere cool country rhythmus aber punk? hammer. for the love of ivy findi au wieder super dynamik macht sache es isch uhuere crushed de mix mit de drums finds suuuper. hittet gad en spot das album. fire spirit mega coole stöhner hahah. etz sehr simpel aber de song. ghost on the highway insano coole titel sehr cooli giti ufem song moll. jack on fire wär sochli en talkng heads deep cut. isch okay. "i will fuck you until you die" okay nice aha. kalte wassrt blues coole blues i like. ich find alles mega geil??? goodbye johnny au wieder afoch sochli hässige rockabilly suuuper cool. aso weni keis füfi gib denn nume meeega knapp. super guets album mega kreativ hässig uf e gueti art und glich kohärent obwohls so stil vermischt und so. riese fan.
Fantastic, high energy, punk-blues-rock-a-billy. There were a couple bands pulling together some of the same threads at the time (Cramps, X,…) and this is as great as any of them. Definitely shaped other bands to come…
Good energy. A great way to start a week. I think i have Sex Beat on a couple of playlists.
I really enjoyed this album. Great mix of punk/post punk/psychobilly and stuff that bands I love had to be inspired by. Great stuff.
Wow, I had never heard these guys before and that was definitely my loss. Every song on here is amazing. Punk infused with blues. I love it.
"Fire of Love" is a raw version of The Gun Club, but they eventually came under the wing of Chris Stein (Blondie) and made "Miami" a major-label debut and then later, "Mother Juno" with Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. Jeffrey Lee Pierce & Co had quite a trajectory, and "Fire of Love" is where it all started--naked and screaming.
I just discovered one of the best bands I've ever heard in my life through this. Right on.
Great album
Such a great album! Perfect from front to back.
Oh, sweet memories!
What a fun listen! Never heard of a band like this before. Jammed out hard.
It feels like every garage band white strips wanna be can trace their origins to this album. Like the velvet underground for early 2000s music snobs
Never heard of this band. Interesting mash up of punk, blues and country. I don't think I've ever heard a band that sounds like this before. Wild stuff.
Unfamiliar with this. They got my attention with the opening riff and kept it for the whole record. I started the bugger over again when it was done. I hope the rest of the discography is like this, as I'll be looking into it next.
So cool!
Punk blues - could be from anywhere between 1976 and 2029! Absolute genius, hard to believe it was a debut, other than how focussed it is. Another band I plan to explore more fully when I don't get a new album each day - think my "after the list" list is rapidly closing in on 1001 albums as well! Word of advice (for those who don't know the band already) - listen first, even if you usually read the wiki; if only so you can have a guess when this was recorded
I go back to The Gun Club time and time again. It really brings the Fire
Fire Of Love is an album clearly made on bad drinks and questionable medicines, and suitable for fans of the raw, hyped-up, uncontrolled feel of the first Pixies albums or the late punk. And this is not even their best work
This is one of those "how on earth have I never heard of this band before" revelations. This album is so good and apparently hugely influential on subsequent punk and garage rock bands. The music is a great combo of punk, rock, and hard edged delta blues. I found it interesting to learn that lead Jeffrey Pierce was influenced by acts as diverse as Sparks, Genesis, Roxy Music, Blondie (with Debbie Harry singing on The Gun Club's second album), and Bob Marley. Unusual influences yield unique music, I suppose. You'd also think Pierce came from somewhere on the Mississippi Delta, but he's from California. This their debut album and it sounds great from start to finish. Hard to pick favorite tracks, but I'll go with the two blues covers (Preaching the Blues and Cool Drink of Water), Promise Me (love the unusual beat), She's Like Heroin to Me (great straightforward punk), and Ghost on the Highway (great rocker). Oh, and Fire Spirit, Jack on Fire (harsh lyrics, though), and Goodbye Johnny. The only moment I sort of didn't like was the end of For the Love of Ivy where Pierce got a little weird. Plus the lyrics on that track are concerning - maybe he's mocking a redneck hick with his "I was hunting for n****rs in the dark" line, but I watched a live video and the drummer had a confederate flag wadded up in his bass drum. Um, yeah. Black Train also had similarly concerning lyrics. Hopefully they're just playing a part/being ironic. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, particularly with the musical debt they owe to delta blues. Overall, this is one seriously awesome album.
Curti demais, fodas
蛮复古
This was really good. Interesting blending of rockabilly and punk. Can really see how it would be super influential.
Very good
Loved it! What a gem. Sounded like it could have been made yesterday never mind 1981!
I was surprised by how much I really liked this. A truly unique punk album.
Fuzzy punk rock, I love it.
Well I'll be damned! In my review of Pixies' "Doolittle" I described them as "mirror universe indie rock" because it's always seemed to me that Pixies emerged fully formed with their own weirdly idiosyncratic style, seemingly unrelated to everything that came before. Well here it is, the missing link! Within the first couple of tracks I was on wikipedia checking whether The Gun Club was some sort of Pixies prequel band some or all of the members were previously involved in, it felt so much cut from the same cloth... Very happy with the 1001 project today - have that satisfying feeling of a missing puzzle piece sliding into place! 🧩 Fave tracks - "Sex Beat", "Preaching the Blues", and "She's Like Heroin To Me" all get the album off to an absolutely cracking start. Gonna have to give it more listens to pick out the highlights from later in the album...
I really like this, it’s a good punk band. I’ve never heard of them before, but I definitely wanna check out more music from them. 5/5
Another one of those bands I always meant to listen to but didn't for whatever reason. Instantly liked this a lot. I don't usually give out a 5 for a first listen but here we are.
Sounds like part of a movie soundtrack that intros you to cool obscure music like on Pulp Fiction, Dirty Dancing and Baby Driver. They sound a bit wild louch and playful - and I do likes me a bit of freeform hooting on an album from time to time to mix it up... and the slow drum bits. [side musing: It might be that when punk lacks vitriol its very enjoyable!] I magine a live show would be good entertainment from these clowns. I assume they didnt stick around Is it bad/good/punky Alt Country? A punk Elivs revival ? Or is this related to the Leningrad Cowboys? somethign about it makes me smile. Surpsingly good fun. and varied (without crossing the line to annoying). Unboring. 4 rounded up to 5 for making me smile, and ...for the reason I want to hear it again and appear cool and highbrow in an obscure while doing so. :-)
Is it terrible that I guessed the singer was already dead from the moment I heard the first song? It seems like it might be. This is terrific though; it still sounds fresh as hell.
Briljant! Faan vad jag känner mig cool när jag lyssnar på det här. Vill börja röka och bära solglasögon inomhus, driva runt på stan och mucka gräl. Brukar ju oftast gravitera mer mot brittiskt än amerikanskt när det kommer till punk, men här vävs amerikansk blues- och americanakultur in så bra i den punkiga grunden. Det perfekta giftermålet mellan 40-talets blues och den nya punken. 'Sex Beat' är en perfekt öppningslåt på ett punkalbum. Älskar också 'Preaching the Blues', 'She's Like Heroin to Me', Ghost on the Highway' och 'Jack on Fire'. Lite suspekt att n-ordet används två gånger i albumet. Läste runt lite om det och väljer att tolka det mer som att JLP spelar en karaktär, och vill chocka lite. För att citera Thåströms Dylan-pastich: "Ingen sjunger blues som Jeffrey Lee Pierce". Hans röst skär fan som en kniv. Bästa låt: Svårt att välja här, rätt jämn nivå. 'Sex Beat', 'She's Like Heroin to Me', eller 'Ghost on the Highway'.
Really cool punk!
Definetely in the top 10 of the greatest punk rock records of all time, arguably in the top 3. Classic.
Sex beat, go!
Not surprised to read (early) Pixies and the Birthday Party mentioned on the same page as these now I'm hearing it for the first time. The progenitors of those greats. Elements of the Cramps in here to to my ear. And this is a fantastic album. Absolutely breathless, and never a comfortable listen.
Was frightened to be walking into another post punk nonsense album but this kicks ass. Definite forefather to the late 90s early 00s garage rock revival sound I hold dear, especially a lot of the Detroit bands from that era that you can hear in this album. If I would’ve heard this shit in 1981 I would’ve lost my goddamned mind
10/10
Jamming post punk. A good time all the way through.
Really cool
This is the go to Gun Club album
This album is a phenomenal work of post punk with a gothic country feel. The songs have a simmering quality with a driving Bakersfield beat slowed down which creates almost a menacing quality that persists throughout. This music is highly influential and has been cited by Jack White as a major influence as can be heard in the garage revival of the early 2000s.
Heeft mij absoluut verrast. Simpele maar complete muziek, fijne gitaar, goeie vocals. Topalbum die zeker in de rotatie gaat
Might I suggest if you have never heard this album put it on your list of things to do today. You'll not be disappointed.
Classic punk!
The first four Gun Club albums are all classics - always liked The Las Vegas Story the most - less blues and more new wave / post-punk -I guess it is not on the list but really should- but in any case Fire Of Love is great too, punk-blues might be the best qualification. It is quite intense and needs to be played as loud as possible.
Prva petica za nekog kog nisam čuo nikad, nego otkrio preko ovoga. Svaku pjesmu sam pravo uživao i svaka čast, hvala generatoru! Mješavina tolko podžanrova and it fuckin works beautifully HOLY FUCKING SHIT, polagano ću ja diskografiju slušat.
2/16/22
I am very familiar with THE GUN CLUB’s FIRE OF LOVE, which I have and liked very much. After re-listening to FIRE OF LOVE, I’ve grown to appreciate it more, however, I feel that MIAMI is the superior release and should be the second GUN CLUB album in the list. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, THE GUN CLUB’s FIRE OF LOVE Is the only album listed. Rate Artist: THE GUN CLUB (5.0) Rate Album (Year): FIRE OF LOVE (UK 1988 Original) (5.0) Rate Album (Year): FIRE OF LOVE (US 2004 Expanded) (5.0) Ranking of THE GUN CLUB - FIRE OF LOVE songs No. Title Length Ranking 1-01 Sex Beat 2:48 09.5/10 1-02 Preaching The Blues 4:01 10.0/10 1-03 Promise Me 2:38 09.5/10 1-04 She's Like Heroin To Me 2:35 09.0/10 1-05 For The Love Of Ivy 5:37 10.0/10 1-06 Fire Spirit 2:49 09.5/10 1-07 Ghost On The Highway 2:46 10.0/10 1-08 Jack On Fire 4:45 10.0/10 1-09 Black Train 2:13 10.0/10 1-10 Cool Drink Of Water 6:19 10.0/10 1-11 Goodbye Johnny 3:47 09.5/10 US 1988 Original Release 107.0/110 = 9.73 / 2 = 4.86 Bonus Tracks: 1-12 Bad Indian (Alternate Version) 2:25 10.0/10 1-13 Cool Drink Of Water (Alternate Version) 1:00 08.0/10 1-14 Fire Of Love (Alternate Version) 1:49 10.0/10 1-15 For The Love Of Ivy (Alternate Version) 5:33 10.0/10 1-16 Ghost On The Highway (Alternate Version) 2:47 10.0/10 US Deluxe 2020 (% Bonus) Release 155.0/180 = 9.69 / 2 = 4.84
A very fun album; I like how they mixed several styles together.
One of those groups I've heard mentioned but I don't think actually listened to before now. Definitely motivated to check out more. Can I assume Black Francis was a fan?
Very good! Love the blues-punk fusion.
August 2, 2021 This is really cool! I had no idea this band existed but this album combines some of my favourite musical influences (punk & blues, apparently?)
Like some of the best albums we've heard so far, this one feels so ahead of its time. Really lays the foundation for a myriad of garage punk acts to follow. I can hear the influence on Japandroids, the White Stripes, and loads more.
Me gusta mucho la música que suena peligrosa. Y sucia. De sudor sexoroso y sudor de cruda. Uno de mis discos favoritos.
El post punk angelino es siempre un SÍ. Además tienen grandes canciones y una producción que ya le gustaría a Dream Syndicate en sus primeros discos. Sí rotundo
Muy chido. Qué gran sorpresa descubrir esta banda. Me gustó todo el disco pero sobretodo she's like heroin to me y ghost on the highway que tienen ese efecto desenfrenado, torpe, estresa de algún modo. Mood: Amsiedad
Liked this
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
Dirty goodness
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.
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.
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
Yes, this is nice. But really, one of the 1001 albums you need to hear before you die? No, don't believe it is.
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)
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
I like the overall vibe and the first side was great though it started to feel repetitive on side b
Good album. I hear of them as a precursor to the Paisley Underground round like Green on Red and Dream Syndicate.
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
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.
post punk. rock/blues/punk. not bad
Decent 4
This was a very pleasant surprise. The album cover art left no clues to this gritty lo-fi rockabilly-esque gem
Look the album is fire, but why is a song named 'THE Fire of Love' better the entire album but not inside the album?
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.
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.
An actual forgotten masterpiece.
Oh yeah, that’s nice. Like winterfresh mouthwash after eating yesterday’s turd.
Nooo me llamó la atención pero es una gran banda
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!
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
Shite
beat sex of love fire spirit fire WATER GASOLINEEEEE
Sorry libérals but I like post punk. It's like punk but they deliver packages too. Unfortunately no catchy parcels
Day818 - well this is a surprise. my streak of really good albums continues
I'd only heard For the Love of Ivy before, but I really like the psychobilly feel to the whole album. Some of the lyrics are pretty cringe tho.
Love the five song breakdown from She's Like Heroin to Me to Jack on Fire. JLP was an actual lunatic and it translates to this manic assembly. The comedown from that on Black Train and Cool Drink of Water is great too but the swell of energy off those five tracks is down the highway at 120mph excitement. Favorite Tracks: everything from She's Like Heroin to me to Jack on Fire
Good solid post punk album. I can’t get the “this is where it all started” type vibes, probably because I have listened to a lot that followed it. If it was the pathway to many more bands then kudos to them
New to me, but I really enjoyed this. Bluesy and punky
Love this sound.
virkelig funky ift. genreblend. Det var sjovt nok også det første jeg tænkte da jeg så det og derfor glædede jeg mig virkelig meget til at lytte til det. Jeg blev heller ikke skuffet. Jeg synes det er virkelig godt, det har en rigtig god blanding af post-punk attitude, lækre melodier og hooks og gode guitarspil. LYden af den blander roots, blues rock og punk på en måde der bare får det til at lyde nyt er mega fedt. åbenbart lagt bane for pixies og the white stripes. Den har blandt Psychobilly/gothic roots rock som er lyden af dødsdrevet energi, sydstats gotik og voodoosymbolik. det ved jeg ikke hvor gennemtrængende jeg synes er. Kort sagt tog den bare gammel bluesmytologi, punkenergi og gotik og blandede til en ny lyd af rock.
Favorite track(s): Sex Beat, She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Ghost on the Highway
This is the Gun Club album I usually come back to. After enjoying it again this morning, I revisited Miami and realized I need to give the others another chance
still a classic. a bit same-y throughout but still great music
great!!!
Live these guys. Absolutely an essential listening album
This was a nice change. Kept my interest, I’ll revisit.
Another band I was aware of, but somehow missed listening to in the 80s. I’m always down for some cowpunk/punkabilly, and so I liked this more than expected. Reminded me of some other under-the-radar bands of the same period like the Rave Ups doing similar stuff. Only these guys had more of an edge. Fun listen.
Wasn't sure what to expect when I read: "they were one of the firsts in the punk rock subculture to incorporate influences from blues, rockabilly, and country music." Then I heard Preaching the Blues...and I liked it. Peters out a bit towards the end, but still an enjoyable enough surprise for me to round up. 3.5/5
Fun punk with a solid beat.
7 - GOOD
Great record! It's ramshackle in all the right ways, held together by rhythm guitar just tight enough to let everything else flare out as it will. Jeffery Lee Pierce wants to be a punk Jim Morrison or something so badly it makes his shortcomings all the more poignant. He's the greatest bad singer of the era.
this was dope, i like punk
Proto Pixies vibe
Awesome. You could have convinced me this came out a decade or two later and I would have believed you. Definitely on the same wavelength as the Cramps, but with a completely different tone. Pretty awesome.
Punk, Pós punk,blues... Junta mais alguma coisa e sai esse disco e... Legal d+! KZ ZVX.
It's weird, but good. Kinda like a hillbilly discovering punk for the first time. The vocals are a bit weak in places, but the slide guitar carries it well.
It’s like punk rock and the doors together. 4.5 stars!
soort van iets gestroomlijnder versie van Cramps gemixt met Violent Femmes... me like!
Kinda generic early 80s punk, good listen
This is so rad. I love the style and whine of this punk record. Very much up my alley, and an album I'll certainly add to my rotation. 8/10
Some questionable lyrics, even for the early 80s but I liked the music
Rockabilly on steroids. This was a lot of fun.
Rockin jazzy beats and the instrumental was good
fun but no further observations
7/10
Never heard of these guys but I thought they were pretty decent.
Not really something I would consider to be in my wheelhouse, but I liked this quite a bit nonetheless. 4 stars
A strange mix of Post-Punk Rock, Psychobilly, and Blues. I quite liked it,
I've heard of this, but never listened to it before. Really good. Very much enjoy the steel guitar and general punk/country/blues vibes. Favorite - "Preaching the Blues" never heard it, loved it. This came up the day after Dinasaur Jr.'s "You're Living All Over Me" from 1987 and it is great listen to 2 albums that more or less bookend the 80's with such cool rock music. Goes against my preconceived idea that the 80's had decent but not "cool" music. The Replacements tomorrow?? Not my favorite singer, and it did drag a little towards the end after a great start. Solid 4 stars
Classic punk, never heard of these guys but I dig it.
Can see how Pixies and specifically Black Francis' vocal was inspired by this. Impressed!
I like it- still listening to it.
really enjoyed it, i think i need to get into punk
You can absolutely see how this would influence bands like Pixies, Black Lips, or Jack White in the future.
Rad. The kind of album that tools word rock roots and pushed them a step further. The beginnings of what would become bands like the Strange Boys. Off kilter, a little bit out of tune, and a feeling like you’re a little bit sick or delirious.
Loved it! Great punk rock music, with a couple of blues riffs thrown in.
I did not research the Gun Club, nor did I imagine I had never heard them. More a thing where I never connected "oh, this band" with "that" song. The thing is that in my past, in a sense, this hybrid movement from punk to post-punk, this in-between and following several band I really like through this process of re-imaging a genre... The Gun Club is right in that mix and it is once again "up my alley" music wise. It feels like the kind of music I would embrace in a small club out somewhere. In fact it IS the kind of music I did seek in early underground clubs. So for me there is a sense of belonging, a sense of "Oh, this is my kind of music, my 'peeps.'" Also it never gets boring and is sometimes fun and clever!
Nunca había escuchado a los Gun Club. La verdad, por la portada, creí que sería un disco de rap o de hip hop, y resultó ser una mezcla muy afortunada entre punk, rock, psichobilly, blues, rock cincuentero y quién sabe qué tanta cosa más. Muchas canciones geniales, un disco considerablemente divertido y en resumen 40 minutos en los que uno se la pasa muy bien.
Had never heard of this before - and after reading the Wikipedia really didn’t think I would like it but I ended up really enjoying it! Similar to the violent femmes to me. Lots of the reviews mention iggy pop and I got the stooges album yesterday what a coincidence
Hot naar her, maar zeker hot.
Love the mix of punk and rusty-sounding guitar riffs. Also just an incredibly horny album
Pretty cool punk ish style! 3.75
The mixing of different styles is cool, but I don't see myself listening to it again anytime soon apart from one song that I liked. A good one time listen.
L'énergie des Sex Pistols avec une touche de blues. Pas mal mais j'ai de la misère, comme pour mettons les Germs ou Dead Kennedies, à m'imaginer un contexte où j'écouterais ça.
No. 81 never heard of this band. A very early 80s punk sound but I noticed some elements of country/Americana showing up on some songs.
An interesting take on punk. Catchy, fun to listen to, and with enough personality of its own to make it worthwhile.
Really liked the energy
Blind album and artist. Thoroughly impressed for being 80s and I thought it was very unique and catchy.
1981 galera. os cara tavam fazendo esse som em 1981. puta merda.
brutal d+. dá pra ouvir a influência desse aqui em várias banda até mais recentes. doideiraça. mas tá aí, hein. talvez a única vertente do country que eu curta: cowpunk. bacana demais, achei divertidaço!! e de fato hein. 1981 e os cara tava quebrano a porra toda, pra frentex demais, o pixies bebeu dessa fonte aqui até o cu faze biquim
Fire of Love was my first encounter with The Gun Club, yet the riff from Preaching the Blues felt strangely familiar, and it stayed in my head long after listening. Reading about the band afterward added another layer: learning that Romi Mori, a Japanese woman, once played bass in the band, and that she had photographed a cover for The Smiths, caught my attention. I was also struck by how closely Jeffrey Lee Pierce was connected to Japan — his ashes were scattered in Kyoto, where I happen to live now. It’s nothing more than coincidence, really, but it gave me an unexpected sense of closeness. It reminded me that music isn’t shaped by sound alone, but also by the stories and contexts we bring to it.
Kind of a weird bluesy, rockabilly punk. I actually enjoyed this quite a bit more than I initially thought that I would. Preaching the Blues is a fun one that reminds me of something that I cannot quite put my finger on. Fire Spirit is fun to drum along to. Cool Drink of Water is a nice laid back bluesy sprawl. Lowest of 4s for me. Vocals were rough, but this had a nice feel about it that I was hooked into.
Similarly to Fugazi I am really loving this so far even with the vocals which aren't the greatest. But imo it works with this music. Sex Beat is a sick blend of punk. surf, and folk. Listening to Preaching the Blues I can see the Nude Party getting some influence from these guys. Jack on Fire giving some Doors appreciation. Cow Punk kinda rules.
I could live without some of the lyrics, but I really enjoyed the sound, and the later influences are obvious. Good stuff.
Love this psychobilly. What fun.
From the era of punk that was probably the best. I dig it.
Completely new to me and very good
bish bash bosh, great record that I haven't heard in a while
Very enjoyable
This was good. Never heard of these guys before. Read a little bit more about them and sounds they stuck around for a while and changed their style quite a bit. I'll have to check out some more of their stuff.
I know nothing about the Gun Club, though I have presumably come across them before. And now I need to go through their discography, because I liked this quite a bit. I'm a sucker for merging Americana and punk (see also the Gun Club's contemporaries in X), and I like how this diverged from the SoCal punk sound that was coalescing around this time.
Cool album, I definitely hear them as a precursor to the Pixies especially in the vocals. I generally preferred the shorter, snappier songs, though Cool Drink of Water Blues, which most people seemed to dislike, I liked quite a lot.
No, i to jest porządny punk (w zasadzie post-punk, ale nie czepiajmy się sub-gatunków). Przewrotny, zaskakujący, szybki i pełen energii. Musiałem szybko wygooglować ten zespół, bo zobaczyłem okładkę, usłyszałem pierwszy utwór i moją pierwszą myślą było "Nie ma opcji, że czarni taką muzykę nagrywali". Fajna płytka.
Very cool album! It has the feel of pre-Murmur R.E.M. when they were a frantic dive bar touring band. This might bump up to 5 over time for me, but it's a 4.5 now.
very awesome album cover you Betta know I'm hyped as heck
I like the music, good old 80s punk. Nice production, nice tone on the guitars and bass, good balance. Vocals are fine. Pretty solid listen.
I have a lot to learn about punk, I suppose, but I didn’t need an education to appreciate this (previously unknown-to-me) marriage of punk and the blues. Great punk sound! Standouts on the album: “Sex Beat” and “She’s Like Heroin to Me.”
I had zero expectations on this one. For no real reason. But what a fun listen. Is this early pop punk? It was like taking some Pixies, mixing it with some Violent Femmes and then adding a dash in the Stooges.
Interesting album. On first listen, a lot of the songs sound kind of repetitive, but overall I like this one.
Bit discordant but in kind of fun way, dive bar vibes
One of the most timeless records ever released. Can't tell if it's 1978 or 1991 or 2020. Incredible stuff.
I'm aware of The Gun Club through **Lanegan's** obsession with them and there's a clear influence there on his roots americana stuff, even more so as he started to play with those in influences on _Field Songs_ and _Bubblegum_. I also hear the influence on **The Pixies**, particularly vocally, **The White Stripes** and early **PJ Harvey**. But what struck me most was the similarity they are to early **Rolling Stones**, it's the same blues worship only looser, more slithery and gone feral. I have listened to this album a few times before without it really landing but it has this time for sure. The raw bluesy energy of it is definitely in my wheelhouse and I'll likely explore them more.
sex beat
Super energetic
Weird, experimental, and unique, not what I expected from a group called "The Gun Club".
I can't believe I hadn't thought of their influence on Pixies until I read the reviews on here. It's really obvious.
Some of the most badass music to come out of the early 80's. 4/5
Unhinged, in a good way.
I’m honestly a little annoyed with myself for only discovering this band now. This hits squarely in my wheelhouse: lo-fi, garage-leaning punk with a bluesy undercurrent that gives it some grit without overcomplicating anything. It’s raw in all the right ways. Simple, direct, and exactly the kind of thing I fall for.
This was VERY inspirational, I mean it. I am grateful.
I actually really enjoyed Fire Of Love. This band here was apparently one of the originators of punk music with blues, country and rockabilly elements and for this album being one of the first to have that sound, it does it very well. I thought that the general punk elements were my favorite part of the album with the guitars and everything but i also enjoyed a lot of the other genre elements on offer, mostly the rockabilly elements. Granted the album can get rather repetitive with the later songs being bigger offenders of this and I'm not the biggest fan of the points where the music goes very quiet but i still really enjoyed this album for what it did. Best Song: Sex Beat Worst Song: For the Love of Ivy
Good
New to me, but really enjoyed it
Pleasant surprise. Less groovy than Gang of Four but mostly pretty similar
Really enjoying this, it has a great early punk sound. Full of energy and head nodding drums.
Punk and blues: two great sounds that sound great together.
Fun album
This was a cool album Different sound but I liked it.
Bluesy surf punk. Who knew? Fun album, infectious sound. This one caught my attention and kept it.
Pretty solid. Good variety of tunes.
A messier prototype Pixies. Glad to be introduced to it.
So we got: punk - post punk - blues - psychobilly all wrapped up in a very cool jacket. I can definitely get jiggy with this. I'm also loving the 80s week we seem to be having.
*Cool guitar tone and intriguing lyrics *Great example of punk from this era
Liked it! Punkabilly
This was pretty enjoyable, bluesy and punky. My only real complaint was that for those two styles of music the production was a bit too nice. I would have liked to hear it a bit less polished, a bit more gnarly. Id happily have it again though.
Never listened before, but I feel like I should have been more wise to this group
Good stuff. Reminded me a lot of X mixed with Cramps-style rockabilly. "Sex Beat" and "She's Like Heroin To Me" were my favorites.
Another really unique, revolutionary punk album. The Gun Club blends punk rock with a really traditional blues lyrical sound which is really cool. Similar to The Saints - Eternally Yours, these sounds just go together really well and you can hear their influence in The White Stripes. This isn't one of those albums with subtle blues....it's very overtly blues punk. Promise Me has this really cool sound that includes shaking some coins, which I haven't heard before and is interesting. Just a great punk sound and I love how they stayed true to the blues. Love the train snare on Black Train.
Had not heard of this band. A very early 80s punk sound but elements of country/Americana showing up on some songs.
I'm quite ambivalent about this album, it's different and the mix of sounds still sounds fresh, but it's annoying at times. I don't think all of it works and is as great as it could be, but it is trying, it has ambition and a point of view, and sonically it is quite daring. I think that alone is worth my time, and it has all of that in spade. Even if it doesn't become a main stay for me, I'm glad I got to listen to it. It probably won't, cause I can't deal with the way he sings the word fire.
First time I have heard of this band or album. This shit slaps. I'm giving it a 4 so I remember to revisit it later, not sure if its a 3 or 4 for me.
Top notch discovery! Every song is sock removing, mind exploding revelation!
The cover of this album didn't match what I expected this to sound like. Overall, I enjoyed this and would like to listen to more of the band.
Quite enjoyed a lot of this one, certainly much more than I was expecting to. A couple of tracks I skipped on the third run through but overall one I will probably revisit at some point.
Not really what I was expecting but the really simple but effective rockabilly punk sounds were great. Vocals are kind of all over the place, but that’s what gives the songs more variation. The way it was recorded you definitely get the feeling these guys would have been a great live act.
7/10
Great stuff!
Western punk vibes i like but kinda background music tbh
I had never heard of this band, but I really enjoyed this album.
Interesting usage of a horn in punk music. Reminds me of I can't get no satisfaction.
Great example of the value of this site. Never heard of these guys before but enjoyed this. Like The Stooges and The Stones in parts. Good stuff.
Blah
It’s cool to hear something that basically created the blue print for so many punk American bands.
Sexually and racially charged, as many good punk records are. I might be outing myself as an ignorant American but I really liked this album! Very punchy, memorable opening song, then the next moment I liked was the energy on the first minute of “For The Love Of Ivy”. The call & response at the end of “Jack On Fire” was really well done imo. I also loved the way he sand ‘gasoliiiine’ in “Cool Drink Of Water Blues”. I realize that much of this is fairly heady for how loud and punkish it is. There’s some amount of narrative in songs, but I wish he wouldn’t have used some of the language he did - even if it was to play a character he’s portraying. Pretty good stuff here, I don’t hear an insane amount of yeehaw punk like everyone else says they do but I still really liked this regardless. Light 4/5 surprise!
Very pre-pixies /country punk.
Can definitely hear the influence on the White Stripes. Not sure if there's influence one way or the other, but I hear some Violent Femmes in here as well.
Sounds like an influence on the Pixies. I really liked this album
A new discovery for me and one I really enjoyed. Loved the energy and fusion of punk with blues/ country/rockerbilly. Would have liked a bit more rockerbilly but so refreshing and fun compared to dirge of the Alice in Chains album I had been listening to prior to this record.
Whereas The Cramps took punk and leant into rock n roll and surf-rock, The Gun Club leans into blues. Although the extent of their blues credentials involves use of a slide, and a cover of Robert Johnson. 'Preaching the Blues' is a nice cover in a rockabilly style (it sounds nothing like the original and is brilliantly spruced up). This is all pretty much straight post-punk (more garage rock than punk), and it's great fun. 'Sex Beat' is a fantastic post-Stooges piece of punk pop. 'Jack on Fire' is a marvelous cross between post-punk and Dylan. 'Ghost on the Highway' the best example of blues-cum-garage rock. One of the jewels in the crown here is Lee Pierce's Lou Reed-inspired voice; it's energetic but detached at the same time. Inevitably it doesn't keep the quality at the last, although I was quite taken with the take on 'Cool Drink of Water Blues'. Just shy of a 5 by a hare's breast.
I liked it, never heard these guys before.
Gonna get religion, gonna join the Baptist church...
‘Sex Beat’ is one of the best Punk songs ever—and one of the greatest album openers of all time. From there, it’s just banger after banger: ferocious, desperate, and buzzing with heat. ‘Fire Of Love’ dives deep into Roots music and the Blues but never loses its wild Punk edge. Plenty have borrowed the sound, but no one’s matched the fire.
This is so cool. Bluesy punk!! Very much full of abandon and passion and yet not unclean in the ways that matter. This is another band that I could see myself watching at a DIY venue and saying it was the best show of my life. I really like the slower songs too, just the right blend of blues and punk. I can't believe this came out in 1981, it sounds SO much more recent. So cool. Even the album cover looks Modern. I would have a vinyl of this and feel very cool for doing so. It's just that, a really really cool album.
Det var en fed oplevelse. Blues punk. Jeg tror dog det er glemt ret hurtigt også. Men dagens oplevelse var sjov nok til at ratfærdigøre en 4er.
Cowpunk! Har ellers kun hørt det begreb omkring tidligt D.A.D. Det var sgu ret godt. Var underholdt.
Awesome album! I have heard reference to TGC in the past (and enjoyed a cover of one of their songs by the Japandroids) but never dug in. This is some seriously good stuff! 4.5/5
9/10 Favourite: Sex Beat Least Favourite: Black Train
What a weird album. It's good, but it's so strange. An obviously punk band with a horrible singer, but it works. Also... Since when did punks start playing country music??? I've never heard a band that sounded like this and I actually like it. It's a 4/5 for me.
Wijs album! Kende het totaal niet! Jack White is blijkbaar fan en ik begrijp het wel! Doet me denken aan een hardere versie van Talking Heads. Cool! 3.8
Pretty good! I hadn’t heard any of this before, but some of these are going in my regular rotation
Enjoyable
1/1001 The Gun Club 'Fire Of Love' 1981 I'd never heard of this, so had absolutely no preconceptions, other than the cover, and that turned out to be a red herring. There's apparently some cross pollinating with The Bad Seeds. Anyway, I like it. I would describe their sound as psychobilly with a sinister/dark edge. Solid 7/10.
Kinda alt-country, psychobilly, punk. I like it, would play again and share with others
Finally this list has presented an album I have never heard of but will definitely listen to again.
Man, I really enjoyed this. A little punk, a little blues , all raw excellence 👊
7/10 Very cool. I've never heard this before. I quite liked it. 6-17-2025
The Gun Club really nails this great combination of blues and punk, with some tracks even carrying a strong country vibe. The punk element gives their music a rebellious edge, while the blues brings a gritty, raw feel to it. On top of that, they have a wonderful Gothic Americana vibe that truly sets them apart from any other punk band out there. If I were ever to make a list of my top songs of all time, “Sex Beat” would definitely be on it. It’s one of my absolute favorite tracks.
## In-Depth Review: *Fire of Love* by The Gun Club *Fire of Love*, released in 1981, is the debut album from The Gun Club, a Los Angeles band fronted by Jeffrey Lee Pierce. Fusing the raw energy of punk with the emotional depth of Delta blues and the twang of country, the album is widely regarded as a groundbreaking work that redefined the boundaries of American rock music[2][3][4]. This review examines the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, and concludes with a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## Lyrics **Raw, Lurid, and Uncompromising** Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s lyrics on *Fire of Love* are a feverish blend of Southern Gothic, urban decay, and desperate longing. The writing is both poetic and abrasive, often laced with violence, lust, and religious imagery. Songs like “Sex Beat” and “She’s Like Heroin to Me” are direct and visceral, using stark language to evoke obsession and alienation: > “I know your reasons and I, I know your goals, we can fuck forever but you will never get my soul.” (“Sex Beat”)[4][6] Pierce’s lyrics frequently channel the darkness and vivid imagery of blues traditions, but recast them through a punk lens. Tracks like “For the Love of Ivy” and “Black Train” push boundaries with controversial language and character-driven narratives that adopt the persona of a depraved Southerner, sometimes to the point of discomfort. The use of the n-word in “For the Love of Ivy” is particularly contentious, and while some defend it as satirical or character-driven, it remains a jarring and problematic choice[1][3][4]. Elsewhere, Pierce’s writing is haunted and existential, as in “Fire Spirit” and “Ghost on the Highway,” where the lyrics evoke a sense of restless searching and spiritual desolation. The album’s words are never safe or sanitized; they are confessional, confrontational, and frequently ambiguous. --- ## Music **A Frenetic Fusion of Punk, Blues, and Country** Musically, *Fire of Love* is a landmark for its seamless integration of punk’s urgency with the structures and motifs of blues and country music. The album opens with the explosive “Sex Beat,” which eschews a traditional chorus in favor of relentless drive and tension[3][4]. The band’s cover of Robert Johnson’s “Preaching the Blues” is a statement of intent—honoring the blues while injecting it with punk ferocity[3][4]. The guitar work, courtesy of Pierce and Ward Dotson, is a highlight throughout. Slide guitar lines snake through tracks like “Promise Me” and “Jack on Fire,” giving the music a swampy, Southern feel even as the tempos and aggression remain firmly punk[1][3][5]. The rhythm section—Rob Ritter on bass and Terry Graham on drums—provides a tight, propulsive backbone, particularly effective on rave-ups like “She’s Like Heroin to Me” and “Ghost on the Highway”[1][4]. While the album’s sonic palette is relatively narrow—most songs are built on similar chord progressions and tempos—the execution is consistently energetic and inventive. The band’s ability to sandwich traditional blues covers between their own originals without losing cohesion is a testament to their vision and musicianship[4]. --- ## Production **Raw, Immediate, and Lo-Fi** *Fire of Love* was recorded in two studios with two producers: Chris D. (of The Flesh Eaters) handled five tracks, while Tito Larriva produced the remaining six[2][5]. The production is intentionally raw, with a lo-fi quality that accentuates the album’s urgency and grit. Guitars are distorted but never muddy, drums have a bitter crunch, and vocals are pushed to the front, sometimes teetering on the edge of distortion themselves[3]. This stripped-down approach suits the material, emphasizing the band’s live energy and punk ethos. The production avoids polish, instead capturing a sense of chaos and danger that is integral to the album’s impact[3][5]. At times, this can make the album feel sonically repetitive or abrasive, but it also ensures that the music remains immediate and visceral. --- ## Themes **Desperation, Decay, and the Search for Authenticity** Thematically, *Fire of Love* is steeped in desperation, spiritual yearning, and the dark underbelly of American life. Pierce’s fascination with the South, despite his California roots, imbues the album with a sense of place that is both mythic and menacing[5]. The lyrics are haunted by images of fire, ghosts, and trains—symbols of escape, destruction, and the search for meaning. The album’s obsession with authenticity is palpable. Pierce, disillusioned with the perceived artifice of punk and glam, sought to reclaim the emotional honesty of blues and country, even as he twisted those traditions into something new and unsettling[5]. The result is music that feels both rooted in history and defiantly modern. There is also a strong undercurrent of sexuality and violence, often intertwined. The album’s characters are driven by lust, addiction, and a sense of impending doom. This lends the record a feverish, almost hallucinatory quality, where boundaries between desire and destruction blur. --- ## Influence **A Blueprint for Punk Blues and Garage Rock** *Fire of Love* is widely acknowledged as a foundational text for the punk blues genre, influencing countless bands in the decades that followed[2][4]. Its fusion of roots music with punk energy paved the way for acts like The White Stripes, The Black Keys, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, as well as numerous garage rock and indie bands[2][4][6]. The album’s willingness to embrace both tradition and innovation set it apart from its contemporaries. While other bands (like X or The Cramps) were also mining American roots music, The Gun Club’s approach was more aggressive and less nostalgic—“lovingly ripping [roots music] to shreds,” as one critic put it[6]. The album’s influence can be heard in the rawness and emotional intensity of later alternative and indie rock. *Fire of Love* has been included in the book *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die* and regularly appears in lists of essential punk and alternative records[2]. --- ## Pros and Cons | Pros | Cons | |---|---| | Groundbreaking fusion of punk and blues, creating a new genre | Some lyrics are deeply problematic and have not aged well[1][3][4] | | Raw, energetic performances throughout | Sonic palette can feel limited or repetitive over the course of the album[3] | | Intelligent, vivid songwriting with strong imagery | Production is intentionally lo-fi, which may alienate listeners seeking polish[3][5] | | Memorable guitar work and slide guitar flourishes | Pierce’s vocal style is polarizing—expressive but sometimes grating or off-putting[1] | | Tight, propulsive rhythm section | The album’s relentless intensity can be exhausting for some listeners | | Influential—set the template for punk blues and inspired many later artists[2][4] | Some tracks feel less essential or redundant (“Fire Spirit” compared to “Ghost on the Highway”)[3] | --- ## Conclusion *Fire of Love* remains a singular achievement in American music—a record that, through its fearless fusion of punk and blues, redefined what rock could be. Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s vision, both musically and lyrically, is uncompromising: the album is by turns exhilarating, disturbing, and deeply moving. Its rawness and lack of restraint are both its greatest strengths and its most significant liabilities. For listeners willing to embrace its chaos and confront its uncomfortable moments, *Fire of Love* offers a potent, unforgettable experience. It is a document of a band pushing themselves—and their audience—to the edge, and in doing so, leaving a permanent mark on the musical landscape.
Incredible! This is why I keep listening and pushing through this list!
This was really cool. Didn't feel as special/different as a lot of people say it is, but still enjoyed it a lot.
Never heard of the gun club and I can't really think of anyone else to compare it to.... Which I think is a good thing. I didn't know the release date while listening and would've definitely put it as mid 90s, pretty surprised to see it was early 80s. Enjoyed it, but didn't fully grab me for some reason. Think my favourite was "fire spirit". Might give this another go. 3.5 but 4 because it sounds way before it's time
The Gun Club congregate to concoct an unholy mixture of rockabilly, blues and punk to start a Fire of Love. Whatever what may know or may not know about The Gun Club, everything is offered here; the kind of sex, drugs, rock and roll, debauchery, mystique and wildness that was scarcely available at that time. Come away from this having been able to experience it, even if it was just for one time. Favorites: Sex Beat, Preaching the Blues, She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Ghost on the Highway, Black Train, Goodbye Johnny, Fire of Love (Alternate Version).
Punk uit 1981. Ik vind het leuk dat het nu een keer géén Britse groep betreft. En het heeft blues invloeden. Wat we zelf ook wel hadden kunnen bedenken, want alle muziek van na de eerste wereldoorlog hebben we te danken aan blues toch? Met lichte spanning zette ik het aan omdat punk ook teveel kan schuren, maar dit glijdt soepeltjes naar binnen, ondanks een stukje keelpijn dat m'n kleine prinses zorgvuldig vanaf het kinderdagverblijf heeft overgedragen naar papa. Het is allemaal niet zo wereldschokkend, maar dat is maar goed ook op deze derhalve belabberde maandag. Redelijk eenvoudige muziek, maar de boel is best aardig geproduceerd voor een oud punk album en dat levert een stuk luistergemak op. Je hoeft deze echt niet gehoord te hebben voor je permanent kleiner gaat wonen, maar toch 3,5 sterren.
Felt quite a lot like the Modern Lovers album where its not really a certain genre, I guess you could say it's punk, but parts sound a lot bluesy or country. Also feels a lot like Television, but a bit more gritty, and I'd say it more punk-esque (instrumentally). It maybe also felt like the Birthday Party, at least guitar wise in some places. Is overall quite good and the dark, edgy atmosphere its trying to do works very well. Downsides are as always that some songs are a bit nothing. Favourite songs: sex beat, promise me, for the love of Ivy, fire spirit, Jack on fire. Overall around 7/10
Pretty good, a little samey, ultimately but not in a necessarily bad way. Reminded me of the Cramps, and X in some places.
Great punk blues album, I bet The Pixies were fans because I can hear them in some of those songs
I liked this! Surprised I hadn’t heard of this before
If someone asked me to conjure the sound of 80s punk, this would be it.
4/5. Love this punk album, they are just so nonchalant about it, confident in their playing, like they've been doing this for years. And it seems like they have, as part of other bands and it shows. Great use of traditional blues songs and sounds to elevate the energy already found in the blues. Some of the songs do sound similar but the heaviness keeps you engaged. Plus the vocalist is unique enough to match the energy. A great punk blues album even if similar sounding. Best Song: Preaching The Blues, For The Love Of Ivy, Fire Spirit
I love the energy and sound of this album. The first half is stronger than the second, but it’s still great. Skip all the alternative takes. I lost this record to the fire.
Why does God let bad things happen to good people? Why do dogs’ paws smell like corn chips when they sleep? Why does this music make me so damn happy?
Mjög fínt pönk.
Liked this - not sure I would call it punk though!
Great punk discovery.
This record rips. Never really listened to Gun Club, but I can hear them in most of everything else I listen to. IMO a perfect blend of Americana and pissed off post-rock.
'We can fuck forever but you will never get my soul.' Ten years the senior of the Jon Spenser Blues Explosion, this is the OG coming together of punk and blues music. Not that punk isn't always already indebted to the blues, but The Gun Club is a particular marriage of sentiments. What I love about their record is how much history you hear - Robert Johnson, of course, but also The Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, Suicide, The Modern Lovers, Patti Smith, not to mention early rockers and auras of American culture in general. It even gets poetic: 'In the stillness of the mosquito sunset.' But points are deducted for racial slurs. Tho Pierce was of mixed race, he fails to harness these words effectively or authentically. Still, a revelatory listen.
riiiiiese albumcover ok punk blues züg es macht bis jz easy spass! au wenn na nüt würkli hange blibe isch heroine und for the love of ivy isch schön dreckig gspielt, liebs! würkli singe chaner nöd sber finds sehr passend oke ghör au immer wieder country ihflüss hahaha jaa ich han whrlich gaeit chli pennt währendem album. hans grundsätzlich easy abwechsligsriich gfunde 3 oder 4?
A very good blend of punk, blues and country/rockabilly, a really enjoyable and consistent album from start to finish even without a standout track.
What the fuck did I just listen to? I appreciate creativity and experimentation. I usually appreciate post-punk - my love of recent post-punk revival bands is what led me to this project in the first place. It's just... on a personal level, as a listener, I'd like this album more without that infernal country-style twang.
3.5
Even though the use of certain words seems unnecessary, this album is innovative, catchy, lyrically interesting, and instrumentally brilliant.
What the heck is this? Punk, yes, with blues in it, raw but musically sound. An unexpected gem.
Love me some punk but I wasn't familiar with this. Reminds me of Wipers and The Damned a little, at least with the sound. This will be in rotation.
Pretty solid mix of punk with blues and rockabilly. Opens up with a total banger to grab your attention before it shows off its weirder moments. That's how you do it! I dig this.
Some very fine Psychobilly flavored punk.. Can hear there influences on other bands for sure. Great listen.
a clear forerunner to self-consciously stripped back Rock And Roll indie/alternative acts ...kinda fun to get this so soon after the white stripes. easier to enjoy and Get The Gist of then floridly describe lmao but such is a record with this set of strengths, generally speaking, in any era. tho ofc an actual old rock and roll record probably wouldnt carry quite the demented underbelly that this does,,,again not much to say rly lol but deffo an interesting one!
J'ai été absolument séduite par le petit côté frondeur et rebelle, le rock énergique et efficace, son allure contagieuse même dans le pessimisme
Cool album I hadn’t heard of before.
Upbeat post punk album. Hadn’t heard it before and I enjoyed the listen.
Pretty good. Especially for 81
Nice blend of punk and bluesy country. A bit long for what it is, but I dig it.
That cool early punk sound, mixed with some early rockabilly vibes. A solid listen
I dig this. Definitely some really emotion coming through here.
"Damn Pixies wannabes" *checks year* "Damn Gun Club wannabes"
Fun listen, falls off for the last couple songs, but great before that
A good album for when you’re in the mood to hear the Violent Femmes sing the blues. Which apparently I was today.
This blues-y punk worked for me.
Whether it's punk blues or rockabilly punk, I wonder if this is the beginning of alternative rock. Regardless, I'm a fan.