Fire Of Love

This album is a bit of everything, post punk, psychobilly, gothic. It has a great vibe and energy and just great punchy songs. Really enjoyed it all around.

Rolig rock å blues, skaffade boken on the road av kourac nydligen och finns få soundtrack’s bättre för den en denna

Well that was a pleasant surprise some highly decent tracks that I totally wasn't expecting.

For this review, I will not include the alternate takes tacked on at the end of the 2020 remaster. I can't say I've heard of The Gun Club before. From what I gather, they were considered one of the first punk bands to incorporate blues, rockabilly, and country music in their sound. That's the vibe I got from their debut album Fire of Love - taking a lot of the rockabilly elements such as the rhythmic swings and adapting them to faster tempos, fuzzed-out guitar work, frenetic vocals from Jeffrey Lee Pierce, and lyrics that are more violent and sexual. It's a solid and at times fun album in that regard, though not exactly mind-blowing and it does lose steam with the penultimate track "Cool Drink of Water" which is a slow, plodding cover of a traditional song. Fire of Love was a neat find on this list and I can see how The Gun Club helped pave the way for later garage rock bands like The White Stripes and Japandroids. Give it a listen.

Nice!

Postpunk uit begin jaren 80. Eigenlijk hebben we dit al honderd keer gehoord, in voorafgaande bands of bands die daarna kwamen. Ik hoor er namelijk Velvet Underground in, maar ook Pixies en zelfs wat White Stripes. De zanger is wat bozig, zoals gewoonlijk, en ietwat verveeld. De gitaren raggen er lustig op los. En de drum heeft maar 1 taak en dat is om het tempo er in te houden, als de rest even stil is. En die stiltes vallen er semi-expres regelmatig. Het zijn genoeg ingredienten bij elkaar om het heel erg kut te vinden, maar er zitten dus ook elementen in die het juist wel heel tof maken. Ik zit er een beetje tussen in. De zure broeders vinden dit uiteraard kut, dus ik moet de eer hier een beetje hoog proberen te houden. Die ouwe meuk is alleen ook niet helemaal aan mij besteed. Alhoewel nieuwe meuk er dan weer amper in staat. Ik vind dit nog redelijk goed klinken, qua productie. Ze hebben dit in een iets minder stinkerig hol opgenomen dan hun postpunkgenoten. En het resultaat is een stuk beter om naar te luisteren daardoor. 3,5 ster, wat we uiteraard naar boven afronden.

Bello ma non mi ha convinto al 100%

Voglio più album così

eddaje

Sarebbe 7,5 ma diventa 8 per la copertina

Hadn't heard this album before. Really enjoyed this album. Great energy and simple arrangements. Loose but well-played. Punk with rockabilly and blues influences. Good stuff. I love the tidbit that the the bands founder, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, was the guy that gave Blondie a tape of "Hangin' on the Telephone" by Peter Case's first band The Nerves.

Super fun, never heard it before

Really good album great rhythm section. I enjoyed it from start I'm also kinda shocked that all I knew about the The Gun Club, and even then I thought it was a different band...you know that Talking Heads off shoot. They do a great job of synthesizing their influences into a great messy sound all their own. Happy to discover them. 4-stars

Fun album. Slide guitar in a punk record works surprisingly well.

Hadn't heard this album before. Really enjoyed this album. Great energy and simple arrangements. Loose but well-played. Punk with rockabilly and blues influences. Good stuff. I love the tidbit that the the bands founder, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, was the guy that gave Blondie a tape of "Hangin' on the Telephone" by Peter Case's first band The Nerves.

I really enjoyed this album - I knew "Sex Beat" from the compilation "Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The '80s Underground" so it was nice to hear the whole thing. 3? 4? I don't know...

Really enjoyed it...fun listen.

Interesting how you get to know your genre when a record you’re not familiar at all with comes up and you sigh with relief and comfort… post-punk and punk is it for me and when this came up - while not the best record of genre - I disproportionately like it. Love the little infusion of country throughout and the musicians behind The Gun Club have intermixed with some of my favourite artists of the time. Enjoyed this one.

This is my kind of rock sound. I liked it a lot, but I didn't think it was 5-stars. Maybe like 4.3.

Fire of Love is the debut album of the Gun Club, originally released in 1981. I really dig this. Some early west coast punk with some americana/blues influences sprinkled in. This group had a clear influence on music scenes that would come later such as 90s alternative. I mainly hear Pixies in this, but I also hear some Pavement as well. And these songs rock pretty damn hard. Their live performances were probably really fun.

Crazy good bassist. I love this. Early rockabilly 💕

Wild and unharnessed

The band did the heavy lifting for this record in my opinion. I live how they found a way to merge blues and punk together and it not sound like nails on a chalk board. Loses a star from me because it started to feel like the album was overstaying its welcome but towards the end.

A bit of a misnomer to label these folks punk, I feel, as there is an awful lot more sadness than anger. Simple, but clear in its bluesy focus, and, given its DIY spirit, surprisingly listenable.

Being generous with the 4 stars but I liked it. Nice mix of country, rockabilly, swampy punk music. NOW GIVE ME DANGELO

Not all the songs are mind blowing but all the songs are certainly fun, a pretty stand out performance for a debut album but for something from the 80’s it’s actually really good

Kind of a ln attitude laden rockabilly b52s meets Violent Femmes vibe

4 - surprisingly ahead of its time with some great sounds

Pretty seminal album mixing nascent punk and Modern Lovers shenanigans with blues and Americana So many acts drew inspiration from Jeffrey Lee Pierce, from Nick Cave to Pixies. A band in France once reached huge commercial success there offen ripping The Gun Club off. As the latter were virtually unknown in France, no one except music nerds noticed the blatant theft. So I understand why this record is on the list, even if, when it comes to pure songwriting, it's not the most impressive LP that has ever been written (even Pierce admitted it). I have even always slightly favored sophomore album *Miami*. In many ways it's more of the same, but it's got the absolutely beautiful closer "Mother Of Earth", which is the greatest Gun Club song I have ever heard. So call me undecided on *Fire Of Love*.... 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) Number of albums left to review: 22 (plus the 80-ish extra LPs listed on this app, included because different past editions of the book have mentioned albums that have since been dropped in subsequent editions) Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 420 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 251 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 311

Kinda punk kinda rock. Kinda fun

I liked it. Punk and edgy with really good lyrics. 4/5

This is a good listen - fast and frenetic, but also changes pace and has a little nuance. Good musicianship, good vocals.

Good meat and potatoes punk. Learned one of my favorite Kings of Leon songs is a cover so that’s neat.

From the beginning of Beat, I feel like I'm gonna be hooked! But then i kinda drifted... I liked Preaching the Blues and Jack on Fire.

It is my first time listening to this album. I'd never heard of this band before, so I missed them completely in my youth. I'm glad this album is on the list. I listened to it twice. It is a fun rockabilly and punk fusion. I will listen to it again. I can see the influence of this on Jack White's music, which I enjoy very much.

It's not punk, which is good. Weird indie post punk vibes. Not bad for an album I've never heard before. Might actually end up in the rotation.

Old punk!

Interesting proto-punk

I liked this one much more than I expected. The Gun Club sound like rockabilly meets punk, with a heavy influence from pre-war blues. That description wouldn't have excited me as much as the music itself which feels like it could have gone back in time to have influenced The Stooges. It did however very clearly influence Jack White. The blueprint set by The Gun Club are all over The White Stripes' albums. The Gun Club featured members of so many other bands over the course of its existence that it's hard to believe I haven't stumbled across them before. The band described their own early work as "too arty for rock people, far too rock for arty people, too cuckoo for the blues crowd and too American for punk". Spot on. The music really does exist between those worlds.

Some good peppy punk. I enjoyed the more bluesy track Cool Drink of Water Blues as well.

When I lived in LA, I attended an exhibition on the LA punk scene in from the early 80's at Bergamont Station. It was lost on me. Aside from the few bands that I knew of that era, it was apparent the scene was much bigger than The Germs or X and Circle Jerks. Recently, I received the Criterion Collection's Repo Man on Blue Ray which ignited an interest in LA punk bands. It's said that the secret to the success of Repo Man was the inclusion of the underground music at the time. Gun Club isn't a band I've listened to, but I do like the style. I guess this is Rockabilly, kinda sounds like Minutemen with a definitive connection to The Cramps, who I also like. But listening to this for 40 mins. a lot of the songs blend together and it's hard to enjoy. This is great for a bit, but wears on me after a bit. Still, would've been great to see these guys in their heyday and maybe run into them at Oki-Dog on Farifax afterward.

The blues infused punk sound is great.

fun rock album 4/5

A rollicking good time this is. Clever lyrics accompanied by some bluesy, rockabilly punk. I’ve listened to this but it’s been well over a decade. Still just as good as it was, great energy on Fire of Love. 4 stars

Enjoyed the punk rock feel with the occasional blues riff thrown in. Not an everyday listen but enjoyed more than expected

Really enjoyed this. Post punk and blues, brilliant.

Gradliniger Rock, melodisch, manchmal auch mit Überraschungen. Leicht, macht Spaß.

Genau mein Ding - wenn auch nicht jeden Tag

Punk blues muy curioso. Un 4.

Some punk I do not like. I like this punk

Rockin blues punk vibes into it

Great music with a lot of fire.

I can see clearly From my diamond eyes I'm going to the mountain with the fire spirit No-one will accept all of me So the fire will stop Up through the streets And the gunfire of cars Am going to the mountain with the fire spirit And no one will take all of me So the fire will stop I will be cheating The whole ritual I'm going to the mountain with the fire spirit No-one will expect all of me So the fire will stop Someone will step out of the circle Someone will turn and burn a world Someone knows a better cell Where the old north wind blows through southeast hell, yeah Invention was betrayed by the machine Promised like it was promised to me I'm going up to the mountain to see How the last thing, will set me free, yeah I had to do something I was wearing down I was going down Why can no one ever touch a fire spirit? Yeah, this is a pretty good album. 4/5

I am partial to punk rock so this was refreshing to hear and felt like a bit of a gem. I particularly liked the opening track as well as "She's Like Heroin to Me". I also really enjoyed the bluesy vibe throughout the album. I don't have anything really negative to say about it so it gets a 4.

Some very good post punk

An interesting combination of blues, rock, turned into punk. Fire Of Love is very raw and like nothing I’ve ever heard before. 8.1/10

I thought it was quite fun :)

Muy entretenido post punk. Nunca había escuchado sobre ellos.

It's the perfect punk. Guitars, drums, bass, and one angry dude. Really nice to listen to.

Really great punk album! Loved sex beat, promise me and she's like heroin to me

This was a very cool listen. Punky and bluesy which seems contradictory, but it works.

A unique take on punk blues that borrows from the rockabilly stylings of '50s rock & roll. Much of the Gun Club's appeal comes from Jeffrey Lee Pierce's slick vocal performances which gives the band their personality, along with the energy from the rest of the band to match. While effective, I recognize that this style is bound to be off-putting for those who are not as enthusiastic about punk as I am. In my opinion, Fire Of Love feels especially inspired in it's niche corner of rock music.

Interesting variations on punk. Some good energy in here.

fun listen, but one of those albums that's like "ok i get it" like halfway through. 3.5/5

Oikein maistuvaa kasaripunkkia. Vähän kovempaa ajoa olis voinut olla, mut kyl tää nelosen ansaitsee,

Good, it’s cool to see this take on punk

Yes! Rock on! Perfect combo of rock n roll and punk

Thoughts before listening: I think this is 80s post-punk with maybe a rockabilly vibe. Something like that. I know they get cited a lot as an influence by bands that I enjoy, but I admittedly know very little about them. Sometimes the 80s underground punk stuff is right up my alley and sometimes its a little too out there for me. Review: Okay so I pretty much nailed what this would sound like, and I actually quite like it. These guys definitely have a bit of an X or the Cramps sound with rockabilly and blues elements getting mixed into the typical 80s punk style. Also a direct influence on later bands like Reverend Horton Heat who I was a huge fan of growing up. I'm glad to have heard this album, and having a reason to finally listen to an a band long on my periphery is exactly why I am doing this project. 4-stars

I liked it! Some nice old-school punk. I don't think I could listen to the whole album beginning to end, but I enjoyed it in small doses.

Like this.

BL: I know The Gun Club through the song "mother earth" which I randomly uncovered a few summers ago and became one of my songs of the summer in '22. Here I am now finally getting one of their albums on the gen and I'm excited to hear it. AL: A solid listen, leaned more into the punk side of things in this record as opposed to what I've heard on Miami, But I liked this, very reminiscent of Meat Puppets. FT: "Preaching the Blues", "She's Like Heroin To Me", "For the Love of Ivy" 4/5

The Gun Club sound as if Johnny Cash was in a punk band. Rough and sloppy guitar riffs with a tight and powerful rhythm section and half-shouted vocals that remind me of Lou Reed on the early Velvet Underground albums. Great style. Country western twang with a healthy dose of noisy chaos. I could see myself loving this with more listens. Great album cover. I love the pink splashed with a little yellow at the top (though some places have it as green). It feels timeless. I don’t think I could have guessed what year this came out based on the artwork. I probably would have said it was from the last few years.

"Fire of Love" is the debut album by American rock band the Gun Club. Post-punk, punk blues, gothic country and pyschobilly are the named genres and yes, all of that this is. The album is known for being a first of its kind in combining their sound of punk with American roots music. The Gun Club is the band of lead vocalist and guitarist Jefferey Lee Pierce with a rotating group of members. For this album, the band included Ward Dotson (guitar and slide guitar), Rob Ritter (bass) and Terry Graham (drums). A driving guitar and punk-ish rhythm section open "Sex Beat." A slide guitar indeed giving it a rockabilly vibe. This is very "X"- sounding. Not a bad thing at all. A song named after the Cramps' lead guitarist, Poison Ivy, has to be good and "For the Love of Ivy" is just that. Rockabilly with the guitar again. They get the slow-fast-slow thing going with each "fast" section increasing in intensity until the song ends in chaos. Now we're talking. The band has the ability to just rock out and that's what they do in "Fire Spirit." Pierce is going to the mountain where the fire will stop. The band continues their punk-rockabilly fusion on the second side with "Ghost on the Highway." A femme fatal story? On "Cool Drink of Water," they cover Tommy Johnson and show their tradional blues side. Of course, they throw in some weird noises, just cause. "Goodbye Johnny" ends the album and is a sparse song with guitar slashes. Pierce has got to get away from NYC and Johnny Thunders and its elements. This band definitely has a fairly unique style with its punk-rockabilly fusion at the time. Pierce's vocals with his screaming, singing and talking do remind me a lot of Suicide's Alan Vega. They do vary it up a bit with punk, rockabilly, blues and straight-forward rock. There's a raw and sparse feeling to the music. They're at their best when they slowly build the intensity and end chaotically. Overall, a very decent album.

i had fun with this one. this was clearly ahead of its time. i asked my dad if he knew this album (he was a punk back when everyone was a punk) and he didn't. not UK enough for him. some of the more... distasteful lyrics harkened me back to the days (last week) when i got an album featuring the one slim shady. provocative violence to Make A Point sells, i guess, but this one was slightly more tasteful.

The lyrics left something to be desired but the music is very reminiscent of the Allston underground indie scene, at least what it was in 21-22.

Honestly, I was kind of stunned this is from 1981 because it has such a timeless sound that would do well if it were dropped today. This album is well ahead of its time with its stripped-down punk rock and garage band feel. A great time overall, I feel like I’d absolutely love to see this album performed live. Faves: Sex Beat She’s Like Heroin to Me For the Love of Ivy Ghost on the Highway Black Train

A pleasant surprise!

1981 Post Punk Debut album by Gun Club (USA) Standouts: Preaching the Blues, She's Like Heroine to Me, For the Love of Ivy Others: Sex Beat, Fire Spirit, Cool Drink of Water,

Genuine forerunners to so many future bands dabbling in the post punk landscape (Pixies, Pavement) and just shakes up the musical template - and in 1981, too! Fire of Love is a compelling record, full of the singer's neuroses and spiky, angular playing.

I liked this more than I expected, although a couple of the songs ran together for me a bit. From the first few moments of "Sex Beat," I knew this was something a little different. I liked the experimentalism of "For The Love Of Ivy," I liked "She's Like Heroin To Me" and how it captured the punk vibe. Really I liked all of it. I'm going to have to listen to it again, definitely something new on my radar.

A nice surprise. I really enjoyed the bluesy punk sound. I feel like bands like the Toadies or White Stripes emulated elements of this sound, in a good way. Edgy, spastic, energetic. Though at times a bit much. For the Love of Ivy is a great tune and Black Train is solid too but the lines "I was hunting for N*%'s down in the dark" and "I left a N*% lying dead by the river" are head scratchers. Is Pierce a bigot or was this just part of the fiction in their roots motif? Jack on Fire is another great tune but the line of "I will F you until you die" felt unnecessary. Still, putting those cringeworthy moments aside, there were a lot of great tunes - Sex Beat (it grabs you - reminiscent of punk but not punk), Promise Me (captivating herky-jerky jangly sound and haunting violin), She's Like Heroin to Me (like rockabilly Velvet Underground), Fire Spirit (most punk-like but with more melody), Ghost on the Highway (classic blues undertone but completely reimagined sound). I listed almost every song on this album but there's something keeping me from a 5. Maybe some of those unhinged moments? Maybe Pierce's so-so vocals? Maybe the last couple of songs? Still, a very good album and one worthy of this list.

Braaa

Love this

Yes, please! It also had this B-52s jangle to it that I enjoyed - it’s the closest that I’ve got to my beloved beehive-sporters, so I’ll take it. I had never heard of this group before - now I feel educated. It would seem that Jeffrey Lee Pierce was a punk rocker’s punk.

Pretty good. Can see later influence in the west coast punk scene from this. Love the blues influence, much more melodic than many other punk acts.

Great rootsy punk

Old school Japandroids.

Good energy and nice guitar work. Solid early punk that I'm slightly indifferent toward for some reason.

Early punk blues influence

Now this shit rules, bluesy punk that feels fresh and unique. Loved this record a lot.

I enjoyed the whole thing but it was kinda forgettable. Highlights were Sex beat She’s like heroin to me For the love of ivy (felt like a continuation of she’s like heroin) I think I will listen to this again in the future, but it didn’t really grab me like many other albums have. I still enjoyed the whole thing though, and there were enough good songs for it to be a 4.

Hmm... some of it was enticing... some not so much... but I wanna check it out again

Ok kinda fun

Shi was fire ngl. El nombre le queda bien. I enjoyed it so much.

Hoy tocó algo escuchado en 2023. ¿Post-punk? ¿Rock-Blues yankee, del estilo The Doors? ¿Todo eso junto? Gran primer disco de una gran banda.

Really awesome example of where punk transformed into first way. This is the first of this band's discography I've experienced. But I loved this album. I'd give it 5 stars if I knew the genre more.

Great album. Listened to it for the /mu/ list already. 4/5

Excellent psychedelic surf rock, long enough to leave an impact but concise enough to not overstay its welcome. B+

probably 4/5. Maybe 5

This album is a classic. A fun melding of rockabilly and punk. Very unique and just great all the way through.

Great album. Good energy. Had it in my library but never really paid a lot of attention to it. So good I listened to it twice and then listened to the rest of their discography.

This somehow stays fresh and relevant, defining a few subgenres and being genuinely entertaining

Interesting combination of genres.

This is the first on in this series I hadn't heard before and I am grateful for having it fall in my lap. It's hard to sum up. It has the immediate 'you're either in this community or you want to be' energy of listening to the Violent Femmes. It has the campy punk vibes of the Return of the Living Dead (1985) soundtrack. And it has the earnest rawness of legitimate punk music. 4/5, would recommend

Super great! Between jangly Punk Rock and artsy Country and krauty Blues. Very experimentally funny.

Very good album. Liked the punk sound and would listen more

The Gun Club's "Fire of Love," released in 1981, is a raw and primal dive into psychobilly and post-punk. Jeffrey Lee Pierce's intense vocals and Ward Dotson's slashing guitar work define the album's unrelenting energy. Tracks like "Sex Beat" and "She's Like Heroin to Me" exude a gritty, rebellious spirit. However, the album's lo-fi production and unpolished sound might be an acquired taste. While influential in alternative and punk circles, "Fire of Love" may feel somewhat dated to contemporary ears. It earns a solid 4/5 for its pioneering spirit but falls short of timeless appeal due to its rough edges.

Really dug this, probably my second favorite piece of media called Fire of Love. 4/5

Really good delta blues/punk fusion. Can definitely hear the influence on the White Stripes.

This is a great record, I discovered this late and have been enjoying it ever since!

Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Mix: überzeugend simpel wie solide für Post-Punk-Rockabilly-Garage-Spaß Musik: "They're stupid like I told ya, very stupid like ya saw" Wertung: 🔫🔫🔫(🔫)/5

Rockabilly is still so annoying to me for some reason, but I like the spin that they put on it. The gothic vibes were pretty immaculate. I think I listened to a slightly longer version because Wiki says it's 40 min, but mine was 53 minutes. Didn't really mind it, though!

The most original thing I've heard without having heard before. Elements of Television, Violent Femmes, White Stripes can be found here. Amazing album and will definitely revisit. 4.5/5

This album kicks you up the arse. It's almost impossible to explain what's going off here: Blues, rockabilly, punk. It could be confusing, but it's so simple. The music matches the attitude. I wish this type of music was played on daytime radio. No let up. LOVE IT.

Never heard of blues punk before but I did enjoy what these folks put together. This is the kind of album that slips into a collection as a hidden gem.

Good stuff, a real gem

One thing I will say about this list: while I sometimes have to wade through a lot of crap to get to something I find interesting, I have definitely gotten a much better appreciation for the history of punk music by reviewing these albums. I was peripherally aware of this band previously as a result of their connections to other bands, like The Cramps, but I hadn't listened to one of their albums before. There's a lot of other stuff from this era that I like more than this, but it's also easy to see the significance of this album. Combining punk with more traditional American music forms like blues did a lot to help create the alternative and postpunk genres. I like this album overall, though it's not one that I'm ever likely to own 4/5

4/5 Manischer americana-surfpunk Lyrische Abgründe Sehr exciting, fühlt sich frisch an

Fun, its a bit like King of Leon with more zazz.

This is pretty cool, especially for a 1981 release. Probably need to spend a bit more time with it but fave track so far is She's Like Heroin To Me.

Svag fyra, men ändå en fyra! Svag för det mesta med punksound

You can hear the impact this record would have on the Violent Femmes, Jon Spencer, and The White Stripes... It's an aggressive yet accessible and catchy punk album that blends in well with its contemporaries due to its raw sound. It almost sounds just like Sex Pistols, Undertones, and Buzzcocks due to its stripped production, high, energy, minimalism, and excessive repetition, except it's twisted parodically by the exaggerated features of blues and country. But at the same time, punk and blues / country work hand-in-hand. I'm astonished nothing much sounds like it. The bands influenced by this sound took it in different directions. But this feels pure, as if you could understand how someone would create this sound. And yet, there's nothing of significance that matches this. Excellent songwriting capturing the distressing racist world of the early 20th century Delta. Works hand-in-hand with the high distortion and screeching. No bad tracks. They're all memorable in some ways. Can't find a track I can't say something unique I like about.

Bluesy, grimy, jangly, dark. Love this. Will revisit often.

A critically acclaimed trendoid album I like. Sure, it’s unpolished. And his vocals are off key. And it’s more punk than roots. But here are the seeds that lead to the cruel sea and beasts of bourbon in Australia. I’m thinking later Tom petty took some notes. Probably not as directly influential as claimed. The later roots acts seem to get their inspiration elsewhere. But this album deserves its spot here. It’s good. Solid. 3.5 rounded up.

Kid Congo Powers described the early Gun Club as "too arty for rock people, far too rock for arty people, too cuckoo for the blues crowd and too American for punk". Well, hell, that all sounds great to me! I remember spinning a Gun Club album when I worked at Scratches Records in the late 80s (probably 'Miami', I'm thinking), and it didn't really connect with me then. But I picked up a copy of this album almost on a whim a few years back, and hoo boy, do I get it now. As the final line of 'For the Love of Ivy' proclaims, this record is all dressed up like an Elvis from hell! I really dig this swampy mix of punk attitude and approach with blues and country influences, which, when mixed with a healthy dose of Deep South gothic, gives a gritty swamp rock album. it's not unlike the Australian band the Beast of Bourbon, who emerged from a similar pot pourri of influences with a similar sound only a year or two later. I am a massive fan of the Beasts. Had they heard this record? Maybe. Maybe not. But they ended up engineering a very similar sound. You certainly wouldn't accuse Jeffrey Lee Pierce of being a great singer, and nobody in the band could really play their instruments well at this point, but they approach it with a powerful gusto. The album is well titled; it is sex and fire. I don't think I've ever heard a version of Preachin' the Blues that so well understood the assignment. This really is what I like from a rock and roll record; energetic and out of control, and pretty wild. I really like the low-budget, badly recorded, no technique, but full of piss and vinegar, sound. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but it's got a funky beat, and I can trip out to it.

They have a pretty original sound and I really enjoyed the first half of the album. It died off a bit by the second side. I don't know if I would listen to this album again, but I am glad I heard it at least once.

There something about 80s punk that just feels slightly unhinged while completely in control. Perhaps it’s the production or the naivety of the acts. Either way this is a prime example of this and a must listen to understand what would occur in the decade to follow.

Tasty speed.

Enjoyed this more.than I thought I would

Albums like this are the reasons I love this project. So good.

Blues punk perfection. Note: novice reveiwer

It was alright, kinda mellow, I did like For The Love Of Ivy

Wow. This is fucking awesome. I knew from the first track, 'Sex Beat' I was in for a good ride. I was already familiar with 'She's like heroin to me', one of my favourite songs. Listening to this album in full was long overdue for me. I'm so glad I finally have! Aside from Sex Beat, I also really liked 'Ghost on the highway'. 'Fire spirit' was pretty good too. This entire album is just..my kinda thing. It's got nice, raw vocals, with dark and clever lyrics. A real post-punky blues feel to it. The album cover as well is great. Not that I understand what's going on in it, but I dig it all the same. EDIT: ooh bit cheeky, I just heard a n=word slur in the song 'black train'. Very edgy. That's what it's all about with this kind of post-punk, I won't hold it against them.

Classic punk sound. Listened at work

Really enjoyed this one

I liked this.

Surprisingly good - punk meets Americana, kinda like the Rolling Stones with a bit more oomph. Feels miles ahead of its time for 1981, sounds much more like early 2000s to me. I like this, it's a pretty cool sound, probably a bit too bluesy for me really. Will happily listen again, 4/5.

First listen... Amazing, energy, sounds fresh, 4 or 5 star. Second listen it started to show some of its flaws. Still good, but 3 or 4 stars instead. I won't listen again so that it can keep 4.

I don't think I realized before today that Blues Punk could be a thing. I need more. Best track: Sex Beat

Gothic punk with an urgent pace that jangles and burns. The album has a great rockabilly sensibility and darkly unhinged lyrics. Part punk, part blues, part tent revival, part shovel to the head. Love it. Fave Songs: Preaching the Blues, Sex Beat, She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Promise Me, Ghost on the Highway

Genre: Punk rock Review: Meh. I'm sure I didn't give it a proper listen yet though, so whatever. Rating: 7/10

This is a strong album, especially for a debut. I've never taken the time to listen to The Gun Club, though their name is definitely familiar. At first I felt like they were just kind of an alright Pixies sounding band but then looking at when this album came out, I realized they were before the Pixies and were probably a big influence on their sound. I grew up listening to the Pixies, so it's odd no one ever pointed me in the direction of The Gun Club because it seems like a pretty direct route. Standout Tracks: Sex Beat, She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Ghost on the Highway, Goodbye Johnny

Enjoyed this

The punk-blues fusion on this grew on me. It mixes modern rawness with that old cowboy style Americana which, thinking about it, have a lot in common culturally. At points I got art-rock Velvet Underground tones too, during others I was head banging. This is a neat marriage. One where the bride and groom are both carrying blunderbusses. Good on the Gun Club. 3.5/5

Actually was a great album, great punk sound

Hillbilly Talking Heads

Solid, and I definitely see the influence on other artists. Probably won’t listen regularly though

Overall this record is pretty good. Not every song is a classic, but even the worst are not bad at all. There are a couple of things that occur here that are about and not about the record itself but they trace a thing so... That moment when you are listening to the album of the day and you recognize a song but know it best through the cover version. I hadn't heard this record by The Gun Club before despite some interest in overlapping contemporaries and the genre. So when For the Love of Ivy came on I recognized it immediately through the Japandroid's Celebration Rock record (which is five-stars fantastic). And, anyone who has listened to OFF! has probably heard the name "Jeffrey Lee Pierce" yelled by Keith Morris. All these resonances speak to the importance of the band in ways that maybe this album doesn't always deliver despite being a solid punk rock outing.

Like this one.

Very good

really enjoyed it. proto punk fun.

музыкально мне очень понравился этот альбом, по лирике некоторые песни тоже мясо полное. вообще в целом атмосфера героинового шика и ебанутого микса музыки с ненавистным мною панком, делает эту пластинку особенной на фоне базовых школьных предметов. в какой-то момент я даже думал поставить 4+, но вспомнил что так нельзя, так что просто 4 Лучшие треки: Sex Beat, Preaching the blues, She's Like Heroin to Me, Jack on Fire, For the Love of Ivy

classic rock banger

Nog nooit een punkachtige blues album of bluesachtig punk album eigenlijk geluisterd. Klinkt wel vet

Diver

It was a real revelation to hear this very classic 80s sounding punk, melded with blues and country and folk and rock 'n' roll roots. This album has everything! And it works! Even if it won't be going into regular rotation in my playlists, the craft of it is something I absolutely appreciated from beginning to end. I hadn't ever heard this, but I could absolutely tell it influenced much of the 80s alternative sound that came after that I did listen to. Really cool!

A different kind of punk sound. Interesting to read how much they influenced artists I like. Disturbing lyrics at times. But a good listen for today.

Very enjoyable! I will definitely return to this one later on.

I had never heard of this before and I had a great time. Like a proto-Pixies noisefest

Mad fusion of post-punk and blues. Tight musicianship and an endearing vocalist. I get a bit bored during the blues breakdowns. Kind of reminds me of a proto-white stripes. All in all a great album and a band I was completely unaware of before.

Not bad for old punk.

I was familiar with the gun club before listening, but I don’t think I’ve ever listen to a full album of theirs. I really enjoyed it, especially driving around.

not too shabby

Love the post-punk stuff, highlights are: Preaching the Blues, She's Like Heroin

Pretty good fun. Can hear how a lot of later bands would be influenced

This record immediately caught my attention and kept it throughout. An excellent debut with original guitarist, Ward Dotson that's catchy and interesting. Ward went on to a fine career with the Pontiac Brothers and Liquor Giants and he really shines on this album.

One of the best things in following this 1001 albums challenge is this kind of discovery. I never heard about "The Gun club" before, but this early post-punk is becoming one of my preferred things to listen to these days. Great discovery!

I wasn't aware of The Gun Club at all before this and I gotta say, I really liked this. For the Love of Ivy is a great song. I don't know a ton about who they're pulling from, but I'm gonna do a dive on them. Good stuff.

Very interesting - a sound that is of the blues, but not blues; of country, but not country; yet these two elements are blended in too thickly to to allow this to be simply called post-punk. This is wiry, haunted music sometimes played with the lope of Bob Wills or the prowl of a Howlin' Wolf. The main characteristic, though, is how organic and alive the band sounds, shifting and shuffling tempos and dynamics with none of the lockstep niceties of a metronome. Peculiar, singular, rootsy, a little gothic even. Hard to recall hearing too much like this before now.

Excellent stuff! Why have I never heard of this before? Can't believe it's from 1981!!

Ok, this is not a first timer. I've heard this record a few times but had experienced it in two different ways: it either blew me away or it was just too tinny sounding for my taste. I guess this was one of those bands you needed to see live in order to really appreciate their music. Anyhow, you can tell that they were really wild and thunderous. UPDATE: The more I listen to it the more I like it. So bad that I need to pass to the next record. Crossing my fingers!

Nekako sam htjela da mi se ne svidi album al mi se svidio nažalost UGH. Jack on fire mi je banger

Dobar energični punky-blues? Može proć taj naziv a... Inače, za njih znam jer mi je slučajno u spotify daily mix upala njihova "Mother of Earth" (odlična stvar btw) sa albuma "Miami" - taj sam album jedino onako površno poslušao od njih, ali mi nije bio loš što sam čuo. Isto tako je i ovaj album. Dosta dobar, sviđa mi se, nije savršen, ali ima ono nešta što men' paše.

7.1

weird punk ftw

Punk blues muy curioso. Un 4.

good punk

cool!

Awesome foot tapper album. Enjoyed

Sort of dreary but I still enjoyed it

Fucking cool, like a proto-Pixies

Yeah, this was pretty good. Totally not familiar with these guys, but it sounds like I should be.

way better than below, more musical

What does SHACK eat for breakfast? Lamb chops.

Sex Beat is pure punk, but Preaching the Blues is solid blues. Preaching the Blues feels very current even today, ironically it even sounds commercial! It's a love letter to punk but also a pioneer album for punk. 80s punk need look no further than this album. I am not too well versed in punk, but this is probably the best punk album I have heard. Songs are great, ranging for life, drugs, love, lust, music, freedom, all the punk tropes! Cool Drink of Water is a blast! Just bayou, haunted, strange, bluesy punk.

Frábær, tímalaus blanda pönks, blúss og rokkabillí. Greinilega áhrifavaldar fyrir ýmsa artista sem komu á eftir. Þessi plata hefði getað komið út á hvaða áratug sem er eftir 70s.

Was not expecting this at all

Surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Punk albums on this list have been very hit or miss (mostly miss), but this one is cool. The blues/roots side of things is really cool. I'm a bit concerned though; the vocalist employs a few choice slurs and he is not black. Not a good look given the violent, Southern-themed nature of the lyrics, even if it's a reflection of a character he's embodying. It's jarring and makes me bristle, but fortunately the music surrounding is still strong. I guess that's just part of the darkness. Great album overall, excellent punk riffs and melodies. I can hear how this would have influenced tons of bands that followed. Favorite tracks: Sex Beat, She's Like Heroin to Me, Cool Drink of Water, For the Love of Ivy, Jack on Fire. Album art: This is a cool one. Nice bold colors, startling imagery. Does a lot with a little. Seems very homemade. 4/5

Classic new wave punk, surprised I hadn’t heard before

Makes you wish that blues and post punk was a more common combination, especially in the hands of musicians who know to use dynamics in rock music

Sounded very ahead of this time, often funny! It was definitely stronger towards the beginning. 7/10

7/10. Pretty revolutionary to take punk music and merge it with genres that sound good. I can see how it was influential.

Decent punk. The energy in the first half was really good but it dragged a little by the end. 7/10

I love discovering punk/protopunk/postpunk/garage bands that I wasn't familiar with before, and this was a really good one. Shades of the Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Television, with a little blues and cowpunk thrown in for good measure. Pretty unique. 4 stars, will definitely listen again.

great stuff - good racket and actually tuneful unlike some early yank punk. 4

Cool blues/roots punk. Sex Beat is a treat of an opener. great formational album of a lot of the grunge and alt rock.

Nota: 4/5 No coneixia el grup i m'ha semblat molt fàcil d'escoltar. M'ha recordat a The Cure. L'àlbum m'ha passat volant.

Nothing wrong with the album, but it didn't really do anything for me

This was a good album and I would listen to it again.

I was familiar with a couple songs through covers, but never heard the original or this whole album. Really enjoyed it.

I had never listened to this album and it was fun to listen to. I even looked the band up and everything!

Is it weird I want to mosh to this entire album? I also can’t for the life of me remember where I heard Ghost on the Highway before but boy it slaps!!

No way, first track Sex Beat was an instrumental track that I really liked off Earthed 2, but that version was by Two Lone Swordsman. Had no idea this was the orginal. Sounds kinda like 80s punk but mixed with blues. Really enjoying it. 4

A pretty groundbreaking combo of punk and blues, it's really cool to hear the origin of this sound.

Never heard of this mob but v enjoyable

This just solidified my western pride as a whole.

Esto es como un punk que suena ya más producido. O es la impresión que tuve, como todo punk casi, son cosas que escucho y pueden emocionarme, pero a las que difícilmente me engancho con cotidianidad. Este es un disco medio ligero, con una que otra parte descollante y hasta ahí. La portada me gusta mucho, eso sí, puse poca atención a sus letras. Me gustaron "For the Love of Ivy" y "Black Train". 7.5/10

Sounded generic on first listen but I really liked it after the second

pixies vibes. very nice. 4.5

Great!

Really good punky stuff, I like it.

great punk rock!

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.

I may have found my new favourite band!

New to me and I really enjoyed it, tailed off a bit towards the end

Brand new to me but enjoyed this

great start, boring end 3/5

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.

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

cool drink of water is so insanely good

This was pretty good, I reckon Frank Black likes it too.

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

No strong feelings, kind of boring

It’s fine I guess

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!

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

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.

Overall Rating - 2.86/5 (5.73/10). Overall a decent album. Nothing great, nothing terrible.

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

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

Weirdly bluesy.

500/1089 - Eh. All of these past albums have been flicks. Where's the cinema? The kino?

Pretty good punk album. I'm fairly picky with punk, and this was good.

Bueno

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.

Extremely cool blues punk. Sounds like a foundational text for a lot of music I loved in high school.

Audierne

6/10… cowpunk / psychoblues / *1981

Ok, didn't capture me. 3/5

Liked it more than most punk

Not bad. Good.

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.

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.

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.

Just ok, I liked the punk part but blues is very simple

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

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.

kinda cool 3.5

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).

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

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

Rockabilly bluesy punky vibes. Pretty cool but not my favorite

Very interesting. Will probably never listen again.

Not wholly terrible but not wholly good either

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

3 decent

Tän levyn musat ja soitot oli ok. Biisit ja laulaja ei.

Pretty bluesy for a punk album. A Cool Drink of Water is pretty sick.

3.5

Sex Beat

Some songs I liked, some I didn't.

あんま

Interesting little subgenre focus.

3.5

2.75

Ehh ya know

Love the mix of punk and blues, don't love the overt racism

Didn't quite hit after a promising start.

Some pretty good stuff on here, a little alarmed by the “N” word use especially in a punk album. Not sure what context it was used in. Otherwise I like the loud-quiet-loud style

Lkkr punk

Not bad. Decent enough up tempo stuff landing somewhere between post punk and poppish punk, but probably not worth listening to again or picking up from the bargain rack at Barnacle.

A promising and stylistically unique start that unfortunately loses its edge as the album progresses. The fusion of post-punk rigidity and raw blues is technically fascinating at first, but the lack of dynamic variation and sonic depth makes the experience feel repetitive. While the "lo-fi" energy is palpable, the record ultimately fails to sustain its initial impact, feeling more like a single great idea stretched too thin

I liked this; would I listen again? Maybe.

I enjoyed my time with this album. It sounds like a lot of other stuff I enjoy, but toes a line between different and not really setting itself apart. I’m if nothing else interested to see more of what this band has to offer, as it’s my first time hearing any of their stuff.

Overall just a decently enjoyable sound from start to finish. Ghost on the Highway was probably my standout.

Not the album for me, the sound of the songs were alright but I didn't like the sound of the singers voice.

As far as punk goes, this ain't bad. Just not enough of a fan of punk. Vocally uninspiring.

Liked parts of this but generally not my thing

Kind of repetitive but still enjoyable

I’m

I was excited to see a punk band that I'm not familiar with come up on the list, but this didn't really live up to expectations for me. I enjoyed it well enough, but there's nothing that will draw me back.

I had never heard of this band and like this style pretty well. I have a hard time seeing what this band does that X doesn't do better. The lyrics to Jack on Fire are legitimately scary.

This was cool, sort of an unexpected mix of the vocals and backing music for the genre. Not sure I’d rush back to this, but def above avg

Nice collision of styles and an enjoyable listen. Hadn’t heard of these guys but something I might come back to. Some of the songs didn’t quite land for me and there wasn’t a standout, hence the round down l. 3.5

Favorite Track: Fire Spirit

For punk, this was listenable, but that's it

Shows a lot of promise that it doesn't exactly deliver on. I dont know much about this band but my guess is it imploded before it could achieve greatness.

It was cool, but the vocals ruined it for me.