Reviews (page 4 of 7)
On my first listen I was ready to give this a 1. On my second listen, and after reading through some info on the band I was really loving it and thought I would give it a 4. This is the duality of man. I listened again just recently, and still think there is actually a lot to enjoy here, it's messy in just the right ways, the vocals are off-kilter but catch your attention, all while still hitting with these great riffs and lyrics, but that messy sound starts to drag a bit by the end, especially the lead vocals really start to get tiring unfortunately. But still had a good time, props to them for putting a rockabilly sound into a context that I actually enjoyed. Fav Track: 4 - She's Like Heroin To Me Best Three Track Run: 1, 2, 3
I guess i don't really get the nuances of punk. This was fine, but didn't seem ground breaking
Punk with a country twang. Enjoyable
Temp
sorta similar to the cramps vibes but less vulgar. not my taste but still good. better than cindy lauper.
i really like the combo of the country and punk rock it actually sounds great. why are they killing so many black people on this album tho wtf is up that. why are they so many lines about killing niggas bro wtf. i was gonna say i really fuck with the album art but now im sussed out by it. ignoring that shit its a cool album i guess but idk how to feel about some of the subject matter
Never thought I would listen to a thing called Blues Punk, but here we are. Some quirky moments, some decent ones. All in all, not too bad.
I listened to this album one time in 2015 and honest to god i thought there were Black people in this band... shocker there isn't LOL. Anyways i get it that its problematic but i like it :)
Relatively straightforward punk. Some tracks are good, some are pretty mediocre and the variety is decent. None stand out either way. Ultimately a weak 3.
quite generic rock and roll, had high hopes because it was something I completely hadn't heard of but it didn't do much for me, the drumming was basically the same the whole album and the singer had an average voice. 3 stars just because it reminded me of The Pixies.
Not bad
Oh great an American punk album, fine whatever I should never judge an album by its genre! The moment the Blues guitar kicked in I was fully on board. This is so fun, what a great blending of genres.
An oozy, bluesy, claustrophobic punk album. The slide guitar is somehow threatening, Pierce’s vocals deranged, and the whole thing feels like you’re losing your mind on a night out. Overall, probably more influential that enjoyable for me, but still a strong 3.
Think the reviews on this is harsh. It's of its time but I actually quite liked it. Decent punk and some great guitar riffs and no issue with his voice. Don't get that critique im afraid
Cool, edgy, fun. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would not knowing much about it.
Enjoyable punk!
They have a fairly stereotypical punk sound, and I generally like punk unless it’s super hard. Overall this was decent. Glad I listened to it, don’t know if I’ll go back to them, though.
Felt like a mashup of other music of the era I liked but nothing stood out. 3.5
Groovy
The album was fine, I can enjoy it but I don’t think I would ever choose it
As far as cowpunk goes I really got into the genre through Lone Justice (early pre Iovine recordings) and Dash Rip Rock. Both of which lean more towards the cow (or Country) side. The country influence rockabilly with copious amount of amphetamines. The Gun Club definitely is more towards the punk side of cowpunk. It really has more of the 77 Punk scene infused with rockabilly. I sound I still like but I think I'm more partial to the ones that lean heavier into the rockabilly side with punk aesthetics driving it. But this was an enjoyable album I did take note that they did drop the N-word, which is definitely a kind of a no-go in my book, depending how it's used. And looking at the lyric I definitely didn't appreciate the reference. (7.6) ★★★½
Not awful by any means but fairly average. Some decent riffs
Little odd
Mid
Fun sound but ultimately too same-y Great album cover
Good real punk. Better than I thought
rocks
Had to listen to album on youtube, was not on apple music 🫤 It was different, had some catchy riffs
I’ve been listening to a lot of punk lately because I want to get into it. I don’t know that I ever really will but I like the message most are pushing.
Meh.
3 personally not a fan of the blues-rock mix as other people might be. Preaching the Blues kinda reminded me of Ballroom Blitz by Sweet, kinda funny!
Not familiar at all with this before listening / my first uncharted territory for this proeject - but fun listen that I suspect was a bit pioneering at the time
3.3 / 5 for this album. I love the punk, rockabilly, delta bluesy, swamp music influence on this and I really like those styles of music. Nothing really stood out as a clear AMAZING on this album. On the whole, it's fine and dandy, but nothing really stood out as blow you away amazing.
This album was just good enough, and just bad enough, to make me want to go listen to something else entirely. Since I was in the early 80s anyway, I went for Was (Not Was) and heard a couple great tunes—“Out Come the Freaks” for starters, and then “Knocked Down, Made Small.” Great stuff. Anyway, back to this album. It is just good enough, and just bad enough, to merit 3/5.
At first, I couldn't decide. As the album went on, it became tedious. I wanted to like them because they have the kind of sound I really connect with. They are the exact opposite of the Modern Lovers. Same kind of sound, but no resonance.
Fuckers be jammin
What’s with the slurs
Electric Violent Femmes? 🤷♂️
I kinda enjoyed but wasn't the most memorable for me Will I listen to again: 42%
super j’adore quand c’est rocky rock 😜😜
Blues with a punky attitude, or punk form of the blues? Perhaps equal parts of both, as this feels like a natural fusing of the two. Driven by a roaring band, slide guitar interjections, and Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s sometimes ominous and sometimes excited vocals. The band is nicely in step with- they take things down low together and explode with intensity together. All together it’s got a couple of strong and memorable tracks, while the others are just fine and start to blend together. Decent listen that may pop up here and there, but not making a significant impact on me.
Love the raw energy on this album. Interesting mix of blues and punk that I’ve never really experienced.
Some good guitar work is undone by annoying vocals. Nothing special.
picks: she's like heroin to me, for the love of ivy, jack on fire
A fine punk album. I dig the blues influence while still keeping that punk edge
nothing too crazy, but the energy is very exciting. if this was my son and his schoolmates in my garage id say theyre the best school garage band in the world. as much of a mood piece as an hour long blues instrumental might be, just a different mood. favorite song is She's Like Heroin to Me
Rating: 6/10 Never heard of these guys before. Pretty cool. Punkabilly? Didn’t get much of a chance to dive into the lyrics and all around will have to give this one another listen. The album cover is questionable
A fun fusion of blues and punk rock sensibilities. Not sure how I missed this when it first came out.
Pretty unique sounding album. Little punk, little blues sound. Singer sounds like Nude Party.
Not bad. Enjoyable. Light.
Not bad, the bluesiness helps offset the punk aspects
- joku mainitti tuolla muissa arvosteluissa että tämä olis jack whitelle tärkeä albumi, sen tiedä väitteen todenperäisyyttä mutta voin sen kyllä kuulla - iha hyvä meno, ehkä tulee vähän the clash mieleen
Not really my sort of thing, but a fascinating listen. You can really hear the blues and rockabilly elements meeting the punk rawness, and see what an influence this must have been on Pixies.
Some decent early punk music. Kinda sounds a little like Violent Femmes if they were voiced by Francis Black from The Pixies. However, both those bands are much better, and both manage to go without having racist lyrics (For the Love of Ivy). Maybe I'm missing something in the lyrics (for example, Dead Kennedy's do it in Holiday in Cambodia, but its use clearly has a point), but that lyric definitely caught me off guard. So yeah. Perfectly fine punk music, with some questionable lyrics. But not enamored with it.
Why all the hate? Even my family didn't complain when this was on. Started really strong enjoyed the first few tracks and the last few, there's a few noisy ones in the middle, but this sounded genuinely interesting.
3.5
Started off so enjoyable and then just kept getting worse By the end the vocals had really pissed me off. Shame because there were some really good songs 3 ⭐️
Pretty fun, upbeat, post punk, American band/album. Pretty enjoyable, particularly for a debut, even if a bit too long.
#804. It was decent, I suppose, but not something I would recommend to someone unsolicited. 3/5: acceptable
No private session used for Spotify. I didn't know what I was getting in to with The Gun Club, but I like the energy and straight forward rock. I did know the song "She's Like Heroin to Me". I should listen to this more.
Really interesting and likeable and totally new to me.
Loved this, can't believe I'd never heard them before
This one was ok, but pretty boring. I like the genre, but nothing about this one jumped out and grabbed my attention. On the other hand, nothing about this jumped out and sucked either, but I don’t have any desire to listen to it again. 3/5
We gotta have that punk Ow, we want the punk!
I didn't hate any of this except Cool Drink of Water Blues!
Not familiar with them coming in. Felt like a Mashup of Talking Heads, the Kinks and some B-52s. Nothing really resonated with me though
yea nah
The vibe reminds me of The Pixies, but with an occasional rockabilly feel. This album was released in 1981 so credit for helping to establish the sound. The songs are OK.
Mostly unremarkable punk adjacent rock. Sounds mildly ahead of its time but nothing so catchy or ground-breaking as to justify having heard of them before encountering them on this list. Probably liked 'Promise Me' best.
I have to laugh every time I get an highly renowned and successful and brilliant (or otherwise) album by a British act then look at the reviews from yanks which inevitably start with either 'wow, never heard of these guys' or 'what is it with this list and it's favouritism towards British bands no-one has heard of'. I'd anything, the list is way too slanted towards US shite. Who needs to hear more than two Country or Jazz albums in their entire life? Nobody, that's who. Having said that, here's yet another US band no-one has ever heard of. I like my punk straight. And I don't mean sexually. Punk should be ramshackle, heavy, brash, fast, shorty yet melodic, political, slogan heavy, and amateurish. Anything else and it's not punk. Is this post-punk? Apparently it was influential. Maybe it was, but I imagine it only influenced shite. I can hear The Pixies in here, but the parts about The Pixies I don't like. It's not bad. It has experimental moments. It's fast in places, amateurish, the vocals are shouty but bland like Dylan if he was less of a New York poser and instead grew up with a bunch of friends who liked looking at titty mags and boozing. The slide guitar is different, different enough to push this out of the punk genre for me. I had an okay time with it. I'd probably enjoy it more if the vocals weren't so normal. If it had a bit more edge and venom. It feels stripped of the anger it needs to be impactful. Tame. As a blues rock album with punk glazing it almost works, but as a punk album with Blues leaning it feels bereft of thrust. That Cool Of Water song for example, it can fuck all the way off. It's the most watered down attempt at Zeppelin this side of White Stripes. With a different singer, this is a more solid three, but as it stands it's a low 3.
I have previously heard songs from their Miami album, such as "Fire Of Love" (not the album!) and "Mother of Earth" those songs have a very country-oriented sound to it unlike on this album which focuses more on punk rock and blues. It gets quite rockabilly (or psychobilly I suppose) at certain moments. The first half of the album massively threw me off, I was thinking for sure 'it's at least a 2/5.' But near the end it go a bit better, so 3/5 it shall be. Highlight Song/s: Fire Spirit
More like 3.5. It was rocky and fun. Josh said like dive bar vibes and I agree. I’m into it in theory
The lyrics are questionable, but the tunes, rhytm and chording are really good
05/12/2025 This didn't really do anything for me, bang average I would say. Spotify listeners: 164.6k
5.9/10
Primus without the edge
Good energy. Quite fun
I don't buy into the hype of this band, but it's a perfectly good punk album. I'd say a little blues-punk if there has to be a sub-genre. Influence 4. Quality 3. Hits 1. Intangibles 3. This is fine 3.
I mean, sounded like punk rock to me. 3/5
This was an unexpected album for me. It took me a while to come around to it but I like the bluesy / punk nature. Not fantastic but pretty ok! I will put this band in rotation.
fine. nothing special. just some more middling punk with a mild and ultimately unimpressive twist, in this case the blues sound. favorites: sex beat, she's like heroin to me, ghost on the highway
Not good, not bad, just is.
There's some stuff here that I really like, but some I really don't.
It's fine
Vraiment pas mauvais ! J’aurais aimé aimer plus que ça, mais ça demeure un très bon album, pas loin d’être dans mes cordes.
Rockabilly but spoken word
Never heard of The Gun Club before, nor did I know this record, probably because I lived on the other side of the Atlantic, and was well immersed in the UK punk rock bands and beyond. But this is not bad, and in retrospective, I can clearly hear where the Pixies or the White Stripes got their inspiration from. It also blends rockabilly influences, witch combined with punk, created this other genre I'm particularly fond of, psychobilly. So yeah, a pioneering album, going from punk to blues and rockabilly. But maybe because I heard it all before, it didn't impress me as much as it probably would have me back in the day, so 3/5.
Nice punk feeling
Punk blues and provides a lot of rock and layers.
mid punk
Sex Beat Preaching the Blues
This reminds me of Stray Cats. It's very rockabilly in my opinion. If you like rockabilly mixed with new wave, you will like this.
Du rock. Pas d'originalité particulière.
Sympa mais j’oublierai ! Je veux plus de diversités musicales !
It’s an alright album, nothing bad on here. There’s a couple of really good tracks but overall it isn’t one that’s gonna last long in the memory. Top Track - She’s Like Heroin To Me
Raakaa varhaista punkkia, mutta ei liian räväkän raakaa. Kaupallisempaa. Sekoitettuna bluesin, kantrin ja psychobillyn kanssa hyvä setti. Parhaat: Preaching the Blues
Pretty standard early punk.. some strong tracks but some pretty forgettable filler too
She’s Like Heroin to Me // For the Love of Ivy // Cool Drink of Water Blues // Goodbye Johnny
Not for me.
Good
Never heard of them, and had no idea what to expect, except that they were a punk band. I didn’t mind it, and thought it was ok…don’t feel the need to listen to it again, though. I will round up to three stars.
I didn’t know what to expect here. Admittedly I thought the dudes on the cover were the artists and figured it would be a funk album based on the first song title. Huh, little punk rock record. It was fine I’m sure it influenced someone somewhere.
More like Lou Reed than John Lee Hooker, but that's okay. West coast post-punk from this era was starting to go to the country/blues/rockabilly direction with or without the Gun Club. I think a lot of hype about them comes from their influence in the UK, thus their inclusion on this list. Nonetheless, this album is, for the most part, a huge leap forward artistically for a genre that was essentially dead. Very creative, subtle, and dynamic; it flows from aggressive macho youth anthems to introspective country adjacent meanderings with confidence. Unexpectedly tight and skilled musical execution for punk rock. This album is a big step in the evolution of rock music.
Solid (post)punk album.
This album is a raw, messy, and strangely compelling listen. It takes punk energy and throws it straight into the heart of the blues, creating something that feels both familiar and a little unhinged. The production is rough, the edges are jagged, and that’s exactly what gives it its bite. There’s a sweaty, dive-bar atmosphere running through the whole thing, the kind where the guitars snarl and the vocals sound like they’ve been dragged through gravel. Tracks like “Sex Beat” and “Preaching the Blues” stand out the most, full of that nervy, restless drive that keeps things moving. There’s a kind of reckless confidence to the performances, like they’re not aiming for perfection, just for impact. It’s the kind of record that sounds like it could fall apart at any second, and that tension is part of its appeal. At the same time, the scrappiness doesn’t always work in its favour. Some moments feel more like attitude than substance, and the intensity can blur together after a while. But when it hits, it really hits, and that grimy blues-punk fusion still has a spark to it. Fire of Love might not be a flawless record, but it’s got a distinctive character that’s hard to forget.
5.5/10 Highlight: Ghost on the Highway
Not really one of the most notable early-80s post-punk bands, but they have their cult follow. Like The Cramps, The Gun Club specialized in the more kitschy psycho Billy subgenre. And while not a bad album at all, I really miss the campy fun of that band. Key tracks: Sex Beat
"Sex Beat", "Preaching the Blues", "For the Love of Ivy", were great examples of how bluesy this album is for being punk. These tracks worked while most of the others couldn't decide which side of the fence they wanted to be on. This was an interesting listen. An extra star for having the guts to pay homage to the blues.
I’ve given this album a fair number of listens. I just can’t connect with it. I was leaning toward a 6 out of 10, but then Spotify’s algorithm shut the door for me. I let it play on after the album ended, and it served up a bunch of tracks by obscure bands in roughly the same genre — and every single one of them sounded better than anything I’d just heard. Worse, two of those songs were actually by The Gun Club themselves, from their second album Miami, and both were clearly superior to anything on Fire of Love. The main reason those Miami tracks worked better is also my biggest problem with Fire of Love: the sound. It’s painfully thin and monotonous, dominated by a tinny guitar tone that tries to be clean but just ends up grating. It doesn’t help that there’s a lot of slide guitar — and as faithful readers will know by now, I have limited patience for that particular sound. That slide guitar makes sense, of course, since this is essentially a twisted form of blues — punk blues, or blues punk, take your pick. But it doesn’t do much for me. I actually own The Las Vegas Story, their third album, which I bought after reading some breathless reissue review in what I think was NRC. I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about then, and after this deeper dive into their debut, I still can’t. If I have to name a highlight, fine — opener “Sex Beat” sets the tone reasonably well. The most striking song is probably “She’s Like Heroin to Me” (substance references not coincidental — frontman Jeffrey Lee Pierce reportedly drank like a fish and likely indulged in a few other habits not compatible with a Tour de France lifestyle). As for low points: well, that would be the entire 40-minute slab of stubborn, grinding blues-punk that makes up the album. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible. If it were, I’d have given it a lower score. It just leaves me cold. And there you have it: proof that not all guitar-heavy music automatically works for me. Though, frankly, I already proved that with my Circle Jerk's review.
Early punk mixed with rock elements, good sound for a first album. Fun to listen to.
I’d never heard of The Gun Club so based on the cover, I was expecting something less… obviously white? On its own merits though, I liked it.
Just not for me I guess
i've listened twice and both times i'm thinking wolfmother - it's a fun album
Not my thing and while I listened nothing stood out to me.
Moderately entertaining album of transatlantic ‘punk’ with some blues influence. Don’t think I will listen again though.
If George Thorogood had a love child with the Sex Pistols it would sound like The Gun Club.
i’ll be honest a lot of the songs sound the same, but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it
Not altogether unpleasant, but pretty experimental and unsatisfying.
I like punk, and this is ok - but that’s all. Nothing really stands out, and I’m unlikely to come back. It’s not bad though.
2.5
Decent if you're into post-punk.
if i was in a dive bar and this band was playing, I'd have the time of my life, but outside of that specific context I'll pass
What was that? A sound experiment.
I think their follow up Miami is a better album, it’s much more accessible in a way that I enjoy. This album is pretty good too though!
Good stuff! I don’t know this band. A song from a subsequent album came on after this album finished, and I liked it more than anything on Fire of Love, so
I don't this is especially memorable. But I quite enjoyed it. Low three.
It’s interesting to see how the ideas on this album have spread throughout music over the decades. I just hate rockabilly. No offense Jackson Galaxy.
Nice.
I’m surprised this is a debut album as it lacks much interest aside from a couple of tracks. You just expect more on debut I guess. There’s nothing wrong with the music as such. It’s just a bit tedious and unexciting.
So much noise but somehow so boring
It's fine. Nothing special. I don't get why this album is in the list tbh.
Unlike other punk albums we've had I didn't hate this one. That said I struggled to remember the album this morning
Never heard of The Gun Club. Solid punk album.
Mid
Fairly standard post punk with a few notable highlights. Really struggled to get beyond the vocals which weren’t great.
Ok
I had to wait until I was in the right mood to listen to this but once I was it was pretty good fun! I read some of the Wikipedia entry and got the idea of it being “punk blues”. It sounds like something from a Robert Rodriguez film, like “From Dusk To Dawn”. After a while I figured it also sounds a bit like The White Stripes but without Jack White’s annoying shrillness …on the whole. Because on a couple of songs it does get a bit shrill and annoying. Overall though, I liked it.
Meh. Vocals weren’t insufferable, didn’t hate the sounds, but probably won’t listen to again. Little too “pretentious Tisch student” for my liking.
More bluesy Stooges
Very punk and a little touch of blues. It's a little bland for my normal taste honestly, but not bad.
Not a big fan of "post punk" or the rockabilly flare that this mixes, but this is better than I would guess based on the artist description.
It’s alright but every song sounds the same
Average LA-style punk music. Non-offensive, but also doesn't stand out to me. Did notice some blues influence.
It's not bad, but there's not much variety here, and some songs feel longer than what they really are. It may be because of the vocals, which sometimes get too tiring. Or because of some songs sounding quite the same. Anyway, it hasn't been really of my like. It's not bad, it's not good. That's all.
This is cool. Who knew Pixies 3rd best album isn’t even by Pixies
Not so exciting as I thought it would be... It's just regular, I guess. I mean, It's punk, right?.... so 3 stars.
"We can fuck forever but you will never get my soul." Um, OK.
good
01) Sex Beat - 6,5 02) Preaching the Blues - 6,5 03) Promise Me - 6,5 04) She's Like Heroin to Me - 6,5 05) For the Love of Ivy - 5,5 06) Fire Spirit - 6,0 07) Ghost on the Highway - 6,5 08) Jack on Fire - 6,0 09) Black Train - 6,0 10) Cool Drink of Water - 6,5 11) Goodbye Johnny - 6,0 TOTAL: 6,23 (62/100) Current ranking: 482/645
Another very average album on this list. 3 stars or C-.
idk a little meh to me, feels a bit generic for 80's punk and the cover hasn't aged well.
It's like if the Clash were a bit more aggressive, and much less interesting. Also American. Also boring. This is far too long for a punk album, but at least it's a pretty decent example of the genre at the time.
Been a while since I listened to this one and its still as weird as I remember but I think I dug or understood some of the songs on this album better than I did the last time I listened to it. But even if I didn't find anything new, this album has Sex Beat and that's one of the best songs ever so...
Would not buy
A fun alt punk rock album
It’s fine.
Different. Pleasant. unremarkable. But promising.
Absolutely runs out of steam and ideas towards the end but this is a cracking punk album when it hits it’s high gears Sex Beat and She’s Like Heroin are both electric
2.5
Pretty hip music for its time. It was ok to listen to but i dont need to hear it again. Three stars
Punk rawk, dude!
Tony Hawk core
Really liked a couple of songs. Interesting combo of punk with country/blues themes and undertones. Crazy to have never heard of this band before.
Noting special
I dig it enough
3/5 punk but it had more variety than usual punk
Good energy on display all throughout, but not enough diversity to really hold my attention. The sound reminds of Velvet Underground and Pixies at times which I do like. No real obvious errors in execution. It’s just not quite for me.
Although I like this genre, I've never heard of the band or the album. I thought the beginning was very promising. It sounded like a lot of fun. However, the rest of the music sounded very similar. It didn't inspire me. I probably won't listen to it again. 3/5
This kind of grew on me but needed to be digested in smaller doses as the songs start sounding the same. I wouldn't object if someone else threw it on but I won't return to this on my own. 2.5/5
augh. i always want to listen to this album since discovering it on rym. but anyway, somebody goes "A right load of pretentious bollocks has been written about this band "there's never been music like this, before or since". Well good, because it's shit." checked out their page and found out that based on things hinted in their reviews, they're about 70 years old since they talked about listening to led zep's (then newly released) second album in their teenage years. ok boomer. when i saw the genre i initially think that this is somehow the more evil, nick cave like version of the cramps. but they're a less evil, more 50s rock and roll version of the cramps. It didn't live up to my expecation but is stil a fine album. 3.5/5
I like the concept but the Wesley Willis delivery kinda makes it hard to enjoy
Different style of punk that I'm accustomed to, but I liked it. More blues influence. Feels like a forerunner for Kings of Leon
Love the delta blues influence and surf rock guitar styling
not bad, reminded me of the pixies just not quite as good
Fine, but I probably won’t return to it.
Was never crazy about rockabilly, but this is fun enough. I bet plenty of people in 1981 hearing this music for the first time were pretty chuffed.
Good start tailed off
Not too bad bluesy punky noise
Punk has never been my favorite genre, but this was fairly enjoyable
Enjoy the production and overall sound. Blues influences can be a bit hit or miss in places. Appreciate the bands overall charisma. 3-4
1. Sex Beast - 8 Great punk rock sound. Guitar sounds so brilliant in the opening and in the bridges. 2. Preaching the Blues - 8 Great instrumental sound. The constant back forth of the instruments ducking for the vocals and exploding out of them make this a very very fun track. 3. Promise Me - 5 The violin in the background sounds more like a constant annoyance than adding an element to the track. Drums and guitar outside of that sound great. Vocals are good but about eighty seconds in the violin begins to overpower the rest of the track. 4. She's Like Heroin To Me - 8 Another solid track. Drums sound incredible on this track, especially the bass drum on it. Lyrically the song is a lot of fun as well. Just overall a fun track. 5. For the Love of Ivy - 5 Lyrically I think this song is a trainwreck but the drum and bass line make it instrumentally brilliant. Goes on for about a minute too long and the ending is completely unwarranted. 6. Fire Spirit - 5 This needed to lyrically sound better. The lead singer's octave travels all over the place but instead of being into the higher and let down into the lower octaves, instead it's just a random spread of a vocal range. Instrumentally it's as good as the rest of the album. 7. Ghost on the Highway - 6 Pass over track. Nothing about this track is bad but nothing about it is remarkable. 8. Jack on Fire - 2 Awful track. The vocals are all over the shop and it feels like it will just be continuous talk without a break until there suddenly one for the lead to just sign the words "I'm the jack on fire" before continuing this random monologue without a purpose. Instrumentally it is equally as uninspiring. 9. Black Train - 3 Drumline is the only thing redeeming in this track. Lyrically it's way too repetitive and instrumentally it's not super dynamic. 10. Cool Drink of Water - 3 Just 6 minutes of void. 11. Goodbye Johnny - 6 Not a bad track. Instrumentally it's very enjoyable with some brilliant drumming. Vocally it's ok. Structurally the song is a bit random. Ok for the last track on the album. Average Rating: 5.36 Adjusted to a 5-Point Scale: 2.68 Rounded Up: 3 Stars
Not to bad…an album that I didn’t hate!
Cool and catchy.
Not what I expected. At first I thought it was kind of refreshing because it's not quite any of the other albums I listened to so far. But everything kind of sounded the same and it was just alright. A song here or there in a playlist would be fun, the album with all the things back to back is less appealing
There are fun moments where I ALMOST want to dance lol. But it gets a little repetitive and I'm not a fan of the singing style. It falls a little flat for me. But the album is not terrible and I wouldn't turn it off, maybe just skip around. So far, Jack on Fire is pretty good!
Interesting debut record from a band I never heard of. I was into the first half with the lead off track's grungy surfer punk sound. Kept it rolling until about the midpoint, then back half kinda lost its appeal. Started to get a little too cowboy punk for me. Not sure exactly what's going on with the cover but get some weird voodoo vibes. Overall, a different one from the list that was a good entry...2.6 stars.
Not sure how I've never heard of The Gun Club, especially as a resident of the LA area for so long. Fire Of Love isn't an amazing album but it has more than enough appeal to belong on the list as a sleeper hit. My lone criticism is that the songs tend to run into each and all sound pretty similar. By the end of it I had my fill of The Gun Club but I enjoyed it enough to be pleased with the entry. I'll keep an eye/ear out for these guys to see if they ever get any play among LA bars/clubs/venues. 2.73 stars
I guess I can see how this was a bit ahead of its time, but I didn’t think it was all that great. 2.5 stars if I could rate it that way.
I get all the comparisons to Jack White and Pixies but this just doesn’t hit the way their music does. Could be a slow burner though because it went from a 2 to a 3 on second listen
J - 3/5 Best Track - "She's Like Heroine To Me" F - DNL
This album cover rules. Put it on a shirt and then put it on my body. Maybe somebody will ask me to name three songs and I’ll have to say I CAN’T because I’m a POSER. Are you happy now? What can I say, I like the pink, I like the composition and most of all, I like the weird smiling man with the flaming mop (?). Let’s get weird. Hopefully. Sex Beat - Punk? Score. This is the sex beat? Nothing’s happening. I thought this was like a rain dance. Being lied to out of the gate isn’t the way I wanted to start the cool album cover album. Preaching the Blues - I liked the start of this quite a bit. Hell, the whole thing is the same so I like it quite a bit in general. Repetitive, but very high energy. Good stuff. Promise Me - More repetition and drawn out ideas, but that near constant tone in the background is super cool. Nice touch. She’s Like Heroin to Me - Well, she’s like a heroine to me. We’re not the same. Hey guys? This song rules. Keep up the good work. They can’t miss a vein here. For the Love of Ivy - OH YEAH. We’re in riff city. AND we’re talking about wanting to go to hell? Hell yeah. This song rules. The riff switch-ups, the rage, and even the extended . Everything fits. Punk with a sense of anxiety. Fantastic. Well. I mean that one lyric was pretty suspect. Not sure of the context for the n word?? Anyway. Fire Spirit - After that awkward realization, of course this song kicks all kinds of ass. Has me questioning everything. Well. I can’t deny that this is another monster of a song. Ghosts in the Highway - Why is O beside I on the keyboard? I swear to god I can’t write in or on. Even that sentence was butchered repeatedly. Anyway, this song was a return to normalcy. Showing off the country influence, but kind of slow for me. Jack on Fire - Could’ve named this song “Jack Off Fire” but they didn’t. First lyrical disaster averted and I for one would like to applaud them for that. It takes a lot of restraint to put down the pen when you’re about to write a song about uhh self-love. Anyway, this song was another lull. Too repetitive for me. Black Train - We’re so back. Oh god is he using the n word again? Alright. I’m hoping that it’s some sort of commentary on this style of music. I’m not seeing much come up on Wikipedia about it, so I’m going to assume this isn’t the Klan’s favourite band. Cool Drink of Water Blues - Smoooth. Tooooooo loooooong. Oh well. They tried. Goodbye Johnny - My name isn’t Johnny. You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d start to think that these bands weren’t writing these songs with me in mind. Now THAT is ridiculous. Man if you take 20 minutes off this album, we’re talking about one of the great punk releases of all time. When it was good, this thing was unstoppable. Tight playing showcased the palpable, sizzling energy on this record. Now the weird n-word segments. I don’t really know what to think there. There is really no outcry online that I can see or mention of the band being racist in any way. I’ll take the word usage as an outdated way of showing the ridiculous? While those moments did kind of take me out of it, the songs themselves? Very good. Cut some of the filler away and I’m playing this one on repeat. Don’t shoot the messenger. 3.5 HIGHLIGHTS: She’s Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Fire Spirit
Good album I enjoyed a few tracks but this didn’t stand out to me compared to other albums on this list.
This is about what I expected. It had some four and five star elements, but some of the language used wasn’t…cool.
Fun.
3/5
Another 80s album doing 80s things. I feel like I would really dislike this thing if I listened to it a year ago. I'm growing as a music consoomber. Definitely need to consult the book on this one. The book pins the music of this album as "psychobilly", which is apparently a real genre of music. Great name. Influential among noughties garage rock bands. I think this album is more influential to the "Rock and Roll McDonald's" guy. I can feel his soul emanating in these tracks (or the other way around, I guess). "some of the best American rock'n'roll ever recorded." Big call. "A huge array of influences". I guess I can vouch for the inclusion of this album. The weird shit is the good shit always and forever. I quite like it. The vocals are campy and well-suited to the wacked-out lyrics, which are well-suited to the old country theming. I can't help but feel like this exact niche of album is also occupied by "Fear and Whiskey" by Mekons, and this list ain't big enough for the two of these albums I'll tell ya hwat. It's strange to me that the 80s was apparently the designated decade for this style of music, though in all fairness this music doesn't sound like it belongs to any decade of music, really. I do not think that this album is "some of the best American rock'n'roll ever recorded" obviously, though I do think it's pretty competent. The more obvious rockabilly tracks are enjoyable in their high energy, such as "Ghost on the Highway" and "Goodbye Johnny". The more subdued, minimal "Cool Drink of Water Blues" was my biggest surprise. There's a very thin line between carrying an air of meandering through music and actually being meandering. I think this album did a pretty good job of landing in the former camp despite really pushing it with the long track length and screeching vocals. The obvious surf rock influences on "Sex Beat" and "Goodbye Johnny" was also pretty good - I quite liked those instrumentals.
I don't really get why this is on this list, but I prefer their second album "Miami" anyway.
I'm really bad at telling if a punk album is a good one or not, but I this was a pleasant listen overall. I can't say I would come back to it again, tho.
Ny men angenäm bekantskap.
This better than most punk, however it's just background music to me.
Pretty exciting at first, got kind of same-y later on. As I'm learning from working through this list, that can happen when I don't have a great frame of reference for the music. Will revisit.
Interesting mix of punk and blues with decent production value.
pretty decent
I've given very low marks for all Punk. It's just not my favorite (despite the many many many punk albums on here). Out of all the ones I've listened to, this is the one that is most tolerable to me.
Interesting enough.
Good. Started strong kinda got crappier. Not terrible.
Interesting I suppose. A unique brand of punk for sure.
A piece of post-punk, avant-pop history. Tinny guitars, off kilter beats and anguished singing make for a curates egg of an album - not sure if I like it or not, but enough here to make me come back for repeated listens.
Ágætis amríkupönk
I thought it was pretty cool, there was something indescribably appealing about it
Everyone says this album is ‘raw’ and ‘intense.’ Sure, if by that they mean it sounds like it was recorded in a basement during an exorcism. 3/5 because apparently ‘yelling with conviction’ is enough to be a classic now.
Чуть более блюзи, чем хотелось бы. Лучшая песня - Sex Beat.
That's not my taste in music - But ok
3/5
Fun album but it gets repetitive to the point of songs sounding the same. Small doses is the way to enjoy this one.
= the Beatles
-hmm this is an interesting sound!! the post/punk rockabilly combo is certainly unlike anything I’ve ever heard… listening to it made me feel like a cowboy. or perhaps a leather daddy -not much else to say beyond that, it left a mark and I sure as hell wouldn’t call it unexceptional but not all of it stood out to me personally… had some phenomenal tracks though -Favorites are Sex Beat, Ghost On The Highway, and Cool Drink Of Water
The ‘other’ enduring psychobilly band (along with Lux, Ivy and the lads). A twitching, andrenalised Alan Vega vocal sneers and yelps over frenetic, no-fi Delta blues and 50s rock and roll played at varying levels of speed and intensity. Wild stuff.
Nice blend of punk, blues and rockabilly. Gets a little repetitive and maybe lacks a really good standout track, all in all a good listen, I like their sound and will probably come back to it at some point
Pretty good, assume will get better with revisits
This was fine. Fairly mild as far as punk goes.
Really enjoyed this but didn't care for the production unfortunately.
hugmyndin um kúrekapönk hljómar vel. en ekkert spes en gef þessu aðra umferð. 3,5.
Grei høyoktan punk.
This might be a missing link between Punk and Blues, but it's not very interesting in itself. I feel 3 stars is fair.
I like this post-punk SoCal album fairly well. It’s raw and unashamedly gritty. The vocals are all over the place, but they usually don’t need to be anything more than that. Occasionally however, there comes a point when the songwriting requires some complementary singing and Jeffrey just isn’t always able to provide that. I liked this album up until the last two. “Cool Drink of Water Blues” is much too long for its boring premise and “Goodbye Johnny” holds no interest. Everything else fucks pretty hard. I enjoy it. 3/5
Some bangers, i felt the groove, not something I’d go back to super frequently.
A first time listen. Liked it. Shades of Violent Femmes. Solid garage music, if a bit mono-paced.
fun little psychobilly album…
I actually dig this even though I wasn’t giving it my full attention.
Some are pretty nice, feels kinda haphazard for some reason, like the vibe of a musty corner of a crowded 90s arcade where all the shady teens hang out.
Not bad. not my fav punk stuff tho.
I do revisit this album from time to time, but it might still be my least favorite from the Gun Club. All the pieces are here though.
A solid combination of blues and punk rock. I see the historical signings, but it didn't really move me enough
Good energy but not sure…
Very dope
Cool
3.74@5
6/10. Meh.
Enjoyed the first couple of tracks and 1 or two others. Sounded like a mix of early Kings of Leon/Rolling Stones so can see where KOL got there influences. Punky and bluesy, wasn’t a big fan of his voice though. Lacked the snarl of Caleb from KOL definitely worth a re-visit though
Kinda punky, with definite rockabilly/country influences
Nice album with good energy and guitar work. I was surprised at the amount of enjoyable bluesy/punk riffs.
Much stronger B side imo, the rock/punk blues fusion is very apparent, Im sure was revolutionary for its time but would prefer something much more melodic personally
Lots of fun here - it's punk, but it's not just punk. Almost a rockabilly side going on with the geetar. Sounds more modern than 1981. Simple songs but well done.
some interesting stuff here and there - good use of dynamics and the steel guitar implementation was cool. but WHY is there so much goddamn punk on this list?!?! it’s a mediocre listen at best every time yet it feels like every 5th album is punk or post punk. i think that’s this list’s biggest flaw
I was pleasantly surprised by this, it's a pretty interesting album. This is the debut of a 1980s punk group, but it's a lot more rootsy and bluesy than most punk. They actually manage to blend the genres pretty well. You legit get like Creedence Clearwater Revival vibes at times with like punk rock vocals. It's pretty cool actually. Like most punk bands, it's questionable whether the lead singer can actually sing. There's also a pretty noticeable quality drop-off near the end. That said, pretty solid overall. This is in 3.5 territory for me. Favorite song: Sex Beat Other: Preaching the Blues, Promise Me, She's Like Heroin to Me, Fire Spirit, Ghost on the Highway 1/16/25
Not for me
This is the 366th album I have listened to on this list, which means I have been listening for an entire year! In this time, I have listened to many wonderful albums, a few albums I've hated, and quite a few albums like this one, which I have mixed feelings about. There's a really interesting mix of genres and the sound is pretty good, but I don't find the lyrical content to be all that good. It looks like I will be rounding off this first year of albums with a 3/5- here's to approximately 2 more years! Favorite track from this album: "Ghost on the Highway," probably.
An interesting cow-punk album that's having at times really fun, and at other times pretty forgettable. I think some songs like Jack on Fire are pretty awesome, with the right amount of twangy swing in his voice. From my favorite era in punk, unfortunately, and it doesn't stand up quite to the kings of the era.
JLP ei kuule melodioita mutta tulkitsee niitä poikkeuksellisen vaikuttavasti. Levyllä on kovia raitoja: She's Like Heroin To Me nousee ensinmäisenä mieleen. Kiistatta kuulemisen arvoinen, mutta miinusta turhasta jammailusta. 3,5
Kind of interesting punk, but only kind of.
again we should bring up the fact that a non-black singer is taking a genre traditionally sung by mostly black musicians (the blues) and mixing it with a genre that is seen as culturally white (punk) and that's what makes the sound (somewhat more mainstream) successful. I don't know if he really needed to sing the n-word on that one song either. still, "cowpunk" is an interesting concept that results in an interesting sound when it melds together in the right way. however, i do think it works better on some songs than others, otherwise, it's either too disjointed or too clearly in one direction or another. i do agree with Jack White that "She's Like Heroin To Me'' and "For the Love of Ivy" are great songs though.
US 80s punk/post punk, garage band feel which wear's blues and 60s influences. Liked it but not as much as the components suggest I should.
I think I like punk even more when it’s mixed with blues. This is a 3.5 that I can’t quite round up.
This is good punk. But I still don't love punk enough to rate it very high. 3.5*
I was happy to receive this album because I had tried to listen to it awhile ago but didn't finish it because I wasn't in the mood for it at the time, so it was about time I revisited it... Turns out I likely never will be in the mood for this. It's got a decent bluesy sound with some nice moments here and there but otherwise it's pretty unremarkable. Favorite track: Sex Beat 2.5/5
it was fine, but didn't belong on this list.
Way better than I was expecting, based on what appears to be the worst album cover I've ever seen. Don't be afraid of this. It's alright.
Solid post punk album with great blues and country riffs in a couple songs. I'm glad I listened to it, but probably won't listen to it often 3.5/5
Interesting to hear the country and blues influence in some of these tracks. My favorite tracks on this album are Jack on Fire and Cool Drink of Water Blues.
3 maybe 4
Pretty solid sound.
Maybe post-punk generally doesn’t do much for me. Am I weak for wanting hooks? Whatever. Strong musicianship.
3 - Didnt hate it but found it a struggle to listen to in parts
Ok, feels like it’s trying to be edgy 2.9/5
3 stars for their clear influence on various sub-genres of the American punk/garage rock scene but also on the rock and industrial scenes. Most notably White Zombie in the late 80s and early 90s, as well as Ministry. The momentum doesn’t carry throughout the whole album but it is enough for proof of concept. I would not classify this as among the best rock ever recorded, not even the among the best released in 1981, but it was a fun diversion despite its silly sophomoric lyrics. If not for its influence in the development of a sub-genre it would not belong on this list on its own merits. So many more interesting albums in the 1980s that this list loves to ignore.
Got s great vibe but runs out of substance too fast
Another garage rock, punk-esque- pop-esque album from the 80s. This one was good enough but didnt do much for me personally. Overall- decent album
Kinda interesting like blues-ish, honky tonk punk? I dunno.
I've never listened to this band before. The music sounded familiar probably because they influenced later better known bands. Interesting twangy punk that is easy to listen to, and easy to forget.
Interesting and different. Normally punk isn't high up on my listening list, but this had a lot of originality and exploration. Also, another tortured artist who exited the stage early. Glad this was on this list.
Started off sounding very fun, but nearer the end it had less energy and sounded a little boring.
Mucho fiery and wild and primitive – yes, all to the good. But this doesn't ultimately move the needle for one personally, despite all the blather about influence. One might even prefer Kings of Leon. And sorry, editors, these aren't "some of the best rock and roll songs ever recorded."
3.5
This album was a decent listen. I got through all the tracks and it was easy to hear in the background.
This album confused me more than anything. I liked a lot of the riffs, but the production is quite thin, it’s the only Punk album I’ve ever had to turn the volume up on. But what confused me most was the lyrics. Songwriter Jeffrey Lee Pierce seems to be going for a sort of Outlaw persona, but he tries to take it in a Punk direction, and I’m not sure it works. It’s quite adolescent, attempting to shock with lyrics about killing people and fucking and stuff. It might have worked better had I known Jeffrey Lee Pierce was a teenager when the album was released. Attempting to shock like that would make sense, but he was 24. At that point both Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, clear inspirations on Pierce, were writing mature lyrics about their own lives, shocking with the frankness of the descriptions of sex and drug culture. They didn’t need to talk about fucking someone to death in a hole. Real life was much more shocking. I enjoyed a lot of this musically, and I can appreciate it’s influence on later Cowpunk and Psychobilly, but the weird lyrics and production put this off being a true classic
This really didn't do anything for me. Not good, not bad.
I listened to this about four time in a row because it sounds good but is also instantly forgettable. (ntm.)
Awesome drums on this. Great psychobilly sound that is unique if not a little one note.
3.5/5 (could be a 4 needs more listens)
This caught me off guard, some good concepts but ultimately not my thing
decent noise
The only way I got anything out of this one was through viewing how this influenced the white stripes sound. That makes it fairly enjoyable but still sounds like standard punk with twang of blues. It did grow on me as it went on. Rating: 3.4
Sounds like all the other early punk albums I've listened to.
Not so bad
Нормально, не восторг
Interesting hill billy punk. Ok I guess, not a favourite. Musically good and well put together. Vocalist ruins it.
Heard of ‘em but never heard ‘em. So far so good.
3.4
A bit inconsistent but there's enough decent music on here to give it a passing grade.
3.5 Bluesy Punk.
Not my favorite Gun Club, but still very enjoyable
Have heard multiple albums similar to this on the list so far, but this was still enjoyable
pretty fun album
I always like a bit of punk in my day.
Am I starting to like punk?? I blame this project. Bluesy punk is cool.
You could have told me this was one long song and I would have believed you (derogatory).
The vocalist on this is extremely annoying. Music is alright tho.
This is one of those albums that is more interesting than it is good, and by interesting I mean unique because it is a little boring. I think the genre meshing is cool, but every song is a little too samey. I can see a through line between this and double nickels on the dime which I enjoyed a lot more. Low 3
A fun, enjoyable listen but something’s missing for me to call this great