Fire Of Love

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

Sounds like some old punk. Presumably they were trailblazers to some degree, so I heartily thank them for their service...but I'll never listen to this again. I imagine this is something I would have liked if I were 20 when it came out rather than -4. 2.5

Good, no great.

Hørte albumet men husker ikke åssen d var

Feels very late-punk, early 80's \"new wave\" but with an interesting rock-a-billy vibe in some parts. She's Like Heroin To Me is classic mosh-pit fare and the weird stalls in the middle of tracks like For the Love of Ivy evoke images of underground punk clubs with the band conducting the audience like a leather clad orchestra slowing to halt only to explode again with the next measure. It gets pretty monotonous and angry, can't rate higher than 3 stars.

A really good album. Some great tracks. Reminiscent of early Pixies in parts... more than 5 years before Pixies existed.

I could give this thing 1 star just for the damn headache I put myself through before I heard even a second of this thing. See, I found out that there are two songs on this album where the writer and singer, a very white guy, uses the N-word. With a hard "R" both times, too. (Genius.com claims the second one's a soft "a," but let's not split hairs; the first four letters are the same.) So, me, myself, for my benefit, before I could put this album on, I felt I had to answer one simple question: is this guy racist? Catch me, then, doing Google searches and reading articles from websites I'd never heard of, about not only this guy, but about punk's use of the N-word in general. See me find a Reddit thread where someone references a biography from a third party who says the songwriter regretted those N-words. Find me doing some soul-searching to figure out if the use of the word even bothers me, and what that might say about me as a person—after all, I still listen to Billie Joe Armstrong, Elvis Costello, Axl Rose, Ben Folds and Richard Cheese despite all of **them** using it. Eventually, after what felt like an **hour**, I just hadda stop. 'Cuz what was I even doing this for? Simply put: I don't know him. I'll never know him. Even if he hadn't passed away twelve years ago, I'd never get to know him well enough as a person, personally, to know if he's racist or not. I didn't even know his name before today—and even as I'm typing this, I can't recall it. All I'm left with, then, is the art. And I don't know if I can judge a person's entire soul based on forty minutes, let alone one word among many. And, yes, of course: it's a bad word. I don't like that he used it. But I can't just see it and call him racist entirely on that alone. Like, what's the context of the line? Does he **really** mean it? Is he playing a character? Or does it even matter in the first place? And for my money, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt. This is punk, after all. Unless you're one of the groups the Dead Kennedys wrote "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" about, I believe, generally, you're against racism. Of course, there's plenty of exceptions you could list, but for this man alone, I didn't see anything to suggest otherwise. In the songs where he used that word, I'll grant he was probably just playing a character. If other people don't, that's fair. Interpretation and all. But as awkward as I feel about it, I just can't agree. So that's settled then. Although first, before I actually talk about the damn music, I wanna state the funny thing about those previous paragraphs. See, if my group had never mentioned it, or I just didn't see them mention it, chances are I never would've known about those N-words. After all, as I've stated in previous reviews: I'm melody-first. I hardly register lyrics the first time I'm listening to something unless I'm staring directly at them. And there's no guarantee I would've been for this album, so it might have flown over my head completely. I could've saved myself the headache and however long I just spent writing these nearly 600 previous words. Let's get to the actual point, then: the music. What do I think of it? Eh. It's fine. Like, I'unno. I saw one that Wikipedia had given "psychobilly" as one of its genres, and that got me really excited for something that, frankly, isn't here. This isn't the Reverend Horton Heat. No, I should've been paying more attention to the **first** given genre: "punk blues." And on that front... Sure? I guess? I'unno. There were a few parts of it that rocked, but on the whole it just didn't impress me terribly much. It's not **bad**; I'm willing to give it a 3 at most. I suppose it's just that I had misplaced expectations. Although believe you me, I'm **very** tempted to give this thing a 1 on the fact that I spent all that time reading articles and worrying just to end up at an "Eh, it's fine." Especially given that I didn't do nearly as much worrying over listening to Kid Rock or Kanye West, and I know for a **fact** over how terrible **those guys** are. So, I'unno. Take it or leave it. ("It" meaning either "this album" or "this review," frankly.) I'm just gonna hope whatever my group ends up getting tomorrow won't tire me out as much as this one did before I even pressed "play."

At first, I was thinking of giving a solid 4, but then I heard those first hard Rs by a white band, so I have to bring it down to a solid 3. Otherwise, some solid tunes from the progenitors of blues punk.

3+

Netter Punk.

It's aight. 3/5

I like the sound. As an album... some of it makes me think of a young band playing one of their first shows, sounding fine, but looking around at each other frequently like should we keep playing this song longer? Are we still on the guitar solo? Should we just play it again? Donny isn't looking at us, how long should we let him keep playing this riff?

i’m gonna peg this one right down the middle as a solid 3. Reminded me of something you would hear on a hot night in a small bar with cold beer and a lot of people hooping and hollering in the background. Somewhere like Memphis or Nashville, probably.

Quite enjoyed this raw and messy, punky number. Not exactly a masterpiece but short, sweet and to the point.

Fierce and raucous, but not all that great in the end, psychobilly/cowpunk having long since devolved into "seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time" or "you-had-to-be-there" territory. It seems obvious to say they would have been great live. And amazing how clean/lean the remaster sounds (compared to one's memories of how it sounded in back-in-the-day real time). One also remembers certain cool kids liking this one quite a bit more than one did actually. Sorta fun to hear again, and appreciate it for what it was, but only sorta.

Got some Jack White, Animals, Clash vibes from this one. I like it!

The good: tight production, real craftmanship when it comes to instruments, nice lyrics, and an overall sense of "why was The Gun Club never featured in Quinten T movie? The bad: JLP's vocals... they do get under your skin after a while, then again... The ugly: instant skip if you don't like rock-a-billy!

Track one of this album had me hyped for something great, but then my attention slowly waned from then on. It has garage rock elements, but is much rougher around the edges than some other bands (such as The Vines who I listened to only yesterday). I’m not sure what it is that makes me enjoy the rawness of some albums and to find it distracting in others, but this was unfortunately the latter. I liked it more than I disliked it, but I’m doubting that I’ll be returning for another listen.

Nothing special

The Rolling Stones, the Ramones, the violent femmes, the velvet underground? I hear it all on this album. I loved the song “For the Love of Ivy” but the overt racism ruined it for me.

I've never heard of this band or any of their music before so I had no idea what to expect. It was interesting, to say the least. Mostly punk sounding with some very small hints of early new wave. Listening to this I could hear how this band may have influenced later acts in the new wave genre. It's always interesting to hear early examples of musical styles where the ideas are clearly at a transition from one style to another.

High energy, but the sound is repetitive after awhile. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this (I'd never heard of The Gun Club), and I was pleasantly surprised by the music and the energy. You can definitely hear where this sound influences later bands.

Punky, alternative indie rock. It's great! Favorite track: Just put on the whole album

Dancing punks moving to surf.

Primer acercamiento a The Gun Club. El primer álbum de la banda no destaca en composición ni técnica, pero si lo hace en intensidad y significado. Tratar el punk siempre es una tarea compleja, debido a que por lo general no se trata de un género que destaque por sus detalles (lo cual queda en evidencia en este trabajo) . No obstante, es esa falta de tecnicismo lo que hace distintivo su sonido, el cual es una respuesta directa al prog-rock y el vanguardismo en la música. El trabajo busca, mediante composiciones rápidas y letras sin filtro, un acercamiento más directo con los oyentes a través de un sonido frenético con pinceladas de blues. En lo personal aprecio mucho esta escucha, aunque debido a lo repetitivo que me suenan las canciones no me veo volviendo a escucharlo (más allá de mis canciones favoritas, que considero los puntos más altos de este trabajo). FAVTRAXS: Sex Beat / Preaching the Blues / She's Like Heroin to Me / Cool Drink of Water Blues LEASTFAV: Black Train 3.5/5

Punk rock. Chulo.

Quite liked this. Pretty average though. 66/100

Funky, punky album

This album is so close to being brilliant. I have lots of love for the Gun Club but there is something that has always bugged me about them that doesn't bother me in bands like the Cramps. I think it's the vocals, the more I listen to this album is particular. Still worth a listen, but not an all-time favorite for me.

I’ve never heard this before but it’s probably safe to assume that Jack White, Jon Spenser and Black Francis did. Raw and visceral punk meets blues and rockabilly. Musically it’s a 4/5 as this really does seem a truly seminal album but some of the lyrics are leave me cold so it gets 3/5 from me.

I've heard Sex Beat before and a like the song but I wasn't too big on the rest of the album until a fellow reviewer mentioned that they sound like proto-pixies and I can definitely see the connection.

p480. 1981. 3 stars Strangely alluring mix of garage band, punk and quality 60s influences (Creedence, The Doors), let down by a lack of quality songs. Worth a listen though.

An ok punk album that didn’t do much for me.

Bare bones punk. Reminds me of the Violent Femmes, just not as good.

It’s ok.

Nothing surprising just the usual Punk rubbish.

This had me think Gun Club was one of those bands that bought a Velvet Underground album and then formed a band. In turn, I am reminded of The Dead Kennedys by the vocalist. Never heard of the band before this. I'm not likely to seek them out again, but the album was enjoyable enough.

There were some good snarky punk tunes here. She’s Like Heroin To Me was the standout track for me. I loved the vibes here, but I also couldn’t help but notice that all the right elements had been brought together and assembled, and yet somehow they failed to gel as expected, to fully bring this record to life. Okay is okay, but great is unforgettable. And sadly, these guys didn’t have the stuff to be great.

I like stripped down straight forward pop punk. Sex Beat is a great start, but other than She's Like Heroin, i found the rest pretty bland and ordinary.

I dunno. I wanted to like this more but Al I could think was that they sounded like The Cramps with their makeup washed off. I’ll listen to it again but nothing really grabbed me.

Идея сделать блюз припанкованным не нова. Сейчас такие группы типа black keys стадионы собирают. А вот попытка из 80-х такого не добилась, потому что не дожали.

Surprisingly good.

Seems good but too close to their other albums

Siisti tunnelma ja hyvin voisin pyöritellä taustalla. Ehkä jää silti kolmeen tältä erää.

The documentary was better

I will forget about this album very soon

Surf punk, I guess? Was fast paced but didn't feel all that energetic. Certainly wasn't bad though

Le mix de punk et de sons plus typiquement américain (blues, rockabilly) est vraiment original et avec raison est très inovateur. Mais le résultat n'était pas tellement mon genre. On dirait qu'il manquait un peu de substance. Loin d'être un mauvais album, plus que ce n'est pas mon genre je pense. 5/10

To be fair, I didn’t listen as closely as I might have. It gives me vibes of The Saints (a good thing!).

Energetic and a fun listen, better than the average punk album on here. 3.5

Rating: 6.5/10 Good album overall. Sounds like a lot of post-punk from this era but done with their own twist. Really enjoyed the blues/country influences throughout, the instrumentation was very interesting. Had some Velvet Underground influences as well in the instrumentation and vocally, overall good but I prefer to listen to their contemporaries from this time period and genre. Favorite songs: Promise Me, She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Ghost on the Highway, Black Train, Cool Drink of Water. Worst song: Sex Beat.

pretty jammin, I didnt love any one particular song but I enjoyed all of them

3.5 stars. Pretty good album that tries to combine blues and punk rock in an interesting way. Made for a good sound, upbeat and angsty but not too rowdy. Standout was "Preaching the Blues".

Musically, I would give this three stars. But then I ask myself, why is this album on a list of albums I should listen to? I think part of that is the history and the influence. On first, listen, I was not impressed, but then I read about how it influenced punk blues, and it clicked a little. This is like Jon Spencer, but a decade earlier. So... I'll bump it up a little to 3 1/2 stars. But then I have to round, and I'm going to round down, so ultimately I'm back where I started. But this is "better" than a lot of the other 3 stars on here given its influence.

Blues punk (or is it punk blues?) feels like it should’ve been done plenty by now but if it has, I haven’t heard it. I think I like it, but I like it most when it’s a proper blend of the two rather than straight-up blues without punky energy, or straight-up punk without bluesy flavouring.

Good wholesome post punk and for once a US album from that era/genre which isn’t bland

Fun little punk rocky album. Good energy. I liked track 1 "Sex Beat" a lot, despite it not really having a beat that I would find myself having sex to. Not terribly memorable I don't think, which is unfortunate, but maybe the only negative thing I have to say about this album. It's a fun listen, and I really like the singer's voice- it's like just interesting enough while still having a conventionally nice sound. I guess that's kind of a variable that I search for in music. The twangy guitar playing is super nice too. Sometimes it's Ramone-ish, and sometimes it's country western. This album has a lot of little moments like that that show that there's more under the hood here. How about the dynamics in track 2, "Preaching the Blues"? I love how it gets incredibly quiet for short moments. You don't ever really hear that sort of thing in today's volume wars. I dig the album cover; some parts surreal, some parts avant garde. Color use is great! It's not quite a 4 for me, but it's a high 3, like a 3.75.

Meh

remastered 2020 version 54 min. 2.7/5

By and large, my kind of punk. Again, I listened to it running and that felt right. It started off better than it ended, and by the last song I was pretty done with it, but the singer's voice was decent and it wasn't unpleasant.

Indie/garage rock, no standouts to me.

I liked this! I’m not well versed in the punk genre by any means, but I enjoyed playing it while I cooked chicken. Favorites: She’s Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy (violent though lol)

I've never heard of this band! I'm digging the country influences, and the album has a great energy. This is getting me amped for my punk show tonight. The singer's voice gets tiring pretty quick though. Crazy that the 2nd song is a Robert Johnson cover. Favorite tracks: Sex Beat Preaching the Blues She's Like Heroin to Me Ghost on the Highway

Felt a little under produced, a little garage bandy. The lead singer is clearly a Jim Morrison fan, plenty of shrieking, but not all bad.

Pretty groovy, prefer the upbeat songs. Love some 80s punk, perfect moshing music. The guitars and drums make me tap my foot unconsciously. I've heard for the love of ivy before??? By Japandroids!! I didn't know that was a cover! This style of fast paced punk all does kind of blend together after a while, but I am still a fan. Reminds me of diarrhea planet. Top songs: Sex beat She's like heroin to me For the love of ivy Ghost on the highway

Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it. It wasn’t really my jam but some songs had me tapping my toe!

Speaking of mid-century rock and roll inspired music, it’s pretty funny that I get this the very next day after Elvis Presley. But what a difference it makes when you listen to someone who actually has some talent behind them. That might sound harsh, but this album just does a way better job with this sound than Elvis ever did. It has this unique fusion of early punk and surf rock, but still maintains that original 50s sound. And I can appreciate it. It’s a wholly unique combination of ideas I’m not familiar with. And yet, I’m still not in love with this. I think it really just comes down to me at this point. The riffs are energetic, but still tasteful. And the lyrics are The Velvet Underground debut levels of creepy and erratic. But what is it with male singers in the 80s all sounding really similar? It’s like country singers nowadays. Just not nearly as annoying though. This album simply feels a little unbalanced. Plays it too simple in some places, and goes for a real hail mary and falls short in other places. But I think there is still something enjoyable and valuable to take away from this. The album comes off as a little strange sometimes, but it embraces the weirdness pretty well all things considered. Rating: 6/10

Not my favorite group, but they’re all right 6/10

This is one of those albums that I would love to read the text in 1001 book about. What’s the justification for this one? I like some of the songs, especially Promise Me, very Stones-meets-Dylany, but like was this the author’s second cousin’s band?

Not bad although was listening in the background and did not notice anything great too

Although the Wikipedia page makes a big deal of this album re-imagining blues, this is still essentially a post-punk album. As usual with post-punk, I enjoy the parts that are further removed from punk and dislike the parts that are closer to punk. This album treads a fine line, infusing multiple different styles and influences into a punk framework. It works well on some tracks and so-so on others. It does have personality going for it.

3.5 all day. Had fun with this one

I started off thinking, oh boy this is some pretty basic kind of garage punk. But as the album went on I found myself really liking the energy a lot and in the end I liked it well enough.

I liked this but also feel as those most of the vocal harmonies were the same for each song. Good stuff over all but a bit repetitive.

Very 80’s British

Listened Before? N Super interesting sound here. Also- the first song sounds like nothing else on the album. They should've stuck with that friendlier sound. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Sex Beat

Not as punky as I would have thought, but still decent. A lot of the songs sound identical.

I didn't like this album. Plain and simple. That doesn't mean it's not good. It perfectly fills a niche. You might call it Punkabilly. I feel wiser having heard it and that's not nothing.

Sounds like the Ramones, but I can believe they did it first.

solid punk

Influential for that genre but that genre kind of sucks to me.

This is pretty good. I like that it has elements of punk and southern Americana music without going full psychobilly, which is not a style I am usually a fan of. I'd gladly listen to this again in the future.

Wouldn't seek this out for listening, but if it came on a playlist when I'm working I wouldn't change it. My favourite: watermelon man - HE NO DEAD HE NO DEAD HE NO DEAD!!!!!!

Felt like generic punk but I did find myself getting into it as it went along.

I enjoyed this without ever being blown away

Cool listen. Will keep exploring their albums.

lige præcis den slags protopunk, jeg normalt er virkelig vild med - jeg er faktisk lidt overrasket over at jeg ikke har hørt om dem før. Synes ikke sangerens stemme var den fedeste, og så var den lige klart nok mikset ind en gang i mellem, så det trækker lidt ned

Kunne egentlig meget godt lidt det her og jeg kan godt fornemme at de har været inspiration for meget, men jeg kommer nok aldrig til at sætte den her plade på igen

Nope for me

Track 1: okay opener. Track 2: I like the blues sound of this and the way the vocals are roomy Track 3: decent song. Track 4: I like the slide guitar Track 5: I like the craziness at the end but the sound kinda gets bad. Track 6: I like this song. Track 7: I like the fast rhythmic guitar with the slide in the background. Track 8: good track Track 9: fun little track Track 10: I like the groove this has. And how his voice kinda goes up with the guitar. Track 11: okay closer for the end I like the bass in it though. Overall: 5.8/10 it’s an okay album but not my favorite.

Love the energy and the riffs, it's a lot more boppy than most punk bands I've listened to. I'm reading that it's very much inspired by the blues, and I can definitely hear that. I do like the blues part more than the punk parts.

Simpatico

Okay. Better than I thought. Preachin’ the Blues and She’s Like Heroin to Me are great. Ez 3.5

it all sounds the same

A very cool rock n roll record. Energetic punk. Great riffs. Listen to this again.

Found this to be straightforward but relatively lackluster rock and roll.

This album has some gems - country bum-punk. Sounds more contemporary than it is, probably was cutting edge at the time. While some stuff on this is excellent - overall it isnt as tight or forward thinking as folks make it out to be.

Had two listens, could hear the early punk elements with some blues infused into it. Not bad, but probably not going to listen again. 3/5.

interesting but a touch too rowdy for me

- Great punk energy - A fun listen, 3.5

- I enjoyed the attitude here - not a ton to say

Punk rock. Chulo.

Pretty good 80’s rock. Singing is weird. That’s it.

lauded garage that i can hear in everything else since but not too fussed about going to the source

Favorite Songs Sex Beat She’s Like Heroin to Me

Thought it was decent, don't really have many more notes than that.

Not bad.

Nice

Surprised I never came across this album. Really great genre spanning album. Little bits of Ramones, Pixies, Cramps, touch of country.

I’ve had a rough few picks in a row. This might be a sympathy 3.

Enjoyable punk album, I wasn't aware of its existence.

Not bad

I loved this album at the time. But at least one of us hasn't aged well and now we've drifted apart. And at that point I didn't know the original of Preaching, which - ahem - walks all over the version here. But the title track, the opener and Heroin are good stompin' rebel rockers. I just don't think this band are as good as the mythology around them perhaps suggests.

I enjoyed the album. It was an interesting listen. Not sure I'd listen to it again or if any songs would stick in my head.

Jazzy I think, but not entire my vibe. Seemed a bit to similar to eachother and stuff idk.

Decent, though just wasn't quite my vibe that day. Unfortunately only a small part of the album appeared to be on Spotify for some reason.

Want to guarantee that your album will be relegated to near obscurity, regardless of its musical merits or cultural relevance? Drop some hard-r'd N words. I do not condone the use of the word and it drives me nuts to hear it here, as the album is otherwise super impressive.

Short fun. Liked it, a couple songs felt like The Doors but more casual.

Some questionable lyrics that wouldn't fly today, but overall I enjoyed listening to this 3

A post-punk album with rockabilly sensibilities. A fresh take, but kind of drags on a little. Think it requires further study. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Cool Drink of Water", "She's Like Heroin To Me"

Klonk beste oké

Pretty much what you’d expect from some early 80s punk.

Unique and fun. 6/10

Album 172 of 1001 The Gun Club - Fire of Love Rating : 3 / 5 American Punk Band. Not a bad listen. Heard better and heard worse.

Never heard of this band before. For punk, this was just a bit on the boring side. Also for punk, what are they doing with 5 and 6+ minute songs? I liked some of it though - Preaching the Blues may have been my favorite.

If I had this album on release, it might’ve been my favourite album but I didn’t have it on release.

Spotify has been sending me Gun Club stuff, but it must have been select tunes from later albums, they were definitely less raw than this. This has a rockabilly punk sound, like The Cramps but less vulgar. “Sex Beat” totally rocks and I will definitely be riding my trainer to it in the fall. The others have energy but don’t get me the same way. X is still my favourite LA post-punk band.

I’ve never heard of The Gun Club. From the looks of the cover art, I definitely wasn’t expecting what I got. I’m not sure what I was expecting, though, because the music was about as chaotic as the album cover. However, Preaching the Blues, For the Love of Ivy, Ghost on the Highway, Cool Drink of Water were standouts for me. Definite blues and country influences throughout the entire album. I imagine people getting high to music like this. I imagine the band was high when they made this. I could be wrong. But I imagine a lot of jumping around and moshing to this type of music. Not my scene, but the music wasn’t bad at all.

I always liked the raucous approach of The Gun Club. I thought Jeffrey Lee Pierce was a tad overrated as a vocalist, but he certainly was wild. In late 1983 they toured Australia. (It’s worth checking out Spencer Jones’s account of that tour on the internet - he was one of 2 Australian musos enlisted at the last minute to round out the band after half the band decided at the last minute that Pierce was a wanker & refused to board the plane in L.A.). Piece also enlisted Kid Congo Powers, an original member who had left in 1980 to join The Cramps, but had left that band earlier in 1983. I saw their last Sydney gig at Players in Oxford St (AKA The Paddington Green Hotel). Personally, I thought the support band, The Hoodoo Gurus, blew them off the stage that night. And the lasting memory I have of the Gun Club playing is of Gurus guitarist Brad Shepherd inching his way along a wall, absolutely off his face, coming to my partner Janette & grabbing onto her for dear life because he couldn’t stand up. Of course, her re-telling of that over the years has turned into Brad trying to take advantage of her undoubted charms. This album is a fair indication of what they were like live. I especially love Sex Beat & She’s Like Heroin To Me. And the way they use slide guitar throughout. In fact, I find it far more palatable than I did when I first heard it.

опять разговорный альбом, не надо спасибо)

Punk rock. Chulo.

I've heard music inspired by this style and absolutely loved it, but this felt jarring and more like 'noise' to me.

These albums technically sound different, but they all have the same vibe, y’know? The vibe of 3 stars

3.5/5

This one was kind of meh to me. Nothing really stood out or caught my interest. I don’t think it was terrible but it was just not for me overall.

The whole time, I just kept thinking I really wanted to hear this but with a better singer. I hated the singer's voice. It was also really repetitive and white guys dropping the n-word was a major turnoff. This so easily could have been a 5 but it's not.

Suicide meets rockabilly

Today I learned that punk blues is a genre and it sounds like you'd expect. Not offensive, but it didn't stand out to me.

Great punk energy. Very cool

chill. like a punkier version of bruce springsteen.

Ok, influential, sure, but too much US punk just sounds like shouty rockabilly.

why are these songs not taught in schools? because that's where you go to learn shit you can use, jack white. although you seem to have done all right, tbf

I felt like I liked the sound of the album and the voice but nothing really clicked beyond that. Felt like there was something missing. Probably in the quality of song itself? Nothing really gripped me

3.75

Bluesy-punky implies solidity. But to describe the second half... "Muddy" in this context feels too complimentary. The music loses dimension and really slows down. A little spark, albeit dark.

I'm not going to call this a great album. But it sure does tickle my punk rock fancy.

I dig the rawness of it

*Another* punk album. This one, though, stands above other recent listenings. It fuses blues with punk creating a powerful, interesting and melodic record. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Sex Beat Date listened: 16/04/23

good new wave with nick cave's moments

Fire Of Love is middle of the road 60s rock with a fresher sound, interesting enough to listen to, not much to dislike but little to elevate it beyond a fine 3.

Fun record, fast and groovy, drummer on fire, not much wrong on that level. Would have appreciated some variety in the album. 3/5

interesting, punky jazzy something

I can be partial to the old punky-pops from time to time, and I thought this was alright you know

It's good, just nothing too special

The Gun Club’s greatest legacy is their influence on groups like the White Stripes and Japandroids. A frustrating record at times, but nice in its slower, more contemplative moments.

Divertídismo disco. Repetitivo y formulaico nomás, pero muy divertido.

I like this. Never listened to these guys before

This is one of those albums I’ve tried to get into before, but it just doesn’t gel with me. Jeffrey Lee Pierce does some cool stuff, but the album never has worked as a whole for me. I used to drink Scotch occasionally to remind myself that I didn’t like it, until one day I did. I keep waiting for that with this album.

The idea of the Gun Club sound, a punk take on Americana, is great. Can really hear their influence on bands like Mercury Rev. But the songwriting isn't always of the first rank. Fascinating listen, and a sense of wide open spaces that reminds me of the Triffids and Go-Betweens.

Album starts off with a nice beat and melody. After a while the songs did not sound as interesting.

Interesting

3.7 - Some crisp post-punk jams on here. Spare guitar work and spoken vocals. Similar to Wire’s “Pink Flag.”

Pretty good. I liked the parts that sounded like The Angry Samoans and The Velvet Underground.

сатана сатана сатана я плюю на ваши могилы я вырву ваши кишки ☺️☺️☺️

interesting band. gotta read their history and stuff.

It wasn’t bad but it drags

Kinda funky at times, I'll give it a "solid work"

Pretty good basic punk. I can see myself digging this at a darkish, sweaty basement U.K. club after a few pints. Would be life- energizing good times!! But I’m actually listening through a bluetooth speaker at a mediocre Des Moines, IA business hotel while drinking cheap whiskey out of a plastic cup. So not the vibe I was hoping for. All in, this is marginally better than a three, but can’t swing it to a four today. Go Hawkeyes!

pretty cool early example of brit punk adopting american blues into the sound. Respect for what it is, but not me. Cover of Preaching the Blues is the best track.

An interesting album I didn’t mind listening to, but not really a great match for me. Glad to have heard this but it was more of a curiosity than something I want to listen to again.

Kinda middling compared to most of the punk on this list. Pleasant to listen to but nothing special

This wasn't really good, but I think it's kind of artistic, which I can appreciate. I haven't heard much else like this, but that doesn't mean it's good.

The start of a lot of influence. Could hear Violent Femmes taking a big page from this group.

Fun album

I was wondering how this was a seminal, groundbreaking band. But then I realised I was listening to bands like this: King Kurt and The Cramps a couple of years after this came out. I can also hear that they want to be The Velvet Underground and a little bit Patti Smith. I would’ve loved this in the 80s, and I still have a fondness for this type of music. But it does feel repetitive after awhile. Great in small doses.

Anxious post-punk. Solid, but not my favorite.

Use of slide is an interesting differentiator from most of the other punk/New wave stuff. Blues is still a thing!

This was alright had a definite Velvets/ Lou Reed feeling, maybe just the vocals. Didn't love, but didn't hate and can see why it's on the list I guess

Liked it, didn't love it, appreciate it as an album that helped shape some new sounds. I particularly enjoyed the moments when little rockabilly licks would seep in.

Certainly prefer this to X as far as LA punk with a dash of roots thrown in goes. Has much more of a raw vitality. You can definitely hear their influence in that "everyone who bought the album started a band" kind of way.

Decent punk but never gets super interesting beyond a curiosity for me. Totally serviceable though.

Great to hear the legendary Kid Congo Powers and Jeffrey lee Pierce again. being hooked on the more relaxed the Las Vegas Story I found this one less thrilling, though I see why it is in 1001 best albums.

If Jack Black respects it, it's worth a spin.

Not bad, kinda liked it. Prolly won't listen to it again, but enjoyed it while it was on.

first listen pretty boring

Fun!

The foray into this album was blind, and that might have been the saving grace here. Is it rock? Is it rockabilly? Is it punk? The answer is yes. There are rock compilations, and then there are literal rock compilations. This album is the latter. Each element seems to be touched on throughout, and it suffers from the shortcomings of all of them. The overly-lyric'd and semi-chaos of punk, the basic generic sound of rock, the old-fashioned rockabilly, in a way if the Blues were a person, they should feel somewhat annoyed by this. However, something weird happens with all of those gripes, and that is they start to make sense in an optimistic way. An appreciation that each element can coexist on an album grows, and while the album does not evoke any great emotion or produce rabid fandom, there is actually a lot of respect to be earned here. The band really put effort into this, at least that is what it sounds like. Lead vocalist sounds invested, the music is played with vigor. Psychopunkabilly can sound lazy, but The Gun Club does not. Their compositions are filled with bluesy hooks, punkish interjections, rock tones, and intention, the kind that requires some deliberateness. A real credit to this album.

Idk, bluesy så der kunne godt være noget jeg kunne lide. Ellers lidt for stress. Cool Drink of Water Blues var meget god.

It was okay. Maybe I wasn't in a great mood but I thought it was just average.

Better than I expected!

A cool little bit of rockabilly punk + Lou Reed + early KoL