Reviews (page 5 of 7)
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
Nothing special
Really fun. Never heard of this band or the idea of blues-punk or punkabilly or whatever this is, but it was fun to listen to and read about.
Surprisingly enjoyable 3*
Had high hopes after the first couple of songs. Wasn't bad but didn't meet expectations.
Never even heard of these people before, but this was pretty good. Probably a true 3.5; gotta decide if I should round up or down.
It was okay, but not my favourite. Some of the beats were fun.
Nice
Punk what?!
Similar vibe to New York Doll
I was kinda digging it, although nothing really stood out too much for me. I enjoyed the raw, punk vibe it had. Pretty good, but not great.
An interesting post-punk album, I would probably like it more upon another listen, but as of now I thought it did a good job at accomplishing the vibes and sounds. 3.5/5
That was pretty cool. A few genres mashed into one with some heavily Dylan influenced lyrics.
Some pretty tuneful and enjoyable punk here, I had a bit of fun with this.
Good bluesy early-punk album.
gillade det väldigt mycket först men efter en andra lyssning blev jag lite besviken på något sätt. en trea får det bli
Good
Has to be the ugliest album cover ever… The album opens with sex beat a very youthful punk track, the guitars are great really makes it feel like a strong opener. Then is preaching the blues it’s quite interesting with the fade out that is on it feeling so instant. It does get annoying after a bit but it’s still a nice song. Promise me slows things down a little and I respect the song but it’s just not as good as the first two. She’s like heroin to me is the most aggressive track a small aggressive burst of energy ( also at the mo I really don’t like the sequencing of the tracks). For the love of Ivy is a very blues inspired track it’s good but I get bored after about 2 minutes in a 5 minute song. But it does end on some noises… Fire spirit ends side A it’s quite aggressive and it’s a honestly a decent punk rock track. Ghost on the highway has good lyrics but honestly blended in so much that I didn’t have time to review it the first time round. Jack on fire is a bit of a mental stomper it’s probably one of my favourites a nice pick up from before. Black train is good the best part of the song is that it’s got some nice drumming but I wouldn’t describe the song as special in any way. The blues’y tracks aren’t nearly as good as the punk ones ( they just drag on and on and on) especially the six minute long cold drink of water blues. But at least the guitar solo is cool here. The album closes on goodbye Johnny, it’s probably the most closery on the album it’s nice slightly slower but keeps the punk energy needed for the album. Yeah, the album kinda grabbed my attention at the start to just throw out bluesy or punk tracks in a poorly sequenced order. But aside from that it’s good.
Eigentlich ganz gut, aber der Sänger nervt teilweise mit seinem hohen Gesang. Trotzdem noch ne 3.
cool!
This band are new to me. They are crudely a love child of the Velvet U and the Pogues and the Bad Seeds. Punk garage. Frantic but unremarkable songs. I'm unlikely to return to. Nothing awful, nothing essential. Prob really good live. Its gonna be a 3.
In "Fire of Love", The Gun Club cut from generations of blues and American roots music and paste it into their immediate post-punk scene. It's violent, incendiary and raw with a caustic delivery (part Lou Reed, part Joe Strummer, part Robert Johnson). It's a little too repetitive at times, but still a captivating set of songs. For better and for worse, "Sex Beat" immediately sums up the whole album with its trebly rhythm section, skeletal arrangement and explicit, barked out vocals. There aren't many other directions introduced in the remaining 37 minutes, but we do get some consistently solid post-punk with a bluesy twang. It's a new wave of garage rock, where the influence on Jack White's music twenty years later can clearly be heard (though The Gun Club are much less technically accomplished or varied). The frenetic 1-2 energy of "Preaching the Blues" and "For the Love of Ivy", with basic chords, extreme dynamics and walking basslines, is an effective marriage of rockabilly with neurotic post-punk, giving weight to the emerging genre "psychobilly." The lyrics paint pictures of killers, hunters and deviants trailing across a wasteland somewhere like the Old West. There's frequent mention of the victims-to-be and others to be lain waste to, involving problematic repeated use of the "n" word. While the sound is compelling at first, setting the band just enough apart from many of their contemporaries, it doesn’t take too long for it to become somewhere between overbearing and just plain dull. By comparison with the rest, "Fire Spirit", "Black Train" and "Goodbye Johnny" are so forgettable I have nothing else to say about them after several listens. The best tracks for my money are the slow-burners, those which move at more of a menacing strut than a frantic gallop. "Jack on Fire" and "Cool Drink of Water Blues" (the latter a blues standard) are both great changes in pace, swinging slowly into madness with excellent instrumental crescendos and perfectly pitched vocals. I admire "Fire of Love" for the places it took the genre and the wave of subsequent musicians it may have influenced, but standing alone it's not much more than a fun, solid listen.
Genre: Punk Blues 3/5 Some standard fare punk rock, with more obvious elements and influence from blues rock and rockabilly. Nothing super exciting in terms of arrangements or production. Certainly didn't break any new ground in terms of general rock progression, punk blues seems to have been a shortlived moment in time, but it certainly was for the genre in particular. This was one of the first and more prominent albums to synthesize the two sounds to this extent. This gave me more boring, less fun Dead Kennedys vibes, which is a group that precedes this album and, I feel, better excels in synthesizing 60s-70s guitar sounds into punk rock effectively. There weren't many standouts to me from this album, but it all had a nice driving rhythm and solid punk rock playing. A fun album, and one that may have been important for punk and will be enjoyed by punk fans, but none too interesting for me.
Bien qu'ayant écouté cet album seulement hier et dans des conditions optimales (sur une chaise longue et sous le soleil), je serais incapable de vous dire ce qu'il contenait à part peut-être l'annonce d'une décennie musicale extrêmement poussive (je parle bien sûr des années 80). Vous savez désormais que Robert a récemment gelé mon enceinte JBL, et ce pour me sanctionner de violer son septième commandements lors de soirées karaoké. J'ai donc du me résoudre à acheter une paire d'écouteurs bon marché. Un énorme problème se pose toutefois depuis hier : l'embout de l'écouteur droit s'est volatilisé, me laissant dans un pétrin inimaginable quelques heures plus tôt et remettant sérieusement en question la suite de l'aventure. Je vous tiendrai informés dès que j'aurai de nouvelles informations.
La dernière piste de cet album a provoqué une situation que nous aurions tous souhaité éviter. En effet, dans la dernière chanson de leur album plus que moyen, les Gun Club invitent Jony à se retirer, l'invectivant à de multiples reprises à l'aide de "Goodbye" prononcés tantôt d'une voix douce, tantôt d'une voix plus ferme. Seulement, le caractère sulfureux de Jony est connu de tous. A l'écoute de cette outro, il devient absolument furieux et intenable, fracassant tout sur son passage. On peut entendre sur les deux dernières minutes de la piste les chaises voler et les murs se briser. Une véritbale cacophonie qui ne vient pas servir un album déjà trèS limite.
There was some punk
Another punk album on this list.. Not as bad as some of the others, but also didn't particularly enjoy this album. Would say 2.5..
Interesting - I think this album was very influential in the Sydney live music scene in the 80s. Not quite my thing now, but I would have loved it then
Not bad at all. Worth a deeper dive into their other albums.
Emblematic of the LA Punk Scene, Fire of Love has a lot of songs that wouldn't be out of place in a Tony Hawk game. I mean that in the best way possible. Enjoy these quick beats with a Blues undertone as fun tracks for causing mischief to.
Average but enjoyable enough
fine
This was cool, punkabilly country punk or whatever you call it.
As far as punk goes this isnt too bad
Lmao, that cover is hilarious. It looked like something that eight year old me would have done if he discovered photoshop during that time. Is it terrible? I don't know. It's a bit unsettling. Greyscale tribal people on bright pink background. I think it's pretty good. It catches the sound of this album. So I discovered a new specie of punk: post-punk. It's basically punk going avant-garde. This album screams tribal energy and I liked the Doors-y sound that it made in some places. As usual the louder tracks didn't do anything to me. But the overall unique sound is pretty impressive. I guess American roots music is perfect for punk.
‘‘Twas alright.
What guns and how many, they never said
A party record, good for easy listening
I don't have much to say about this one. I can immediately recognize the importance of this album to the punk and psychobilly genres, but I was left enjoying what I had heard, not loving it.
Un album punk rock qui ne m’a pas beaucouP excite. 3
alright, pretty rad for the 80s.
Punk. No mal del todo.
this was cool, but sadly forgettable. i listened maybe an hour ago, and haven't heard anything else since...and i couldn't tell you one thing or use about this album. that's too bad, because i have a vague recollection of liking something about it, but i have no idea now what it might've been.
I’m not super well-versed in rockabilly but I liked this one quite a bit. I dig the cover too.
The band and their music are both new to me. Add this to the list of music I'm glad this project has introduced me to. I like this band's sound and style. Much as I appreciate punk as a musical and cultural movement, I don't listen to much punk, but these guys weave in some nice elements of rockabilly, surf rock (which is kind of punk ancestor, I think, right?), blues, etc. I can also hear in The Gun Club's music a lot of things that definitely show up in a whole lot of acts that followed. Overall, I found this album to be more interesting musically than most punk music. Great energy, too. I like it.
Bangor
Didn’t hate it! Interesting album.
Punk que diverte.
Lustiger Punk nur das erste und 3. Lied gut - sonst nix besonderes
Erträglicher Punk
All right.
Could only listen to half the album but seemed alright
Decent enough driving music
Couple of points I did enjoy, but on the whole there are some far more interesting punk records out there
Enjoyed this more than thought I would.
Dark. I like it.
Really good album from a band I hadn’t heard of. I will put them into my rotation
Gave me major Presidents of the United States of America vibes. Fun, albeit slightly shouty rock
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: She’s like heroin to me, Black train
Decent lo-fi punk rock with country vibes.
Fire Of Love is a fine rock album of The Gun Club. I prefer The Las Vegas Story album which has a wider range of styles and better songs.
really good early punk. would listen again.
A solid blues-influenced punk album. 7.9/10
It’s pretty punky and raw
No fue pa mí
3/5 didn't stuck to my head
I don't have any strong opinions about this. It was good. I liked it.
Paar goede nummers, paar minder goede nummers.
Plezant punk-album, maar geen uitblinker in het genre
Was decent, not amazing but not terrible. Kept me entertained
It was fine but I probably won’t listen again.
Faded into the background. I could enjoy the beats & guitar but I don’t see any reason to recommend. “Ghost on the Highway” stuck out though
I like sex beat best, and not just because of the name
Its a great genre for concert, but as a listening experience, the songs themselves don't offer anything bad or great.
It was fine, I guess. Not an especially memorable album in my opinion. Not sure why it made it on this list instead of any of a million other rock albums.
Solid
Not bad
Is this good? Essential? What differentiates this from a thousand other roots rock records?
Stuk beter album dan de vorige, best wel interessant
Average
Mostly standard punk. Not my favorite but could definitely hear the blues influence on some songs.
не зашло, на троечку
I'm generally not a fan of the rockabilly aesthetic (I find it a little cringy), but this is fun as a primordial source of it. The first track is incredible.
Decent but nothing remarkable or to remember
Not really my style.
6.5/10 FT:Sex Beat
Sounded like any other 80s punk but slowed down and not as fun
Mediocre
punk. no te puedo decir mas que eso
Never heard of this before. It started off strong with a standard punk song but then I see their thing was mixing blues in there which I don’t like, so ya it was just ok.
A heresy I know but I’ve never really got on with this, towards the top of the two stars but I can’t hear or see what others clearly do. Tom.
80er Punk Rock. Klingt alles recht ähnlich. Kann man mal hören, einmal reicht aber auch. 2/5
Quite similar to many of the other post-punk albums on this list. Nothing really spectacular about this. 2.5/5 Won't listen again
No a fan of this album
Not really my thing, was okay though
- Oh great, more punk - Ok I’m not hating this as much as the other punk records
Solid ok
Bland English rock
not for me but its not bad all the songs sound the same kinda
Trying so hard they’re Boring.
Kinda like a mix between blues and punk. Okay.
To put it mildly, it didn't impress me. By the end it even got tiresome — repetitive arrangements and stupid vocals
Nothing remarkable about this light punk record than that I have no idea why this is on this list.
the cover catfished me into thinking this would be good.
Unremarkable
naj
Sounds like the inspiration for The Pixies. 2.5
The idea of combining punk with blues sounds interesting on paper, but the implementation sucks.
Not for me, 2 stars
3 songs in and nothing jumps out as being special so far. It’s just ordinary Eighties punk, but maybe influential, I guess. I think maybe the Violent Femmes did it better. Ok for a one off listen, but doubt it should have been included on a list like this. 2.5 stars
Alright, another 1980s punk/new wave album. Interestingly, the band is American rather than British like most of the random new wave bands. It does have some blues and country influences in the guitar playing, but mostly just sounds like basic post-punk. The songwriting isn't very notable, and neither are the lyrics. While the songs are energetic, none of them are particularly enjoyable, and the album is more boring than anything else. The vocalist is actually very annoying at times, and it's pretty much the only thing on the album that inspires actual emotion. An absolute nothingburger of an album that is rightfully consigned to the dustbin of history.