Reviews (page 7 of 8)
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.
PunkaBilly, Psychobilly, Garage Punk, whatever you wanna call it, this is pretty raw. Not quite my jam.
Bluesy, grimy, jangly, dark. Love this. Will revisit often.
Unexpected but nothing too great for me
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.
A critically acclaimed trendoid album I like. Sure, it’s unpolished. And his vocals are off key. And it’s more punk than roots. But here are the seeds that lead to the cruel sea and beasts of bourbon in Australia. I’m thinking later Tom petty took some notes. Probably not as directly influential as claimed. The later roots acts seem to get their inspiration elsewhere. But this album deserves its spot here. It’s good. Solid. 3.5 rounded up.
Sounds like part of a movie soundtrack that intros you to cool obscure music like on Pulp Fiction, Dirty Dancing and Baby Driver. They sound a bit wild louch and playful - and I do likes me a bit of freeform hooting on an album from time to time to mix it up... and the slow drum bits. [side musing: It might be that when punk lacks vitriol its very enjoyable!] I magine a live show would be good entertainment from these clowns. I assume they didnt stick around Is it bad/good/punky Alt Country? A punk Elivs revival ? Or is this related to the Leningrad Cowboys? somethign about it makes me smile. Surpsingly good fun. and varied (without crossing the line to annoying). Unboring. 4 rounded up to 5 for making me smile, and ...for the reason I want to hear it again and appear cool and highbrow in an obscure while doing so. :-)
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.
Kid Congo Powers described the early Gun Club as "too arty for rock people, far too rock for arty people, too cuckoo for the blues crowd and too American for punk". Well, hell, that all sounds great to me! I remember spinning a Gun Club album when I worked at Scratches Records in the late 80s (probably 'Miami', I'm thinking), and it didn't really connect with me then. But I picked up a copy of this album almost on a whim a few years back, and hoo boy, do I get it now. As the final line of 'For the Love of Ivy' proclaims, this record is all dressed up like an Elvis from hell! I really dig this swampy mix of punk attitude and approach with blues and country influences, which, when mixed with a healthy dose of Deep South gothic, gives a gritty swamp rock album. it's not unlike the Australian band the Beast of Bourbon, who emerged from a similar pot pourri of influences with a similar sound only a year or two later. I am a massive fan of the Beasts. Had they heard this record? Maybe. Maybe not. But they ended up engineering a very similar sound. You certainly wouldn't accuse Jeffrey Lee Pierce of being a great singer, and nobody in the band could really play their instruments well at this point, but they approach it with a powerful gusto. The album is well titled; it is sex and fire. I don't think I've ever heard a version of Preachin' the Blues that so well understood the assignment. This really is what I like from a rock and roll record; energetic and out of control, and pretty wild. I really like the low-budget, badly recorded, no technique, but full of piss and vinegar, sound. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but it's got a funky beat, and I can trip out to it.
Didn't really leave much of impression on me.
They have a pretty original sound and I really enjoyed the first half of the album. It died off a bit by the second side. I don't know if I would listen to this album again, but I am glad I heard it at least once.
опять разговорный альбом, не надо спасибо)
Punk rock. Chulo.
Rockabilly punk could be good. But this want. All the songs sound the same and I get the feeling I wouldn't like this guy if I met him in person.
Rock suave, sencillo, sin estridencias, un tanto monocorde de un grupo totalmente desconocido. Me ha parecido un poco plano. No destaca nada
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
I had never heard of The Gun Club or any othe music on Fire of Love. There was some punk vibes to the music, and some of it was okay as long as I ignored occasional lyrics. The starting and stopping in the music never let me settle in. By the time I got to "Fire Spririt" my patience was running out. There was som potential, but I have to admit that I did not like this album.
not too impressed, not sure why it made the list
There something about 80s punk that just feels slightly unhinged while completely in control. Perhaps it’s the production or the naivety of the acts. Either way this is a prime example of this and a must listen to understand what would occur in the decade to follow.
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.
Bro this shit is my absolute jam. Like I'm not a big bluesy guy but mix it with the punk shit I rock alot and damn it sounds nice. Saved the whole album for relistens. I love it 5*
Well, okay, The Gun Club hasn't done anything wrong (other than being on this list, while playing in a genre I really dislike), but this is just too much for me. I listened to fragments of few songs on this album, and I admit, it's far too much of that bland punk style. I don't have that much resolve in myself to force listen to this album. Just one too many, I guess.
About 20 years ago, Art Brut said "Please, no more songs about sex, drugs and rock n roll, it's BORING'. And on the evidence of this, they were right. Yawnsome rock posturing with a horrible amount of Americana in there. BORING.
Is it terrible that I guessed the singer was already dead from the moment I heard the first song? It seems like it might be. This is terrific though; it still sounds fresh as hell.
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.
Briljant! Faan vad jag känner mig cool när jag lyssnar på det här. Vill börja röka och bära solglasögon inomhus, driva runt på stan och mucka gräl. Brukar ju oftast gravitera mer mot brittiskt än amerikanskt när det kommer till punk, men här vävs amerikansk blues- och americanakultur in så bra i den punkiga grunden. Det perfekta giftermålet mellan 40-talets blues och den nya punken. 'Sex Beat' är en perfekt öppningslåt på ett punkalbum. Älskar också 'Preaching the Blues', 'She's Like Heroin to Me', Ghost on the Highway' och 'Jack on Fire'. Lite suspekt att n-ordet används två gånger i albumet. Läste runt lite om det och väljer att tolka det mer som att JLP spelar en karaktär, och vill chocka lite. För att citera Thåströms Dylan-pastich: "Ingen sjunger blues som Jeffrey Lee Pierce". Hans röst skär fan som en kniv. Bästa låt: Svårt att välja här, rätt jämn nivå. 'Sex Beat', 'She's Like Heroin to Me', eller 'Ghost on the Highway'.
I appreciated hearing a piece of history, and I'm sure this was unique at the time, but it didn't do it for me.
Pretty rough. Lyrics are about as dumb as can be, nothing sticks out instrumentally or vocally, and the melodies rarely hit, if at all. In spite of all that, I can’t deny that it’s tapping into a cool fusion of genres. The opening stretch is pretty decent too. Best song: Preaching the Blues
first time listening
Suicide meets rockabilly
I can't say I either like or dislike this as it's a diluted version of a lot of other things I like. I guess I should be happy they made the attempt to mimic a lot of the bands that had already been there, done it and moved on.
Tasty speed.
On paper i should like this more. But its not paper!!!!!
Enjoyed this more.than I thought I would
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.
Started off well, punky rockabilly, but turned all very samey. 2.5
Some of this is pretty good, but Pierce is a little too comfortable dropping N-bombs. The fact that they're used from the perspective of racists and Black men doesn't make it more acceptable. 3.5 for the music, -2 for the unfortunate lyrical choices.
I had a coworker play the hell out of The Gun Club, and now I can't stand them. If I hadn't had that experience, I'd probably like this just enough.
Great punk energy. Very cool
Albums like this are the reasons I love this project. So good.
Really cool punk!
Blues punk perfection. Note: novice reveiwer
chill. like a punkier version of bruce springsteen.
day 21. easily the most obscure band I’ve had come up so far (going off Spotify listens). When I started these ratings I reserved a 1-star rating for the “ugh, get this out of my ears” albums, but I tend to be really open to stuff and not wanting to judge too harshly, so I didn’t know if I would actually use it. It’s here! Congrats, The Gun Club. You get my first 1-star rating. this is rough. First two songs were ok, but I quickly grew tired of this album. I just can’t listen to that annoying, whiny, talk-shouty style of vocals. It’s so grating to me and completely takes away from what would be ok sound. I do enjoy the bluesy-infused punk, I just can’t get past the vocals. And most of the songs were really lacking in substance which didn’t help. Also, two uses of the n-word?? no. lastly, good lord, some of their worst songs felt like they went on forever- For the Love of Ivy and Jack on Fire. Make it stoppppp! the ones that weren’t that bad - Preaching the Blues, Ghost on the Highway, Sex Beat. 1/5 not coming back ever please don’t make me
i've never heard of this band or album. they have three black people on their album cover, so i was confused to find out they were not that. but i let it go, and then i heard "i was huntin for n--gas down in the dark" and on another song "left the n**** lying dead by the river." don't think i was ever gonna love this one.
Fire of Love is the debut album from the American rock band the Gun Club. This groundbreaking album was one of the first of its kind to combine punk rock with Americana music which includes genres such as folk, gospel, blues, country, bluegrass, jazz, and rock & roll. This combination went on to inspire the punk blues and garage rock genres. It is a critically acclaimed album that conjured up a type of blues rock that hadn't been heard before. At first I was confused by this album and didn't know what genre of music I was actually listening to. There's so many influences and themes swirling around on this album that it made for an interesting listen. Although I'm not sure if I would say I enjoyed it. It's not bad, but something different I haven't heard often.
Like finding a lost Pixies album.
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
It's punk. lol. Hear a little bit of The Doors here and there. It accomplishes what it's meant to accomplish. I really like For The Love of Ivy. You can hear how the White Stripes were influenced by them in Jack On Fire.
Definetely in the top 10 of the greatest punk rock records of all time, arguably in the top 3. Classic.
It was alright, kinda mellow, I did like For The Love Of Ivy
Wow. This is fucking awesome. I knew from the first track, 'Sex Beat' I was in for a good ride. I was already familiar with 'She's like heroin to me', one of my favourite songs. Listening to this album in full was long overdue for me. I'm so glad I finally have! Aside from Sex Beat, I also really liked 'Ghost on the highway'. 'Fire spirit' was pretty good too. This entire album is just..my kinda thing. It's got nice, raw vocals, with dark and clever lyrics. A real post-punky blues feel to it. The album cover as well is great. Not that I understand what's going on in it, but I dig it all the same. EDIT: ooh bit cheeky, I just heard a n=word slur in the song 'black train'. Very edgy. That's what it's all about with this kind of post-punk, I won't hold it against them.
Sex beat, go!
5/10 for me. Just felt like an album
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
Some of the punk/post-punk movement brought some unbelievable bands with not so great vocalists, all the way from the Stooges up to the Pixies, where it just *worked*. What they lacked in vocal talent they made up for in spirit, sound, energy, meaning, passion. This album shows what happens when all of those crucial aspects are missing, and it's stripped down to a lazy punk album with terrible vocals. It's very rare I'd rank a rock album as 1 but here we go.
Classic punk sound. Listened at work
3.75
Really enjoyed this one
I liked this.
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.
It's like Violent Femmes if Violent Femmes was much less fun and sang a little worse. I love Violent Femmes but I didn't enjoy this album at all except for little glimmers here and there. Might be an acquirable taste but I don't see why I would bother. A generous 2.
Anti gun and punk
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
Not surprised to read (early) Pixies and the Birthday Party mentioned on the same page as these now I'm hearing it for the first time. The progenitors of those greats. Elements of the Cramps in here to to my ear. And this is a fantastic album. Absolutely breathless, and never a comfortable listen.
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.
Surprisingly good - punk meets Americana, kinda like the Rolling Stones with a bit more oomph. Feels miles ahead of its time for 1981, sounds much more like early 2000s to me. I like this, it's a pretty cool sound, probably a bit too bluesy for me really. Will happily listen again, 4/5.
First listen... Amazing, energy, sounds fresh, 4 or 5 star. Second listen it started to show some of its flaws. Still good, but 3 or 4 stars instead. I won't listen again so that it can keep 4.
I don't think I realized before today that Blues Punk could be a thing. I need more. Best track: Sex Beat
I've never heard of The Gun Club before, but based on the fact that they're early 80's post-punk, I expected that I would enjoy this album. Sadly though, that was not the case. As I was listening to this album, I thought about other post-punk works from that period that I enjoy: Gang of Four's "Entertainment!", Talking Heads, Joy Division, and Echo & The Bunnymen. This album just didn't come close to any of that. All of the songs sounded mostly the same, and instrumentally, the only interesting thing happening here is that I could hear a smidge of blues influence on a couple of songs. Lyrically, there were a couple of songs that I thought were interesting: "Promise Me" and "Jack on Fire," but that was it. As much as I was underwhelmed by this album though, I'd be willing to give it another shot someday down the road.
No
Gothic punk with an urgent pace that jangles and burns. The album has a great rockabilly sensibility and darkly unhinged lyrics. Part punk, part blues, part tent revival, part shovel to the head. Love it. Fave Songs: Preaching the Blues, Sex Beat, She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Promise Me, Ghost on the Highway
Genre: Punk rock Review: Meh. I'm sure I didn't give it a proper listen yet though, so whatever. Rating: 7/10
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
This is a strong album, especially for a debut. I've never taken the time to listen to The Gun Club, though their name is definitely familiar. At first I felt like they were just kind of an alright Pixies sounding band but then looking at when this album came out, I realized they were before the Pixies and were probably a big influence on their sound. I grew up listening to the Pixies, so it's odd no one ever pointed me in the direction of The Gun Club because it seems like a pretty direct route. Standout Tracks: Sex Beat, She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Ghost on the Highway, Goodbye Johnny
Enjoyed this
The punk-blues fusion on this grew on me. It mixes modern rawness with that old cowboy style Americana which, thinking about it, have a lot in common culturally. At points I got art-rock Velvet Underground tones too, during others I was head banging. This is a neat marriage. One where the bride and groom are both carrying blunderbusses. Good on the Gun Club. 3.5/5
I'd probably call it grumble punk
Bit much ain't it, just can't get into this punk stuff. The odd bit of alright, but other than that its teetering me towards mental instability. One or the purists I think
I can be partial to the old punky-pops from time to time, and I thought this was alright you know
Actually was a great album, great punk sound
It's good, just nothing too special
Starts off alright but by the end it's very tedious. 2 and a half stars.
Hillbilly Talking Heads
Was frightened to be walking into another post punk nonsense album but this kicks ass. Definite forefather to the late 90s early 00s garage rock revival sound I hold dear, especially a lot of the Detroit bands from that era that you can hear in this album. If I would’ve heard this shit in 1981 I would’ve lost my goddamned mind
Yes! More punk, less post-punk! Kind of rides the line of punk and rock-a-billy. Doesn't overstay its welcome. Toes the line of anger and goofiness. Love it!
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.
10/10
J'aurais mis 2.5 si on me laissait le faire...
cest nan
Jamming post punk. A good time all the way through.
Really cool
Divertídismo disco. Repetitivo y formulaico nomás, pero muy divertido.
Punk stuff
I like this. Never listened to these guys before
Solid, and I definitely see the influence on other artists. Probably won’t listen regularly though
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.
Overall this record is pretty good. Not every song is a classic, but even the worst are not bad at all. There are a couple of things that occur here that are about and not about the record itself but they trace a thing so... That moment when you are listening to the album of the day and you recognize a song but know it best through the cover version. I hadn't heard this record by The Gun Club before despite some interest in overlapping contemporaries and the genre. So when For the Love of Ivy came on I recognized it immediately through the Japandroid's Celebration Rock record (which is five-stars fantastic). And, anyone who has listened to OFF! has probably heard the name "Jeffrey Lee Pierce" yelled by Keith Morris. All these resonances speak to the importance of the band in ways that maybe this album doesn't always deliver despite being a solid punk rock outing.
This is the go to Gun Club 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.
I can understand the appeal, but I can never get over the sloppiness and lack of care I often hear in this kind of music.
Like this one.
I can’t really imagine why I list of the top 1001 albums would need this alongside other punk albums to be honest
Didn't love it, not going to lie to you. Wouldn't include it on the list.
Very good
really enjoyed it. proto punk fun.
pretty punky but not my style
Album starts off with a nice beat and melody. After a while the songs did not sound as interesting.
Twenty years before the White Stripes and the Black Keys, there was The Gun Club. They brought flat-out rock with touches of rockabilly. Too nuanced for the post-punk crowd and not rockabilly enough for the scene that brought us the Stray Cats, I don't know that they ever found their place, but there's lots here to enjoy.
Just bad.
Interesting
3.7 - Some crisp post-punk jams on here. Spare guitar work and spoken vocals. Similar to Wire’s “Pink Flag.”
I somehow missed out on this band entirely and I'm worse off for it. Wow, what a great record. You can hear everything from The White Stripes to Pixies in this, but none of the bands drawing influence are able to completely capture the mix of punk, blues, and garage quite like this.
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 ☺️☺️☺️
музыкально мне очень понравился этот альбом, по лирике некоторые песни тоже мясо полное. вообще в целом атмосфера героинового шика и ебанутого микса музыки с ненавистным мною панком, делает эту пластинку особенной на фоне базовых школьных предметов. в какой-то момент я даже думал поставить 4+, но вспомнил что так нельзя, так что просто 4 Лучшие треки: Sex Beat, Preaching the blues, She's Like Heroin to Me, Jack on Fire, For the Love of Ivy
Not really good. Bad singing and I get it's punky but usually punk songs go harder/have good music. This has neither. 5/10.
This was not good.
interesting band. gotta read their history and stuff.
This album is a phenomenal work of post punk with a gothic country feel. The songs have a simmering quality with a driving Bakersfield beat slowed down which creates almost a menacing quality that persists throughout. This music is highly influential and has been cited by Jack White as a major influence as can be heard in the garage revival of the early 2000s.
really early punk the super rough and not angry punk that Im not a huge fan of
It wasn’t bad but it drags
classic rock banger
Kinda funky at times, I'll give it a "solid work"
Nog nooit een punkachtige blues album of bluesachtig punk album eigenlijk geluisterd. Klinkt wel vet
Heeft mij absoluut verrast. Simpele maar complete muziek, fijne gitaar, goeie vocals. Topalbum die zeker in de rotatie gaat
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.
Diver
It was a real revelation to hear this very classic 80s sounding punk, melded with blues and country and folk and rock 'n' roll roots. This album has everything! And it works! Even if it won't be going into regular rotation in my playlists, the craft of it is something I absolutely appreciated from beginning to end. I hadn't ever heard this, but I could absolutely tell it influenced much of the 80s alternative sound that came after that I did listen to. Really cool!
I wasn't in the best mood to listen today (I think Jesus hates me)...and that may have tainted my opinion. I think that if I knew this band and was hanging out at a venue listening, then I might like it. But since I don't know these cats and I wasn't hanging out at a concert, it kind of just sounded like whining to me.
A different kind of punk sound. Interesting to read how much they influenced artists I like. Disturbing lyrics at times. But a good listen for today.
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.
such a fun, awesome, creative take on punk might be a bit repetitive and times but I loved every second 10/10
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.
The music is good. The singer is annoying and some of the lyrics are problematic (For the Love of Ivy).
There's a time in my life where an album like this might have made me angry — just the sheer disinterest in performing at a level of competence on any given instrument would have rankled me... why waste my time with your music if you won't take a little of yours to figure out how to play your instrument? I'm way past that, I can appreciate (and enjoy) the appeal of a punk-tinged art-splattered indie garage band vibe with limited acumen on instruments and vocals. But for it to be an enjoyable or satisfying listen, the material has to be stellar. This starts off with some promise, the first three songs are compelling enough, but it dissolves as the album progresses and the material gets more hackneyed and repetitive and ultimately, uninteresting and, finally, just noisy.
I was not picking up what these guys were throwing down, though track three was kind of interesting.
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.
Might I suggest if you have never heard this album put it on your list of things to do today. You'll not be disappointed.
Classic punk!
Very enjoyable! I will definitely return to this one later on.
Not a massive fan of this compared to other post-punk albums, the whole thing sounds like a poorly mixed live album. Also, a band comprised of only white members having the n-word in one of their songs? No. 3/10
Not bad, kinda liked it. Prolly won't listen to it again, but enjoyed it while it was on.
first listen pretty boring
Yikes. Some of the lyrics on here are purportedly from the perspective of a psycho but they're like 8 different kinds of racist and not effective.
An OK listen but nothing that was super memorable
Fun!
I had never heard of this before and I had a great time. Like a proto-Pixies noisefest
I’m no fan of Post Punk but this is an interesting take. Blues and kind of surf rock. I’m not a fan but it wasn’t unpleasant.
Dude has a slightly annoying voice
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.
me no likey
Meh
Better than I expected!
Starts out strongly but as it goes on, it feels like the songs get longer and longer - heavily reverbed production, long periods of yelling over drums and bass (sounds influenced by Suicide but less successful), some nice post-punk guitar lines but few and far between. The singer's voice is quite grating after a while so the songs blur in to one.
A cool little bit of rockabilly punk + Lou Reed + early KoL
Some of the rhythms weren't bad, but overall, pretty forgettable.
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.
What a load of shit
They're like punk rock and a bit of blues mixed in. Punk Blues Jeffrey Lee Pierce drops the n word in "For the Love of Ivy", but he may just be playing a character, hope he isn't actually racist.
It has its place, and that place is in the cutout bin.
Kasniji su bolji nikako mi nije lega ovaj
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.
Bog punk/early HC. About as interesting as a glass of water by 2022 standards. Might have worked if it was on the Jackass soundtrack or something, but otherwise nahhh. 2/5.
Awful
Mad fusion of post-punk and blues. Tight musicianship and an endearing vocalist. I get a bit bored during the blues breakdowns. Kind of reminds me of a proto-white stripes. All in all a great album and a band I was completely unaware of before.
Not bad for old punk.
I was familiar with the gun club before listening, but I don’t think I’ve ever listen to a full album of theirs. I really enjoyed it, especially driving around.
2.5 Nice!
Nice
Punk what?!
Similar vibe to New York Doll
The first four Gun Club albums are all classics - always liked The Las Vegas Story the most - less blues and more new wave / post-punk -I guess it is not on the list but really should- but in any case Fire Of Love is great too, punk-blues might be the best qualification. It is quite intense and needs to be played as loud as possible.
Pretty much unlistenable with these vocals.
2.5
not too shabby
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
Is this.. country punk? Whatever this abomination is, I don't like it. Every song is the same. They say the N-word more times than the amount of chords they can play.
Love the post-punk stuff, highlights are: Preaching the Blues, She's Like Heroin
On paper, this album should be well within my wheelhouse – fast-paced, deeply rhythmic, guitar-driven, and lo-fi as all hell. Where the LP loses me is its inability to see beyond progressions with more than the same 2-3 chords. /Everything/ seems to be centered around a C or Emaj, so the initial excitement quickly gives way to melodic blandness. Really wanted to love this mix of proto-punk with a little twang, but the substance just isn't there.
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
Pretty good fun. Can hear how a lot of later bands would be influenced
Good
Couldn't get into it.
Inge vidare rock
Old school blues/punk which was probably important but I really don't think stands up to modern listening.
This record immediately caught my attention and kept it throughout. An excellent debut with original guitarist, Ward Dotson that's catchy and interesting. Ward went on to a fine career with the Pontiac Brothers and Liquor Giants and he really shines on this album.
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!
Never heard of it, listened to it, realise why I'd never heard of it.
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.
One of the best things in following this 1001 albums challenge is this kind of discovery. I never heard about "The Gun club" before, but this early post-punk is becoming one of my preferred things to listen to these days. Great discovery!
I actually kinda liked the backing music but dear god, everything else was so unbearable. The voice, the lyrics, and the rest of the overall feeling was awful. This is music to make you feel weird and disgusting. If that's your thing, more power to you.
Not my favorite punk album. Highlight: 4.
... like an Adderall fever dream
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.
I wasn't aware of The Gun Club at all before this and I gotta say, I really liked this. For the Love of Ivy is a great song. I don't know a ton about who they're pulling from, but I'm gonna do a dive on them. Good stuff.
Very interesting - a sound that is of the blues, but not blues; of country, but not country; yet these two elements are blended in too thickly to to allow this to be simply called post-punk. This is wiry, haunted music sometimes played with the lope of Bob Wills or the prowl of a Howlin' Wolf. The main characteristic, though, is how organic and alive the band sounds, shifting and shuffling tempos and dynamics with none of the lockstep niceties of a metronome. Peculiar, singular, rootsy, a little gothic even. Hard to recall hearing too much like this before now.
This one really ran out of steam for me after that song with "Heroin" in the title. That's a real problem when you're talking about the 4th track. But the three before it I enjoyed! I definitely would pick this up over that record from the Cramps again, and I genuinely like the guitar sound on this album. "Preaching the Blues" worked for me, mostly, and I kind of perked up again when it got to "Black Train." I think the idea of this album, and mixing blues and punk, is better than the execution. There's been some good stuff fairly recently that resulted from mixing blues-based ideas with hardcore (OX from Coalesce) and metal (Devil is Fine from Zeal & Ardor). But somehow the usage on this record made me think more of The Doors than anything else. I think it's the frontman. Something stylistically here felt like bo-bo Jim Morrison ,and I could never wrap my head around whether or not the vocals and singing added, detracted, or was indifferent to the music around it. I'll give it this: it was interesting.
Very incongruous cover for the music style! Sex Beat is probably the easiest song to like. The electric US roots/blues/punk style is quite good, but needs more hooks and melodies.
Yet another album in this list that I can only shrug at and move on with my life.
Punk is not up my alley , I love metal and rock but punk is not my cuppatea
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.
Very frenetic energy. Kind of hard to listen to. I get that that's punk for you, but this one's just not 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.
Excellent stuff! Why have I never heard of this before? Can't believe it's from 1981!!
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..
The more I listen to it, the more the vocals really start to put me off. Between a 2 and a 3, but gets a 2 because it was more annoying than enjoyable.
Ok, this is not a first timer. I've heard this record a few times but had experienced it in two different ways: it either blew me away or it was just too tinny sounding for my taste. I guess this was one of those bands you needed to see live in order to really appreciate their music. Anyhow, you can tell that they were really wild and thunderous. UPDATE: The more I listen to it the more I like it. So bad that I need to pass to the next record. Crossing my fingers!
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
Nekako sam htjela da mi se ne svidi album al mi se svidio nažalost UGH. Jack on fire mi je banger
Dobar energični punky-blues? Može proć taj naziv a... Inače, za njih znam jer mi je slučajno u spotify daily mix upala njihova "Mother of Earth" (odlična stvar btw) sa albuma "Miami" - taj sam album jedino onako površno poslušao od njih, ali mi nije bio loš što sam čuo. Isto tako je i ovaj album. Dosta dobar, sviđa mi se, nije savršen, ali ima ono nešta što men' paše.
Prva petica za nekog kog nisam čuo nikad, nego otkrio preko ovoga. Svaku pjesmu sam pravo uživao i svaka čast, hvala generatoru! Mješavina tolko podžanrova and it fuckin works beautifully HOLY FUCKING SHIT, polagano ću ja diskografiju slušat.
2/16/22
Not bad at all. Worth a deeper dive into their other albums.
I am very familiar with THE GUN CLUB’s FIRE OF LOVE, which I have and liked very much. After re-listening to FIRE OF LOVE, I’ve grown to appreciate it more, however, I feel that MIAMI is the superior release and should be the second GUN CLUB album in the list. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, THE GUN CLUB’s FIRE OF LOVE Is the only album listed. Rate Artist: THE GUN CLUB (5.0) Rate Album (Year): FIRE OF LOVE (UK 1988 Original) (5.0) Rate Album (Year): FIRE OF LOVE (US 2004 Expanded) (5.0) Ranking of THE GUN CLUB - FIRE OF LOVE songs No. Title Length Ranking 1-01 Sex Beat 2:48 09.5/10 1-02 Preaching The Blues 4:01 10.0/10 1-03 Promise Me 2:38 09.5/10 1-04 She's Like Heroin To Me 2:35 09.0/10 1-05 For The Love Of Ivy 5:37 10.0/10 1-06 Fire Spirit 2:49 09.5/10 1-07 Ghost On The Highway 2:46 10.0/10 1-08 Jack On Fire 4:45 10.0/10 1-09 Black Train 2:13 10.0/10 1-10 Cool Drink Of Water 6:19 10.0/10 1-11 Goodbye Johnny 3:47 09.5/10 US 1988 Original Release 107.0/110 = 9.73 / 2 = 4.86 Bonus Tracks: 1-12 Bad Indian (Alternate Version) 2:25 10.0/10 1-13 Cool Drink Of Water (Alternate Version) 1:00 08.0/10 1-14 Fire Of Love (Alternate Version) 1:49 10.0/10 1-15 For The Love Of Ivy (Alternate Version) 5:33 10.0/10 1-16 Ghost On The Highway (Alternate Version) 2:47 10.0/10 US Deluxe 2020 (% Bonus) Release 155.0/180 = 9.69 / 2 = 4.84
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.
7.1
weird punk ftw
Punk blues muy curioso. Un 4.
Average but enjoyable enough
Just standard USA punk in my opinion. Quite fun but nothing to change my life. The 1001 albums review of this album is laughable btw.
The Shite Stripes
Jack White asking "Why are these songs not taught in schools?" completely sums up my feelings on this album. Absolutely incredible.
eh, was ok
fine
Really fucking good stuff. Cow-punk rocks.
Punk/blues rock, energisk, 80’er
A very fun album; I like how they mixed several styles together.
good punk
cool!
Eh
This was cool, punkabilly country punk or whatever you call it.
As far as punk goes this isnt too bad
Awesome foot tapper album. Enjoyed
Sort of dreary but I still enjoyed it
Fucking cool, like a proto-Pixies
Yeah, this was pretty good. Totally not familiar with these guys, but it sounds like I should be.
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.
Couldn't finish it
I don’t know this genre well, it’s not for me
‘‘Twas alright.
What guns and how many, they never said
A party record, good for easy listening
So this starts off polished punk. Then bluesy. Then - wow - Led Zeppelin, a bit 'Doors'y - and i'm taking this in wide eyed. This is amazing. This is why I'm doing this - to be introduced to great music I'm not familiar with. As someone else said "the magnitude of discovering The Gun Club cannot be understated" and it could well be my words. Thank you!
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.
way better than below, more musical
Un album punk rock qui ne m’a pas beaucouP excite. 3
One of those groups I've heard mentioned but I don't think actually listened to before now. Definitely motivated to check out more. Can I assume Black Francis was a fan?
alright, pretty rad for the 80s.
The Gun Club's newest inductee Alec Baldwin joined us for our daily shooting this morning. The stats were: Animals killed 89 People killed 13 Not bad for a Sunday morning's shooting, but we must improve tomorrow.
What does SHACK eat for breakfast? Lamb chops.
Sex Beat is pure punk, but Preaching the Blues is solid blues. Preaching the Blues feels very current even today, ironically it even sounds commercial! It's a love letter to punk but also a pioneer album for punk. 80s punk need look no further than this album. I am not too well versed in punk, but this is probably the best punk album I have heard. Songs are great, ranging for life, drugs, love, lust, music, freedom, all the punk tropes! Cool Drink of Water is a blast! Just bayou, haunted, strange, bluesy punk.
Frábær, tímalaus blanda pönks, blúss og rokkabillí. Greinilega áhrifavaldar fyrir ýmsa artista sem komu á eftir. Þessi plata hefði getað komið út á hvaða áratug sem er eftir 70s.
Was not expecting this at all
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.
Was alright
was it just me or does this seem like the same as the last two albums? Wasn't impressed. Not looking like a good week! Just a very very basic rock album.
Surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Punk albums on this list have been very hit or miss (mostly miss), but this one is cool. The blues/roots side of things is really cool. I'm a bit concerned though; the vocalist employs a few choice slurs and he is not black. Not a good look given the violent, Southern-themed nature of the lyrics, even if it's a reflection of a character he's embodying. It's jarring and makes me bristle, but fortunately the music surrounding is still strong. I guess that's just part of the darkness. Great album overall, excellent punk riffs and melodies. I can hear how this would have influenced tons of bands that followed. Favorite tracks: Sex Beat, She's Like Heroin to Me, Cool Drink of Water, For the Love of Ivy, Jack on Fire. Album art: This is a cool one. Nice bold colors, startling imagery. Does a lot with a little. Seems very homemade. 4/5
Classic new wave punk, surprised I hadn’t heard before
I’m not super well-versed in rockabilly but I liked this one quite a bit. I dig the cover too.
Not for me. 1/5 stars.
Post punk whiskey preachin'. Best Tracks: Preaching the Blues; She's Like Heroin to Me; Ghost on the Highway.
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.
Man, what a great album. Everything you love about Iggy, Violent Femmes, and all of the great american punk/post-punk bands is on display here. It's clever, fresh, different and, at the same time, oh-so familiar. Loved everything about it.
Good
Bangor