The Gun Club Albums Ranked

The Gun Club was an American post-punk band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to incorporate influences from blues, rockabilly, and country music. The Gun Club has been called a “tribal psychobilly blues” band, as well as initiators of the punk blues, sound cowpunk – “He (Pierce) took Robert Johnson and pre-war acoustic blues and ‘punkified’ it. Up until then, bands were drawing on Iggy + The Stooges and the New York Dolls but he took it back so much further for inspiration.” Here are all of The Gun Club’s albums ranked.

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10. Mother Berlin (2015)

“Limited edition release of early recordings of the Mother Juno album, recorded in Berlin. A nice thing to have for a Gun Club fan but only probably for those who are very familiar with their work.”

9. Divinity (1991)

“Not an instant classic like Fire of Love or Miami, but pretty good in it’s own right. Of the five studio tracks at the start only “Richard Speck” disappoints a bit, while the opener “Sorrow Knows” with it’s hypnotic guitar riff is among the Gun Club’s best songs ever. The three live tracks at the end round up this album perfectly.”

8. Death Party [EP] (1983)

“This EP is from a brief period between ‘Miami’ and ‘The Las Vegas Story’ when the band had been reduced to a 3 piece. JL handles all guitar and some bass work, so it’s leaner and less incendiary than previous/subsequent releases with the twin guitars. The songwriting is just as good as ever though, with a slightly poppier bent mostly evident on the 1st side. Side 2 has a grinder, slower Cramps-like feel that’s explored further on ‘The Las Vegas Story’.”

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7. Death Party (1987)

“I absolutely love the song “Death Party” and “The House on Highland Ave”, but it has all this silly chatter in between songs that makes them less serious. Also just some of the songs aren’t up to par with other albums. It seems like the first four songs (which I guess this was a 5 song EP before) are the best. I suggest “Miami”, “Las Vegas Story”, or “Fire of Love.” I really hate to not give this band any bad sub-par reviews on an album, but I really can’t help feel this way. I’d still say buy this album though.. what the hell.”

6. Lucky Jim (1983)

“Where Pierce used to be fierce in his haunted and manic vocal crusade against inner and outer demons on the earlier Gun Club releases, here he is more brittle than ever, fighting a battle that will end in inevitable defeat, but mustering up all he can just the same. This is a very touching swan song of a remarkable singer-songwriter.”

5. Pastoral Hide And Seek (1990)

“The rest of the album is made up of mid-tempo rockers of varying intensity: ‘Humanesque’ is fairly subdued, ‘Straits Of Love And Hate’ seems to reach towards the more frantic moments of the Las Vegas Story album. The album’s hampered by the lack of any emphasis in its production and the lack of any real musical diversity, but it’s a nice glimpse of JLP’s more placid musical side, showing old punks can grow old gracefully if that’s what they want.”

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4. Mother Juno (1987)

“The Gun Club is a band that doesn’t get mentioned enough and were definitely underrated. Even in 1987 towards the end of their career TGC were still able to rock just as hard and keep it interesting. A few slow tracks on this especially “Yellow Eyes” one tend to drag on and could possibly bore the fuck outta you, but as soon as side B starts it’s just kicks right back in. It’s a keeper!”

3. The Las Vegas Story (1984)

“Another amazing Gun Club album, and the last in a run of must-have Blues/Punk records dating back to 1981. LVS see’s the addition of ex Cramp and future Bad Seed Kid Congo Powers on guitar. Subsequently tempos are slower, the riffs swampier and the guitar hero quotient is upped significantly as Jeffrey Lee and Kid Congo duel it out solo by solo like burnt out versions of Verlaine and Lloyd. Still, the songs are great, the sound a marked improvement over ‘Miami’ and Jeffrey Lee Pierce is still in fine voice.”

2. Miami (1982)

“Miami came as a blessing in disguise for me, it may sound stupid, but it did. I had Fire of Love, but I had never really listened to it. Then one day I came over Miami, I’d read some good stuff about it and decided to give it a shot. And man was I blown away, this is a masterpiece.”

1. Fire Of Love (1981)

“Such wonderful brooding punky blues tracks with a quirky quality that brings it all back to the roots of rock. A band that every music lover gets to eventually and then punishes themselves for not learning about them earlier. I know I did. This is their masterpiece and the perfect place to start. Blues with a punk stance.”