Fire of Love is the debut album of the American rock band the Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records.[3]
| Fire of Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 31, 1981 | |||
| Studio | Studio America, Pasadena, California; Quad Teck, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:03 | |||
| Label | Ruby | |||
| Producer | Chris D., Tito Larriva | |||
| The Gun Club chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe Flesh Eaters' singer Chris D. produced five tracks on the album ("Sex Beat", "Preaching the Blues", "Fire Spirit", "Ghost on the Highway" and "Jack on Fire") at Quad Teck with Pat Burnette engineering. Tito Larriva produced the album's other six tracks at Studio America with Noah Shark engineering. Chris D. was also credited with the cover design for the original release. Judith Bell was responsible for the bottle label illustrations on the rear of the cover.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [4] |
| Pitchfork | 9.1/10[5] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[8] |
| Uncut | [9] |
| The Village Voice | B[10] |
The album is considered groundbreaking in being the first of its kind to combine the hard, stripped-down sound of punk rock with American roots music.[11] In turn, this innovation helped to create the punk blues style as well as inspiring countless garage rock musicians. Several musicians have cited Fire of Love as an influence.
In a 1982 Trouser Press review, Jim Green argues that the band "have wrought nothing less than a mutation of the blues." He says the band "extracts from the blues those elements (anger, frustration, vivid imagery) most resonant with the disaffections of a modern young white [man]. Songwriter Pierce adds his own cynicism and wildness for a heady and often compelling combination." Green concludes, "[t]he Gun Club relies on no strict formulas yet it is undeniably the blues that is being transmuted into a medium for Pierce's dark visions and neuroses."[12]
The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[13]
Track listing
editAll songs composed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce; except where indicated
- Side A
- "Sex Beat" - 2:45
- "Preaching the Blues" (Robert Johnson; arranged by Jeffrey Lee Pierce) - 3:58
- "Promise Me" - 2:35
- "She's Like Heroin to Me" - 2:33
- "For the Love of Ivy" (Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Kid Congo Powers) - 5:31
- "Fire Spirit" - 2:52
- Side B
- "Ghost on the Highway" - 2:43
- "Jack on Fire" - 4:40
- "Black Train" - 2:11
- "Cool Drink of Water" (Tommy Johnson; traditional, arranged by Jeffrey Lee Pierce) - 6:10
- "Goodbye Johnny" - 3:41
Personnel
edit- The Gun Club
- Jeffrey Lee Pierce - vocals, slide guitar, backing vocals on "Jack on Fire"
- Ward Dotson - guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals on "Jack on Fire"
- Rob Ritter - bass
- Terry Graham - drums
- Additional musicians
- Tito Larriva - producer, violin on "Promise Me"
- Chris D. - producer, backing vocals on "Jack on Fire"
- Lois Graham - backing vocals on "Jack on Fire"
- Technical
- Pat Burnette, Noah Shark - engineers
- Chris D. - cover design
- Judith Bell - bottle label drawings
Covers
edit- In 1998, 16 Horsepower recorded a cover of "Fire Spirit" for their 1998 EP The Partisan.
- In 2003, Enon covered the song "Sex Beat".
- Juliana Hatfield's band Some Girls also covered "Sex Beat" for their 2003 album Feel It.
- Two Lone Swordsmen covered "Sex Beat" for their 2004 album From the Double Gone Chapel.
- Blanche covered "Jack on Fire" for their 2004 album If We Can't Trust the Doctors.
- Japandroids recorded a cover of "For the Love of Ivy" on their 2012 album Celebration Rock.
- In 2013, Kim Salmon and Spencer P. Jones recorded a cover of "Jack on Fire" for their album Runaways.
- In 2014, Mr. Airplane Man included a cover of "For the Love of Ivy" on their album The Lost Tapes, recorded in 1999.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Jurek, Thom. "Fire of Love – The Gun Club". AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Cartwright, Garth (2016). "The Gun Club - Fire Of Love". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 480.
- ^ Green, Jim; Sprague, David (2007). "Gun Club". Trouser Press. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). "Gun Club". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Berman, Stuart (August 15, 2021). "The Gun Club: Fire of Love". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- ^ Murphy, John L. (August 26, 2014). "The Gun Club: Fire of Love". PopMatters. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 294.
- ^ Anderson, Steve (1995). "Gun Club". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 172–73. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ "LA Influential". Uncut. No. 86. July 2004. p. 122.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (July 6, 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
- ^ http://www.americanrootsuk.com/chapter-10.html Note: – 1981.
- ^ Green, Jim (June 1982). "Fire of Love". Trouser Press. Vol. 9, no. 4. New York. p. 40. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
External links
edit- Fire Of Love at Discogs (list of releases)
- Fire of Love (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)