The Gun Club were an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist

Jeffrey Lee Pierce Jeffrey Lee Pierce (June 27, 1958 – March 31, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and author. He was one of the founding members of the band The Gun Club, and released material as a solo artist. Biography Early life Pierce ...

History

Early days (1979–1980)

The Gun Club were formed by

(guitar and vocals) with friend, chief of the Ramones fan club and fellow music enthusiast Brian Tristan, also known as

Kid Congo Powers Brian Tristan (born March 27, 1959), better known by his stage name Kid Congo Powers,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 25, 41, 359 is an American rock guitarist, singer, and actor best known as a member of ...

. Pierce was the former head of the Blondie fan club in Los Angeles and previously a member of the Red Lights, the E-Types, the Individuals, Phast Phreddie & Thee Precisions, and the Cyclones. The Gun Club's precursor band, The Creeping Ritual, formed in late 1979. Along with Pierce (lead vocals and guitar), the first lineup consisted of Brian Tristan (lead guitar); Don Snowden (bass), who was at the time a music critic for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''; and Brad Dunning (drums), now a prominent designer and writer. In April 1980, they changed their name to “The Gun Club” on a suggestion by Pierce's roommate, Circle Jerks singer

Keith Morris Keith Morris (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Off!. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the ...

. Kid Congo commented that the early Gun Club incarnation were "too arty for rock people, far too rock for arty people, too cuckoo for the blues crowd and too American for punk". Snowden and Dunning departed in June 1980, replaced by two ex-members of the Bags, Rob Ritter and Terry Graham, respectively. Ritter was temporarily replaced on bass by Anna Statman for two months in the fall of 1980.

then left, on amicable terms, to join The Cramps in November 1980 and was replaced by lead and slide guitarist Ward Dotson (ex-Der Stab) who had initially hoped to join The Cramps. During this period, the Gun Club often opened for X, the Bags, Circle Jerks and the Blasters.

''Fire of Love'' and ''Miami'' (1981–1982)

Securing a record deal with

Ruby Records Ruby Records is an American record label, founded predominantly as a rock music label subsidiary of Slash Records. The original version of the label released seven albums in 1981 and 1982. Ruby was distributed through the same independent distr ...

, a division of

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

, the group released their debut album, ''

Fire of Love ''Fire of Love'' is the debut album of the American rock band the Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records. Production The Flesh Eaters' singer Chris D. produced five tracks on the album ("Sex Beat", "Preaching the Blues", "Fire Spirit", "Gho ...

'', on August 31, 1981. The album was produced by

Tito Larriva Humberto "Tito" Larriva (born 1953) is a Mexican/American songwriter, singer, musician, and actor. He came to prominence leading The Plugz, one of the earliest Los Angeles punk rock groups. Since the 1990s, his main musical outlet has been the T ...

(of

the Plugz The Plugz (also known as "Los Plugz") were a Latino punk band from Los Angeles that formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1984. They and The Zeros were among the first Latino punk bands, although several garage rock bands, such as Thee Midniters an ...

) and Chris D. (frontman of the Flesh Eaters). Critic Stevo Olende wrote that the "album's lyrical imagery is plundered from

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

, '50s

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

and the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

", while Thom Jurek of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted that "nobody has heard music like this before or since". ''Fire of Love'' sold well and received strong reviews upon release. Billy Persons of

the Weirdos The Weirdos are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. They formed in 1975, split-up in 1981, re-grouped in 1986 and have remained semi-active ever since. Critic Mark Deming calls them "quite simply, one of the best and bright ...

temporarily replaced Ritter for several shows in late 1981. In April 1982, the Gun Club signed to Blondie guitarist

Chris Stein Christopher Stein (born January 5, 1950) is an American musician known as the co-founder and guitarist of the new wave band Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film '' Wild Style'', and write ...

's Animal Records, a subsidiary of

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...

. The band temporarily relocated to New York City to record their follow-up album, 1982's ''

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

''. This album featured not only Stein as producer, but Blondie's

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

singing backup vocals on several tracks. Ritter left in June 1982 to concentrate on his other band,

45 Grave 45 Grave is an American rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985, but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. History The band was founded during the punk rock movement by Paul B. Cutler in ...

, and changed his name to Rob Graves. Before leaving, Ritter taught the bass parts to his former Bags bandmate

Patricia Morrison Patricia Anne Rainone (born January 14, 1962), better known by her stage name Patricia Morrison, is an American bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. She has worked with Bags, The Gun Club, Fur Bible, The Sisters of Mercy, and the Damned. Bio ...

(also ex-

Legal Weapon Legal Weapon were a Southern California-based punk band, initially composed of singer Kat Arthur and guitarist Brian Hansen (both previously of the Silencers), bassist Patricia Morrison (formerly of Bags and later of the Gun Club, the Sisters o ...

) and trained her as his replacement. For their West Coast shows in August 1982, Annie Ungar was added as a second guitarist. Upon the release of ''Miami'' on September 20, 1982, the album received good reviews but has been criticised for Stein's thin production. Due to increasingly frequent arguments, Pierce dismissed Graham and Dotson in December 1982.

''The Las Vegas Story'' and first break-up (1983–1985)

In January 1983, Graham and Dotson were replaced by guitarist Jim Duckworth (formerly of

Tav Falco's Panther Burns Tav Falco's Panther Burns, sometimes shortened to (The) Panther Burns, is a rock band originally from Memphis, Tennessee, United States, led by Tav Falco. They are best known for having been part of a set of bands emerging in the late 1970s and ...

) and drummer Dee Pop (formerly of the New York band

Bush Tetras Bush Tetras are an American post-punk band from New York City, formed in 1979. They are best known for the 1980 song "Too Many Creeps", which exemplified the band's sound of "jagged rhythms, slicing guitars, and sniping vocals".Death Party'' EP with bassist Jimmy Joe Uliana quickly filling in for Morrison and Linda 'Texacala' Jones on backing vocals. Released April 13, 1983 by Animal, it was the only recording of the short-lived lineup featuring Duckworth and Pop. During this time Pierce refrained from playing guitar, focusing solely on singing. After eight months Graham returned, replacing Pop, and on the eve of the October 1983 Australian tour, both Duckworth and Graham quit, refusing to board the plane. Arriving minus half the band, Pierce recruited drummer Billy Pommer Jr. and guitarist

Spencer P. Jones Spencer Patrick Jones (28 October 1956 – 21 August 2018) was a New Zealand guitar player and singer-songwriter from Te Awamutu. From 1976 he worked in Australia and was a member of various groups including The Johnnys, Beasts of Bourbon, Paul K ...

from support act

the Johnnys The Johnnys are an Australian pub rock band from Sydney forming in 1982 and still active today that combines country and punk musical styles. Members are Graham Hood, Billy Pommer Jr and Slim Doherty and have included founder, Roddy Ray'da (ak ...

to fill in on the tour, while former member Powers also flew over to play guitar. When they returned to the US in November, Graham resumed his place on drums. Pierce returned to guitar playing during this lineup, and both he and Powers are credited with guitar on their third album, '' The Las Vegas Story'' (the Blasters'

Dave Alvin David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s a ...

also played lead guitar on a handful of tracks). Released on June 25, 1984, this album marked a significant change for the band; it represented a shift away from the punk rock of ''Fire of Love'' and ''Miami'' and a step towards a more polished

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

sound. After US gigs supporting

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

, in September the band embarked on a European tour in support of the album, but after five weeks Graham again departed after a gig in Paris. The band carried on and he was replaced with former roadie Peter Kablean, known as Desi Desperate, despite having no rehearsal. The Gun Club broke up in January 1985, Pierce remaining in London with then-girlfriend Romi Mori, who he had met during the final December 10–11 shows at Dingwalls, London. After the break-up, Powers, Morrison and Desperate formed a band called Fur Bible (Morrison later joined

the Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is an English rock band, formed in 1980 in Leeds. After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasin ...

and the Damned), while Pierce embarked on a solo career. Pierce assembled a band, the Jeffrey Lee Pierce Quartet, consisting of former members of

the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

and

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

, and released ''Wildweed'' in 1985. He organized a new band to tour in support of the album, including Mori on guitar and Nick Sanderson of

Clock DVA Clock DVA are a musical group from Sheffield, England, whose style has touched on industrial, post-punk, and EBM. They formed in 1978 by Adolphus "Adi" Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name wa ...

on drums.

Reformation (1986–1994)

After a short stint doing spoken word performances, Pierce decided to reform a new version of the band in October 1986. Powers, who had also been recruited into

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock music, rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its care ...

at this time, resumed his place at guitar, with Mori switching to bass and Sanderson retaining his spot on drums. This lineup of the Gun Club recorded a handful of albums, including ''

Mother Juno ''Mother Juno'' is an album by the Gun Club, released in 1987. It was produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins. "Yellow Eyes" was originally entitled "Funky Junkie"; "Nobody's City" was originally "Sleepy Times Blues." The original record ...

'', released October 19, 1987 on

Red Rhino Records Red Rhino Records, also known as Red Rhino, was a British independent record label which was developed by the independent record shop and wholesaler of the same name, all formed and run by "Tony K" (Tony Kostrzewa) and his wife Gerri. It was part ...

. This album, produced by

Robin Guthrie Robin Andrew Guthrie (born 4 January 1962) is a Scottish musician, songwriter, composer, record producer and audio engineer, best known as the co-founder of the alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has performed ...

the Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instru ...

, was a successful comeback, garnering a positive critical reception. After the release of Nick Cave's album '' The Good Son'', Powers departed the Bad Seeds in May 1990 to focus more on the Gun Club. The band's fifth studio effort, ''Pastoral Hide and Seek'', which Pierce produced himself, was released October 1, 1990 on the

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

label. Sanderson departed in December 1990 to focus on his other project, World of Twist. Desperate rejoined to record the ''Divinity'' album, released in August 1991 on New Rose Records, but the band were inactive during the remainder of that year as Pierce was hospitalized during his travels in India and Vietnam. Pierce also recorded with Cypress Grove. Simon Fish, who had previously played with Pierce on one of his solo albums, joined the band in March 1992. At the conclusion of a European tour in May 1992, Powers left the band to focus on his other project,

Congo Norvell Congo Norvell was a band led by Kid Congo Powers (Cramps, Gun Club, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds) and Sally Norvell (Prohibition & the Norvells). Congo Norvell formed in 1990 after Powers and Norvell met at th ...

. In February 1993, the band reconvened as a trio of Pierce, Mori and the returning Sanderson, to record the ''

Lucky Jim ''Lucky Jim'' is a novel by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1954 by Victor Gollancz. It was Amis's first novel and won the 1955 Somerset Maugham Award for fiction. The novel follows the exploits of the eponymous James (Jim) Dixon, a reluctant ...

'' album. For their spring 1993 European tour, they were joined by guitarist Rainer Lingk of

Die Haut Die Haut (German for ''the skin'') were an experimental German post-punk and post-rock band in Berlin during the 1980s and 1990s, with such records as the Nick Cave collaboration ''Burnin' the Ice''. The only constant member was Christoph Dreher ...

. ''Lucky Jim'' was released September 20, 1993 by

Triple X Records Triple X Records was a Los Angeles-based record company started by three former employees of the bankrupt Greenworld Distribution: Dean Naleway, Peter Heur and Charley Brown. The label was known for "a fearlessly eclectic catalogue that broke away ...

, and Robert Marche (formerly of

Subway Sect Subway Sect were one of the first British punk bands. Although their commercial success was limited by the small amount of recorded material they released, they have been credited as highly influential on the Postcard Records scene and the indi ...

and

JoBoxers JoBoxers are a British new wave group formed in 1982, when former Subway Sect members Rob Marche (guitarist), Dave Collard (keyboardist), Chris Bostock (bassist), and Sean McLusky (drummer), teamed up with England-based American singer Dig Wa ...

) joined on guitar in October. In May 1994, Mori and Pierce split up, and she and Sanderson left the Gun Club (Mori and Sanderson formed

Freeheat Freeheat are a British indie rock band formed by Jim Reid and Ben Lurie of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Romi Mori and Nick Sanderson of The Gun Club. After releasing an EP, ''Don't Worry Be Happy'' (later released with a bonus track as '' ...

in 1999 with

Jim Reid James McLeish Reid (born 29 December 1961) is a Scottish singer/songwriter and the lead singer for the alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, which he formed with his elder brother and guitarist William Reid in 1983. Career The Jes ...

and

Ben Lurie Ben Lurie (born 13 June 1968) is a British musician, best known as a member of the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain from 1989 to 1998. Biography Ben Lurie was born in London and moved to Australia when he was four. In hig ...

the Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...

). Sanderson and Marche formed Earl Brutus. In the fall of 1994, Pierce put together a new lineup featuring Marche, bassist Efe and the returning Fish, lasting until November.

Final days (1995–1996)

An increasingly ill Pierce put together a penultimate Gun Club lineup for two shows in Los Angeles in August and September 1995, including guitarists Powers and Mike Martt (ex- Tex & the Horseheads), and the Wayne Kramer rhythm section of bassist Randy Bradbury and drummer Brock Avery. The final lineup of the Gun Club, with bassist Elizabeth Montague replacing Bradbury (who was touring with Pennywise), played only one show, the band's last, at

The Palace ''The Palace'' is a British drama television series that aired on ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of the death of King ...

in Hollywood on December 18, 1995. On March 25, 1996, Pierce was found unconscious at his father's home in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, Utah. He was hospitalized and remained in a coma until his death from a

brain hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

on March 31, effectively ending the Gun Club.

Musical style and influences

The Gun Club's musical style was influenced by punk rock,

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

and

swamp rock Swamp rock is a genre of rock music that originated in the mid-1960s as a fusion of rockabilly and soul music with swamp blues, country music and funk. The genre originated in Louisiana by artists such as Tony Joe White, but was subsequently po ...

. Their music encompassed

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

punk blues Punk blues (or blues punk) is a rock music genre that mixes elements of punk rock and blues. Punk Blues Genre AMG Allmusic.com, Retrieved on May 21, 2008 Punk blues musicians and bands usually incorporate elements of related styles, such as pro ...

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

and

gothic country Gothic country (sometimes referred to as gothic Americana, Southern Gothic, the Denver sound, or even simply just dark country) is a genre of country music rooted in early jazz, gospel, Americana, gothic rock and post-punk. It's lyrics focus on ...

. They were also called a "tribal

psychobilly Psychobilly is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It's been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional countrified rock style known as rockabilly, ram ...

blues" band. According to a 2014 profile on the band, Jeffrey Lee Pierce "took

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

and pre-war acoustic blues and 'punkified' it. Up until then bands were drawing on

Iggy Iggy or Iggie is a unisex name and it is often a hypocorism, short form of the Ancient Rome, Roman Latin names Ignatius, Ignatia (feminine) and Ignatius (masculine), or their derivatives in other European languages. As such the name is derived ulti ...

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

and

the New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succ ...

but he took it back so much further for inspiration."

Legacy

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums with ...

played "For the Love of Ivy" and "Jack on Fire" (both from ''Fire of Love'') at live shows. That band's vocalist and guitarist,

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

, said, "'Sex Beat', 'She's Like Heroin to Me', and 'For the Love of Ivy'...why are these songs not taught in schools?" Swedish punk and rock icon

Joakim Thåström Sven Joakim Eriksson Thåström (born 20 March 1957), better known as Thåström, is a Swedish singer and songwriter, mostly known for the bands Ebba Grön and Imperiet. He has moved between a number of genres, from punk to rock, industrial and ...

is a very big fan of the Gun Club and has referenced them and Pierce in several songs like "Ingen sjunger blues som Jeffrey Lee Pierce", "Samarkanda" and "Beväpna dig med vingar". Singer

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the St ...

included ''Miami'' among his favorite recordings, and covered Pierce's "Carry Home" on his 1999 album of cover songs, '' I'll Take Care of You.'' Canadian rock band

Japandroids Japandroids are a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting of Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals).Lindsay, Ca"No Fun City Rockers" ''Exclaim!'', May 2009 accessed November 10, 2010. Formed in 2006 ...

included "For the Love of Ivy" on their sophomore album ''

Celebration Rock ''Celebration Rock'' is the second studio album by Canadian rock duo Japandroids, released on June 5, 2012, by Polyvinyl. Recorded in Vancouver with ''Post-Nothing'' engineer Jesse Gander, the band aspired to capture the spirit and energy of their ...

''. Brian King (vocalist/guitarist) said "the magnitude of discovering The Gun Club cannot be understated."

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1981,

Slash Records Slash Records was an American record label originally specializing in local punk rock bands, active from 1978 to 2000. It was notable as one of the first and most successful independent record labels in alternative rock, alternative music, befor ...

) * ''

'' (1982, Animal Records) * '' The Las Vegas Story'' (1984, Animal Records/Chrysalis Records) * ''

'' (1987,

) * ''Pastoral Hide and Seek'' (1990,

Fire Records (UK) Fire Records is a British independent record label, run by James Nicholls, with offices in London, England and New York, USA. The label was founded by music journalist Johnny Waller and Clive Solomon in 1985 and released early records from P ...

, The Orchard Music (on behalf of Blixa Sounds); BMI - Broadcast Music Inc.) * ''Divinity'' (1991, New Rose Records) * ''

'' (1993,

)

Singles and EPs

* "Ghost on the Highway"/"Sex Beat" 7" single (1982,

Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DI ...

) * "Fire of Love" 7" single (1982, Animal Records) * '' Death Party'' 12" EP (1983, Animal Records) * ''Sex Beat 81'' 7" single (1986, Lolita) * "Breaking Hands" 7"/12" single (1988, Red Rhino Records) * "Sex Beat" CD single (1989, New Rose Records) * "The Great Divide" 7"/12" single (1990, New Rose Records) * "Pastoral, Hide & Seek (The Lost Song)" 7"/CD single (1991, New Rose Records) * "Cry to Me" 7" single (1993,

Sympathy for the Record Industry Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by Long Gone John. The first Sympathy release was the Lazy Cowgirls' ''Radio Cowgirl'' LP ...

) * "Walkin' With the Beast" 7" single (2004, Sympathy for the Record Industry)

Live albums

* ''The Birth the Death the Ghost'' (1983, ABC Records; recorded 1980) * ''Sex Beat 81'' (1984, Lolita; recorded 1981) * ''Love Supreme'' (1985, Offense Records; recorded 1982) * ''Danse Kalinda Boom – Live in Pandora's Box '' (1985, Megadisc; recorded 1984) * ''Death Party'' (1987, Revenge Records; recorded 1981–1982) * ''Ahmed's Wild Dream'' (1992, Solid Records; recorded 1992) * ''Live in Europe'' (1993, Triple X Records; recorded 1992) * ''Larger Than Live!'' (2008, Last Call Records; recorded 1990) * ''Destroy the Country'' (2014,

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, Dea ...

; recorded 1983) * ''Moonlight Motel '' (2014, Cleopatra Records; recorded 1983–1984)

Compilation albums

* ''Two Sides of the Beast'' (1985, Dojo Records) * ''In Exile'' (1992, Triple X Records) * ''Early Warning'' (1997, Sympathy for the Record Industry) * ''Pastoral Hide & Seek/Divinity'' (1997, 2.13.61 Records) * ''Da Blood Done Signed My Name'' (2007,

Castle Communications Castle Communications, also known as Castle Music, was a British independent record label and home video distributor founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane, and Jon Beecher. Its video imprint was called Castle Vision. The label's product ...

) * ''The Life and Times of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and the Gun Club'' box set (2008, Retro Deluxe) * ''Mother Berlin'' (2014, Bang! Records) * ''In My Room'' (2017, Bang! Records)

Compilation appearances

* "Devil in the Woods" on '' Keats Rides a Harley'' (1981, Happy Squid Records) * "Jack on Fire" on ''Rockabilly Psychosis and the Garage Disease'' (1984, Big Beat Records) * "Sex Beat" on ''Slash: The Early Sessions'' (1984, Slash Records)

Live videos

* ''Live at the Hacienda'' VHS (1994, Visionary Communications/Jettisoundz; recorded 1983) * ''Preaching the Blues'' VHS (1995, Visionary Communications/Jettisoundz; recorded 1984) * ''Live at the Hacienda 1983/84 '' DVD (2006, Cherry Red Films; recorded 1983–1984) * ''Fire of Love'' DVD (2007, Cherry Red Films; recorded 1983/1985)

References

External links

The Gun Club archivesDiscography
– no recent updates, but still very detailed. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gun Club, The 1979 establishments in California 1996 disestablishments in California Musical groups from Los Angeles Sympathy for the Record Industry artists Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Post-punk music groups Punk blues musical groups Beggars Banquet Records artists Chrysalis Records artists I.R.S. Records artists Cooking Vinyl artists Slash Records artists Fire Records (UK) artists Triple X Records artists