The GUN CLUB "Mother Juno" LP NM/NM, Delta Blues, Southern Gothic, Psycho-billy

$

26

AllMusic Review by Mark Deming  [-]

The Gun Club collapsed within a year of the release of 1984's The Las Vegas Story, so more than a few fans were surprised in 1987 when Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Kid Congo Powers returned with a new version of the band, featuring Romi Mori (Pierce's significant other) on bass and Nick Sanderson (ex-Clock DVA) on drums. Even more startling was that the group's comeback album, Mother Juno, was produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins, who would hardly have seemed a likely choice to channel the Gun Club's fiery blues-punk assault onto vinyl. But against the odds, Mother Juno turned out to be one of the band's best albums; the hard rock overtones of The Las Vegas Story were replaced by a more direct, streamlined sound that suggested Miami without the twangy undertow, and while "Bill Bailey" and "Thunderhead" proved this band could rock as hard as they ever had before, Pierce's songs were also venturing into new musical territory, as evidenced by the slow, slinky R&B of "Yellow Eyes," the atmospheric carnival-pop of "The Breaking Hands," and the contemplative "Port of Souls." And as a vocalist, Pierce's trademark just-off-pitch style had gained no small amount of nuance in the six years since Fire of Love, and whether he's shouting the blues or crooning sadly, Pierce shows he'd moved into a whole new class as a singer. Sadly, Mother Juno didn't earn a United States release until the 1990s, which is a shame; it not only made clear that the Gun Club were still alive and kicking, it showed they had lost none of their old power as they cleared out some new territory in the process. Buddha's 2000 reissue adds two solid bonus tracks, the scrappy "Crab Dance" and the moody "Nobody's City."

The Gun Club ?– Mother Juno

Label:

Red Rhino Records ?– RED LP 84, Red Rhino Records ?– RED LP84

Format:

Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country:

UK

Released:

19 Oct 1987

Genre:

Rock

Style:

Alternative Rock

Tracklist Hide Credits

A1 Bill Bailey 3:43

A2 Thunderhead 3:32

A3 Lupita Screams 3:17

A4 Yellow Eyes

Guitar [Inexplicable Guitarist] – Blixa Bargeld

6:31

B1 The Breaking Hands

Guitar [Lead Guitar] – Romi Mori

4:13

B2 Araby 3:04

B3 Hearts 4:03

B4 My Cousin Kim 2:48

B5 Port Of Souls 4:58

Companies, etc.

Distributed By – The Cartel

Phonographic Copyright (p) – Red Rhino Records

Copyright (c) – Red Rhino Records

Pressed By – MPO

Recorded At – Hansa Tonstudios

Mixed At – Compass Point Studios

Mastered At – The Town House

Credits

Artwork By – Peter Black

Artwork By [Sleeve Paintings] – Claus Castenskiold

Bass – Romi Mori

Drums – Nick Sanderson

Engineer – Lincoln Fong

Engineer [Assistant] – André Giere

Guitar, Guitar [Slide, Feed Back] – Kid Congo Powers

Guitar, Vocals – Jeffrey Lee Pierce

Photography [Back Photos] – Kayoko Hosaka

Producer – Robin Guthrie

Notes

First cat no on labels and spine, second cat no on rear of sleeve.

Issued with printed inner sleeve (photo collage on both sides).

No track durations.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Matrix / Runout (Side One, etched): RED LP 84 A2 MPO

Matrix / Runout (Side Two, etched): RED LP 84 B2 MPO

GOLDMINE GRADING

MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.

NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.

VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.

VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.

GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.

POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.