The Gun Club was formed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce, former head of the Blondie fan club in Los Angeles. Joining him was Brian Tristan, who was later renamed Kid Congo Powers during his stint with The Cramps, Don Snowden, who was at the time a music critic for the Los Angeles Times, and Brad Dunning. Pierce played guitar and lead vocals, while Tristan took on lead guitar, Snowden on bass, and Dunning rounding out the quartet on drums. The band was originally a rockabilly band called The Cyclones lead by Pleasant Gehman on lead vocals, but Gehman departed after only one show. Adopting the name The Creeping Ritual, Pierce moved to vocals and they spent some time gigging at local venues. Eventually, the group grew dissatisfied with their name and switched to The Gun Club, suggested by Pierce's flatmate, Black Flag and Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris.
Kid Congo left before the recording of the first album to join The Cramps. He was replaced by Ward Dotson, who would play lead and slide guitar on the band's debut album. Snowden and Dunning also departed at this time, being replaced by two ex-members of The Bags, Rob Ritter and Terry Graham, respectively. Securing a record deal on Slash Records division Ruby, the group released their debut album, Fire of Love in 1981. The album was produced by Tito Larriva of The Plugz and The Flesh Eaters' frontman Chris D. Critic Stevo Olende has written that the "album's lyrical imagery is plundered from voodoo, '50's EC comics and the blues," while another notes that "Nobody has heard music like this before or since." Fire of Love sold well and received strong reviews upon release.
By 1982, the band had signed to Blondie guitarist Chris Stein's Animal Records. The band temporarily relocated to New York to record their follow-up album, 1982's Miami. This album would feature not only Stein as producer, but also Debbie Harry on backup vocals on select tracks. Upon release, the album received good reviews but was widely criticized for Stein's production, which was said to have a thin mix. Rob Ritter left shortly after the album, changing his name to Rob Graves and forming the band 45 Grave. Before leaving, Ritter taught all of his bass parts to his former Bags bandmate Patricia Morrison and trained her as his replacement. Due to increasingly common arguments, Pierce dismissed Graham and Dotson around this time.
The Las Vegas Story and First Break-Up (1984-1986)
Terry Graham and Ward Dotson were replaced with Jim Duckworth on guitar and Dee Pop, formerly of the New York band Bush Tetras, on drums. During this time, Pierce refrained from guitar playing, instead focusing on singing. This line-up was to be very short-lived though; Dee Pop lasted only eight months before Graham returned. On the eve of an Australian tour, both Duckworth and Graham refused to get on the plane. Without a guitarist or a drummer, Pierce had the supporting act's drummer fill in for the remainder of the tour, while Kid Congo Powers returned on guitar. When they returned to the States, Graham resumed his place on drums.
Pierce returned to guitar playing during this line-up, and both he and Powers are credited with guitar on their third album, 1984's The Las Vegas Story. 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 sound. The Blaster's Dave Alvin appeared to play lead guitar on a handful of tracks. The band embarked on a tour throughout Britain in support of the album, though Graham again departed during this tour and was replaced with Desperate. After a tour supporting Siouxsie & The Banshees, the band decided to call it quits and played their farewell shows in the winter of 1984.
During the break-up, Powers, Morrison, and Desperate formed a band called Fur Bible, while Jeffrey Lee Pierce embarked on a solo career. Pierce assembled a band consisting of former members of The Cure and Spear of Destiny and released Wildweed in 1985. He organized a new band in support of the album, including Nick Sanderson of Clock DVA and Pierce's then-girlfriend Romi Mori. Sanderson played drums while Mori played guitar.
Reformation (1987-1992)
After a short stint doing spoken word performances, Pierce decided to reform a new version of the band in 1987. Powers, who had also been recruited into Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at this time, resumed his place at guitar, with Mori switching to bass, and Sanderson retaining his place on drums. Under this line-up, The Gun Club would record a handful of albums, including 1987's Mother Juno. This album, produced by Robin Guthrie of The Cocteau Twins, was met with positive critical reception and was a successful comeback for the band. After the release of Nick Cave's 1990 album The Good Son, Kid Congo Powers departed The Bad Seeds to focus more on The Gun Club.
1990 saw the release of the band's fifth studio effort, Pastoral Hide and Seek, which Pierce produced himself. Nick Sanderson departed after the release of 1991's mini-album Divinity to focus on his other project, World of Twist. He was replaced with Simon Fish, who had previously played with Pierce on one of his solo albums. During this time, Jeffrey Lee alternated between his solo acoustic material and The Gun Club, which was his outlet for harder-edged songs. In 1992, Powers left the band to focus on his solo project Congo Norvell, and Nick Sanderson soon returned to drums after the dissolution of World of Twist.
Later Years (1993-1996)
Without their lead guitarist, Pierce decided to handle both lead and rhythm guitar parts on what would be their final album, 1993's http://www.last.fm/music/The+Gun+Club/Lucky+Jim]Lucky Jim. Pierce and Romi Mori had, at this point, been dating since the mid-eighties. However, Sanderson and Mori grew increasingly close until finally the two eloped in 1994, leaving The Gun Club without a rhythm section and Jeffrey Lee without a lover. Pierce, by his own account, had been clean for several years but soon switched back to drug and alcohol abuse after the departure of his longtime girlfriend.
He made a few live appearances with The Bad Seeds in 1994 but mostly remained reclusive during this time to write his autobiography, which proved to be exceptionally critical of former members of the band. He returned to Los Angeles, after a 10 year stay in London, where he grew increasingly fascinated with rap music and even recorded a rap cover of Tom Waits' song "Pasties & a G-String" for a Waits tribute album. With his health failing, he was only able to play a handful of shows in 1996 with a new band that consisted of Mike Martt and Kid Congo Powers on guitar, a bassist named Elizabeth Montague, and drummer Brock Avery. Pierce decided to visit his father in Utah where he suffered a stroke and was taken to a hospital. He was to undergo surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain but died on March 31, 1996.
Influence
Being among the first bands to combine punk and blues, The Gun Club has had a lasting influence on many artists. The White Stripes have been known to cover "For the Love of Ivy" and "Jack on Fire", off the band's debut album, at live shows. Of The Gun Club's music in particular, the band's vocalist and guitarist Jack White has said, "'Sex Beat', 'She's Like Heroin To Me', and 'For The Love Of Ivy'...why are these songs not taught in schools?"
Several other artists—such as Henry Rollins, Blanche, the Pixies, Cobra Verde, Noir Désir, The Flaming Stars, Tito & Tarantula, Soul Bossa, The Deadly Snakes, Calla, Lucid Nation, Love Life, Madrugada, The Von Bondies, American Mars, Th' Legendary Shack Shakers, The Fever, Archie Bronson Outfit, and Mark Lanegan of The Screaming Trees, who covered Miami's opening track "Carry Home"—have been influenced by The Gun Club.
Discography
Fire of Love (album 1981)
Ghost On The Highway/Sex Beat (double a-side single 1981)
Miami (album 1982)
Fire of Love (single 1982)
The Birth, The Death, The Ghost (live album 1983; recorded 1980)
Death Party (EP 1983)
The Las Vegas Story (album 1984)
Sex Beat '81 (semi-legal live album 1984)
Two Sides of the Beast (compilation album 1985)
Love Supreme (semi-legal live album 1985)
Danse Kalinda Boom - Live in Pandora's Box (live album 1985)
Sex Beat 81 (semi-legal live single 1986)
Death Party (semi-legal live album 1987); has no tracks from the 1983 Death Party EP
Mother Juno (album 1987)
Breaking Hands (single 1988)
Sex Beat (single 1989)
Pastoral Hide and Seek (studio album 1990)
The Great Divide (single 1990)
Pastoral, Hide & Seek (The Lost Song) (single 1991)
Divinity (album 1991)
Ahmed's Wild Dream a.k.a. Live in Europe (live album 1992)
In Exile (compilation album 1992)
Lucky Jim (album 1993)
Cry To Me (single 1993)
Live at The Hacienda 1983 (live video 1994)
Preaching The Blues (live video 1995; recorded 1984)
Early Warning (rarities and demos double compilation album 1997)
Walkin' With The Beast (single 2004)
Live at The Hacienda 1983/1984 (live DVD 2006; reissue of above videos)
Fire Of Love (live DVD 2007; recorded 1983 and 1985)
Da Blood Done Signed My Name (rarities and demos double compilation album 2007; reissue of Early Warning plus one extra interview track)
Larger Than Live (live album 2008; recorded 1990 - not 1992 as incorrectly listed on sleeve)
The Life & Times of Jeffrey Lee Pierce & The Gun Club (studio cuts and live compilation 4CD box set 2008)
Death Party
The Gun Club Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the shrieking red night I can hear your call
I arrive at the death party, I won't be back at all
All the kids are here and they all look the same
All the kids are here and they all look the same
They're at the death party, we know why they came
They'll tear your heart out, lookin at you wail the blues
Come to the death party, you ain't got nothing to lose
Ain't no music, ain't no foolin around
Well, ain't no music, ain't no blood on the wall
Well, at the death party we don't need that at all
Can I just light over that pile of bones, my friend
I just lit over you, my friend
You're at the death party and you have reached your end
Throw down all your love, throw down all your blues
Throw down all your luck, throw down all your blues
Come to the death party, you ain't got nothing to lose
Come to the death party, you ain't got nothing to lose
Come to the death party, you ain't got nothing to lose
Come to the death party, you ain't got nothing to lose
The Gun Club's song Death Party depicts a nihilistic view of life and death, where the only thing left to do is to embrace the idea of death by partying. The lyrics portray a chaotic and anarchic scenario where young people gather to celebrate their own demise. In the screaming red night, the singer hears the call of the death party, and he knows that he won't be returning back from it.
The lyrics suggest that all the kids at the death party look the same, as if they have lost their individuality and their sense of purpose, and they are united only by the fact that they know why they came to the party. They throw down all their heartaches, blues, and love, embracing the idea that life is a meaningless pursuit. There is no music, no fooling around, and no blood on the wall, which implies that the atmosphere is tense and the party is serious.
The song's narrative takes a darker turn in the last verse when the singer asks if he can light over the pile of bones of his friend, who is already at the death party and has reached his end. The lyrics suggest that death is the ultimate destination for everyone, and once you reach it, there's nothing left to do but to party.
Overall, the song highlights the desperation and futility of the human condition and suggests that the only way to cope with it is to embrace death and party as if there's no tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
In the shrieking red night I can hear your call
The intense and chaotic atmosphere of the moment is colored by the call of death, eerie and unmistakable.
I arrive at the death party, I won't be back at all
The persona willingly goes to the final destination, knowing it's no return.
All the kids are here and they all look the same
The young people are present and indistinguishable from one another in the wake of the event.
They're at the death party, we know why they came
The motive is death, and the attendees know this and chose to come together for this very purpose.
They'll tear your heart out, lookin at you wail the blues
Witnesses will touch your most delicate parts and watch you suffer, amplifying your sadness.
Come to the death party, you ain't got nothing to lose
The only certainty being demise, one might as well accept the invitation to the party of death.
Well, ain't no music, ain't no blood on the wall
In contrast to the standard revelry which involves music and mayhem, this event isn't characterized by either of these things.
Well, at the death party we don't need that at all
The participants are satisfied with the solemnity of silence and not creating any visual spectacle to compensate for the grave occasion.
I just lit over you, my friend
The persona metaphorically describes bypassing and eluding a friend he wishes to avoid.
You're at the death party and you have reached your end
The friend has reached the culminating moment of his life and will soon meet his demise.
Throw down all your love, throw down all your blues
The partygoers are urged to give up all aspects of their life that they previously held dear, as everyone has come for a final celebration of death.
Come to the death party, you ain't got nothing to lose
The certainty of death means, at this point, one has nothing to lose, and may as well partake in the activities of the gathering.
Writer(s): Jeffery Lee Pierce
Contributed by Josiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Avant-garble Mixtapes
People are too hard on their later albums. They are good. They don't match the fervor of their initial bursts upon the scene but what band hasn't done that. It's as good as the cramps and their output of later albums. He just went back to more roots style music and he probably had great things planned stifled by his untimely death which was kinda just sad and didn't help build a great myth. If you really study the albums the greatness gets slimmer but the special thing he had in his song writing still shines thru in at least a song or two on every release. Though there is more filler on the later albums overall still worth to be known. Everyone talks shit because it has become a type of consensus and just passed along as truth though it is lore. A case of the spiral of silence and people that just enjoy hearing themselves talk rather than ever having ever listening to the later albums, or if so only once and expecting Fire of Love all over again. That's my 2 cents tossed into the fountain.
marcos arão rocha
agree on that, the idiot waltz was the first Gun Club song that grabbed my attention, i sort of started from the END and i suppose it took him (JLP) more than a decade to achieve that kind o concision with his songwriting
Neale Floyd
well said.i feel your ;ove.x
Okay Effinay
I figure the important thing, with a band made up of such marginal types, is that they continued to make their work.
George Bethos
Avant-garble Mixtapes Yes I agree ☝️ The later records never got the acclaim that they merited. 30 years later they not only hold up but continue to grow on me. I'm very grateful I got a chance to see them live a dozen times between 82 and 89. The thing is not to keep expecting FOL and Miamii and to appreciate the later music for what it was-some of the best most original music 🎶 of that era. It sure beats hell out of ANYTHING I hear 👂 today
Raflo
yeah but the special southern gothic raw passion isn't there in those albums and that was their particular genius that made the Gun Club's music (and JLP) so great
John Krohn
If I could like this a million times I would! Thanks Keith and Off for getting me into Gun Club!! This band is genius for there time period! JLP is a great writer!
Terence Boris
1. "The House on Highland Avenue"
2. "The Lie"
3. "The Light of the World"
4. "Death Party"
5. "Come Back Jim"
terrypussypower
1. "The House on Highland Avenue" 0:01
2. “The Lie" 3:29
3. “The Light of the World" 6:45
4. “Death Party" 9:55
5. “Come Back Jim" 15:47
king cruiser
1981 - Fire of Love (Ruby Records)
1982 - Miami (Animal Records)
1983 - Death Party (Animal Records)
1984- The Las Vegas Story (Animal Records)
- Golden age of the club -