The Gun Club were an American

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created 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. Early life Pierce was born ...

, they were notable as one of the first bands in the

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

subculture to incorporate influences from

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

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 musi ...

, and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

. The Gun Club has been called a "tribal

psychobilly Psychobilly (or punkabilly) is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It has been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional country rock, countrified rock ...

blues" band, as well as initiators of the

punk blues Punk blues (or blues punk) is a 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 protop ...

sound

cowpunk Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It combines punk rock or new wave with country, folk, and blues in its sound, lyrical subject mat ...

– "He (Pierce) took

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

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

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

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

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'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''; 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 Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag (band), Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetso ...

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 t ...

. 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 A bag, also known regionally as a sack, is a common tool in the form of a floppy container, typically made of cloth, leather, bamboo, paper, or plastic. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being lengths of animal s ...

, 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 distri ...

, 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 th ...

, the group released their debut album, ''

Fire of Love Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion reaction when the fuel ...

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

Tito Larriva Humberto "Tito" Larriva (born 1953) is a Mexican-born 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 ...

(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, '50s

EC Comics E.C. Publications, Inc., (doing business as EC Comics) is an American comic book publisher. It specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, nota ...

and the

", while Thom Jurek of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

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. 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 brightest America ...

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 and songwriter 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 St ...

's Animal Records, a subsidiary of

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British independent 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 Ell ...

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

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

''. 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 (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

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 ...

, 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. Biog ...

(also ex- Legal Weapon) 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 criticized for Stein's thin production. Due to increasingly frequent arguments, Pierce dismissed Graham and Dotson in December 1982.

''The Las Vegas Story'' and first breakup (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 an ...

) and drummer Dee Pop (formerly of the New York band Bush Tetras). A spare recording session, originally booked for another band, led to the impromptu recording of the '' 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 from support act

the Johnnys The Johnnys are an Australian Pub rock (Australia), pub rock band from Sydney. The band was formed in 1982 and is still active today. The band combines country music, country and punk musical styles. Members are Graham Hood, Billy Pommer Jr and ...

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 ...

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 (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

sound. After US gigs supporting

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...

, 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. Jeffrey Lee Pierce cropped

After the breakup, Powers, Morrison and Desperate formed a band called Fur Bible (Morrison later joined

the Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...

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 Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

and

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...

, 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 music, industrial, post-punk, and Electronic body music, EBM. They formed in 1978 by Adi Newton (born Gary Coates) and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with ...

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 a Rock music, rock band formed in Melbourne in 1983 by lead vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and German guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throug ...

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'', 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 post punk alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has ...

the Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 1983, Heggie ...

, was a successful comeback, garnering a positive critical reception. After the release of Nick Cave's album '' The Good Son'', Powers departed from 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 fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

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 (The Cramps, The Gun Club, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds) and Sally Norvell (Prohibition & the Norvells). Congo Norvell formed in 1990 after Powers and Norvel ...

. 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 Ltd, Victor Gollancz. It was Amis's first novel and won the 1955 Somerset Maugham Award for fiction. The novel follows the academic and romantic tribulations ...

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

, 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 ind ...

and

JoBoxers JoBoxers are a British New wave music, new wave band (music), group formed in London, England in 1982 when former Subway Sect members Rob Marche (guitarist), Dave Collard (keyboardist), Chris Bostock (bassist), and Sean McLusky (drummer) teame ...

) 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 (musician), Nick Sanderson of The Gun Club (band), The Gun Club. After releasing an Extended play, EP, ''Don't ...

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 (musician), William Reid ...

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, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...

). 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 Wayne Stanley Kramer (''né'' Kambes; April 30, 1948 – February 2, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and Film score, film and television composer. Kramer came to prominence in the 1960s as the lead guitarist of t ...

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 (TV network), 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 t ...

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 or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

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

brain hemorrhage The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...

on March 31, effectively ending the Gun Club.

Influence

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...

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) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...

, 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 singer-songwriter Joakim Thåström has referenced the Gun Club and Pierce in several songs, including " Jeffrey Lee Pierce", "" and "". Singer

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. 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 Stone Age ...

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 were a Canadian rock duo from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 2006. The band consisted of Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals).Lindsay, Ca"No Fun City Rockers" ''Exclaim!'', May 2009 accessed November ...

included "For The Love of Ivy" on their sophomore album Celebration Rock. Brian King (vocalist/guitarist) said "the magnitude of discovering The Gun Club cannot be understated."

Members

Former members

– vocals, guitar (1979–1996); ''died 1996'' *

– guitar (1979–1980, 1983–1996) * Don Snowden – bass guitar * Brad Dunning – drums (1979–1980) * Terry Graham – drums * Rob Ritter – bass guitar (1980–1982); ''died 1990'' * Anna Statman – bass guitar * Ward Dotson – guitar (1980–1982) * Billy Persons – drums * Annie Ungar – drums *

– bass guitar (1982–1984) * Jim Duckworth – guitar (1983) * Dee Pop – drums (1983) * Jimmy Joe Uliana – bass guitar (1983) * Desi Desperate – drums * Romi Mori – bass guitar (1987–1994) * Derek Thompson – drums * Nick Sanderson – drums (1987–1996); ''died 2008'' * Simon Fish – drums (1994) * Rainer Lingk – guitar * Robert Marche – guitar * Efe – bass guitar (1994) * Mike Martt – guitar; ''died 2023'' * Randy Bradbury – bass guitar (1995) * Brock Avery – drums (1995) * Elizabeth Montague – bass guitar * Nigel Preston – drums (1991); ''died 1992''

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 music, before its eventual acq ...

) * ''

'' (1982, Animal Records) * '' The Las Vegas Story'' (1984, Animal Records/Chrysalis Records) * '' Mother Juno'' (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, United States. The label was founded by music journalist Johnny Waller and Clive Solomon in 1985 and released early recor ...

, 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 D ...

) * "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 John Mermis, known as Long Gone John. Notable artists who started on Sympathy and went ...

) * "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 a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline and X-Ray Records. History Founded in January 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in go ...

; 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 2.13.61, Inc. is a publisher and record company founded by American musician Henry Rollins and named after his date of birth (February 13, 1961). The company has released albums by the Rollins Band, all of Rollins' spoken word work, and numerou ...

) * ''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 producti ...

) * ''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 Cowpunk musical groups Musical groups from Los Angeles American psychobilly musical groups Sympathy for the Record Industry artists Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Punk rock groups from California 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