''Mother Juno'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band
the Gun Club
The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to i ...
, released in 1987. It was 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 ...
of the
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, 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 19 ...
.
"Yellow Eyes" was originally entitled "Funky Junkie"; "Nobody's City" was originally "Sleepy Times Blues". The original recordings of ''Mother Juno'' were released as ''Mother Berlin'' in 2015 on Bang! Records, containing an additional track, "Country One".
In 2023, ''Mother Juno'' was re-released with remastered tracks, including 12” single versions of the songs “The Breaking Hands”, “Crabdance”, and “Nobody’s City”.
Additional demos are included from the aforementioned ''Mother Berlin'' sessions.
Production
The album was recorded in Berlin. The recording took 14 days.
The cover used a painting by Claus Castenskiold, the Danish-born painter.
[
]
Release
The album did well on the independent and college charts, peaking at No. 3 on the UK indie and No. 1 on the CMJ
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
charts.
Critical reception
''Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' wrote: "On songs like 'The Breaking Hands' ... producer Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins spins a delicately layered web of sound; more straightforward numbers like the shimmying 'Thunderhead' recast the old energy in slightly more linear terms, although guest Blixa Bargeld does his best to tilt 'Yellow Eyes' on its axis."The Rolling Stone Album Guide
''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' called the album "swamp music for thinking people."[
]
Track listing
Original 1987 album
All tracks composed by 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 ...
# "Bill Bailey
Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' (2000–2004), and for his regula ...
" – 3:39
# "Thunderhead" – 3:28
# "Lupita Screams" – 3:12
# "Yellow Eyes" – 6:30
# "The Breaking Hands" – 4:12
# "Araby" – 3:01
# "Hearts" – 3:59
# "My Cousin Kim" – 2:47
# "Port of Souls" – 4:49
2005 Remaster (SFTRI 765)
All tracks composed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce
# "Bill Bailey"
# "Thunderhead"
# "Lupita Screams"
# "Yellow Eyes"
# "The Breaking Hands"
# "Araby"
# "Hearts"
# "My Cousin Kim"
# "Port of Souls"
# "Crabdance"
# "Nobody's City"
2023 Remaster (Extra Term Audio LLC)
All tracks composed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce
# "Bill Bailey
Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' (2000–2004), and for his regula ...
" – 3:39
# "Thunderhead" – 3:28
# "Lupita Screams" – 3:12
# "Yellow Eyes" – 6:30
# "The Breaking Hands" – 4:12
# "Araby" – 3:01
# "Hearts" – 3:59
# "My Cousin Kim" – 2:47
# "Port of Souls" – 4:49
# "The Breaking Hands" 12" version – 4:18
# "Crabdance" 12" version – 2:59
# "Nobody's City" 12" version – 4:09
# "Port of Souls" (demo) – 5:27
# "Araby" (demo) – 3:06
# "Lupita Screams" (demo) – 3:21
# "Funkie Junkie (Yellow Eyes)" (demo) – 6:42
# "Hearts" (demo) – 4:13
# "Bill Bailey" (demo) – 3:46
# "Sleepy Time Blues (Nobody's City)" (demo) – 4:16
# "My Cousin Kim" (demo) – 2:46
# "Thunderhead" (demo) – 3:34
# "The Breaking Hands" (demo) – 4:34
# "Crab Dance" (demo) – 3:06
# "Country One" (unreleased instrumental, demo) – 3:10
Personnel
;The Gun Club
* 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 ...
- vocals, guitar, whistle
* 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 ...
- guitar
* Romi Mori - bass; lead guitar on "The Breaking Hands"
* Nick Sanderson - drums
with:
* Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld (born 12 January 1959) is a German musician who has been the lead singer of the band Einstürzende Neubauten since its formation in 1980. Bargeld was also a founding member of the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, s ...
- guitar on "Yellow Eyes"
;Technical
*Lincoln Fong - engineer
*André Giere - assistant engineer
*Claus Castenskiold - sleeve painting
References
{{Authority control
1987 albums
The Gun Club albums
Albums produced by Robin Guthrie