Track Listing

1. Sex Beat
2. Preaching The Blues
3. Promise Me
4. She's Like Heroin To Me
5. For The Love Of Ivy
6. Fire Spirit
7. Ghost On The Highway
8. Jack On Fire
9. Black Train
10. Cool Drink Of Water
11. Good By Johnny
12. Walking With The Beast

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #97457 in Music
• Released on: 2001-04-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

CD Description
One of the truly original releases in the punk rock canon, the Gun Club's FIRE OF LOVE birthed cow punk in one furious blast. Combining the rave-up tempos and brevity of the Ramones with twisted rootsy affectations, FIRE OF LOVE still sounds remarkably fierce. The album introduced the world to the colossally talented Jeffrey Lee Pierce, a singer who spiked devil-haunted country blues with the sneering posturing of Richard Hell. Possessing a better vocal range than the average punk rocker, Pierce hitched a feral soul to uncompromisinglyrical poetics in songs such as "Sex Beat" and "She's LikeHeroin To Me"--the latter extolling a lover with the claim "she cannot miss a vein." Guitarist Ward Dotson--who had just replaced future Cramp Kid Congo Powers prior to the album's recording--goes toe-to-toe with Pierce, unleashing a fierypanoply of rockabilly and slide guitar riffs while the rhythm section of Rob Ritter and Terry Graham keeps the tension levels near Defcon 5. Produced by the Flesheaters frontman Chris D., FIRE OF LOVE stands with Black Flag's DAMAGED and X's LOS ANGELES as one the certifiable classics of L.A. punk.

Customer Reviews

Track Info
Just to let everyone know, this CD only has 11 tracks. The listed twelfth track is not on it.

The Best White Man take on the Blues since Captain Beefheart
A growling, tense, electric album this – it’s full of rare classics that will impress your friends as soon as you stick it in the CD player. It starts with the ultra-glam ‘Sex Beat’- rocking and rolling with enough swagger to make your mother blush. It gets better, with ‘She’s Like Heroin To Me’ and the sublime ‘For the Love of Ivy’, the impulse will be to hit rewind and listen to the songs again. The mood of the album is one of controlled sexual energy, with the danger of it exploding out of any song should you play it too loud. Not just an essential addition to your collection but a good starting point should you wish to actually create a serious library of truly great Rock and Roll music.

One of the greatest guitar records of all time. On fire!!
'Fire of Love' is a criminally overlooked album. It was the first great record by Blondie fan club president, the late Jeffrey Lee Pierce and whoever was in his backing band at the time (often the great Kid Congo Powers).

'Sex Beat' sets out the theme of this LP- the sexual fires, the passions- close to American mytholigers, William Faulkner-Flannery O'Connor-Carson McCullers-Cormac McCarthy...A heady brew of Robert Johnson delta blues (he did sell his soul to the devil!) and Post-Punk; 'Preaching the Blues' is the EXACT meeting point of this fusion.

The songs are as catchy as Blondie- 'She is like Heroin to Me' & 'Ghost on the Highway'prime examples. 'For the Love of Ivy', written with Kid Congo (then in 'Psychedelic Jungle'-era Cramps)has an awesome thrashing centre- the primal blues found in acts like Screaming Trees, Lift to Experience and 16 Horsepower...The imagery is fantastic- from the stop-start of 'Fire Spirit' (covered by 16 Horsepower) and the faithful rendition of 'Cool Drink of Water'. 'Jack on Fire' reminds me of The Fall for some reason- perhaps the twisted rockabilly of the similarly titled 'Fiery Jack'...'Goodbye Johnny' concludes one of the best releases of the Eighties- this would become a live classic (along with 'Sexbeat')and showcases the cutting guitars with Pierce's melancholic whine...This record would stand well next to the first Grant Lee Buffalo album, 'Fables of the reconstruction of the fables' by REM and 'Songs the Lord Taught Us' by The Cramps...Bands such as Buffalo Tom, Primal Scream & Spiritualized/Spacemen 3 would find this an influence. It will also interest any Mark Lanegan fans- who collabrated with Pierce-and has released 'Carry Home' & 'Kimiko's Dream House' on his last two albums (it is also close to Lanegan's 'Whiskey for the Holy Ghost'). The only guitar record close to this was the final e.p.'s of The Birthday Party: 'Bad Seed' & 'Mutiny'...One of the greatest records of all time. On fire. Preachin' the blues!!!!