Customer Reviews

Jo Jo Gunne

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rising from the ashes of SPIRIT were JAY FERGUSON and MARK ANDES. Joined by Mark's brother, MATT ANDES, on guitar, and Texas drummer, CURLY SMITH, JO JO GUNNE was born. From the opening drum beat of RUN RUN RUN to the keyboard driven SHAKE THAT FAT to the story of a touring rock and roll band in 99 DAYS, JO JO GUNNE showed the rest of America that the West Coast could rock and roll. MATT ANDES is an excellent guitarist matched with the masterful keyboards of JAY FERGUSON and the bass and drums of MARK ANDES and CURLY SMITH make JO JO GUNNE one of America's best bands.

This was what we listened to when it was friday after work and a group of buddys and myself would kick back and, well.. "relax" from the week behind us. It was sooo tooo bad that JoJo Gunne didnt quite click with the rock radio stations at the time. Some airplay though not much.. There was another party band simular in sound that was coming up at the same time called Bachman Turner Overdrive. They sort of stole the show. But damn!!!.. Jay Ferguson and the boys could hammer a tune out and make it feel good. Disco was coming up, the punk rock music was wearing us out and we just wanted to sit back and get down with some straight forward rock. Not overproduced and re-re-remixed and mastered. You can actually count all the instruments on one hand. JoJo Gunne was the answer in 1973. It still is now. A new re-union album with the original band is in the works for release this year. Can't wait..

Jo Jo Gunne had many things going for them, but there were many other bands of similar sound that made it hard for them to make a name. Only one radio semi-hit (Run Run Run) didn't much help. And though they produced 4 relatively solid LPs ina fairly short time, they never made much of a dent. I always thought side one of this with side one of Bite Down hard would have made a classic: those are five tasty songs. Silly, simple, sure, but fun and energetic.

...

Remember the LP? This is a faithful transfer, though without any extras, that sounds as good as it did then. Wondering where to begin with Jo Jo Gunne? This is a fine place. These guys could play, and Jay Ferguson really was a excellent singer, even when his material wasn't much to work with.

After reading Darth Kommissar's clinical Spotlight review of this record, I was sure of two things: 1) he wasn't around when this album was made, and 2) you can't analyze Jo Jo Gunne outside of the context of the time. The eight Customer reviews capture the essence of this record far more clearly.

In short, this record is rock solid. And it is THE place to start if you are looking into Jo Jo Gunne (this assumes that you've done the essential pre-requisite research into Spirit). It wasn't about greatness, it was about kicking out jams on Friday night, just as "RJ'ledog3'" said in his review.

In the early '70s, music had turned a corner. The Beatles were gone and there was no direction home. Altamont, Kent State, and the death of the New Left portended a darker future. The impact of bands like Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath and The Stooges were peeling the layers of 60s idealism and basic, no-frills rock and roll bands rushed into the vacuum. Jo Jo Gunne was one of those bands. Still, Jay Ferguson was a convincing singer and songwriter and the tunes on this first album are almost universally strong, if never great. None of their subsequent albums would be so consistent (though the technical quality might be a touch better as der Kommissar suggests) despite the occasional gem. It was all over for Jo Jo Gunne in a couple of years. Jay Ferguson would finally attain radio success in a solo career in the late '70s before spontaneously combusting.

In the end, Jo Jo Gunne is not great rock & roll. But it is worthy. Any serious student of early 70s rock should definitely have this disc in their archive.

They played on a bill with Traffic and JJ Cale at the old Winterland in SF. I remember thinking, "Who the hell is Jo Jo Gunne?" Well I found out when they walked on stage. These are some guys from Spirit. Holy sheepdung. They blew everyone away. Loud, fun, never seen anything like it. Jay Ferguson on piano was a sight to see. The 4 stars is that this music was meant to be seen live. In my weak opinion, it didn't translate as well listening on record player. Fun, fun music though.

In 1967 I traveled back to Birmingham Michigan to spend the summer with my best friend from Junior High School and lead guitar player from our very first band. We stumbled through the mid sixties playing Louie;Louie,Wild Thing etc. The British invasion began with The Beatles,Rolling Stones and the Who. I had listened to Spirit in Mass. when they first appeared and was completely captivated and the band I played in in High School did a number of thier songs. Anyway when I returned to Mighigan that summer Lee and I went to the Grande Ballroom in Detroit and sat on the wood floor no more than 15' from the stage to see Spirit,Best of and my understanding of what music could be took a quantum leap. Along with bands like Poco,B.B King,Early Ten Years AfterUndead my life changed entirely. Jo JO Gunne was a great effort and proved that bands from California could rock.God bless them all aand what they did for music and me personally. Long live the music that really counted and God bless those that passed way before thier time.

Side One

1. Run Run Run 2:35
2. Shake That Fat 3:47
3. Babylon 4:04
4. I Make Love 2:58

Side Two

5. Barstow Blue Eyes 3:19
6. 99 Days 3:25
7. Academy Award 5:01
8. Take It Easy 4:48
9. Flying Home 3:14

Jo Jo Gunne. Not many people remember them. My first contact with their music was back in college when I worked at the college radio station and started to play their record - yes record - and loved it. Prior to graduation back in 1980 I taped the record from the radio station's copy so I'd still have the music. This year I found the tape - played it again (after some 20 years) and fell in love with the music all over again. If you like the band - Spirit...you will love Jo Jo Gunne. Thank you Jay Ferguson for the music. Music lovers out there should also check out Jo Jo Gunne - "Bite Down Hard". Also a classic.
Tred

My older brother has the original LP and I wanted a CD copy. The material still holds up well and was produced/mixed to near today's standards. Call me crazy but it's nice to hear slamming rock & roll where you can clearly understand AND appreciate the vocals, with each instrument clear in the mix and not a muddy distortonoisewankfest.

Jay Ferguson is one of the greats of rock and roll. Jo Jo Gunne was a continuation of the great music he made with Spirit. It's an excellent addition to any music collection