Customer Reviews

Jumpin' The Gunne

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

 

 

I purchased Jumpin` the Gunne in 1973 when it originally came out. It is a fine album of melodic rock. Thirty two years later , I still listen to it when I`m in the mood for high energy music. Time is the great test and Jumpin` the Gunne still rocks. In fact, all the Jo Jo Gunne CDs are worth owning.

If only this album had the great album cover of the first album Jo Jo Gunne, of the 4 guys in the car. That one had a great cover, but songs like 'Run Run Run' and others are in my opinion not the best of Gunne. I guess everyone has their favourite of the 4 albums, and I know some people rate this as their worst, but for me it's the only one that competes with albums from 70s rock's A-list bands. The overall feeling is a bit more serious, but is still soaked in the 70s West Coast hard rock atmosphere they capture so well. Whereas the other albums all have a couple of songs that are hard to take seriously, or just unlikable, I find every track here great. There's no doubt that if the Eagles or another name band had recorded some of these they'd have been hits.

Tragically, it seems that the horrific choice of cover art (the obese naked woman is not visible on the photo above) played a role in this album's failing to make an impact. According to the Rhino version's liner notes, most major retailers refused to sell the album because of the nude woman on the cover. I don't know how the band resolved that problem, but it must have affected them as Jay Ferguson calls it 'the album cover that killed the band.' In the end the album peaked at something like 190 on the Billboard charts, but don't let that put you off. As an amateur rock archaeologist, I can say it's one of the greatest 'lost classics' I've ever found, and if you don't have a Gunne album, this is the place to start IMO.

PS - Another reviewer suggested this CD reissue had been remixed or extra instruments added. I own the Rhino 2 for 1 which has this album and 'So...Where's the Show', but I don't notice any difference with the LPs, they seem to be exactly the same. I'd have thought that Rhino had used the same version on this issue, but as I don't have it I can't say for sure.

The first thing that must be said is that Jo Jo Gunne needs to get much more respect than it gets. This is a Hard rockin' CD that needs to be had by any 70's rock fan. My personal favorite on the CD is "High School Drool". Spend the bucks to get this one!!!

1. I Wanna Love You 3:50
2. To The Island 3:48
3. Red Meat 3:27
4. Getaway 3:31
5. Before You Get Your Breakfast 4:12
6. At The Spa 2:54
7. Monkey Music 3:22
8. Couldn't Love You Better 3:00
9. High School Drool 3:35
10. Neon City 2:38
11. Turn The Boy Loose 4:28

I got the original Jumpin' The Gunne album back when it came out. Over the years, it's remained one of my favorites. I bought this CD to replace my old LP, as I don't have the time or space to mess around with vinyl anymore (to my deep regret).

Somewhere along the way, somebody remixed the album, to the point of adding in vocals that were never there before. Organ parts are now covered up by the piano. Matt Andes' guitars really suffer. I suppose whoever did it thought they were cleaning it up and updating to 2004 standards, but it's to squeeky-clean and it's lost all the funk. It's very distracting to listen to after having committed the vinyl version to memory over the span of thirty years.

Anybody know where I can get a CD of the original LP?

Why did Jo Jo Gunne tail off in popularity following their first big release with the hit Run,Run,Run? Hard rock bands really liked the sound of that hit and those type of guys were the folks that really supported it. Some of the other songs on that album rocked, but from there the band adopted more of a pop,southern california teenybopper sound rather than the tougher hard-driving sound from RunRunRun. There were exceptions but Jo Jo lost it's focus on the more serious sounds. I mean bikers dug "Run" but they couldn't hang with much of the rest Jo Jo Gunne put out. Sure it rocked, but it was candy rock as opposed to the real gritty stuff.