From last fm:-
Gun is a hard rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. They started out as ‘Blind Allez’ and then ‘Phobia’, finally settling on the name ‘Gun’ on signing a record deal with A&M. Early gigs saw them touring with their fellow Scots Simple Minds whilst at the same time selling out their own headline shows. Gun are perhaps best known for their energetic arena rock version of the classic dance song “Word Up”, a top 40 hit in nations such as Germany, New Zealand, and the U.K.
Gun’s original studio lineup consisted of Mark Rankin on lead vocals, Guiliano Gizzi and Baby Stafford on guitar, Dante Gizzi on bass, and Scott Shields on drums. Mark Rankin’s cousin, Sharleen Spiteri, sang backing vocals on the band’s first albums, Taking on the World and Gallus. Although not quite breaking into the musical mainstream, their brand of American alternative rock fueled heavy music garnered a large cult-following. Q Magazine named the band’s 1994 follow-up Swagger one of the best albums of the year, and Gun’s single “Word Up” (a cover of the Cameo tune) even blasted into the top ten.
However, Gun’s popularity waned in the 90s due a change in style to more funky and slick feel, influenced by producer Andrew Farris (INXS) and especially following a spate of high-profile gun crimes that caused the group to mutate their name into G.U.N. Their final studio album signaled the end of the hard rock sound that built their reputation. Not long afterward, the band split. Even after their 1997 folding, the group did, nonetheless, reform for a charity gig in January 2008 with Toby Jepson (ex-Little Angels) on guest vocals.
Between 1987 and 1997, Gun rocked all through and beyond the British Isles, and they’re still regarded as one of Scotland’s best hard rock bands.
Turns out they reformed in 2008 and are still going strong today. You can look them up on t’internet if you like. I have one of their singles from 1989, courtesy of its inclusion on a free compilation LP. It’s a track I always skip over. But I played it again in advance of today – it provided a fine reminder of why I have no love for this genre of music.
mp3 : Gun – Better Days
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 