Gun-Shy (album)

Gun-Shy is the second release by The Screaming Blue Messiahs and their first full-length recording. The album, which was jointly produced by Apollo 440's Howard Gray,[2] was notable for being one of the last recordings by Vic Maile,[2] well known for his work with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton. Gun-Shy was also one of two albums by The Screaming Blue Messiahs that brought them to the attention of David Bowie and that led to him promoting the band:[3] "Well! The band this week – I've only just discovered them, so they're my pet project – is The Screaming Blue Messiahs. They're the best band I've heard out of England in a long time" [4][5] and "There’s an English band I like very much. Nobody seems to have heard of them. They’re called The Screaming Blue Messiahs and I’m pushing them like mad."[6]

Gun-Shy
Studio album by
The Screaming Blue Messiahs
Released1986
GenreRock
Length41:57
LabelElektra
ProducerHoward Gray, Vic Maile
The Screaming Blue Messiahs chronology
Good and Gone
(1984)		 Gun-Shy
(1986)		 Bikini Red
(1987)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]

Reception

The release of Gun-Shy in early 1986 was met by a generally positive reception by select music press: Spin Magazine said,"Gun-Shy is a damn fine record, consisting of a quasi-neo-rockabilly power trio... the Screaming Blue Messiahs squeeze a lot of great music out of guitar, bass, drums and vocal.";[7] The Melody Maker stated, "[t]hey have a gut instinct for the roots of blues and R 'n' B and from that sure base they can confidently blast their way through Bill Carter's extraordinarily powerful selection of songs."[8] The NME wrote that, "[o]n the strength of this album, I'd say the Messiahs are going to be very, very big indeed."[8] To promote the album, the band embarked on another extensive tour of Germany, Finland, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA — including a series of concerts supporting The Cramps and another series supporting Echo and the Bunnymen.[9]

Singles

"Smash the Market Place" and "Wild Blue Yonder" were released as singles in 1986. "Wild Blue Yonder" resurfaced in 2006 as the closing music of season 03/episode 04 of FX's Rescue Me.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriterLength
1."Wild Blue Yonder"Bill Carter4:44
2."Holiday Head"Bill Carter3:58
3."Smash The Market Place"Bill Carter3:10
4."You're Gonna Change"Hank Williams2:41
5."Just For Fun"Bill Carter2:49
6."Let's Go Down To The Woods"Bill Carter4:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Talking Doll"Bill Carter2:38
2."Twin Cadillac Valentine"Bill Carter3:57
3."President Kennedy's Mile"Bill Carter2:56
4."Someone To Talk To"Bill Carter/Christopher Thompson3:36
5."Clear View"Bill Carter4:00
6."Killer Born Man"Bill Carter3:32

Personnel

The band
  • Bill Carter - Lead vocals and lead guitar
  • Chris Thompson - Bass guitar and backing vocal
  • Kenny Harris - Drums

Studio
  • Creative Director – Hale Milgrim
  • Design – Carol Bobolts
  • Engineer (Additional) – Ernie Wilkens
  • Management – John Dummer
  • Mastered by Howie Weinberg
  • Mixed by Chris Lord-Alge (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 9, 11, 12)
  • Photography by Mel Yates
  • Producer – Howard Gray (tracks: 1, 6 to 8, 12), Vic Maile (tracks: 2 to 5, 9 to 11)
  • Written by Bill Carter (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 9, 11, 12)

References
  1. Dougan, John. "Gun-Shy – The Screaming Blue Messias". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  2. AllMusic: credits: Gun-Shy
  3. Google Books: Bowie on Bowie: Screaming Blue Messiahs
  4. Musician magazine, August 1987.
  5. "#1393: I Wanna Be a Flintstone by the Screaming Blue Messiahs". Vancouver Pop Music Signature Sounds. 24 July 2017.
  6. Words and Music magazine, January 1988.
  7. Google Books: Spin Magazine: reviews
  8. Porter, Dick. "The Legend of the Lost Blue Messiahs".
  9. "setlist fm: The Screaming Blue Messiahs". setlist.fm.
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