Swagger (Gun album)

Swagger is the third album from the Glasgow, Scotland based rock band Gun. It features their most successful single; their cover of "Word Up!", done in the group's melodic hard rock style, provided a commercial boost to its parent album.[1] Their version earned the band the Best Cover trophy at the first international MTV Europe Music Awards.[4] The track was originally recorded by American funk group Cameo.

Swagger
Studio album by
Gun
Released1 July 1994
GenreHard rock[1]
Heavy metal[1]
LabelA&M
Gun chronology
Gallus
(1992)		 Swagger
(1994)		 0141 632 6326
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
ARTISTdirect[2]
Rock Hard9.5/10[3]

The album produced a total of four U.K. Top 40 singles between July 1994 and April 1995: "Word Up!" (#8), "Don't Say It's Over" (#19), "The Only One" (#29), and "Something Worthwhile" (#39). The first track was on the official British singles chart for a total of seven weeks.[5] Swagger has also received mixed to positive critical reviews from various publications such as Allmusic and the music magazine Rock Hard.[1][6]

Production and recording

The album's release took place after a notable change in the band's line-up, with the group becoming a quartet made up of Mark Rankin (vocalist), Giuliano Gizzi (guitarist), Dante Gizzi (bassist), and Mark Kerr (drummer).

Swagger was produced and engineered by Chris Sheldon.[1] He had previously worked with other English, Irish, and Scottish artists such as the singer-songwriters Hugh Cornwell, Gary Numan, and Roger Waters in the 1980s and 1990s.[7] Nina Schultz took the photographs of the group from which the album's cover was picked.

Reception and legacy

In 2005, the album was ranked No. 465 in the German language book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time, which was published by the music magazine Rock Hard.[6] An online article from the publication stated that each and every track on the album could potentially serve as a hit single.[3] A supportive yet mixed review by music critic Tim DiGravina of Allmusic stated that the group "finds it hard to settle on any one style throughout" Swagger while noting the band's "large cult following". The critic also remarked on the similarity of style in some respects to Simple Minds, mentioning how Gun's then drummer, Mark Kerr, is the brother of that other group's vocalist, Jim Kerr.[1]

Gun's version of "Word Up!" won the Best Cover trophy at the first international MTV Europe Music Awards, with that inaugural event being held on 24 November 1994 at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.[4] Said event was hosted by notable singer-songwriter Tom Jones. Gun edged out Wet Wet Wet's take on "Love Is All Around" and the Pet Shop Boys' cover of "Go West" among other songs.

Swagger reached the peak of No. 5 on the official British albums chart,[5] and its release is viewed by many Gun fans as the pinnacle of the band's recording career.

Track listing
  1. "Stand in Line"
  2. "Find My Way"
  3. "Word Up!" (originally by Cameo)
  4. "Don't Say It's Over"
  5. "The Only One"
  6. "Something Worthwhile"
  7. "Seems Like I'm Losing You"
  8. "Crying Over You"
  9. "One Reason"
  10. "Vicious Heart"

See also

References
  1. DiGravina, Tim. Gun – Swagger at AllMusic. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  2. "Gun – Swagger". ARTISTdirect.com. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  3. Stratmann, Holger. "Gun – Swagger (RH #87)". Rock Hard. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  4. "Billboard". 10 November 2001.
  5. "Gun". Official Albums Chart. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  6. Best Of Rock & Metal – Die 500 Stärksten Scheiben Aller Zeiten (in German). Königswinter: Heel Verlag. 1 January 2005. p. 22. ISBN 3898805174.
  7. Chris Sheldon at AllMusic. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
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