Mother Juno is an album by the Gun Club, released in 1987. It was produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins. "Yellow Eyes" was originally entitled "Funky Junkie"; "Nobody's City" was originally "Sleepy Times Blues". The original recordings of Mother Juno were released as Mother Berlin in 2015 on Bang! Records, containing an additional track, "Country One". In 2023, Mother Juno was re-released with remastered tracks, including 12” single versions of the songs “The Breaking Hands”, “Crabdance”, and “Nobody’s City”. Additional demos are included from the aforementioned Mother Berlin sessions.

Production

The album was recorded in Berlin. The recording took 14 days. The cover used a painting by Claus Castenskiold, the Danish-born painter.

Release

The album did well on the independent and college charts, peaking at No. 3 on the UK indie and No. 1 on the CMJ charts.

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote: "On songs like 'The Breaking Hands' ... producer Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins spins a delicately layered web of sound; more straightforward numbers like the shimmying 'Thunderhead' recast the old energy in slightly more linear terms, although guest Blixa Bargeld does his best to tilt 'Yellow Eyes' on its axis." The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the album "swamp music for thinking people."

Track listing

Original 1987 album

All tracks composed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce

2005 Remaster (SFTRI 765)

All tracks composed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce

2023 Remaster (Extra Term Audio LLC)

All tracks composed by Jeffrey Lee Pierce

Personnel

with: