In summary:
Scottish rockers Gun deliver anthem after anthem on their third LP. They have perfected the big rock sound, and the end result is one of the best albums of the 1990s.
Swagger receives 10/11.
★★★★★★★★★★
If big hooks and thunderous drums are your thing, then Swagger is the album you’ve been waiting for.
Scottish rockers Gun had already amassed a decent following thanks to their solid first and second albums, but it was here where they took things to a whole new level.
Having spent time on tour in support of 1992’s Gallus with Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, the band incorporate several aspects of stadium rock into their already heavy sound, creating a piece of work which is a truly great listen from start to finish.
Guiliano Gizzi’s power chord driven lead guitar and Mark Kerr’s big-as-fuck drums really shine in the supreme production provided by Chris Sheldon (Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro). It’s a real shame this was the only time Sheldon worked with Gun, because he suits them down to the ground, giving them a much thicker, fuller sound than either of their previous two albums (or anything since).
In fact, listening back to it in 2024, it still sounds loud.
Swagger is best-known for the classic cover of Cameo’s 1986 single Word Up. Perfect for rock radio, this track gave Gun their first Top 10 hit, and even landed them an MTV Award. It’s been covered by many artists (from many different genres) over the years, but Gun’s effort is considered the definitive version of the song, such is its pure sonic wallop and undeniably catchy hook.
The band must have known they had a hit on their hands as soon as they heard the final mix, but to their credit, Gun did not rest on their laurels with the remaining material.
Cue; Don’t Say It’s Over.
Mark Rankin is in the best for of his career as he cruises through this song, his low register vocals acting as the perfect foil for Guiliano Gizzi’s Slash-tastic guitar work. It’s an absolute barnstormer of a track, which will surely go down as one of the best rock songs of the decade.
This track fits a template which they return to several times on Swagger, but the riffs are strong enough, and the choruses are big enough, to pull it off.
(e.g. Find My Way, Crying Over You, and Seems Like I’m Losing You.)
In a nod to the future, this marked the first Gun album where you could really notice the backing vocals of Dante Gizzi, the man who would eventually take over lead vocals after Rankin departed the fold in 1998. They are most notable on thumping opener Stand In Line and mid-album low point Something Worthwhile.
The album draws to a close with a one-two combo of One Reason and Vicious Heart, a couple of tracks which do a great job of capturing the essence of big 90s rock radio into their 4-minute runtimes.
There is no doubt about it, Swagger is Gun’s finest album to date. They weren’t just on tour with Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, they were in class. This collection of songs takes their already heavy rock sound and makes it stadium appropriate, resulting in one the very best rock albums of the 1990s.
Russ’ re-worked playlist:
Maybe it’s the autism in me, but I’ve always been good at re-working album playlists to create a superior listening experience. What can I say? Superman got laser eyes, and I got this!
So here’s how you should listen to Gun: Swagger (1994) for maximum effectiveness:
- Find My Way (3:19)
- Word Up (4:20)
- Don’t Say It’s Over (4:09)
- Vicious Heart (4:02)
- Seems Like I’m Losing You (3:45)
- Stand In Line (4:01)
- Crying Over You (4:34)
- Something Worthwhile (4:17)
- The Only One (4:38)
- One Reason (4:13)
In summary:
Scottish rockers Gun deliver anthem after anthem on their third LP. They have perfected the big rock sound, and the end result is one of the best albums of the 1990s.
Swagger receives 10/11.
★★★★★★★★★★
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