In summary:

Gun’s debut album does a great job of stripping away the unnecessary excess which filled the rock scene of the late 1980s, delivering a great collection of straight-ahead rock tunes which still pack a punch today.

Taking On The World receives 8/11.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Scottish rockers Gun always possessed a certain “americanism” which separated them from their UK rivals.

Sure, their songs may have been born on the rain-soaked streets of Glasgow, but they seemed destined for huge stadiums alongside the likes of Bon Jovi and Def Leppard (another Brit band who had a similar U.S. appeal).

But perhaps the biggest thing to be admired about Taking On The World is that it manages to be a success without conforming to any of the trends which dominated the rock industry of the time.

You see, Gun make no attempt to cash in on the hair metal scene, nor do they deploy complex guitar work to jump on an emerging metal bandwagon. Instead they just write straight-ahead rock songs which they believe are fucking awesome – and for the most part, they’re dead right!

The positive reviews garnered by this LP helped secure them a coveted support slot on The Rolling Stones’ 1990 world tour, and a good chunk of the band’s fanbase still consider it to be the finest album of their career.

There’s an infectious groove throughout Taking On The World which pulls the listener in and never lets go.

That comes courtesy of the Gizzi brothers Dante (bass) and Giuliano (lead guitar), who provide an effective backdrop to charismatic frontman Mark Rankin’s “Billy Idol meets early U2” vocal style, resulting in some true bangers that show a band who grew up the hard way.

It’s damn near impossible to believe that not a single member of Gun is older than 23 (Dante is just 15!), such is the level of songsmanship on display here, and the maturity with which they discuss topics which they likely aren’t even old enough to have fully experienced yet is mightily impressive.

Standout tracks include the title track Taking On The World, uplifting lead single Better Days (which hit #33 on the UK chart), and the absolutley kick-ass Inside Out, which captures an arena-ready Gun at their most anthemic.

There’s thick layers of big guitars and high energy drums everywhere you turn (Shame On You, The Feeling Within, Money), and the net result is an ultra-strong collection of songs on an LP which “bounces” from start-to-finish.

Taking On The World stands head and shoulders above most of the material which their more illustrious contemporaries were putting out at the same time, and it’ll be very interesting to see where they go from here. It’s also testament to Gun’s strong character that they’ve been able to carve out a space for their brand of grounded blue collar rock in an industry filled with excess.

Simply put; if you wish U2 or INXS were more rock and less roll, Gun is the band you’ve been searching for!

In summary:

Gun’s debut album does a great job of stripping away all the unnecessary excess which filled the rock scene of the late 1980s, delivering a great collection of straight-ahead rock tunes which still pack a punch today.

Taking On The World receives 8/11.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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