In summary:

The decision to follow-up the massive success of their third album with this hot mess resulted in the end of Gun. It sounds as terrible today as it did upon first release, and it’s best avoided at all costs.

0141 632 6326 receives 1/11.
★

This is the final album to feature the original Gun trio of Mark Rankin, Giuliano Gizzi, and Dante Gizzi.

Such was the backlash (both from critics and fans) to 0141 632 6326’s radical shift in musical direction that it resulted in Rankin and the Gizzi brothers feeling unable to collaborate any further, and sent the band into a 12-year hiatus until they eventually returned in 2009 (minus Rankin).

The decision to follow-up mega hit Swagger (1994) with this LP is as staggering today as it was in 1997.

Having gradually grown their reputation as one of the UK’s most dependable rock acts over the early part of the 1990s, Gun were now at the stage where they were touring buddies with the likes of Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, and when Swagger launched them into the UK Top 10 on the back of hit single Word Up it seemed as though they were about to reach the same tier of rock stardom as their high profile pals.

Unfortunately for them, 0141 632 6326 undid all of that hard work.

The problems begin even before we get to the music.

The album’s title 0141 632 6326 was a phone number which would redirect callers to the band’s official fan club (remember those?), and while this may have seemed like a clever marketing ploy for record execs, it just made the album sound unmemorable and somewhat clunky.

Gun had also taken the strange decision to rebrand themselves as G.U.N. (again, why was this not stopped before it became a thing?!), but the worst decision of all came in late 1996 when Mark Rankin announced that INXS’ Andrew Farriss would be in the producer’s chair.

It seemed like a great appointment, as the band had made no secret that INXS were among their biggest musical influences, but it turned out to be the poisoned apple which killed them as Farriss’ vision for the musical direction of 0141 632 6326 was so far removed from everything we had come to expect from Gun that it caused major friction amongst the musicians. The Gizzi brothers have since spoken at length about their desire to have continued in the same vein as Swagger, but their new producer was adamant that Gun must change their sound in order to remain “current”- and he had the full backing of those financing the project at A&M Records, as well as starstruck frontman Mark Rankin.

The result is a collection of songs which sound incomplete, unsatisfying, and hollow.

One listen to lead single My Sweet Jane will tell you everything that’s wrong here, as the trademark guitar riffs and pounding drums which had become staples of their sound were simply no more, and in their place we had organs and drum loops (not a joke).

Appearing hell-bent on stripping each song back to the absolute bare bones, Farriss’ harsh production repeateadly grinds down the listening experience until nothing is left but broken fragments of Gizzi’s guitar, seemingly randomly dropped over directionless drum beats, while Mark Rankin does his best impression of Michael Hutchence.

It really is quite absurd.

Of course, we can’t blame ALL of the failures of 0141 632 6326 on Farriss.

The album is jam-packed with cringe-inducing lyrics, dull choruses, and awkward instrumental breakdowns which hint that Gun (sorry, G.U.N.!) were struggling to figure out what the heck they were trying to in real-time as they recorded the music.

The only songs which make it out of 0141 632 6326 with a shred of dignity are catchy single Crazy You and album closer Always Friends, but in both cases you still can’t help but feel that they likely entered the studio in a more complete format than that which was eventually released on the record.

In summary:

The decision to follow-up the massive success of their third album with this hot mess resulted in the end of Gun. It sounds as terrible today as it did upon first release, and it’s best avoided at all costs.

0141 632 6326 receives 1/11.
★

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