Customer Reviews

Full House Live

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Crash-bam-boom! This is the musical equivalent of a 4th of July fireworks display by one of the hottest groups ever to soar onstage, and one of the most ferocious shows of its time. If crackling energy is what you need and explosive rock 'n roll is your medicine, this band was made to order. Recorded live in 1972 at Detroit's Cinderella Ballroom on two steamy nights, the place jumped like a pogo stick with mad springs as Peter Wolf lived up to his name and yowled, yelled, screeched, and bawled alongside his five locomotive bandmates.

This Boston-based band plays like they are trying to sprint a marathon, and it's absolutely magnificent to hear these guys work out their love for R&B smokers. "First I Look at the Purse" leaps with claws outstretched as the band takes no prisoners at the opening signal onslaught of Stephen Jo. Bladd's rollercoaster drumming, and Seth Justman whips up a thunderstorm on shrieking organ. However, they just toy with your excitement, because Magic Dick jumps in (yes, that's his name) to kick down the door and demolishes the place with raging harmonica. Crunching mega-ton choruses pound away as Wolf hammers relentlessly on vocals, and without a moment's hesitation, they zoom straight into Otis Rush's "Homework". I've heard Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac do this, but not this volatile, and this is definitely street-wise schooling from the rough end of town that can't be found on any diploma. Wolf and Dick pair off like two angry cats, J. Geils throws some darts with quick guitar licks, and Justman spraypaints clouds again on organ. Hot, hot, hot!

All Peter Wolf needs is to hear the audience goading him on, and he gives it right back, tantalizing them: "This is called 'Take Out Your False Teeth, Momma-I wanna Suck on Your Gums!'" Justman bangs out piano boogie like Jerry Lee Lewis and races ahead of everyone as "Pack Fair and Square" hoots and squeals. Do these guys ever come up for air? It's not possible, especially when Wolf is feeling his adrenalin rushes, jabbering on the edge of pure gibberish to signal Dick's virtuoso special, Juke Joint Jimmy's "Whammer Jammer." The audience immediately picks up on the coming storm with handclaps-a hip black gal beckons "Come on!" to get everyone into the mix, and what follows is a kaleidoscopic squall by the man "on the lickin' stick." The rhythm section is towed along like a gamefish running the line with the hook and bait, and everyone grinds to a finish when they bring the ending onboard. What a fight! No time to look back: here comes more boogie, as "Hard Drivin' Man" is in town and there's no brake pedal on this machine. Justman dances wildly on piano as Wolf cavorts behind the mic, and J. Geils struts on guitar behind Danny Klein's bass and Bladd's threshing percussion. Wolf lashes the crowd for yet-more momentum, and the only thing that can stop them now is a brick wall.

They have that looming dead ahead, and it's the size of a mountain: John Lee Hooker's "Serves You Right To Suffer". Ghostly, dark organ rises and falls like a spectre in the gloom as Wolf begs for mercy, and Bladd and Klein are framed against Dick and Justman's Chicago-style moaning and wailing, mocked by guitar. There's room for one more, and Geils comes in with a banshee solo that batters anything and anyone left standing. However, this band believes in redemption-they're already "Cruisin' for a Love," and Dick's cheerful harp whoops provide forgiveness, followed by an exuberant Geils. Stand back-the prey is in sight, and like a pack of wild dogs, they give chase in a classic Canned Heat groove. The winner-and they are all first-place champs-is Stephen Bladd, because he runs away with "Looking for a Love" as his partners carry him off on their shoulders. Imagine a team of football players doing acrobatics on the high wire and trapeze while playing some monsoon-style rock 'n roll, and that's how this show ends. It's all muscle and power, and they come back for a raging finale-twice!

These guys were the late Bill Graham's real favorite band at the Fillmore East-it's right there in his autobiography. When a band plays like they've got nitroglycerine in their veins and it's about to blow, then there's no doubting that this must have been one helluva show. By the way, I can vouch for them: I saw-honest-U2 open their show in 1982 in Phoenix, AZ. They owned the town that night-just give them the keys to the city and let the music run away with your ears and backbone. You'll have the nail your furniture to the floor before you finish this CD, but it's worth every minute of the show. Awwoooooooo!!!

Back in 1972, when I was browsing through the small record section they had at the college bookstore, I came across this jewel. I don't remember what exactly struck me to buy this record. Maybe it was the bright yellow cover that stood out. All I know is, it was the best $3.99 I've ever spent on a record. From the minute I put this on the turntable, I knew I was in for a wild ride. I had never even remotely heard rock music played this way. This album has more raw energy than any live record I've heard before or since. These guys were an all american rock and roll band that played everything from Mississippi delta blues, to Motown, to all out arena rock. There was nobody like em out there. And for just a moment in time, when everything clicked, like on this album, this was the best rock and roll band on the planet. There was an arsenal of talent in this band to back these words up. From the ultimate master of the harp, Magic Dick, who always played that dang thang like his pants were on fire. To the great piano and organ of Seth Justman, who had a great sense of melody for being in such a rugged band. To the slinging guitar dangerman J.Geils. And for the frosting on the cake, the ex disc jockey turned singer Peter Wolf, who could do a motor-mouthed rap routine between and during songs that would make even Snoop Doggy Dogg stand up and take notice. And this was in 1972! There's no mistake Peter Wolf was the cat who ran this show. As for the music on here, there are no weak sisters in here, their all great songs. A few favorites here is the Motown song "First I Look At The Purse", written by Smokey Robinson. Did I say Motown? Smokey's gotta be scratching his head over this one. It's pretty wild. I loved it most when these guys played the blues. And there's a couple gems on here. Otis Rush's "Homework" and John Lee Hooker's 9 minute scorcher "Serves You Right To Suffer", with it's "I'm A Man" type beat. Everybody takes their turns in the spotlight here. Especially strong is J. Geils killer guitar solo to top things off. Listening to Magic Dick's dazzling harp solo on "Whammer Jammer" is worth the price of admission alone. I was fortunate to get to see J. Geils live when they came through Oklahoma City in the early 70's, when they were at their peak. These rebel rousers brought the "full house" down that night. It was a concert I'll never forget. If you want to get a little piece of that history, this is the cd to pick up. It's the first, and I think the best of J.Geils 3 live albums. Highly recommended!

I first saw the Geils band in 1972. Every day my friends and I would listen to this album while riding to high school, on my 8 track player! I was hooked then and still am today. I tried to convert as many friends as I could, dragging them to shows at every chance. I had the good fortune of living in the Northeast, where they toured nonstop during the 70's.

This CD displays all the energy of a classic live Geils show. Peter Wolf and the band at their tightest! As a testament to their enduring popularity, I was at their opening date for the reunion tour , summer '99. The crowd rose to their feet at the opening chord, and remained up, singing every note to every song for an amazing 2 1/2 hours. Whipping a crowd into a frenzy is what these boys do best! This is the ultimate live party album, and nearly 30 years later the album and the band still flat out rocks! Live music is what Geils does best, and this album is the best of the best!

When this album came out in the early 70's everyone said, "who's the J.Geils Band", but after all these years, one might forget the band, but never the album. This is one of those "rock the house down" albums that will not allow your foot to stay still as it is classic rock n' roll. Granted, the length of the album is not long, but remember, great things come in small packages!! I am 50 years old and this album still remains one of my top ten !!

Too bad the release doesn't have more songs on it from the concert. Geils and Wolf at their best, this release rocks with energy from start to finish. "Whammer Jammer" alone is worth picking up the cd and I love how the end of the song blends right into "Hard Driving Man".

I agree with everything said in the previous reviews. There is no doubt that this is one of the best live performances ever pressed on vinyl. The band has tremendous chops; no other band plays R&B with this intensity.

The only problem here is the length; the CD is only about 30 minutes. In a vault, somewhere, collecting dust, is the other 60-90 minutes of this concert. Advise to the record company: Please send someone who's not to busy into the archives to dig this out, and release it, to bring joy and happiness to all the J Geils fans.

It was 1971 at the University of Maryland, and students got several free concerts each semester as part of their activities fee. Very few of us that night had heard of the J. Geils Band when they got onstage at the Armory, but by the end, every person was up on their feet going crazy. This live album is all you need, really. They had only two studio albums to that point, and both are kickers. Most of the best on those two efforts appears here in higher-energy form. From Bloodshot on, they rarely recaptured the magic, IMHO. This may not be for audiophiles, but anyone who loves roots-based rock and roll done high-energy has to have it. Great CD to learn harp with, since Magic Dick is loud in the mix, and his licks ring classic, yet are inventive.

The J. Geils Band was one of those musical acts that acheived its following primarily through its incredible live performances. Fans looked forward to the band's new CD's, yes, but they looked forward even more to the opportunity to see them live, in concert. This CD, recorded live at the Cinderella Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, was the band's first live recording and it embodies everything that the group was known for- incredible musicianship, a dedication to blues, and an all- out performance in front of a live audience.

Many standouts exist on this live CD. Starting with "First I Look at the Purse", the band opens strong, singing and performing fast and with a level of enthusiasm that brings down the house. The fun continues all the way to the end with "Looking for a Love", a cover of an old R&B tune that the band plays fast and furious, to the point where you wonder if they made it out of the ballroom in one piece.

The majority of the songs here are played with an upbeat tempo, but there are a couple that are a little more mellow; namely, "Homework" and "Serves you Right to Suffer". But don't let this fool you- the songs might be a little slower in tempo, but they are still played with passion!

This is one of the few live CD's I've ever heard where every song sounds better performed live than it did in the studio. The band had only released 2 other CD's prior to this one, so they had a limited database of songs to access to make a live recording. But each and every song on "Full House" eclipses the studio versions, a tribute to the band's legacy as one of the best groups to see in concert.

This CD is an incredible collection of tunes, played with intensity and craftsmanship. Whether it's Seth Justman pounding out the keyboards in "Pack Fair and Square", Magic Dick assaulting the harmonica in "Whammer Jammer", or the other band members contributing in their own unique way, "Full House" is a CD that is sure to please. It's an all- out effort of partying and rocking good times, from the J. Geils Band!

FULL HOUSE,This is the first of three live cd's we were given' by the J.Geils Band. These guys are definitely the band,(I have a dream) I would want to play at my birthday party. Starts with Motown goes to John Lee Hooker. Then every where in between. The fact this cd has "WHAMMER JAMMER" on it is worth it in itself. J. Geils is an ideal band guitar player,mixing with the rythem section so smoothly,Then WAM!Blow your face off. The sad side here is it clocks in at under 33 minutes. Somebody could have threw some bonus tracks on here,somewhere.Looking For A Love, was their first "Hit Parader" with many more to follow. It seemed that for a long time there, The J. Geils Band were always in concert. And you just went. 'Cauce there was always good people there. GOD! I miss those days. I wish I could say "Thank you" to the J. Geils Band in person. This cd can't turn back the hands of time. But it is a great example of when the music was honest and true unto itself. If you can find the James Gang live in concert cd somewhere. (with Joe Walsh) These two make a great concert package together. Also makes a great x-mas gift. THANK YOU !

FULL HOUSE, The J. Geils Band's first live album, is great. It shows a band fully aware of the Memphis-Chicago-Muscle Shoals-St. Louis-New York-Detroit-New Orleans-Kansas City blues/R&B/soul/rock & roll traditions, and adds a sense of humor through lead singer Peter Wolf's onstage raps. BLOW YOUR FACE OUT is slightly better, but anyone who loves J. Geils must own this one.