Customer Reviews

J.Geils Band

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is not only the J. Geils Band's first album, it is also one of their best. And if you're not completely satisfied by the double-disc anthology "Houseparty" and want to hand-pick the best of the band's original albums as well, you don't want to miss this one.

"The J. Geils Band" features some well-chosen covers, like "Pack Fair And Square" by Walter Price, Otis Rush's "Homework", and Smokey Robinson's "First I Look At The Purse". Only their take on John Lee Hooker's "Serves You Right To Suffer" misses the mark...singer Peter Wolf can't quite pull that one off, and the band never gets a real groove going.

The two instrumentals (Albert Collins' "Sno-Cone" and J. Geils' "Ice Breaker") are good without being truly exceptional, although Magic Dick Salwitz plays some fine harmonica on both.
But the real gems are the originals "Crusin' For A Love" and the two tough, swinging blues-rockers "Hard Drivin' Man" and "Wait".
"Cruisin'" is credited to Juke Joint Jimmy, a name made up by Peter Wolf for when the entire band had worked together on a song, and it is probably the finest song on the album....a delightful, piano-driven slice of classic R&B with some great guitar playing by John Geils and one of the best grooves the band ever managed to capture on tape.

A very fine debut album, and the fact that the band's self-penned material was at least as strong as the cover songs promised well for the follow-up, "The Morning After", which is in fact even better.

The first two J. Geils albums, "The J. Geils Band" and "The Morning After" are so outstanding, it's not possible to capture the houserockin' flavor of the records without going "Ah, Yeahh!" This music came out when the FM radio was dominated by The Doors and The Jefferson Airplane. That's particularly funny when you hear this stuff: Peter Wolf is to rock what Delbert McClinton is to country. Just plain blues-singin' fun. Except no singer probably ever brought as much humor to flat-out nitty-gritty R&B as Wolf. Once you get ahold of "The J. Geils Band" and "The Morning After," you're gonna listen morning, noon, and night. And the CD Player is gonna be loud and hoppin'.

The J.Geils Band's first album is one of the best rock n' roll albums ever made. It combines the basic elements of R 'N B with an original rock style. It has great instrumental work and terrific vocals. The J.Geils Band was one hardworking and fun group. Their first two albums, The J.Geils Band and The Morning After should be in the collection of anyone who likes real rock and roll.

Incredibly good first album by a classic rock and roll band. Peter Wolf's raspy vocals and Magic Dick's wailing blues harp highlight this toe tapping medley of tunes. The best song, "Wait" sets the tone with "Can't Do My Homework" also a real winner. Excellent concert band as well.

I rarely do reviews but I didn't read any here that told how good this album really is. A promo man told me J Geils went in the studio and did it in one take. True or not, it was an incredible session (although short at 35 minutes). The harmonica playing made jaws drop - inventive and driving, it's still timeless here in the era of the overblow. The harp work on Cruisin for a Love and Hard drivin Man are Biblical to harp students. And those two originals are great tunes. But it's the reworking of lesser known songs that earns so much respect here. I love Otis Rush, but go listen to his Homework, and The Contours' First I Look at the Purse. Then listen to the J Geils versions and tell me which is better. Same for Pack Fair and Square - I hadn't even heard of that tune until J Geils came along. Their material recognition was superb. I agree with one reviewer about Serve You Right to Suffer: this version adds nothing new to the tune, and overall I'd rather hear Hooker. But when you start with an album this good, it's hard to sustain. The second album, Morning After, had a handful of cuts that matched the first effort, but that's it. Bloodshot was sad, Monkey Island was interesting but not quite there. Most people know them for "Give It to Me," "Centerfold," "Love Stinks," and some other forgettable hits. That's really sad, because this album is the real J Geils Band. The Live album Full House is great, too - it is the adrenalined version of this album. I saw them many times live and they were one of the best blues-rock shows ever.

Wow! What a great CD from J.Geils. This is how they started out and should have stuck to it for the most part. Most of the songs are worth listening to. Great price also from Amazon.

This is an early recording of the J.Geils Band. As such it still reflects the raw unpolished power the band had back in the day. It is old school and wicked. I loved this album when I first heard it, but later, at the release of their live album "Full House" I found out what the band was really all about. This album pales compared to what they do live. For example, "Crusin For Love" is not nearly as hard hitting in a studio version such as this is. "Hard Driving Man" is slowed to the point of not living up to it's name. But, perhaps the biggest disappointment is "Serves You Right to Suffer", the Howlin' Wolf masterpiece that litterally screams with forlorn rage. Yet, rendered here with a sensitivity that glosses over the power felt in the "Full House" live version. If you are looking for the roots of this group, this is an album to have. Otherwise, if you want the real deal of the "bad boys" from Boston, then get their "Full House" album.

THIS is what J. Geils was all about. If you want to enjoy true "Geilsmanship", you need to stay with this CD. Once Peter Wolf started taking over, things went down hill, as far as I'm concerned. This is driving and gritty, the way blues rock should be. No frills !!

The first J.Geils Band album is the band at their raw best. No flash, no glam, just 6 guys working hard to make a living as a blues/rock band. My first exposure to the JGeils Band was at a reltatively small outdoor rock concert in Detroit. They had a mid-afternoon time slot. It was a hot day in the motor city ,but these guys came out and rocked the place to an audience that got on their feet and really responded. The tunes they played were; Wait, Hard Driving Man, First I Look At The Purse, Pack Fair and Square, Serve you Right to Be Alone and all the rest of the tunes on this disc. I saw them again years later after they became a more commercially successful with songs on popular radio. By that time that had polished their act and had no problem entertaining an arena crowd, but somehow I still prefer to remember them as a band earning their bones in the hot sun just drivin' it to the crowd.

On this disc the recordings are straight ahead with a sound like they had live. No fancy studio tricks, no lofty production values, its J Geils at their best. If all you ever bought was the discs from their popular radio days you owe it to yourself to get this one.

This is the bands first album, and therir best. I bought it when it first came out and still have it. It is the most rocking music out there. This will get you tapping your feet and wanting to dance. For a band from Boston they play the best detroit boogies.