J. Geils Thread. Obviously I won't post "Angel Is A Centerfold"

[The Polack MSgt]

Won't post "Love Stinks" either, but 1st?

I guess we need to address the most common misunderstanding - Namely, "What the hell is The J. Geils Band?"
Well, Peter Wolf is the singer, Magic Dick is the harmonica player and they were the heart of the enterprise

But the anchor was J. Geils the guitarist & he built the band around himself and Magic Dick after they had a bit of minor success and scored a record deal

Sounded a bit like this

J Geils was a rather eclectic player BTW

But the group's claim to fame was their boozy party jams & smoking hot live show

[NBachers]

1. A guy who knows his J. Geils!

[2naSalit]

2. I thank you for avoiding those two...

I like the offerings you chose!

[The Polack MSgt]

3. I guess I shouldn't be mad that they finally got a big payday. I am, but I shouldn't be

"Freezeframe" was heartbreaking for me.

Worse than REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick or Styx, The J.Geils Band's surrender to the MTV era hurt me.

That fucking album... It felt personal

[2naSalit]

4. Same here.

I was in the neighborhood when they were in their prime. It was a fun time around bean town and the outskirts when it came to good live music. I tried to see everybody but it was impossible. I had a healthy diet of great musical entertainment during that time, though. J. Geils was on the menu.

MTV was an abomination, It was one of the reasons I decided I didn't need teevee in my life.

[The Polack MSgt]

5. +++

[Clash City Rocker]

11. The greatest danger to any great band is commercial success

For example, many of you could probably guess that my favorite band ever was the Clash. They sang important songs about real issues. They were probably the most progressive band of their era. But most people, when they hear the band’s name, just think of a song with a disco beat that told the very important message, “The sharif don’t like it, rock the casbah, rock the casbah.” I think that will always piss me off.

[The Polack MSgt]

15. The thing is that all those songs

Of that era - except Mr. Roboto, that song sucks - were good pop rock tunes.

Divorced from the band's history a song like REO's "Take It On The Run" were pretty solid pop rock tunes.

But if you were a fan they sound awful. You remember what they were and can't help but to be disappointed.

It was a trend that hurt the in the end. Pop music quickly moved past those 70 acts anyway and their old fan base was never quite back on board

[CentralMass]

13. Ya, it was pretty lame. I grew up and lived near Worcester MA fir 5 decades

I saw them play 4 or 5 times.

[2naSalit]

16. Was was just...

North of the state line in NH, further east. Went to "the city" almost every week to go see some great act. Saw J Geils four times. They were a good dance band.

[Clash City Rocker]

6. The bad boys from Boston!

Kind of like the Stones, they are known as a rock band, but they started out as more R&B. My favorite member of the band was Magic Dick, who could sound like Little Walter, or like a saxophone player, or like a synthesizer. He started me out on a lifetime love of the harmonica.

They were one of the best live bands of their era. Lead singer Peter Wolf really knew how to play a crowd, and the band played together so very well, and always with a lot of energy.

And then when you thought you knew everything the band was about, they would pull out something completely unexpected. They had range.

#

It’s a pity that most people only knew them for a few hit songs. There was so much more to them than that.

[The Polack MSgt]

8. Absolutely dead on.

It's telling when a band's best selling albums are live records (well 2 of the 3 best selling albums anyway)

Nice picks

[greyl]

7. Angel Is A Centerfold was a formative song for me. nt

[The Polack MSgt]

9. If that song was my introduction to the J. Geils Band

Or if I picked up that album cold - not knowing the band previously - I would probably love it.

It's well played, has clever lyrics and it's well produced - it had a lot going for it.

But I hated it in the 80s and I never revisited it since. It felt like a band abandoning it's fans

[greyl]

10. Your life is true, and I knew her. nt

[hurple]

12. The Song's Title...

Is just "Centerfold"

[CentralMass]

14. A full concert filmed at Holy Cross College in 1972.

My sister who was 4 years older convinced my parents to let her go to it with a friend. They said I was too yong (12).

[ornotna]

17. My J. Geils experince

A great band by the way.

In the early mid 70's I went to Saratoga Performing Arts Center for a concert and they were the opening band. We were way in the back on the lawn and enjoying the show when The band quit and walked off after about half an hour. Being in the back I didn't see anything that would have made them walk off.

After about 5 minutes of crowd unrest up front people started to throw objects on to the stage. Once that intensified the stage was rushed, it was crazy for about 10-15 minutes.

Needless to say the rest of the show was cancelled and we went home. I don't even remember who the headliner was.

That half hour was good though.