Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/31/1995
Run Time: 33:22
The J. Geils Band's self-titled debut serves notice that
rock & roll wasn't dead in 1970 despite the best efforts of the
singer/songwriter brigade. Though it sounds a bit reserved in the light of the albums that followed, compared to the majority of bands on the scene, it was a nonstop blast of energy, fun, and sweat. Featuring the hipster jive of singer
Peter Wolf, the amazing afro and harp chops of
Magic Dick, the fret-burning work of
J. Geils, and the jack of many trades
Seth Justman (keys, compositions, backing vocals),
the Geils Band rips through some classic
blues by the likes of
Otis Rush (
"Homework"),
Walter Price (
"Pack Fair and Square"), and
John Lee Hooker (a slow-burning
"Serves You Right to Suffer"), old
Motown gems (
"First I Look at the Purse"), and originals that stand up well next to the covers (
"Wait," "What's Your Hurry," and future live favorite
"Hard Drivin' Man"). A nice mix of nostalgia, intensity, and
bar band excitement, the album serves as fair warning that
the Geils Band was on the scene and was ready to bring back the good-time spirit of the juke joint, the abandon of the early
rock & roll scene, and the high energy of the late-'60s concert halls.
~Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
;)
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