"she's carryin' a burnin' torch inside / she holds it firm & tight"
1982 was a big year for the J. Geils Band – after 13 albums, hundreds and hundreds of live shows and a few scattered Top 40 hits, they became overnight sensations with “Centerfold” spending six weeks at Number One and “Freeze Frame” following in the Top Ten.
The “Freeze Frame” album is a certified 80s classic, no doubt, showcasing a band honed by years on the road firing on all cylinders. Front to back, there’s not a dud in the bunch – even “Flamethrower”, an album track consigned to the b-side of the “Freeze Frame” single caught fire (heh) on the Black Singles chart, and it’s easy to see why. “Flamethrower” is arguably the hottest (heh) song on the album, a scorching (I’ll stop now) funk number that should have been single number three, not just a b-side. I’ll say that “Flamethrower” best represented all sides of the J. Geils Band – the Stones-ish blues swagger, the chunky funk, the accessible pop sensibility, all wrapped up in five glorious minutes.
Then it all went to hell.
A power struggle between chief songwriters Peter Wolf and Seth Justman fractured the group the next year. Wolf took his voice and embarked on a solo career, while Justman kept the band and the powerful brand name. 1984 promised a showdown between the two projects.
Peter Wolf struck first with “Lights Out” and its title track single. “Lights Out” was a fair success, making the Top 40, but while the voice was unmistakable, there was something bland and studio musician-ish about the whole affair. The spark was missing. I preferred the follow-up, “I Need You Tonight”, because it seemed quite contemporary, glossy production and all, and it’s just a better song, really. It scraped the Top 40 as well. Now it was the J. Geils Band’s turn.
Many people don’t want to remember “You’re Gettin’ Even While I’m Gettin’ Odd”, including presumably the band itself, since it’s mentioned nowhere on their official website. I am here today to say it’s not that horrible. Really. The problem is just that you listen and think, “Gee this isn’t too bad, but if Peter Wolf was singing it, it’d be so much better.” That thought only occurs about twice per song, though. Once you get past that it’s a hooky, kooky little affair that seems a bit “Freeze Frame 2: Electric Boogaloo”. In fact lead-off single “Concealed Weapons” is almost an exact Xerox of “Freeze Frame”, with a guitar lick stolen from either “Day Tripper” or Killing Joke’s “Eighties” (take your pick – Nirvana would later steal it yet again for “Come As You Are”), another lick lifted from the “Peter Gunn Theme”, and a melody line so familiar you almost want to sing “I could see it was a rough-cut Tuesday, Slow motion weekdays stare me down…”
The album and single tanked. I remember seeing the album in cut-out bins everywhere soon after its release, where of course I picked it up and kind of enjoyed it. Peter Wolf went on to have a few more hits and sell some more albums while the J. Geils Band went on to record the theme for “Fright Night” (AWFUL), then call it a day. The band reunited in 1999 for a tour, but when tickets didn’t move, they split again.
We’ll always have “Flamethrower”, though.
“Flamethrower” peaked at #25 on the Billboard Black Singles Chart and at #30 on the Mainstream Rock Chart in 1982. “I Need You Tonight” peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 10 and at #22 on the Mainstream Rock Chart in 1984. “Concealed Weapons” peaked at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #26 on the Mainstream Rock Chart in 1984.
Greetings to everyone surfing over from Jefito today - welcome and please, pull up a seat.
Seriously, you're gonna wanna sit down for this one. And don't judge me.
We've talked about the unfortunate final fate of The J. Geils Band here before, but there's an additional little footnote to add to the story. After ...Odd's resounding belly flop, the group was tapped to contribute the theme to the classic '80s vampire-fest Fright Night. "Fright Night"the song was yet another tilt towards total novelty for the group, a gimmicky, somewhat embarrassing affair with a Seth Justman vocal just this side of sleepwalking - I will say I'm sort of a sucker for the squiggly synth hook in the chorus, though. There was a video complete with movie clips that I can't find online anywhere to share (no loss), but all the band got for their final recorded effort was two weeks in the Hot 100 and a puny peak at #91. An ignoble end to one of rock's funkier combos.
As a bonus/punishment, here's the Extended Dance Mix for "Concealed Weapons". Enjoy it/hate me forever for it!
"Fright Night" peaked at #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985.
This one's for my Baby Chutney on this Valentine's Day. I love you, Chut Chut!
Okay, now that the rest of you have finished vomiting in your mouth a little bit..."Love" was Aztec Camera's third full-length album and the first to be completely centered around songwriter Roddy Frame, since he ditched all the other band members to work with mostly American studio musos in an attempt to finally break the U.S. market. Out was the folksy, acoustic strumming and in were the electric guitars, horn section and "soulful" backing vocals. America was not impressed.
But the first single, the adorably catchy "Somewhere In My Heart" was no less hooky than songs charted at the time by the likes of Climie Fisher, Cutting Crew or the Outfield. Perhaps Aztec Camera's previous baggage as a "college rock" band tainted its aspirations as a crossover act. In the U.K., "Something..." fared much better, peaking at #3 and bringing the flopping album back to life.
What does this long-lost single have to do with me and my boyfriend aka "Baby Chutney"? Wellllll, fast forward to 2007 as Chut and I took a nice weekend trip to San Francisco. Because he loves me, Chut took me to Amoeba SF, where I found a nice used copy of the recent re-release of "Love", on a two-fer with 1990's "Stray". While skimpy on the lyrics and original booklet art (seriously, was it that much more to just reprint the damn things?), we spent the rest of the weekend playing "Somewhere In My Heart" over and over on the rental car stereo. Sigh.
My boyfriend is better than yours, cuz he loves the 80s, too! Nyah. It's okay, though. I still love each and every one of you. You can use me as your 80s-loving boyfriend today, if you want. I ain't spreadin' for no roses, no.
"Somewhere In My Heart" did not chart. "Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band peaked at #38 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart in 1980. "Baby, I Love You" by the Ramones did not chart.
* All songs are for sampling purposes only. If the album is currently in print, you'll see an Amazon link to purchase it. Supporting artists is a good thing, since labels are run by soulless whores. I KEED! Sorta. Look, if you like it, and it's in print, support 'em. If you're the artist or copyright holder, a quick e-mail to me will bring the song down ASAP. But compliment my writing first.
* Don't e-mail me asking me to repost dead links or to send you a song you can't find. Believe it or not, I have a life outside my blogging. I KEED! But don't do it.
* One more, and this is a biggie -- do NOT hotlink directly to my audio files and post them on your site, big shot. That's just disrespectful, rude, and a theft of my hard-earned bandwith.
Now, get readin', get downloadiN', and play nice. I loves me some comments. Bring it!
We've talked about the unfortunate final fate of The J. Geils Band here before, but there's an additional little footnote to add to the story. After ...Odd's resounding belly flop, the group was tapped to contribute the theme to the classic '80s vampire-fest Fright Night. "Fright Night"the song was yet another tilt towards total novelty for the group, a gimmicky, somewhat embarrassing affair with a Seth Justman vocal just this side of sleepwalking - I will say I'm sort of a sucker for the squiggly synth hook in the chorus, though. There was a video complete with movie clips that I can't find online anywhere to share (no loss), but all the band got for their final recorded effort was two weeks in the Hot 100 and a puny peak at #91. An ignoble end to one of rock's funkier combos.
But the first single, the adorably catchy "Somewhere In My Heart" was no less hooky than songs charted at the time by the likes of Climie Fisher, Cutting Crew or the Outfield. Perhaps Aztec Camera's previous baggage as a "college rock" band tainted its aspirations as a crossover act. In the U.K., "Something..." fared much better, peaking at #3 and bringing the flopping album back to life. 
with 1990's "Stray". While skimpy on the lyrics and original booklet art (seriously, was it that much more to just reprint the damn things?), we spent the rest of the weekend playing "Somewhere In My Heart" over and over on the rental car stereo. Sigh.
