The J. Geils Band Albums Ranked

The J. Geils Band /ˌdʒeɪ ˈɡaɪlz/ was an American rock band formed in 1968, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John “J.” Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard “Magic Dick” Salwitz, drummer Stephen Bladd, vocalist/keyboardist Seth Justman, and bassist Danny Klein. Wolf and Justman served as principal songwriters. The band played R&B-influenced blues-rock during the 1970s and soon achieved commercial success before moving towards a more mainstream radio-friendly sound in the early 1980s, which brought the band to its commercial peak. After Wolf left the band in 1983 to pursue a solo career, the band released one more album in 1984 with Justman on lead vocals, before breaking up in 1985. Beginning in 1999, the band had several reunions prior to the death of its namesake, J. Geils, on April 11, 2017. The band first released several Top 40 singles in the early 1970s, including a cover of the song “Lookin’ for a Love” by The Valentinos (which reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972), as well as the single “Give It to Me” (#30 in 1973). Their biggest hits included “Must of Got Lost” (#12 in 1975), “Come Back” (#32 in 1980), “Love Stinks” (which reached #38 in 1980 and was featured in several films), “Freeze-Frame” (#4 in 1981), and “Centerfold” (#1 in 1982). Here are all of The J. Geils Band‘s albums ranked.

Don’t miss out on the CUTTING EDGE music of The J. Geils Band below! Click to experience the R&B-influenced style of blues-rock!

11. You’re Gettin’ Even While I’m Gettin’ Odd (1984)

“his album is truly a great piece of art. I like it better than “Freeze Frame”. The album isn’t all synths — it’s chock full of MUSIC, including J.’s twanging guitar, piano, Magic Dick’s wailing harmonica and incredible horn arrangements. The tracks are diverse and very listenable. “

10. Ladies Invited (1973)

“Although this is as solidly based in R&B as any of their other albums, the party atmosphere of _Bloodshot_ was toned down noticeably. The best example of this is “Chimes”, one of the band’s finest songs. It evokes a sleepless late night quite well. It also has some stinging guitar from J. Geils and an aggressive harmonica solo from Magic Dick, both of whom turn in some of their most memorable work. Peter Wolf never says precisely what has him so worried, but the unarticulated possibilities only add to the song’s tension. There are also a couple of good laments for lost loves: the Otis Redding-styled “That’s Why I’m Thinkin’ of You”, which would have been even better if Wolf hadn’t allowed a bit of glibness to creep into his vocal toward the end, and the 50s flavored “My Baby Don’t Love Me”, with a nicely emotinal lead vocal from Wolf and imperfect but effective response vocals from Seth Justman and Stephen Jo Bladd. Wolf also combines sweetness with exasperation adroitly on the inventive “The Lady Makes Demands”.”

9. Hotline (1975)

“From the opening guitar riff of the first song to the guitar solo at the end of the last song this whole album rocks hard the whole way through. Not a single weak track here. I haven’t been able to stop listening to it since I downloaded it a week ago. Every one is on top of their game here. My favorite part is the bass line towards the end of the last song. That’s worth the price of admission alone in my opinion. How this album became out of print is beyond me. “

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8. Nightmares…and Other Tales From the Vinyl Jungle (1974)

“”Nightmares” was considered by many Fans (back in ’75), as being the Group’s, life saver, because of the let down that many people felt after Geils recorded the “Ladies Invited” LP in late ’73. For those that don’t know (or remember), it was the previous “Bloodshot” LP ( ’73), that raised the bar, and woke-up the entire music world to Geils, which clearly “showcased their raw talents” with Big Hits like “Give It To Me” & “House Party”, etc. While the group’s original Boogie, Blues, and Funk sound (and incidentally the original Bad Boys from Boston), was clearly established with the making of “Bloodshot”, the following LP “Ladies Invited”, I believe, was simply misunderstood. “

7. Love Stinks (1980)

“This is the album the lads from Boston needed to make to burst into the mainstream. Lots of US bands of the time did it (RIO Speedwagon, Kansas, Styx et al) so why not these guys. It has many superb tracks (Come Back, Takin You Down, Love Stinks, Till the Walls Come Tumblin’ Down to name a few). And it cleverly melds the sound of previous releases like Monkey Island and Sanctuary with a cleaner more accessible 80’s sound.”

6. Freeze Frame (1981)

“Certain tracks have that great Geils jolt, such as “Rage In The Cage” and “Flamethrower”, which are probably the 2 best recordings here, but the closest this LP gets to a Geils Ballard is “Centerfold” which, (to me), are more of an attempt to jump on that top-10-type of recording list, that “Freeze Frame” tries to capture. “River Blindness” and “Insane, Insane Again” are great tracks which reflect the future direction I had hoped & believed the Boys were headed for, before they basically called it quits from the old Geils, to their newer productions. “

5. The Morning After (1971)

“As a sequel to their first self-titled album “The J. Geils Band”, “The Morning After” builds on the raw energy, great interplay between the keyboards, lead guitar and mouth harp, and Peter Wolf’s fantastic vocals, with a tantalizing hint of how great their live shows were in the early to mid-70’s before their subsequent over produced albums.”

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4. The J. Geils Band (1970)

“It had most of my J. Geils favorites. If it contained ‘First I Look at the Purse’ it would have been five stars. The J. Geils Band came to my school in 1974 and were a great band back in those days and later on. Centerfold, Freeze-Frame, Love Stinks, Must of Got Lost and more.”

3. Monkey Island (1977)

“On MONKEY ISLAND, the J. Geils Band experimented musically and wrote lyrics that delved deep into difficult issues. Many of the lyrics seem to be warnings against getting into dangerous situations, and have inspired me to place pictures of pretty actresses in my wallet and on my wall as a deterrent against the types of behaviors described in songs such as “Somebody”, “Wreckage”, and the title track. This album also contains a cover of the R&B oldie “I Do.” This album is essential for anyone who has a tendency to get themselves into bad situations.”

2. Sanctuary (1978)

“J’s Guitar work really comes out of the shawdows on this Album (esp on “One Last Kiss” & “Wild Man”), Magic Richard (once again), reinforces just how Hip the Harp really is, DK & Steve are as smooth in the grove as ever, and Seth and Peter wrote some real master heart-breakers and mood makers like “Teresa”, “I Can’t Believe you”, and “I Don’t Hang Around Much Anymore”. Seth (as always), rolls his distinct Harmond Black & Whites on tracks like “Sanctuary”, “Wild Man”, Teresa”, and Peter’s voice is as bold, seductive, and mature as it’s ever been. “

1.Bloodshot (1973)

“Bloodshot is the definition of a classic. Released in 1973, it sounds as fresh, fun, and funky today. It’s one of the rare albums that starts off like a house on fire with one of the great party anthems of all time, “(It Ain’t Nothing But A) Houseparty”, grabs you by your feet, and doesn’t let up for the whole tight 36 minutes. No track is a throw away or filler. The record is a perfect blend of Detroit R&B, soul, and bar band music (amazing considering they were from Boston). Even the Otis Redding break up blues of “Start All Over Again” is a whopper. When you get to the finale of the legendary “Give It To Me”, Peter Wolf means it when he says in the intro, “Now don’t touch that dial because I think we’re gonna have some fun with this one” as the track explodes with the classic harmonica, guitar, and bongo solos that leaves you both exhausted and craving more.”