The J Geils Band Debut Album Songs Ranked
The J. Geils Band is the self-titled debut studio album by American rock band The J. Geils Band. The album was released on November 16, 1970, by Atlantic Records. The band had once been known as the J. Geils Blues Band, but its debut album revealed the stylistic range it had long developed. In an effusive contemporary review, a journalist for rock magazine Creem praised the diversity and wrote: “It could be called blues, it could be called R&B, it could be called rock and roll; I prefer to call it good energetic music and leave it at that. They spent their formative years absorbing the best of all these musics and the sound they have distilled is truly their own.” Here are all of The J Geils Band Debut Album songs ranked.
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11. Wait
“Great, tough little struttin’ R&B tune to kick off the record. “I said wait – WAIT – stop a minute!” Whenever I spin the tune it sticks in my head for two weeks straight. It bleeds R&B through and through.”
10. Cruisin’ for a Love
“Credited to “Juke Joint Jimmy” which was a euphemism for the whole band “working up a song”. Starts off on a perfect Magic Dick high note, and from there it’s in-form JGB with a bit more edge to them. 5 Stars”
9. Serves You Right to Suffer
“This is a John Lee Hooker cover which is taken at a slower, creepier pace, and Wolf’s spoken incantations towards the end of the track, along with Geils’ searing, charging solo, makes this the most spine-chilling cut on the record, bar none.”
See more: The J. Geils Band Albums Ranked
8. First I Look at the Purse
“Yet another cover, might have been the single or the B-side and “Homework” was the single, not sure which was the case. Anyway, “Purse” is a better track. If you’ve heard the original, the J. Geils version is definitely bigger, flashier, and just far more clever. Has long been one of my favorite blues/R&B-styled tracks.”
7. On Borrowed Time
“A great barroom-style ballad, which feels like it has so much more depth yet in actuality, it comes and goes in about three minutes.”
6. Sno-Cone
“The band’s version of Albert Collins’ classic turns into a surprising showcase for Stephen Jo Bladd behind the drum kit, which seems a bit off-base, but then feels altogether appropriate, because this is really a democratic, for-the-fans effort.”
5. Pack Fair and Square
“Another fun, 50’s-style rumbler of a cover for the band to jam out to, nothing more or less. The first J Geils Band album with a mix of originals and covers.The tunes are short and vibrant. “
See more: The J Geils Band Songs Ranked
4. What’s Your Hurry
“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.”
3. Homework
“Another cover, this one is more on the campy side of the fence. “I can’t do my homework…anymore” may stick in your head for ages. Very fun tune…but definitely not as substantial as what has come before it.”
2. Hard Drivin’ Man
“You can feel the bar sweat dripping from Wolf and Geils as they rip through this bruiser of a track. This is how they started out and should have stuck to it for the most part.”
1. Ice Breaker (For the Big “M”)
“A J Geils-credited instrumental – basically, he plays in unison with Magic Dick’s harp for a quick, two minute-plus run which is extremely entertaining.”