Search - J. Geils Band :: Nightmares

Forgotten Gem

Dylan J. Johnson | Marlton, NJ United States | 10/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Forget the reviews that say there's nothing on "Nightmares" except the single "Must Have Got Lost". Sure, it's one of the great lost singles of the '70's but that doesn't mean it's the best song the disc. That honor goes to "Detroit Breakdown" which not only opens this CD but also "Blow Your Face Out" one the band's two five-star live discs. Other highlights include "Stoop Down #39" and the hilarious of "Funky Judge" (come on, how many times have you heard a George Jessel appearance on a rock album?). A solid 4-Star effort from Peter, Seth, Magic Dick and the rest of the boys."

Get-Down Wild Geils Style

James Douglas | 02/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Once upon a time and long before the release of Love Stinks, the J Geils Band released nothin' but pure bar room raucous R&B Rock and Roll. Their first 3 albums, J Geils Band, The Morning After and Blood Shot were and still are the perfect soundtrack for anyone that knows how to hang tough, party hearty and street smart enough to know that rock and roll was never meant to be pretty. The only thing better sounding than the performances on the afore mentioned albums are the performances captured at Detroit's Cinderella Ballroom on the Live Full House LP. Still regarded by many as one of the best live albums in history.



Despite their authentic street approach for reconstructing R&B,Soul and Blues into hard hitting Rock and Roll The J Geils Band never got the recognition they deserved. It might be because the whole time they were signed to Atlantic Records the musical trends of the day ranged from Psychedelia and Hard Rock, to Glam, Progressive and Punk, but who can really say? What ever the reason was J Geils & Company went back to the drawing board and changed things up a little bit on their next record without compromising what they were all about when they first put their band together. That amazing album was called Nightmares and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle.



I say amazing because besides having all the usual R&B, Blues & Soul elements incorporated into their Rock and Roll overdrive the bad boys from beantown tear up this record with creative flourishes of funk on songs like Funky Judge, psychedelia-funk-jungle-rap (yes Rap!) on Nightmares and even a bosa nova style (?) on I'll Be Coming Home. Also on the disc are 2 radio friendly songs, Givin It All Up and I Must Have Got Lost that have some what of a pop flavor without sacrificing their rootsy sound. Included no doubt to entice more commercial listeners into their listening audience. The opening track, Detroit Breakdown is the proverbial J Geils show stopper about partying to the hilt and then some, Magic Dick and his "licking stick" blow it all out on this one as well. Look Me In the Eye displays some nice slide by Mr Geils and some nice flourishes of odd signature smacks by drummer Danny Jo Bladd. Another kicker, Stoop Down # 39 is all about gettin' down in the groove with your lady ( ....stoop, stoop, stoop down baby!) The last song on the album is Gettin' Out and it ends the disc the same way you're supposed to end a party--- with a bang! Peter Wolf sings & screams out a story about busting out of a bad street-life scenario the only way a man that grew up 2-fisted in New York's Hell's Kitchen can. The song includes phenominal solos from J Geils himself, Magic Dick on mouth harp and Seth Justman on keyboards and principal writer (with Wolf) as well as chief arranger.



This is the album that Wolf & Justman really came together on as a song writing team. The arrangements and execution of the songs are top notch and show off how talented the musicians in the Geils band really were. They were still hungry at this point vying for the top gig in the rock and roll hierarchy and you can hear it through out the album as they put all their blood & sweat into each song. But then again the J Geils band always improved with every album they recorded for Atlantic Records. Subsequently the "other" albums they recorded after they left the Atlantic label, Love Stinks and beyond weren't as powerful. For me this is their best studio album, you can't go wrong with this one. Blow your face out, baby!



"

Fast and tight

dansam55 | St. Louis, MO | 10/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Growing up a teeneager in the 70's in Massachusetts meant you had Full House and any number of other J. Geils Band albums (I had them all up until Monkey Island). They were almost all great rocking albums and I wore them out into useless disks of vinyl. Some of us hard core J. Geils fans considered Nightmares to be one of their best. Tight and clear, the songs are very original and mark the first time J. Geils broke from their typical style. If it was an experiment, it was a screaming success. This album will not disappoint you."