Search - J Geils :: Sanctuary

Laugh and cry, dance and sing with Sanctuary!

07/24/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sanctuary was a turning point for the J. Geils Band. The album embodies musical and production sophistication not found in previous albums by the band. What makes the album outstanding is that despite the new-found polish the band acquired with this record the grit, rhythm, pathos and plain old fun which is a trademark of "the bad boys from Boston" still is everpresent. The song "One Last Kiss" received great radio play at the time it was released and is an upbeat blue-inspired rocker of love lost. "Sanctuary", the title track features Peter Wolf's vocal at their most expressive and some wicked harp by Magic Dick. The song "Teresa" is simply one of the best pop songs I've heard by any band. Again Wolf's vocals are at their most expressive; they are plaintive and heart rending, matching Seth Justman's piano. "Wildman" and "Jus' Can't Stop Me" are great party rave-ups, while the inclusion of ! "I Do" a neat sing-along tune with terrific harmonies, origally on the album Monkey Island, rounds out Sanctuary.I'm glad this album is out in CD format. The quality of the digital version will highlight the production value of the album while none of what made the J. Geils Band famous in the first place will be lost. If you want to laugh and cry, dance and sing then you should purchase this CD!"

Almost excellence

M. L. Shaw | Columbia, MO United States | 05/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I saw these guys twice on this tour alone, and wore out the vinyl before Reagan took the oath. The hit tune, "One Last Kiss" is a brilliant combo of the r&b stylings they played on stage and the pop they knew would sell records, as are "Take it Back" and "I Could Hurt You Babe". In addition, "I Don't Hang Around Much Anymore" has always been a fun, late night song, and "Teresa" remains their best plaintive love song. There was enough testerone to make their live performance of "Sanctuary" on SatNiteLive kind of scary, with the semi-punkish anger and blistering harp, but it seems they were struggling, at this point, to find the balance between integrity and cash flow, and struck their last really successful deal. Their two following studio albums sold more copies, but don't have the r&b, honky-tonk sensibility the band had been all about, so "Sanctuary" and "Monkey Island" are the two albums that really mark their stride."

The best Geils Album

M. L. Shaw | 12/29/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album was the last of the J Geils classic, thought provoking lyrics, with somewhat dark but very enjoyable tunes. It was after this album that the band turned to pop music. Once a party band with a tremdous amount of energry, the Geils band channeled their energy to powerful lyrics with a hard, but refined sound. They still would throw in a fun party tune, but they redefined themselves after this album as a pop band. This is the best of the Geils albums."