J Geils Band: House Party Live In Germany (DVD REVIEW)

jgeilscover1979 was such a great year for music, as bands were bursting out with landmark albums to end one decade and welcome a new one. AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Tom Petty, The Clash, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, and even Michael Jackson, were burning up the charts with recordings that would eventually be considered classics. On that cusp was also a Boston band named after their leader, guitarist J Geils. They were a rock band heavily leaning on barroom blues, R&B and the soul of James Brown. Their harmonica player, Magic Dick, was the star musician in their ensemble. This was not your 70’s ponytailed bumblegum pop that Andy Gibb, Leif Garrett and the Village People had been serving up since the advent of John Travolta’s white suited disco. The weather was changing and the J Geils Band was about to start transitioning towards a lighter sound, culminating in “Centerfold” and “Freeze Frame” superstardom.

But in 1979, they were still whammer jammers and a German TV programme called Rockpalast captured them in their sweaty glory. Released this month as a CD/DVD package titled The J Geils Band House Party: Live In Germany, Eagle Rock Entertainment again brings forth yet another doozy from their bottomless treasure chest of audiovisual music. But let’s get one thing straight: if you are looking for Peter Wolf dancing around a classroom full of negligeed beauties or the band throwing paint on each other in a white room, you’re going to be disappointed. That J Geils Band was still two years away. This is the J Geils Band that stirred up a good old-fashioned Soul Revue that left sweat on the floor. This is the J Geils Band that showcased notes and chords and stage presence, hallelujahs and Lord have mercys; before love started stinking and raging in cages and angels in blue. This is Sanctuary and Bloodshot and The Morning After; “Give It To Me,” “One Last Kiss” and “I Could Hurt You.” This is the J Geils you gravitate to after weening off Freeze Frame.

The show itself is highlighted by Magic Dick’s wailing on the harmonica, Wolf’s sparkle-suited shimmying and jive talk, Stephen Bladd and Danny Klein’s rhythm section, J Geils smoking guitar solos and Seth Justman’s pre-perky keyboards. The stage setting itself is minimalistic in embellishments and the lighting is decent but dark in places. The audience loves these guys and calls them back for two encores. But overall, it leaves you wanting more. This is not the band’s fiery best (1977 comes to mind), as they seem a little held back, perhaps by show and time restrictions, and that animalist freedom to just tear it up is missing.

But that shouldn’t deter you from adding this to your collection. J Geils himself is riding a train that will be frequently absent on their music of the future; but on this night, his fingers are flamethrowers and only proves he is one the underrated gems of the 70’s guitar heroes, never being fully acknowledged for what he could do. Solos on “Give It To Me,” “Sanctuary” and “Where Did Our Love Go” being proof. And Magic Dick is simply a rock harp god. Blowing for all he’s worth, he turns “I Could Hurt You,” “Jus’ Can’t Stop Me,” “One Last Kiss” and his raging signature tune, “Whammer Jammer” into hell yes hellraisers.

Sadly, there are no extras, no bings and whistles of behind-the-scene tales or biographical footage to go along with the main concert, although a CD for your car is a nice perk. But it’s worth it to have this keepsake from a time when the band was hotter than a biscuit fresh from the oven and before superstardom swept them up into band squabbles and lawsuits.

The band, without drummer Bladd and namesake founder Geils, toured in late 2014 and early 2015, opening for Bob Seger throughout the US.

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