J Geils Band "Fillmore East"Live NY 06-27-1971 .
Peter Wolf - vocals
Seth Justman - keyboards
Magic Dick - harmonica
J. Geils - guitar
Danny Klein - bass
Stephen Jo Bladd - drums, vocals
Following iconic blues guitarist Albert King and proceeding Edgar Winter's White Trash in their prime was certainly no easy task, but this set finds the J. Geils Band quite capable of rising to the occasion. According to Bill Graham's autobiography, this group was among his favorite bands ever presented at Fillmore East and this set captures them performing at a raging ferocity level few bands could match.
The adrenalin level is obvious from the opening "Sno-Cone" and remains hot and volatile through the entire set. After continuing with the original number "Wait," the band tears up Smokey Robinson's "First I Look At The Purse" and them turns harp player extraordinaire, Magic Dick, loose on "Whammer Jammer."
By this point the band has the audience in the palm of their hand, but they don't let up for a second. The next three numbers, "Homework," "Pack Fair And Square," and Cruisin' For Love," continue kicking up a storm and maintain a furious pace, before they slow it down on a smoldering rendition of John Lee Hooker's "Serves You Right To Suffer." The set closes with another incendiary original, "Hard Driving Man," that leaves the audience breathless and wanting more.
Following a thank you to the Fillmore East staff and Bill Graham, they humor the audience with a purposely lame attempt at "People" (who need people, are the luckiest people…), before bringing it back to the previous frenetic level with Juke Joint Jimmy's, "It Aint What You Do," followed by an all-too-brief outro jam to pound the audience into submission..This J. Geils Band set is truly extraordinary and those only familiar with the later era of this band will be floored by the intensity level of their final farewell to Fillmore East.You gotta love The J Geils Band. Peter Wolf, the quick witted lead singer. Magic Dick tears it up on the harmonica. And the rest of the band pulls it all together into a power house, or powder keg. Being from Boston, my home town, I grew up listening to them. Peter Wolf was a DJ on the best rock station in New England WBCN. Which I just recently found out no longer rules the air waves. It's kinda sad that BCN is done. They to me represented what real rock radio was about. No play lists, and foul mouthed DJ's whacked out on god knows what.
This is an FM recording live at the Fillmore East. It sounds great, and the band plays some real gems. So, light one up, and start tearing up the carpet.
