Great Rock Albums of 1984: J. Geils Band- You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd

 

Back when I posted about the J Geils Band's "Freeze Frame" album, I mentioned that in the UK, the band have always been considered one hit wonders in the UK, "Centerfold" being that one hit. I still find that hard to fathom. Anyway, the video for said hit featured on a UK music station during a segment called "One Hit Wonders Weekend." While showing the video, someone thought it would be clever to have an arrow pointing out lead singer, Peter Wolf, with the caption, "This is not J Geils." A few seconds later, the same arrow pointed to the guitar player with the caption, "This is J Geils." It's funny how the death of someone can make you remember things like that about them. What it also did was help me remember that the band put out an album in 1984, otherwise it would have passed me by.

Why I never bought "You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd" is a mystery even to me. Could it be the fact that the album never produced a major hit? The only single, "Concealed Weapons," only made it to 63 in the charts. No, that never stopped me nor the fact that Peter Wolf had left the band before its release. Now that I remember, I think he had a solo album in this year. Was it because I had become fully absorbed in metal by then? No, because I have always kept an ear out for all music I might like. So, I'm afraid I can't answer the question.

Thanks to Youtube, I have been able to listen to the album and ask myself again why I didn't buy it. It's a pretty good album, different from what the J Geils band had put out in the past and certainly not heavy metal. I did keep my promise to check out some of the band's pre "Love Stinks" material. "You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd" is a fusion of jazz and new wave. There is a heavy use of horns on the album and while I'm usually wary of horns in rock, it works very well on the album. However, there is some very interesting sounds with the keyboards that make it sound new wave. I call as evidence, the track "Wasted Youth" and the cool intro to "Heavy Petting." Yet even there, the horns come in making the marriage of the two genres a sweet one. "Heavy Petting" is one of the stand out tracks for me but the one which stands out the most is "Californicatin.'" They should have released that one as the single, it might have done better in the charts. Then again, "Concealed Weapons" does remind me a little of the Dead Kennedys. I like the faster pace with the song with the short sharp horns and background vocals. The only J Geils guitar solo appears on "The Bite From Inside" which saves a lackluster song.

Track Listing:

1. Concealed Weapons
2. Heavy Petting
3. Wasted Youth
4. Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe
5. Tell' Em Jonesy
6. You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd
7. The Bite From Inside
8. Californicatin'
9. I Will Carry You Home

[caption id="attachment_1726" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The J Geils Band[/caption]

Note: I couldn't find a picture of the band without Peter Wolf in it so I used this one

Seth Justman- keyboards, vocals

J Geils- guitar

Magic Dick- harmonica

Danny Klein- bass

Stephen Bladd- drums

"You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd" was the last album from the J Geils Band. Maybe the departure from their traditional sound was too different for the average listener or that Seth Justman lacked the charisma of Peter Wolf. It's hard to say but I've heard a lot of last albums from bands that weren't as good as this one.

Next post: Peter Wolf- Lights Out (It seems he did have an album out in 1984)

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