Track listing
Show track credits
- A1 Detroit Breakdown 6:00
- A2 Givin' It All Up 3:43
- A3 Must of Got Lost 5:04
- A4 Look Me in the Eye 3:57
- A5 Nightmares 1:14
- B1 Stoop Down #39 6:50
- B2 I'll Be Coming Home 4:30
- B3 Funky Judge 3:15
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writer
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- B4 Gettin' Out 5:46
- Total length: 40:19
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Review
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9 Issues
3 Reviews
People agree that the best albums of the J. Geils Band are the live ones, especially "Live" Full House. In my opinion there are a few of the studio albums of the band that are at least as good, one of them being this Nightmares...and Other Tales From the Vinyl Jungle. It's a great R&B album with lots of energy.
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After the relatively subdued and occasionally brooding _Ladies Invited_, the J. Geils Band mostly got back to loud and proud rock and roll with _Nightmares...and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle_. It's a mystery why "Look Me in the Eye" isn't more well known than it is. Even among Geils fans, nobody talks about this brash, in-your-face, pissed off, loping and slightly funky slice of near-brilliance. This song is a great example of what Peter Wolf could do when he kept the preening to a minimum. "Gettin' Out" doesn't get talked about , either. A little less wonderful than "Look Me in the Eye" (but still excellent), its bluster doesn't sound forced or uninviting. Seth Justman's piano is forceful and dramatic, as are J. Geils' stabbing guitar bursts. Stephen Jo Bladd's ham-fisted drumming style is put to good use here, particularly during the fade out. Of course, the most remembered song from this is "Musta Got Lost", which a good number of people believe is the band's finest song. As much as I like its palpable air of regret, Wolf could have used a little more of the sweetness he brought to the _Ladies Invited_ material to really turn the song from excellent to great. "Stoop Down #39" falls _just_ short of excellent. The stomping breakdown that opens the song is a little too busy and overdone (although Magic Dick plays his usual superb harmonica), but the slightly shuffling middle and purposefully stomping ending are quite good. Some of the song's energy could have been transferred to "Detroit Breakdown, a party shuffle in the band's patented style. It's decent, but something's missing. Maybe it's because the band had done so many songs in that style, but it can sound tired and forced when I'm not in just a great mood. The good but not great "Givin' It All Up" sounds almost as relaxed as "Detroit Breakdown" does forced. That benefits the hopeful declaration of love substantially, as do the horns.
There are a few attempts to throw a curve into the mix. "I'll Be Coming Home" uses mandolin and simulated restaurant conversation to give the song a sense of intimacy, but the band needed to practice their subtlety. The herky-jerky "Funky Judge" is a decent attempt at doo-wop flavored humor featuring a guest spot by George Jessel, who steals it from Wolf. The only real weak spot here is "Nightmares", which I guess was intended to be scary, what with its African drumming and demented Wolf vocal. It merely comes off as a time killer, although it might have scared 70s kids who listened to their older siblings' copies of this album.
This is a good, solid rock and roll/white R&B alum from a band that has several of those in their catalog.
There are a few attempts to throw a curve into the mix. "I'll Be Coming Home" uses mandolin and simulated restaurant conversation to give the song a sense of intimacy, but the band needed to practice their subtlety. The herky-jerky "Funky Judge" is a decent attempt at doo-wop flavored humor featuring a guest spot by George Jessel, who steals it from Wolf. The only real weak spot here is "Nightmares", which I guess was intended to be scary, what with its African drumming and demented Wolf vocal. It merely comes off as a time killer, although it might have scared 70s kids who listened to their older siblings' copies of this album.
This is a good, solid rock and roll/white R&B alum from a band that has several of those in their catalog.
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Catalog
29 Apr 2024
7 Apr 2024
6 Apr 2024
14 Mar 2024
1 Oct 2023
30 Sep 2023
12 Sep 2023
18 Aug 2023
31 Jul 2023
30 May 2023
24 Mar 2023
17 Mar 2023
5 Mar 2023
13 Feb 2023
22 Dec 2022
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A1
Detroit Breakdown
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A2
Givin' It All Up
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A3
Must of Got Lost
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A4
Look Me in the Eye
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A5
Nightmares
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B1
Stoop Down #39
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B2
I'll Be Coming Home
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B3
Funky Judge
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B4
Gettin' Out
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