For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.
I'm back from vacation, and once again sitting in my living room listening to vinyl while I work. Today's CoronaVinyl category is "J," and I went with The J. Geils Band's ninth studio album, 1980's Love Stinks. Yes, I realize Geils is a last name, so this should probably be under G instead of J, but it's too late now, so deal with it.
The J. Geils Band is one of those bands that, every time I listen to them or hear songs I haven't heard before, I say to myself, "I should listen to more J. Geils Band." While the band had built up a rabid following throughout the '70s, they hadn't had huge success commercially until the early '80s, starting with the tongue-in-cheek Love Stinks. The album is what I consider classic J. Geils Band -- catchy rollicking rock and roll with keyboards, sax, and harmonica giving the songs a new wave, but staying true to the band's R&B-influenced roots.
The album reached #18 on the Billboard album chart -- the band's highest-charting album since 1973's Bloodshot, which reached #10. It was also the band's first album to feature multiple Top 40 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Come Back" going to #32 and the title track -- which would become a staple of classic rock radio -- hitting #38. "Just Can't Wait" also reached #78.
Love Stinks set the stage for the band's biggest album, the 1981 follow-up Freeze-Frame, which I reviewed a mere 274 albums ago in August 2020.
Favorite Song on Side 1: "Just Can't Wait"
The album kicks off with a catchy synth-laden rock song that has a mid '70s-era KISS guitar riff.
Favorite Song on Side 2: "Love Stinks"
I couldn't go with any other song on Side 2. The title track is a sardonic pop rock masterpiece, chastising the trials and tribulations of relationships. It's the ultimate anti-love song.
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