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Danny Klein - J. Geils Band

#41
Danny Klein grew up somewhere around Worcester, Ma and the band used to play around the Worcester area once in a while before they got big. I saw them at a Sunday afternoon matinee at a place called Leicester Airport sometime in 1969 when I was 16. They were unbelievable and you just knew they were going to be big. When I saw them Danny was using an Ampeg set up with two double 15" cabs, it wasn't an SVT or a V4-B, I'm think it may have been a V6 as those came with double 15" cabs although they weren't real common and I'm not sure if they made them that early but whatever it was it was an Ampeg and sounded great and filled the big room they were playing in.
I also saw them in 1977 at a big outside concert in NY where they were the headliners I believe although not sure, I do remember The Dictators were one of the openers though. But they always killed when they played and Peter Wolf was one of the best front men I've ever seen. I like their early stuff the best, especially the first album, they morphed from being a blues band to being an R&B/rock and roll style band and used to call themselves the J Geils Blues band but that was even before I saw them.
 
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#42
bobyoung53 said:
Danny Klein grew up somewhere around Worcester, Ma and the band used to play around the Worcester area once in a while before they got big. I saw them at a Sunday afternoon matinee at a place called Leicester Airport sometime in 1969 when I was 16. They were unbelievable and you just knew they were going to be big. When I saw them Danny was using an Ampeg set up with two double 15" cabs, it wasn't an SVT or a V4-B, I'm think it may have been a V6 as those came with double 15" cabs although they weren't real common and I'm not sure if they made them that early but whatever it was it was an Ampeg and sounded great and filled the big room they were playing in.
I also saw them in 1977 at a big outside concert in NY where they were the headliners I believe although not sure, I do remember The Dictators were one of the openers though. But they always killed when they played and Peter Wolf was one of the best front men I've ever seen. I like their early stuff the best, especially the first album, they morphed from being a blues band to being an R&B/rock and roll style band and used to call themselves the J Geils Blues band but that was even before I saw them.
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Cool! If I remember correctly John Entwistle of The Who (who is also my profile pic at the moment) toured with them around 1974 with his side project, Ox.
 
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#45
Ostie said:
I used to play in a band that covered “I can’t do my homework anymore”. That song was a blast to play. Full House is probably the greatest live album ever recorded. Better than Frampton comes Alive, better than Live Bullet, IMHO.
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Yeah, that's a great one, i love this first album, this what they sounded like when I saw them and they were as tight as this album, Peter Wolf was a Boston DJ on the late great WBCN, one of the country's first underground FM station doing overnights before he got big, that's where he got all that woofa Goofa DJ patter from:

Turn it up.



Great original by Wolf/Justman






I used to do this one in a band during the early 70's, one fo their originals:





This one really shows their blues roots:

 
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#46
I'm THRILLED that I'm not the only one who saw this steamroller of a band. Blew MY face out !


Interesting in that they can conjure sort of a reggae feel with a 2/4 backbeat, instead of the traditional Jamaican feel on the 1 and 3. Killer Hammond solo by Justman, chicken-scratch rhythm (and a big solo) by JG, and Magic Dick filling shoes it would usually take a sax to fill. Notice how they hand off the solos more like a country or jazz band would, as they always did. Never in each other's way, and they were one of those bands where live they might stretch or change a tune a bit, but usually always played the recorded solos live.

 
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#47
Thought I'd include these two pieces from GBH Boston, interviews with the late John Geils:


My Gosh, what a wall full of archtops !


His other passion.

The wonderful thing is to see these videos and see how well someone could be AFTER his days in the trenches. Often here in Nashville you see some once quite-famous artists who are now 'used-to-be's' that have NEVER adjusted and transitioned. Not the case here. Sorely missed.
 
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#48
In 2010 I was playing with a 3 piece rock band in Andover, MA, when I saw Danny Klein hangout and drinking at the bar. I ended up talking to him outside for the whole break , expressing to him how much influence that Full House album had on my young musical education, that it really taught me to swing. He was very surprised at how much detail I remembered about their gear they used at the Boston Garden.

After the break, we started the set with House Party, so DK came over and he signaled "Can I play?" , so I handed my '62 J-Bass to him. He'd been playing 5-string exclusively at the time, so it took a little bit to re-familiarize with the 4-string. It was really a blast to meet up with him.
 
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#49
bobyoung53 said:
Danny Klein grew up somewhere around Worcester, Ma and the band used to play around the Worcester area once in a while before they got big. I saw them at a Sunday afternoon matinee at a place called Leicester Airport sometime in 1969 when I was 16. They were unbelievable and you just knew they were going to be big. When I saw them Danny was using an Ampeg set up with two double 15" cabs, it wasn't an SVT or a V4-B, I'm think it may have been a V6 as those came with double 15" cabs although they weren't real common and I'm not sure if they made them that early but whatever it was it was an Ampeg and sounded great and filled the big room they were playing in.
I also saw them in 1977 at a big outside concert in NY where they were the headliners I believe although not sure, I do remember The Dictators were one of the openers though. But they always killed when they played and Peter Wolf was one of the best front men I've ever seen. I like their early stuff the best, especially the first album, they morphed from being a blues band to being an R&B/rock and roll style band and used to call themselves the J Geils Blues band but that was even before I saw them.
Click to expand...
He is from new york
 
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#50
jdthebassman said:
He is from new york
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OK, you're right, I was told that and never researched it. I guess he came to Worcester during the early 60's and attended WPI and met John and Magic Dick while attending that place, John also went there, Danny still lives around Worcester though and has for over 50 years although I don't know where he lives, he has a band that plays around. WPI is not an easy place to get into, I was thinking of transferring there until they told me that Calculus would become like a second language, I could barely speak it. :laugh:

Danny Klein Archives | Know Your Bass Player
 
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#54
I recently purchased the J. Geils Band’s Morning After and Sanctuary albums.
On the back, Of The Sanctuary album, Danny Klein is smoking a cigar and sitting on top of an acoustic upright bass. J. Geils, of course, began as an acoustic blues band.

A8413614-14E6-483E-9D7F-564E2DF35BF1.jpeg


Also did not know that Danny Klein used Ampeg for his bass amps. Always would have figured he used Fender Bassman or Vox stuff.

Also, music critic Robert Christgau called them a “gritty Jewish R&B band,” and sure enough, he was right.
 
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#55
IMMusicRulz said:
I recently purchased the J. Geils Band’s Morning After and Sanctuary albums.
On the back, Of The Sanctuary album, Danny Klein is smoking a cigar and sitting on top of an acoustic upright bass. J. Geils, of course, began as an acoustic blues band.

View attachment 4339605

Also did not know that Danny Klein used Ampeg for his bass amps. Always would have figured he used Fender Bassman or Vox stuff.

Also, music critic Robert Christgau called them a “gritty Jewish R&B band,” and sure enough, he was right.
Click to expand...


He had Ampegs when I saw them in 1969. I don't think Vox nor Fenders of that time would have been loud enough or clear enough.
 
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#58
bobyoung53 said:
Danny Klein grew up somewhere around Worcester, Ma and the band used to play around the Worcester area once in a while before they got big. I saw them at a Sunday afternoon matinee at a place called Leicester Airport sometime in 1969 when I was 16. They were unbelievable and you just knew they were going to be big. When I saw them Danny was using an Ampeg set up with two double 15" cabs, it wasn't an SVT or a V4-B, I'm think it may have been a V6 as those came with double 15" cabs although they weren't real common and I'm not sure if they made them that early but whatever it was it was an Ampeg and sounded great and filled the big room they were playing in.
I also saw them in 1977 at a big outside concert in NY where they were the headliners I believe although not sure, I do remember The Dictators were one of the openers though. But they always killed when they played and Peter Wolf was one of the best front men I've ever seen. I like their early stuff the best, especially the first album, they morphed from being a blues band to being an R&B/rock and roll style band and used to call themselves the J Geils Blues band but that was even before I saw them.
Click to expand...

I saw them in 77 at the Lebanon Valley Speedway in Lebanon Valley NY. It was a four band bill (The Dictators, Black Oak Arkansas, The J. Geils Band and Blue Oyster Cult). Might we have been at the same show?
 
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#59
alack said:
I saw them in 77 at the Lebanon Valley Speedway in Lebanon Valley NY. It was a four band bill (The Dictators, Black Oak Arkansas, The J. Geils Band and Blue Oyster Cult). Might we have been at the same show?
Click to expand...


I think it was because I know I saw Blue Oyster Cult in NY but didn't connect it with them. When did Black Oak Arkansas play? Were they the openers?
 
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