What a rocking band they were in the 70s. They had one of the best frontmen in the era of Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, and Mick Jagger. Peter Wolf could keep up with the best.
This song is different from their previous releases to this point in 1978. Their earlier music was more frantic and upbeat. I was listening to some of their seventies music and I had forgotten about this one. I love the guitar work in this song as subtle as it is. It doesn’t have a magical hook that gets you but it’s the feel of the song that I like. The song was written by Peter Wolf and Seth Justman.
The song peaked at #35 on the Billboard 100, 58 in Canada, and #74 in the UK in 1978. The song was off the album Sanctuary and it peaked at #49 in the Billboard 100 and #53 in Canada.
The band came out of the Boston club scene in the late sixties. I always thought they should have been bigger than they were in the 1970s. They didn’t hit their commercial peak until the early 80s with Love Stinks, Come Back, and then the hugely popular Freeze-Frame album in 1983.
After the huge success of Freeze-Frame, Peter Wolf left. The band wanted to go in a techno/pop direction and Peter Wolf disagreed. They continued without their lead singer but weren’t too commercially successful.
One Last Kiss
Just one last kissBefore I walk out the doorI’m gonna hold you tighterThan I ever did before
And I, I never promised youThe things you promised meAnd I, I can’t justifyThe way it’s gotta be
And the good times are the best timesThe bad times fade awayThe good times are foreverBut now, baby, the last time is today
Just one more nightThere’s no time for anymoreI’m gonna tell you somethingThat you’ve never heard before
But I, I can’t find the wordsTo ease your lovers painAnd I, I know the feeling’s goneI can feel it in my veins
And the good times are the best timesThe bad times fade awayThe good times are foreverBut now, baby, the last time is today
One last kiss
And the good times are the best timesThe bad times fade awayThe good times are foreverBut now, baby, the last time is today
One last kiss
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I didn’t know this song, but it does have a harder edge then the stuff that I do know from them.
Cool song with a lot of different elements: guitar, harmonica, harmony. The first part with only Peter Wolf’s vocals have an almost Dylanesque or Dire Straits-ish feel, but then it changes. The chorus grabbed my ear.
It is different…and miles from Freeze Frame a few years later.
Never heard this tune but to me it has almost a Stones like vibe to it like it could have fit on Side 2 of Tattoo You.
You know it does have a little of that feel.
I’d never heard it either, but like Deke says it’s quite good and a bit RS-like. Of course, that’s when many did call them ‘America’s Rolling Stones’
As much as I like Jagger…Wolf would give him a run for his money as a front guy. He was all over the place.
I get that from seeing occasional live videos of him and you certainly hear the energy/enthusiasm on the live records.
It’s too bad Wolf didn’t stick around and let them have an experimental album. Temperamental musicians. Oy!
I know…they reached the peak of success and it was over.
You know Im a J Geils freak. They are up there with the most spins of any thing I listen to. And Max, Live they were frickn fantastic. Wolf kicked out some great solo work. I was reciting some “Geils” poetry to my gal the other day. A few lines from ‘First I Look At the Purse’. Only wish I could’ve taken credit for writing it. Good pick fella.
“If the purse is fat….that’s where it’s at.” it does have some great lyrics to it! Glad you liked it CB.
PS. Techno/pop didnt go down with CB to well. I knew that would be the end of one of the great hard rock/blues bands ever.
Yea I can’t blame him for leaving…it’s just not him. I am glad they all got a big payday but I get why he left.
Geils and Magic Dick were hard core blues guys. I think the band were called the J Geils Blues Band at one time. Like the cut you played they had lots of other great musical ideas kicking around.
That name makes a lot of sense when you listen to the earlier stuff also… the blues are running through it all.
Finally found you Max. Seems I have some technical glitch between my iPhone and PC. Anyway great post and a new song to me as well. I have a lot of catching up to do!
Thank you for finding me!
Oh, hell yes! I have never heard this, before but, I am preparing to snatch it from YT and put it in my phone play list. This has that 1978 feel I loved so much…haunting, harmony guitars…dark mood…
Thanks for the intro!
Glad you liked one! It is a good one that did chart but not big time.
I love it.
These guys did some incredible blues, and Magic Dick is an amazing harmonica player.
I love that tune, Max, though you’re right it doesn’t sound much like J. Geils Band – neither did Centerfold or Freeze Frame. Based on that neat dual harmony guitar action, it reminds me more of Thin Lizzy than the Stones, though not as hard as Lizzy. While I generally prefer J Geils Band’s earlier music, this is a pretty nice-sounding song!
It is nice sounding with a cool groove. It was odd for them but it works well.
I love this tune. I think the Geils band were capable of a lot more than just the blues stuff they did so well. I think it shows on a lot of their records. They were great.