Perfect opposite with 'I'm Falling', a ballad that is more country rock F.M than Blues, with a ubiquitous Seth Justman on keyboards. Change of course with 'Somebody', a Rock F.M halfway between 38 SPECIAL, BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE and MELLENCAMP. The ballad 'You're The Only One' is influenced by EAGLES, POCO and BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD, not unpleasant, although we would have appreciated the harmonica being more present. If in the opening, 'Surrender' broadcasts an honest Rock Blues with Funky sounds, let's admit that this is not the highlight of the year. It is therefore a colorful and sometimes strange coloration that this palette proposes. Listening to the original tracks, we feel that the band is not sure on which foot to dance, navigating between a commercial Pop F.M and a Rock Blues more related to the repertoire on Indeed, if the A-side of the second single offers 'I Do', the B-side consists of 'Trying To Live My Life Without You', a track popularized by Otis Clay and covered by BRINSLEY SCHWARZ. In order to promote the record, Atlantic released five singles tracks, a hybrid formula that suggests that the firm was unable to find a sixth track capable of attracting potential buyers.

Recorded in April at Record Plant Studios in New York, Monkey Island features seven new songs and twoĬovers. For Atlantic, it seems that the dice have been thrown for several months, the firm surfing on the successes of YES, Aretha FRANKLIN, CROSBY STILLS - NASH, FOREIGNER, EMERSON LAKE - PALMER and the good J. He was later found behind the consoles on many albums by Rosanne Cash, BON JOVI, CHEAP TRICK, AEROSMITH, John Cougar MELLENCAMP, a music essentially calibrated for the F.M and M.T.V. He was already in the fold of the J GEILS BAND at the time of Hot Line in 75, and had already collaborated with Janis Ian, Black Sheep and the WINTER brothers, but the man was about to gain importance in the American phonographic industry. Monkey Island also marked the first steps of the band members in the field of production and the arrival of Dave Thoerner behind the consoles. While the band still manages to concoct high-end tracks, studio albums lack balance and often turn out to be uneven. You have to go back to the excellent Bloodshot in 1973 to see the Band caracolate in the American charts. It is on stage that the band gives the best of itself. Let's be honest, if the band still enjoys a strong reputation, it is through its concerts, often exceptional. This is the last record of the sextet published by Atlantic. J GEILS BAND's seventh studio album, Monkey Island, released in June 1977, marked the end of an era for theīand.

This visual is unattractive and hardly attractive, coupled with the fact that only the guitarist's name is listed, has been highly damaging commercially. The Monkey Island cover can be confusing: indeed, it is simply the name of GEILS that appears on the black and white cover.

J geils monkey island