It was 1980, when J.Geils Band started their early '80s ascension in earnest, with "Love Stinks", their 11th LP, and the second release in EMI, after 1978's gold "Sanctuary". As with countless other acts of the era, all it took was adding some synths and a few stomping dance beats to their repertoire.
Not that the J. Geils Band's records had ever been less than danceable. Since arriving in record stores with their self-titled debut in 1970, they'd been one of rock's more reliable purveyors of R&B and soul-drenched party-ready rave-ups – it's just that, to their persistent commercial detriment, their sound really didn't have a home at Top 40 radio. That sad state of affairs would only get worse in the '80s. Fortunately, the band was poised for a style overhaul.
When they returned with Love Stinks on Jan.28, 1980, guitarist J. Geils and his titular crew sounded less like a seasoned party band and more like one of the polished, MTV-ready groups that would soon find themselves in incessant demand. Featuring eight originals and a cover of an old song ("Night Time"), the album caught the band mid-metamorphosis between Stax-loving roughnecks and future video stars.
While the group's new sound may have been more commercially friendly, it added polish without sacrificing their essential personality. From the anachronistic cover to the bizarre, non sequitur-loaded "No Anchovies Please," Love Stinks had plenty of cockeyed humor to go along with its '80s gloss – and nowhere was this more apparent than the title track, which brushed the lower reaches of the Top 40 with its whining synth lead and singalong chorus.
As for the title song, many songs written since the
invention of music can be summed up in two words: Love Stinks. This one tells
it like it is, with lead singer Peter Wolf explaining that he's been through
every hue of love (blue, red, pink), and he's come to the conclusion that love
does indeed stink.
[ Source : ultimateclassicrock.com, songfacts.com]
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