Peter Wolf | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Best known for his tenure fronting the J. Geils Band, singer Peter Wolf was born and raised in the Bronx, and came from a family active in show business. His father was a dancer, song plugger, disc jockey, and singer of light opera; his mother, an organizer for the civil rights and labor movements, was a teacher for inner-city children in the Bronx. Wolfs earliest passion was painting, and he was accepted on a scholarship to the Museum of Modern Arts Special Studies for Children, and later to the High School of Music and Art, just blocks from the Apollo Theater, where the young Wolf would make weekly visits. Seeing performers like Jackie Wilson, Dinah Washington, Otis Redding, and James Brown sparked his early interest in blues and R&B.; After graduating from high school, he hitchhiked through the Midwest; in Chicago, he became involved in a couple of blues and folk music societies while studying painting at the University of Chicago. While there, he visited the South Side blues clubs, drawing influences from the musicians he saw there. With a grant to study at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts, he became a disc jockey on WBCN-FM, hosting a show called The All-Night House Party. The show touched on many musical bases, and reflected Wolfs own broad musical interests. While still in college in Boston, Wolf joined his first musical group, comprised of fellow art students. They played blues music, and later got to meet and tour with their heroes John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. In 1967, he formed the group that would go on to become the J. Geils Band, which began playing clubs around New England. Their first big break was a chance to play at the Fillmore East in New York City, and they became known for their marathon live performances, with Wolf establishing a reputation as a particularly dynamic frontman. The group was signed to Atlantic Records by producer/impresario Jerry Wexler, and toured constantly over the next couple of years, performing as special guests with the Rolling Stones throughout the U.S. and Europe. At one of these concerts, Wolf met actress Faye Dunaway, whom he later married for a short time. In 1983, the group was at the height of its popularity, and had gone 17 years without a personnel change. Finally, the bandmembers went their separate ways and Wolf went on to produce numerous film soundtracks and run art exhibits of his original paintings. In 1984, he released his first solo album, Lights Out, followed in 1987 by Come as You Are, which spurred the hit single of the same name. In between albums he worked on duets with Mick Jagger and Aretha Franklin, who recruited him specifically for her Whos Zoomin Who album. In 1989, after a six-month songwriting retreat in Nashville, he recorded his third solo album, Up to No Good, which appeared the following year. In 1994, Wolf assembled a group of musicians and began playing clubs as a way to test out newer material on live audiences. It was the live feeling he so successfully captured on Long Line, his 1996 Reprise release. While on tour in 1997, Wolf met producer Kenny White, and together the pair recorded Fools Parade, which was released in 1998 on Mercury. It was selected by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the "50 most influential records of the decade." In 1998, he toured with the Royal Soul Review, a star-studded gathering of soul artists including Lloyd Price, Chuck Jackson, Sam Moore, Ben E. King, Irma Thomas, Percy Sledge, Gene Chandler, and Jerry Butler. Soon after, Wolf was asked to record with blues great Little Milton. They worked at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and are featured on the Malaco album Welcome to Little Milton. In 1999, J. Geils reunited for an end-of-the-century tour. Wolf reentered the studio with White and cut Sleepless for the Artemis label in 2002. This set, with guests including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Steve Earle, was almost universally regarded as Wolfs finest solo moment and garnered -- again from Rolling Stone -- the honor of being "one of the greatest 500 albums of all time." In 2005, the J. Geils Band reunited once more for a special charity event to benefit the Cam Neely Cancer Foundation, Denis Learys Firefighters Association of New England, and Michael J. Foxs Parkinsons Disease Research Foundation. The band later reunited in 2009 for a short series of sold-out shows across the U.S.; Wolf claims they were more than likely their very last. He finally re-emerged from his own recording silence in 2010 with Midnight Souvenirs on Verve, co-produced with White; the pair enlisted duet help from Shelby Lynne, Neko Case, and one of Wolfs true heroes, Merle Haggard. The singer promoted the set on the major network late night shows, his own tour of intimate rock and folk venues, and festival performances. The recording received favorable reviews and landed inside the Top 50 on the album charts. Afterwards, Wolf resumed reunion work with J. Geils Band over the next few summers, playing the large outdoor sheds. During breaks, he was writing new material. When ready to record, Wolf enlisted members of his road band the Midnight Travelers (including keyboardist Kenny White, his co-producer). A Cure for Loneliness marked the singers debut for Concord. It included nine new originals and three covers -- most notably a bluegrass reworking of the J. Geils Band hit "Love Stinks." It was released in early 2016. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: Lights Out Released: 1984 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lights Out (04:26) 2 I Need You Tonight (03:39) 3 Oo-ee-Diddley-Bop! (04:15) 4 Gloomy Sunday (03:37) 5 Baby Please Dont Let Me Go (04:04) 6 Crazy (03:51) 7 Poor Girls Heart (03:07) 8 Here Comes That Hurt (03:17) 9 Pretty Lady (03:46) 10 Mars Needs Women (02:41) 11 Billy Bigtime (04:39) |
| Lights Out : Allmusic album Review : After Peter Wolf ditched the J. Geils Band in 1983 because co-leader Seth Justman turned down a batch of new songs Wolf had written with Don Covay and Michael Jonzun, he made the most of it and released the great Lights Out album. Boasting a huge hit single, the bouncing, machine funk monster title track, and a raft of catchy, candy coated 80s pop, the album is one of the hidden gems of the era. Wolf casts off the responsibilities of fronting an arena rock band and heads straight for the pop jugular, leaving bluesy guitar licks and harmonica bleating in his rearview. With Michael Jonzun behind the board, the album is slicker than ice and loaded with cheesy synths, electronic drums, reverb, and "sweetening." It is also very well arranged; the synthetic sounds never overtake Wolfs gritty soul and personality -- really a perfect balance of soul and machines that only a few artists were able to pull off in the 80s. Apart from the title track, the moderate charter "I Need You Tonight," a moody ballad with trademark- 80s clicking guitars, peppy synths, and a dorky surf guitar solo, is the best song on the record. Wolf nails the quietly urgent tone of the lyrics and delivers probably the most sensitive and sweet vocal of his career. Other highlights are "Baby Please Dont Go," a bubbling Motown-styled number that sounds very J. Geils-like, the electronic reggae ballad "Poor Girls Heart," the Hall & Oates-y "Here Comes That Hurt Again," and the rollicking "Pretty Lady," which manages to overcome some annoying background warbling from Mick Jagger to be what would have been one of the best late-period J. Geils songs. The tracks that make the full leap into 80s dance-pop perhaps dont stand up as well. Something like "Oo-We-Diddley-Bop!" is very dated with Wolf gamely trying to rap and coming off like the male Debbie Harry. The jokey "Mars Needs Women" is better only because Jonzun brings in some wacky electro-sounds straight off a Jonzun Crew cut. Wolfs vocal is pretty embarrassing, though. These mis-steps dont really wreck the listening experience; they are so corny that they are almost good. The rest of the record isnt corny at all. It is soul music for a soulless time made by a guy who sounds very glad to be free and ready to hit the charts. That it actually became a hit makes it even sweeter. For sure, Justman and the rest of the J. Geils Band were kicking themselves when their lame Wolf-less album tanked. You should be kicking yourself too if you write this album off as just fluff. It is great fluff, some of the best the 80s had to offer. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: Come as You Are Released: 1987 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Cant Get Started (03:01) 2 Love on Ice (04:12) 3 Thick as Thieves (02:59) 4 Blue Avenue (04:06) 5 Wind Me Up (02:49) 6 Come as You Are (02:43) 7 Flame of Love (04:16) 8 Mamma Said (04:04) 9 Magic Moon (03:39) 10 2 Lane (03:23) 11 Run Silent Run Deep (04:38) |
| Come as You Are : Allmusic album Review : Wolf gets back in the Top 15 with the title track, but the best song is the leadoff, an R&B; raveup ironically called, "Cant Get Started." | ||
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: Up To No Good Released: 1990 Tracks: 11 Duration: 43:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 99 Worlds (03:36) 2 Go Wild (03:43) 3 When Women Are Lonely (03:44) 4 Drive All Night (03:41) 5 Up To No Good (04:33) 6 Lost In Babylon (03:56) 7 Arrows and Chains (03:25) 8 Daydream Getaway (03:43) 9 Shades of Red - Shades of Blue (04:07) 10 River Runs Dry (05:01) 11 Never Let It Go (03:57) |
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: Long Line Released: 1996 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Long Line (03:33) 2 Romeo Is Dead (03:24) 3 Rosie (04:27) 4 Forty to One (03:01) 5 Goodbye (Is All Ill Send Her) (03:53) 6 Wastin Time (04:16) 7 Sky High (03:45) 8 Two Loves (03:29) 9 Break This Chain (04:46) 10 Seventh Heaven (03:47) 11 Starvin to Death (03:26) 12 Riverside Drive (05:24) |
| Long Line : Allmusic album Review : Long Line is Peter Wolfs 90s comeback album and it does everything that it should do. It demonstrates that Wolf has matured without abandoning his love for greasy R&B; and loud rock & roll. Although the songs are slightly uneven throughout Long Line, he demonstrates humor and compassion even on the weak numbers. With its energetic rockers and, especially, heartfelt ballads, Long Line ranks as one of Wolfs most engaging and consistent albums. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: Fools Parade Released: 1998 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Long Way Back Again (03:43) 2 Turnin’ Pages (03:38) 3 Anything At All (04:30) 4 Pleasing To Me (03:36) 5 The Cold Heart of the Stone (03:02) 6 All Torn Up (04:13) 7 Roomful of Angels (04:29) 8 If You Wanna Be With Somebody (04:01) 9 Id Rather Be Blind, Crippled and Crazy (03:32) 10 Ride Lonesome, Ride Hard (04:06) 11 Waiting on the Moon (03:40) |
| Fool's Parade : Allmusic album Review : Peter Wolf lost his mainstream audience long before he released Fools Parade in the fall of 1998. By the time the album hit the stores, it had been ten years since he had graced the Top 40, when "Come as You Are" reached number 15. To his credit, Wolf realized he no longer was a pop star, so he decided to continue in the vein of his comeback record, 1996s Long Line. Which is to say, Fools Parade is a collection of rock & roll, R&B;, blues and soul, all delivered with professional showmanship from Wolf, along with a surplus of true heart and passion. Its a mature album in the best sense of the word -- its clear that Wolf has lived the life he sings about, and he exhibits a sense of craft that only veterans can convey. Following the equally accomplished Long Line, Fools Parade is proof that veteran rockers need not be washed up or written off, even if they are no longer playing to stadium-sized crowds. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: Sleepless Released: 2002 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Growin Pain (03:12) 2 Nothing but the Wheel (04:34) 3 A Lot of Good Ones Gone (03:33) 4 Never Like This Before (03:21) 5 Run Silent, Run Deep (04:13) 6 Homework (02:39) 7 Five OClock Angel (03:00) 8 Hey Jordan (03:03) 9 Too Close Together (02:24) 10 Some Things You Dont Want to Know (02:31) 11 Oh Marianne (04:19) 12 Sleepless (04:05) |
| Sleepless : Allmusic album Review : With each step he takes past his years as frontman to the J. Geils Band, Peter Wolf builds on his legacy as a solo artist of remarkable distinction. Bits of the jive caricature of his early years surface on Sleepless, especially when reunited with his old running buddies Keith Richards and Magic Dick on "Too Close Together," but most of the album documents much more skillful and sensitive approaches to interpretation. In fact, in his ability to slide from singing to a spoken word or two and back again, Wolf affirms his mastery of the Bob Dylan method for bringing a lyric to life. The musical settings throughout Sleepless vary dramatically, from roadhouse country on the highway epic "Nothing but the Wheel" through Mexican romanticism on "Oh Marianne" and to raw blues with a Tom Waits edge on "Homework." In each of these, Wolfs voice, recorded bone dry and boosted high in the mix, flawlessly nails the feel; on one track, the Stax-flavored ballad "A Lot of Good Ones Gone," his performance -- reflective, understated, delicately phrased, and soulful -- compares favorably to some of Van Morrisons best work. It is, in other words, about as good as a performance can be in this genre. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: Midnight Souvenirs Released: 2010-04-06 Tracks: 14 Duration: 49:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Tragedy (04:30) 2 I Dont Wanna Know (02:54) 3 Watch Her Move (03:58) 4 Theres Still Time (05:09) 5 Lying Low (03:12) 6 The Green Fields of Summer (02:57) 7 Thick as Thieves (02:44) 8 Always Asking for You (02:58) 9 Then It Leaves Us All Behind (03:33) 10 Overnight Lows (05:07) 11 Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (02:14) 12 Dont Try to Change Her (03:33) 13 The Night Comes Down (For Willy Deville) (03:57) 14 Its Too Late for Me (02:47) |
| Midnight Souvenirs : Allmusic album Review : Certain records create a space where memory -- not nostalgia -- makes us long for something that’s been missing. Eight years after the stellar Sleepless, Peter Wolf offers us that with Midnight Souvenirs. Few artists can make records where tautly crafted songs with solid lyrics, balanced production, and inspired performances are the only priorities. The album’s musical traces go all the way back to his past as a DJ, as a member of the Hallucinations and the J. Geils Band to his solo career and the present moment in terrific voice. Wolf and collaborators (most notably writing partner Will Jennings and co-producer Kenny Brown) deliver adult rock & roll songs. The tunes are direct, poignant, and confessional, buoyed by Wolf’s trademark sense of humor. It engages roots rock, R&B;, Americana, and yes, blues, played by an all-star band that includes guitarists Larry Campbell and Duke Levine, and the best female backing chorus in the business: Ada Dyer and Catherine Russell. There isn’t a weak cut here, but there are highlights. There are three excellent duets. The first is the soul-drenched country of “Tragedy” with Shelby Lynne, (co-written by Angelo Petraglia). “Tragedy” details the failings of a man in love and his desperate unwillingness to accept that this may be the end. Lynne’s a perfect foil, underscoring Wolf’s pleading with pure Southern soul singing; shes empathic but defiant. It’s a sad song but horns, Stax-style guitar, B-3, and a rhythm section create an infectious groove. “Green Fields of Summer” with Neko Case is inspired by a traditional melody that could have been sung by Fairport Convention. The set closer with Merle Haggard (in amazing voice here), melds the pair in a country waltz that sums up the regret that stands monolithically in the hearts of those whove failed. Wolf rocks here too: “I Don’t Wanna Know,” with its big ringing guitars and wailing harmonica, is a betrayal song to dance to. “Watch Her Move” is a snaky, nocturnal old-school R&B; tune that shakes in modern parlance. “There’s Still Time” is the album’s hinge piece. Slowly beginning with acoustic and electric guitars, it gradually soars, adding a string section and a gospel-ized backing chorus. Wolf declares his self-aware protagonist’s isolated way of living, the cost he’s willingly paid for it, and his decision to abandon himself fearlessly to whatever he encounters because that’s what actual living requires. ”Thick as Thieves” is a scorching electric blues number that wouldn’t sound out of place on a North Mississippi Allstars record. “Overnight Lows” is a humorous, soul morality tale where the singer wears his heart -- and faults --on his sleeve. “The Night Comes Down (For Willy DeVille)" is a big rock anthem delivered in an intimate way. Midnight Souvenirs is a terrific dark-night-of-the-soul album, but it doesn’t mope. It’s made for driving, dancing alone in the living room, or merely pondering your next move, while snapping your fingers, of course. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: A Cure for Loneliness Released: 2016-05-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rolling On (04:06) 2 It Was Always So Easy (To Find an Unhappy Woman) (02:41) 3 Peace of Mind (03:48) 4 How Do You Know (03:07) 5 Fun for Awhile (03:36) 6 Wastin Time (live) (04:00) 7 Some Other Time, Some Other Place (03:51) 8 Its Raining (04:19) 9 Love Stinks (live) (02:25) 10 Mr. Mistake (01:43) 11 Tragedy (02:46) 12 Stranger (01:29) |
| A Cure for Loneliness : Allmusic album Review : With over ten solo albums, Peter Wolfs music remains rooted in American music traditions -- rock, blues, R&B;, country. That said, he delivers them with more complexity and nuance than in his role as frontman for the J. Geils Band. A Cure for Loneliness reassembles members of his longtime backing band the Midnight Travelers: guitarists Duke Levine and Kevin Barry, and bassist Marty Ballou -- augmented by drummer Shawn Pelton and keyboardist and co-producer Kenny White. Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, and others appear in supporting roles. Wolf wrote or co-wrote all but three songs here. The material builds on the foundation laid on 2010s Midnight Souvenirs. The songs are more often than not sad, but theyre never downers. Wolfs protagonists dont ask for pity or empathy. This is borne out in the covers too: Moe Bandys honky tonk waltz "It Was Always So Easy (To Find an Unhappy Woman)" and the 1959 doo wop hit "Tragedy" by Thomas Wayne & the DeLons. In the slow roots rock in "Rollin On," one of four songs co-composed with Will Jennings), Wolf sings "...theres a big wide world I was born to see/Im rollin on/Leave hard times back behind me/Moving on/Down the road is where youll find me...Ive got miles on this heart/But Ive never been afraid to start/Cut it loose and set it free/Straight from here to eternity…" The guitars entwine and chime, and a B-3 whines as tom-toms underscore each line while backing vocalists testify to the truth in the grain of his voice. Its a gentle anthem, an axis the recording turns on. The soulful "Peace of Mind" is where Wolf first shows his R&B; roots. The singers words offer proof of all the emotional places hes been and the goal in all his searching. "Fun for a While," co-written with Tim Mayer, is confessional Americana that reflects folk, country, and, in its lyrical elegance, Doc Pomus. Its a tender testimony to life in the rearview from a survivor. "Its Raining" was co-written with Don Covay for a session between Wolf and Bobby Womack, but the latter passed before it transpired. Its an easy soul groover with punchy horns and a lyric that uses the weight of difficult experience as an opportunity in providing shelter for another. Wolf revisits his own catalog with live versions of the Stones-esque "Wastin Time" (from 1996s Long Line) and an acoustic bluegrass version of the J. Geils hit "Love Stinks," which is merely interesting -- once -- but could have easily been left off. That one misstep aside, A Cure for Loneliness is solid Wolf. At 70, he has no intention of resting on his laurels, slowing down, or changing his mercurial ways. As an artist he has one direction: forward. | ||