"Freeze-Frame" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by The J. Geils Band | ||||
from the album Freeze Frame | ||||
B-side | "Flamethrower" | |||
Released | January 14, 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:58 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Seth Justman | |||
The J. Geils Band singles chronology | ||||
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"Freeze-Frame" is a song written by Seth Justman and Peter Wolf for the J. Geils Band. It was first released as the opening track on the chart-topping 1981 album of the same name. [1] The song was released on a 45 in early 1982 as the second single from the album, following the million-selling US #1/UK #3 hit "Centerfold". The single's flip side, "Flamethrower", received airplay on urban contemporary radio stations throughout the United States, and reached #20 on the Billboard Soul Chart.
Billboard called it a "zesty, exuberant rocker" and praised the song's hooks. [2] Record World said that "Seth Justman's bouncy keyboard melodies and the slap-happy beat back Peter Wolf's lively lead vocal." [3]
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated "Freeze-Frame" to be the band's 7th greatest song, saying that it has "a glossy pop sheen ready-made for Top 40 radio." [4]
"Centerfold" had landed the band at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 weeks in early 1982 and would ultimately give them a UK top 3 hit almost a year later. "Freeze-Frame" was chosen as the second single and at the peak of the band's popularity, became the second consecutive million-selling gold-certified hit from the album, ultimately peaking at #4 on the Hot 100 on April 10, 1982 and remained in that position for 4 weeks, after entering the charts in mid-February. The single also reached #27 in the UK. [1]
"Centerfold" and "Freeze-Frame" are among a total of ten singles by the J. Geils Band to reach the Billboard Top 40.
Chart (1982-1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] | 7 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [6] | 5 |
Canada [7] | 2 |
Ireland (IRMA) [8] | 20 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [9] | 5 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [10] | 13 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [11] | 6 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [12] | 11 |
UK Singles (OCC) [13] | 27 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [14] | 4 |
West Germany (Official German Charts) [15] | 29 |
Chart (1982) | Position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [16] [17] | 91 |
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) [18] | 90 |
Canada [19] | 22 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [20] | 83 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [21] | 49 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [22] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [23] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Most versions of the single released domestically and internationally used "Flamethrower", the sixth track from Freeze-Frame, as the flip side to "Freeze-Frame". [24] However, 7" vinyl releases in the UK alternated between "Flamethrower" and another song from the same album, the second track "Rage in the Cage". [25] A limited edition Picture Disc of "Freeze-Frame" released in North America used "Centerfold" as the b-side. [26]
The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz, drummer Stephen Bladd, vocalist/keyboardist Seth Justman, and bassist Danny Klein. Wolf and Justman served as principal songwriters. The band played R&B-influenced blues rock during the 1970s and soon achieved commercial success before moving toward a more mainstream radio-friendly sound in the early 1980s, which brought the band to its commercial peak. They performed a mix of cover songs of classic blues and R&B songs, along with original compositions written primarily by Wolf and Justman, as well as some group compositions written under the pseudonymous name Juke Joint Jimmy, representing compositions credited to the entire band as a whole. After Wolf left the band in 1983 to pursue a solo career, the band released one more album in 1984 with Justman on lead vocals, before breaking up in 1985. Beginning in 1999, the band had several reunions prior to the death of its namesake, J. Geils, on April 11, 2017.
Bloodshot is the third studio album by American rock band The J. Geils Band. The album was released on April 12, 1973, by Atlantic Records. It was the breakthrough release for the band, reaching #10 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States, a peak that the band would not surpass until their 1981 multi-platinum album Freeze Frame. The single version of "Give it to Me", which had a very different ending from the album version, reached #30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #15 on the Cash Box Top 100.
Nightmares...and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle is the fifth studio album by American rock band The J. Geils Band. The album was released on September 25, 1974, by Atlantic Records.
Monkey Island is the seventh studio album by American rock band the J. Geils Band, though it is credited with the shortened band name of "Geils", the only album in their catalog for which this was done. The album was released on June 9, 1977, by Atlantic Records.
Sanctuary is the eighth studio album by American rock band the J. Geils Band. The album was released in November 1978 and is the first released by EMI Records.
Love Stinks is the ninth studio album by American rock band the J. Geils Band. The album was released on January 28, 1980, by EMI Records.
Freeze-Frame is the tenth studio album by American rock band the J. Geils Band, and the last one to feature original vocalist Peter Wolf. The album was released on October 26, 1981, by EMI Records. It reached number one on the United States Billboard 200 album chart in February 1982, and remained at the top for four weeks. The album featured the hit singles "Centerfold" and "Freeze Frame". "Angel in Blue" also reached the US Top 40.
Showtime! is the third and final live album by American rock band The J. Geils Band during their career. It was recorded at the Pine Knob Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan on September 4, 1982. While some critics consider it to be weaker than the group's two earlier live albums "Live" Full House (1972) and Blow Your Face Out (1976), this release captures the band at its commercial peak. The tracks are drawn primarily from the four studio albums released since Blow Your Face Out:Monkey Island (1977); Sanctuary (1978); Love Stinks (1980); and Freeze Frame (1981). This was the last release by the band before frontman Peter Wolf's departure in 1983.
Peter Wolf is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of The J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983 and as a solo artist.
John Warren Geils Jr., known professionally as J. Geils or Jay Geils, was an American guitarist. He was known as the leader of the J. Geils Band.
"Centerfold" is a song by the J. Geils Band, released in September 1981 as the lead single from their tenth album Freeze Frame. The most successful single of the group's career, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1982 and held that spot for six consecutive weeks.
"Big Bang Baby" is a song featured on Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, the third album by the band Stone Temple Pilots. It was the first single to be released from the album, which appeared on several Billboard record charts: No. 28 on the Hot 100 Airplay, No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks charts.
Seth Justman is an American keyboardist, best known as a member of the J. Geils Band.
"Angel in Blue" is a song written by Seth Justman that was first released by the J. Geils Band on their 1981 album Freeze Frame. Cissy Houston and Luther Vandross appear on the song as back up vocalists. "Angel in Blue" was also released on a number of J. Geils Band compilation albums, including Centerfold, The Very Best J. Geils Band Album Ever and Best of The J. Geils Band, as well as several multi-artist compilation albums.
"Love Stinks" is a song written by Peter Wolf and Seth Justman that was the title track of the J. Geils Band's 1980 album Love Stinks. The song was released as a single and peaked in the US at #38, spending three weeks in the Top 40. In Canada, the song reached number 15, as it did on WLS-AM in Chicago.
Best of the J. Geils Band is a compilation album by American rock band The J. Geils Band, released in 2006.
"Come Back" is a song by the J. Geils Band, appearing on their 1980 album Love Stinks. "Come Back" was the first single from the album, and reached the US Top 40, peaking at No. 32 and remaining in the Top 40 for five weeks. It peaked at No. 19 for two weeks in Canada. It also made Billboard's Club Play Singles chart, peaking at No. 69. The song remains in the rotation of classic rock radio stations.
"Must of Got Lost" is a rock song by the American rock band The J. Geils Band. Released in 1974, the single reached in No. 12 the following year. Allmusic critic Joe Viglione described it as "one of the most memorable tunes by The J. Geils Band." A live version of the song, with an extended spoken-word introduction by Peter Wolf, appears on Blow Your Face Out, J. Geils Band's second live album. The live version receives considerable airplay on album-oriented rock format stations.
The discography of American rock band The J. Geils Band consists of 11 studio albums, three live albums, eight compilation albums, one video album, and 30 singles. Formed in 1967 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the band consisted of guitarist J. Geils, singer Peter Wolf, harmonica player Magic Dick, bassist Danny Klein, keyboard player Seth Justman, and drummer Stephen Jo Bladd. Their debut album, The J. Geils Band (1970), released by Atlantic Records, charted at number 195 on the United States Billboard 200. Their second album, The Morning After (1971), peaked at number 64 on the Billboard 200 and number 73 on Canada's Top Albums chart. It produced the single "Looking for a Love", which reached the top 40 in the US and in Canada.
"Flamethrower" is a song by the J. Geils Band released in 1982 as the B-side to the single "Freeze Frame", from their multi million selling album of the same name.