Love Stinks (album)
{{Infobox album
| name = Love Stinks
| type = studio
| artist = the J. Geils Band
| cover = J. Geils Band - Love Stinks.jpg
| alt =
| released = January 28, 1980
| recorded = 1979
| studio = Long View Farm, North Brookfield, Massachusetts
| genre =
- Rock
- new wave{{cite magazine|last= Rolling Stone Staff|date= November 11, 2020|title=The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-1980-1075743/|access-date=September 30, 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|quote= The Geils gang kicked down the door into the Eighties with a surprise New Wave makeover for Boston’s finest blues-rock party monsters.}}
| length = 37:34
| label = EMI
| producer = Seth Justman
| prev_title = Best of the J. Geils Band
| prev_year = 1979
| next_title = Freeze Frame
| next_year = 1981| misc = {{Singles
| name = Love Stinks
| type = studio
| single1 = Come Back b/w "Takin' You Down
| single1date = 1980
| single2 = Love Stinks b/w "Till the Walls Come Tumblin' Down
| single2date = 1980
| single3 = Just Can't Wait b/w "No Anchovies, Please
| single3date = 1980
}}
}}
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.
The title song, "Love Stinks", is a rant against unrequited love. It has been covered by industrial metal band Bile, by Andru Branch in the film Love Stinks, Joan Jett in the film Mr. Wrong and Adam Sandler in the film The Wedding Singer.
Critical reception
{{Album reviews
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|author=John Franck |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-stinks-mw0000654155 |title=Love Stinks - J. Geils Band |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=2018-09-26}}
| rev3 = Record Mirror
| rev3score = {{rating|2|5}}{{cite magazine|title=The J Geils Band: Love Stinks |last=Nicholls |first=Mike |date=15 March 1980 |magazine=Record Mirror |page=23}}
| rev2 = Robert Christgau
| rev2score = {{Rating-Christgau|C+}}{{cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=4861 |title=Love Stinks |publisher=Robert Christgau |date= |accessdate= }}
| rev4 = Rolling Stone
}}
Cash Box said that the single "Just Can't Wait" has "earthy old wave rock guitar riffing, with a souped up synthesized farfisa organ sound."{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=July 12, 1980|page=11|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2022-01-01|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1980/CB-1980-07-12.pdf}} Record World called it "certified boogie music with a hook that will grab summer listeners."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=July 19, 1980|accessdate=2023-02-20|title=Single Picks|page=15|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/80/RW-1980-07-19.pdf}} Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian named "Just Can't Wait" as the band's 7th best song, stating that "The song’s Farfisa organ lick was very symbolic of the sound of the early 1980s, when all styles of music were merging into a new wave-type sound."{{cite web|title=10 J. Geils Band Songs Fans Love|author=Kachejian, Brian|date=January 2024|accessdate=2024-09-21|publisher=Classic Rock History|url=https://www.classicrockhistory.com/10-essential-j-geils-band-songs/}}
Track listing
All songs written by Peter Wolf and Seth Justman, except where noted.
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Just Can't Wait
| length1 = 3:24
| title2 = Come Back
| length2 = 5:11
| title3 = Takin' You Down
| length3 = 4:05
| title4 = Night Time
| writer4 = Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer
| length4 = 4:31
| title5 = No Anchovies, Please
| length5 = 2:41
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title6 = Love Stinks
| length6 = 3:44
| title7 = Tryin' Not to Think About It
| length7 = 6:22
| title8 = Desire (Please Don't Turn Away)
| length8 = 3:35
| title9 = Till the Walls Come Tumblin' Down
| length9 = 4:01
}}
Personnel
- Peter Wolf – lead vocals
- J. Geils – guitar
- Magic Dick – harmonica, alto sax
- Seth Justman – keyboards, vocals
- Danny Klein – bass
- Stephen Jo Bladd – drums, vocals
=Production=
- Producer: Seth Justman
- Engineer: David Thoener
- Mixing: David Thoener
- Mastering: Joe Brescio
- Studio assistant: Jesse Henderson
- Arranger: Seth Justman
- Art direction: Carin Goldberg
- Design: Carin Goldberg, Mark Handel
- Photography: Cadence Industries Corp.
Charts
Album
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (1980) ! scope="col"| Peak | |
| {{album chart|Billboard200|18|artist=The J Geils Band|rowheader=true|accessdate=September 8, 2020}} | |
| Australian (Kent Music Report){{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=122}} | {{center|43}} |
Singles
| class="wikitable" |
| align="left"|Year
!align="left"|Single !align="left"|Chart !align="left"|Position |
|---|
| align="left"|1980
|align="left"|"Come Back |align="left"|US Pop Singles{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-j-geils-band/chart-history/hsi/ |title=The J. Geils Band Chart History: Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |accessdate=September 8, 2020}} |{{center|32}} |
| align="left"|1980
|align="left"|"Come Back" |align="left"|US Club Play Singles{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-j-geils-band/chart-history/dsi/ |title=The J. Geils Band Chart History: Dance Club Songs |magazine=Billboard |accessdate=September 8, 2020}} |{{center|69}} |
| align="left"|1980
|align="left"|"Just Can't Wait" |{{center|78}} |
| align="left"|1980
|align="left"|"Love Stinks" |{{center|38}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{The J. Geils Band}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:The J. Geils Band albums