The J. Geils Band Anthology: Houseparty
The 38 tracks on the two-CD set, "The J. Geils Band Anthology," were arranged out of chronological order so the first 10 songs on the second disc could all be live recordings. Those songs give you a good sense of what the second set at a J. Geils show sounded like back in the days when the band was the most exciting blues-rock band in the land. On stage, the sextet would expand the boundaries of the blues to include everything from Stax and Motown to jackhammer rhythms and screaming solos, and that roadhouse party attitude carried over into a series of hit studio recordings. --Geoffrey Himes