The band started as an acoustic blues trio in the mid 1960s with singer and guitarist J. Geils (born February 20, 1946; died April 10, 2017), bassist Danny Klein (Dr. Funk) and harpist Richard Salwitz (stage name Magic Dick). The band formed under the name Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels while Geils was attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a couple of semesters. In 1967 the band switched focus, starting to play electric guitar and bass and recruiting drummer Stephen Jo Bladd and fast-talking ex-disc jockey singer Peter Wolf, born Peter Blankenfeld, both from Boston. The following year Seth Justman joined as an organist, and the group signed to Atlantic Records in 1970.
The J. Geils Band first received FM radio airplay with the live single "First I Look at the Purse", then had several hit singles in the 1970s, the most successful of which was "Must Of Got Lost" (1974). Later in the 1970s, the band signed with EMI America Records.
The band had good success covering soul singles. Besides the well-known aforementioned "First I Look at the Purse" from The Contours, they covered the more obscure "I Do" from The Marvelows and "Ain't Nothing But a House Party" from The Showstoppers.
The group's commercial fortunes improved in the early 1980s, first with the humorous "Love Stinks", then with their great success with the Freeze Frame album which included "Centerfold" (#1 for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100) and then the title cut (#4). Wolf left the group in 1983 for a solo career not long after, over disagreements about whether to continue to take the band in more of a popular direction, or continue with the purist tradition.
The band went on to record one more album of new material, You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd, after Wolf left. He was not replaced, and Seth Justman took over most of the vocal duties. The album produced only one single - "Concealed Weapons", a song about breasts - and was not a success. The band toured in support of the album, but never again recorded anything new. The group then disbanded in 1985 after contributing the title song to the 1985 horror film Fright Night.
The group was not reunited with Wolf until 1999, and subsequently broke up again when ticket sales proved extremely disappointing. Wolf continues to tour with his own backup band, and the rest of the Geils band makes occasional appearances. Since the semi-retirement of the band, Geils has been restoring sports cars in Massachusetts.
On 22 May 2006, the six original members had a surprise reunion, the first time they had all played together in over 20 years, at bassist Danny Klein's 60th birthday party at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston.
Since 2009 they are reunited once more.
The band disbanded in 2017 after the death of bandleader J. Geils.
Concealed Weapons
The J. Geils Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All that hidden loot
She didn't seem so dangerous
Harmless, yeah to boot
You break the ice
She'll turn on you
She's way beyond the law
She yells, "Freeze!"
She's a dead aim, sure shot
Sweet ammo in her shoe
What fits right at her chest
She's got aiming right at you
She'll make a sharp inspection
Of more than head to toe
Then she'll slap her handcuffs on
And say, "Honey, you can't go"
Stick 'em up, stick 'em up
Concealed Weapons
The most dangerous you ever saw
Stick 'em up, Concealed Weapons
Concealed Weapons
They oughta be against the law
You might have her covered
But there ain't no way to stop her
She's got her secret weapons
And there's no way she will drop 'em
She can change hands -- turn around
And take a fancy shot
If you can put the bullet
Into her cartridget slot
Spead 'em out, palms down
Up against the wall
You been had but you ain't sad
No army you can call
And when she pats you down
You best not take a risk
Speak not, move not
When she starts to frisk
Stick 'em up, stick 'em up
Concealed Weapons
She's gonna beat you to the draw
Stick 'em up, Concealed Weapons
Concealed Weapons
They oughta be against the law
She didn't know what she was packin'
She didn't know my heart was crackin'
She was shootin' with live ammunition
She was attackin' from every position
She had me pinned down, flat on the floor
She blew me away and I was hurtin' for sure
Concealed Weapons, Concealed Weapons
They oughta be against the law
Stick 'em up
Concealed Weapons
The J. Geils Band's song "Concealed Weapons" tells the story of a dangerous woman who seems harmless at first glance, but is packing a variety of hidden weapons. The lyrics describe her as a "dead aim, sure shot" who carries "sweet ammo in her shoe". She inspects her targets thoroughly before slapping her handcuffs on them and preventing them from leaving.
The song utilizes a variety of imagery and metaphors to emphasize the danger of the woman's concealed weapons, comparing them to buried treasure and live ammunition. The singer of the song is eventually caught off guard and pinned down by the woman, leaving him "hurtin' for sure".
Overall, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of a woman who is far more dangerous than she appears, and the tension and danger of each encounter.
Line by Line Meaning
Buried treasure
Secretly kept riches
All that hidden loot
A collection of stolen valuable items that are kept hidden
She didn't seem so dangerous
At first glance, she appeared to be harmless
Harmless, yeah to boot
Completely harmless
You break the ice
When you first meet her
She'll turn on you
She can suddenly become hostile towards you
She's way beyond the law
She believes she is above the law
She yells, "Freeze!"
She demands that you stop immediately
When you want her to thaw
When you are hoping to win her over and make peace
She's a dead aim, sure shot
She is skilled at shooting and does not miss her target
Sweet ammo in her shoe
She always carries weapons with her
What fits right at her chest
She keeps the weapon that is easiest for her to wield close to her chest
She's got aiming right at you
She is pointing her weapon directly at you
She'll make a sharp inspection
She will thoroughly search your person
Of more than head to toe
She will search every inch of your body
Then she'll slap her handcuffs on
She will restrain you with handcuffs
And say, "Honey, you can't go"
She will prevent you from leaving
Stick 'em up, stick 'em up
Raise your hands, quickly
Concealed Weapons
Weapons that she is carrying but are not visible
The most dangerous you ever saw
These are the most dangerous weapons you've encountered
They oughta be against the law
They should be illegal
You might have her covered
You might think you have the upper hand
But there ain't no way to stop her
But there is no way to put a stop to her plans
She's got her secret weapons
She has hidden weapons that you do not know about
And there's no way she will drop 'em
And she will not give up her weapons
She can change hands -- turn around
She can change hands and shoot from any position
And take a fancy shot
And she can take difficult shots with ease
If you can put the bullet
If you can shoot her
Into her cartridget slot
Into the space where her weapon's ammunition is stored
Spead 'em out, palms down
Spread your arms out, with your palms facing downwards
Up against the wall
Against the closest wall
You been had but you ain't sad
You've been tricked and caught, but you're not upset about it
No army you can call
There's no one you can turn to for help
And when she pats you down
And when she searches you by patting your body
You best not take a risk
You should not try to resist or fight back
Speak not, move not
Do not say anything or move
When she starts to frisk
When she begins to search your body
She didn't know what she was packin'
She did not fully realize the danger of her concealed weapons
She didn't know my heart was crackin'
She did not realize how much she was hurting the person who loved her
She was shootin' with live ammunition
She was acting recklessly with her dangerous weapons
She was attackin' from every position
She was attacking from every angle and method
She had me pinned down, flat on the floor
She had successfully conquered the other person
She blew me away and I was hurtin' for sure
She completely defeated their opponent and caused them emotional pain
Concealed Weapons
Weapons that are being hidden from sight
They oughta be against the law
These weapons should be made illegal
Stick 'em up
Raise your hands as fast as you can
Contributed by Isabella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Keith Otis Edwards
Funny how this band went from playing hard core blues, doing covers of songs by Chicago Bluesmen such as Albert Collins and Otis Rush, and morphed into a pop band sounding more like Devo or Oingo Boingo.
ELE comments
Oingo Boingo's first album Only A Lad has more edge than this though
thewackyretard
The coolest thing about this album is that they didn't go for an outside person to replace Peter Wolf. They let the keyboard player take over the vocals.
thewackyretard
I wish that there were live recordings of them playing live shows with him as the frontman. I haven't been able to find anything.
Rain Greene
And he was more than up to the task. It's a shame they didn't carry on after this.
Jim Stull
This album is a very good one, loved it when it came out. Seth Justman and Stephan Jo Bladd surprised me as singers(very good). It would be great if they'd release a new album. Just saw them Aug. 28, 2012 and they are great in concert.
Brett Leitner
Lost 80s hit! Remember it well from its MTV run and always adored this song. Seems I'm one of only a few in that regard.
Nick West
My favorite album from the band. Check out Fright Night with Seth on vocals.
Rain Greene
An underrated gem to be sure.
Craig Stenseth
The "go to" guitar riff if you're trying out a chorus pedal.