Peter Wolf


Band members                             Related acts

  line up 1 (1964 - )

- Peter Wolf (aka Peter W. Blankfield) -- vocals, harmonica

 

  supporting musicians (1990)

- Larry Chaney -- guitar

- Bobby Chouinard -- drums, percussion

- Jeff Golub -- guitar

- Vickie Hampton -- background vocals

- Arno Hecht -- horns

- Jim Horn -- horns

- Bryon House-- keyboards

- Wayne Jackson -- horns

- Mike Lawler -- keyboards

- Sam Levine -- horns

- Terry McMillin - harmonica

- Kim Morrison -- background vocals

- Johnny Neal -- piano

- Taylor Rhodes -- guitar, keyboards, percussion, 

  background vocals

- Matt Rollings -- piano

- JImmy Lee Sloas -- bass

- Alan St. Johns -- keyboards

- Barry Tashian -- guitar

- Angus Thomas -- bass

- Robert White Johnson - percussion, background vocals

 

 

 

- J. Giels Band (Peter Wolf)

 

 

 


 

Genre: rock

Rating: *

Title: Up To No Good 

Company: MCA

Catalog: MCA 6349
Year:
 1990

Country/State: Bronx, New York

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: includes original lyric inner sleeve

Available: 1

Catalog ID: --

Price: $

 

When I was in high school and during my early years in college Peter Wolf and The J. Geils Band could do no wrong.  They ruled critics hearts and the airwaves.  And then like all things in life, the good times came to an end and band front man/lead singer Peter Wolf headed off into a marginally successful solo career.  Like many others, after the first one or two Wolf solo albums I simply lost track of his career.  To be honest, I didn't even know this third solo album existed until  I found a copy in a flea market emporium.  Todd Schorr's cover was cool ; Wolf was a known quantity and for $3.00 it was hard to go wrong.

 

I guess I should have remained more interested in Wolf's solo career since I found 1990's "Up To No Good" surprisingly enjoyable. That certainly wasn't the case for most critics, or the buying public who ignored the LP in droves.  Shame.  After to albums for EMI America, Wolf's third solo album was released by MCA. Co-produced by Wolf, former RPM singer Robert White Johnson and Nashville-based songwriter Taylor Rhodes, the trio were also responsible for writing the majority of the album's eleven songs. Nothing here found Wolf trying to push artistic boundaries, or make any big  social or political statements.  Instead, exemplified by material like the single "99 Worlds:", Go Wild" and "Lost In Babylon" the goal seemed to underscore he remained a commercial player, capable of generating hits , even if that meant borrowing from a variety of musical niches.  And that made it one of those fun "spot-the-influences" collections.  It was even more fun when I discovered Wolf had commented on each song in the liner notes.  Admittedly employing a pair of Nashville-based songwriters a guarantee some of these songs were going to sound over-polished and made-to-play.  I could certain hear those critiques on "Never Let It Go" and "Shades Of Red-Shades Of Blue"It was a minor complaint, but my biggest issue with the album came from the patented early-'90s production.  On tracks like "When Women Are Lonely" and "Arrows And Chains" the results were so busy and polished, at times it bordered on AOR, threatening to smoother Wolf.   Still, it has always been hard for me to not fall for a catchy melody and there were quite a few here.  Moreover I've always liked Wolf's "bad boy" snarl.  Nah, he wasn't Mick Jagger, but so what.  Not a masterpiece, but certainly a pleasant surprise.

 

For anyone interested, Wolf has a website at: www.peterwolf.com 

 

"Up To No Good" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) 99 Worlds (Peter Wolf - Taylor Rhodes - Robert White Johnson) - 3:35 rating: **** stars

I certainly liked the bouncy opener "99 Worlds" but the basic rhythm sounded like it had been lifted from a mid-'60s Motown track and then mashed-up with a Stones tune to give it more of a rock edge.  Admittedly Wolf sounded in good form throughout and if you were going to borrow, Motown and The Stones weren't bad sources. Easy to see why MCA floated it as the leadoff single, though it was dead on arrival.  After I'd listened to the album a couple of times I discovered the liner notes included song-by-song comments from Wolf: "The construction and rhythm section of this song is influenced by early Motown (i.e. Edwin Starr, Marvelletes).  The horn arrangement lends itself more to the Philly sound of Tom Bell."

- 1990 "99 Worlds" b/w "Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl" (MCA catalog number MCA 53726)

 

MCA even financed a rather uninspired promotional video for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNMzSQs0vpM 

2.) Go Wild (Peter Wolf - Taylor Rhodes - Robert White Johnson) - 3:43 rating: **** stars

Not sure who played it, but I've always loved the opening guitar riff which kept "Go Wild" blazing through the full three + minutes.  Also kudos to Bobby Chouinard's slamming drums.  First-rate mindless rock and roll fun.  Couple of beers and I could see myself dancing with the wife - well, she'd probably say "hell no" ...  This one reminded me of a good J. Geils tune. "Straight in your face good ol' primal rock n' roll.  I love the trash sounding guitar.  We cut it live in two takes."   That's actually the perfect description for the song.

3.) When Women Are Lonely (Peter Wolf - Taylor Rhodes - Robert White Johnson) - 3:45 rating: *** stars

"When Women Are Lonely" wasn't bad - it just wasn't particularly original.  In fact the song has always reminded me of something Bruce Springsteen and the E. Street Band cover band might have recorded.  Same kind of "blue collar" feel, with a spoken word segment and a sax solo could have passed for a Clarence Clemmons efforts.  "A combination of several different R&B ballad styles with a little country flavoring. The acoustic guitars and the "love rap" at the end makes this one of my personal favorites."  I'd beg to differ about the love rap. Still, easy to see why MCA floated it as the second (equally unsuccessful) single:

 

 

- 1990's "When Women Are Lonely" b/w "Shades Of Red - Shades Of Blue" (MCA catalog number MCA-79040)

 

MCA  released an equally uninspired  promotional video for the second single: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqOxgmvVkao 

 

 

 

 

4.) Drive All Night (Peter Wolf - Desmond Child) - 3:42 rating: **** stars

"This song was written a long time ago and I wasn't planning on recording it for this album.  One day during a jam session in the studio, we started to kick it around.  These is a certain charm about its simplicity, the more we played it the more infectious it became."  That's the perfect description for this bouncy pop tune.  For a second the opening synthesizer pattern made me think of Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters", but otherwise if was pure, mindless ear-candy.  Stupid chorus - can't get rid of it.

5.) Up To No Good (Peter Wolf - Taylor Rhodes - Robert White Johnson) - 4:33 rating: ** stars

The album's first disappointment, the title track sounded like a pastiche stitched together from studio odds and ends.  I guess it was intended to be commercially viable, but nothing here (not even the title refrain, or the mandatory sax solo) was particularly impressive. "This is an homage to "Friday night" when you're ready to "rip it up" and put the work week behind.  A great debt here is owed to James Brown and "Dyke" Arlester Christian."  Nice that Wolf acknowledge two of his artistic influences - Brown and the late Christian (of Dyke and the Blazers fame).  A better honor would be for you to buy and enjoy an album by either of those artists.

 

(side 2)
1.) Lost In Babylon (Peter Wolf - Taylor Rhodes - Robert White Johnson) - 3:57  rating: **** stars

It's funny that Wolf's own description of the song was kind of dark and depressing: "A surreal and nocturnal view of the sleepless city where "anything goes" no matter the price, no matter the consequences.  It's just do it or die, so you better look both ways before crossing."  Against that background the melody was quite bubbly.  Well at least it wasn't a reggae tune ...  "Lost In Babylon" was another tune that reminded me of a good J. Geils tune (think along the lines of "Centerfold").  Pulling a page out of The Faces catalog, the song had a propulsive, slightly ragged melody topped with catchy group backing vocals.  From start to finish it was a fun performance.  Had I been MCA this would have been one of the songs I would have tapped as a single. 

2.) Arrows And Chains (Peter Wolf - Taylor Rhodes - Robert White Johnson) - 3:25 rating: *** stars 

The opening had kind of a '90s Stones feeling.  Shame it didn't last longer ...  Nah, that wasn't really fair of me.  "Arrows And Chains" was okay and when I read Wolf's comments, I could appreciate the song a little more.   "As a rock musician one is always asked "How long can you go on doing it.  And more important how long can you keep doing it well? (sounds sort of sexual eh)?  It gets very competitive and the real challenge to me has been trying to keep one's integrity, especially since greed always seems to be staring you in the face."

3.) Daydream Getaway (Peter Wolf - Janna Allen) - 3:44 rating: *** stars

Initially "Daydream Getaway" didn't do anything for me. The song was co-written by the late Janna Allen (best known as a songwriter - her sister Sarah Allen was Darryl Hall's former girlfriend and the muse for "Sara Smile").  I raise that because after a couple of spins the song's sweet melody and catchy hook struck a chord with me.  The tune would not have sounded bad on a Hall & Oates album.  

4.) Shades Of Red-Shades Of Blue (Peter Wolf - Taylor Rhodes - Robert White Johnson) - 4:07 rating: ** stars

"Shades Of Red-Shades Of Blue" was one of those songs where the patented 'glossy 90s production became a source of irritation. Moreover the song wasn't any great shakes, certainly not the slice of insight Wolf may have envisioned.  "Most things in life are never cut and dry or simply black n' white and sometimes issues can't be answered in a simple right or wrong.  The ability to rationalize, and only see one point of view can be the cause of many conflicts - self-deception remains the most difficult deception."

5.) River Runs Dry (Peter Wolf - Taylor Rhodes - Robert White Johnson) - 5:01  rating: *** stars

Wolf's always been a big blues fan and "River Runs Dry" certainly reflected those influences.  At the same time this wasn't your standard slice of Chicago electric blues.  Instead the song was built on a weird, percussion powered tribal chant - think along the lines of something you might hear at a New Orleans Mardis Gras parade.  Truly odd ... "This song owes homage to Chicago's South Side and particularly Muddy Waters and John Hooker who I've earned so much from through their music and their friendship." 

6.) Never Let It Go (Peter Wolf - Will Jennings) - 3:57  rating: *** stars

"This song is about my high school sweetheart.  She and I hitchhiked around the country together.  She was Dutch Indonesian, a great beauty, a painter and a lover of music.  She died tragically in a car accident.  There is a saying that, "First love is like no other".  As you can tell from Wolf's comments, "Never Let It Go", this was one of Wolf's most personal songs. I'm guessing everyone has a similar story - first loves, missed opportunities and memories.  Wolf's story was charming and all the better for not being a hyper-sensitive ballad.

 

 

 © Scott R. Blackerby June 2025

 

 

 

 

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