Thursday Throwback: Freeze Frame by J Geils Band

Most will recognize the artist The J. Geils Band from their appearance in Rock Band 3 with Centerfold. Prior to the game’s unveiling when information was slowly being released about the new features within, Harmonix announced the inclusion of the new Keys lane, and shortly thereafter, a trailer was released. One of the songs on this announcement trailer was Centerfold. Prominently featuring a great use of keys, this song was one of the first tracks that people encountered in Rock Band 3.
I decided to feature the other song big The J. Geils Band single released as DLC in April 2011, Freeze Frame. Before the release of Centerfold in 1981, the band had a limited amount of success, with only three albums going gold out of roughly ten albums. With the release of the album Freeze Frame, where both of these singles originate from, the album went platinum and hit the top of the charts. Sadly, only a few years later they broke up, but have reunited a couple of times since that time.
Freeze Frame was released a year later to great success, peaking at Number 4 for four weeks in the US. The song features heavy use of keys, which made it a better fit to Rock Band 3, rather than Guitar Hero, which charted the keys to guitar. At the time of release in Rock Band, many called it a great party song, and it is a classic early 80′s track.
Another one of my favorite songs, there isn’t a weak instrument here. Let’s start with the 1-tier keys, which is what this song is all about. They aren’t as varied as in Centerfold, but this is a great way to get used to the whole concept of keys and keeping your timing right. The song’s 4-tier harmonies are another highlight of the song, making the backup singers seamlessly merge with the rest of the track. 1-tier guitar and bass both have varied charts, but do get lost a little bit in the mix of the track, so be aware. 3-tier drums have your usual charts, but do have breaks with different notes periodically, so things don’t drag.
Got any ideas for any artists we haven’t featured yet? Or different songs by artists we have featured? Any ideas would be great!
After looking through this site, why don’t you head on over to my growing fansite, The Tribute Pages which features loads of tributes of video games, TV shows and movies. As a bonus, all the previous Throwback Thursday articles are been transferred and updated there too, starting with Peace of Mind!
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I’ve been meaning to pick up this song… it’s ridiculously catchy, and looks fun to play.