"A culmination of all the lust and loss ever sung by all the Jersey bar bands I've ever heard. Their sound is the best music to ever come out of New Jersey and that's saying alot. You'd swear you knew guys like them back in the neighborhood and here they are singing about people and times you grew up with. Raucous, bluesy, soulful, smart music with fabulous harmonies you can't help but sing along with. "Trapped Again" is my favorite Southside song, if not my favorite of all time. Good time music if ever there was."
JUKES HAT TRICK- YOU JUST DONT GET 'EM LIKE THIS, BABY!
BIGPOPPACOOL | carneys point, nj United States | 08/15/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"THESE ARE THE FIRST, AND BEST OF THE JUKES CATALOG.
OH SURE, THERE ARE SOME OTHER GOODIES.....AT LEAST WE HAVE SHOES, BEEN A LONG TIME, AND SOME OF JOHNNYS SOLO STUFF.
BUT THE ESSENCE OF WHAT MADE THE JUKES THE WORLDS GREATEST BAR BAND IS FOUND OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON THESE FIRST THREE ALBUMS.
I DONT WANNA GO HOME, LITTLE GIRL SO FINE, HEARTS OF STONE, TRAPPED AGAIN, SOME THINGS JUST DONT CHANGE, AND THE GREAT JOB ORIGINAL DRUMMER KENNY PENTAFALO DOES ON CHECK MR POPEYE.
I SLOPPED A LOT OF BOOZE AND PLAYED A LOT OF GIGS ON THE JERSEY BAR SCENE BACK IN THE DAY. EVEN HAD PASTA DINNER WITH SOUTHSIDE, ED SCHOCKY, AND RONNIE SPECTOR AT TRAVILINGINIS RESTURANTE ON RT 49. THESE GUYS DIDNT JUST PLAY IT- THEY LIVED IT. SSJ AND TH AJ'S GAVE ALL US BAR BANDS HOPE THAT IF YOU JUST KEPT HACKING, SOMETHING GOOD WOULD COME OUT OF IT.
THANKS GUYS.
JOHNNY PROVANO"
They got the fever....
David Kinney | San Francisco, Ca. United States | 05/29/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When Southside Johnny and his Jukes came roaring out of Asbury Park on the tail (some said coat tail) of Bruce Springsteen in 1976 I didn't expect much from them. Afterall, how many great bands could one tiny music scene produce. Well the answer is two great bands. "I Don't Want To Go Home',and "This Time It's For Real got massive turntable rotation at my digs during the second half of the seventies. Steve Van Zandt (E Streeter,Little Steven,The Sopranos,but you knew that) not only produced and played on these albums, he also contributed winning original songs to the eclectic mix of covers.On "I Don't Want To Go Home" the big winners are the title cut, Bruce's "Fever" and a duet with the late great Lee Dorsey on 'How Come You Treat Me So Bad' that is simply hilarious. The second album of this trio is not quite as seamless as the first but it contains more terrific Van Zandt tunes and some raucous collaborations with The Coasters, The Drifters, and the Five Satins. Sound fun? Fun! I never was able to truly embrace the third record as much as the first two. Produced by Juke guitarist Billy Rush it drops most of the humor and self effacement that made this band so attractive to me. Still they're terrific musicians and Johnny sings his heart out here, and as a part of the total package, "Hearts Of Stone" is more than welcome in my CD tray. To my ears they never surpassed this triad of records and this box set is a genorously priced gift to Southside fans everywhere. Get it and get the fever too."
One cliche "they don't make em like this anymore"
Robert Fiesser | 09/14/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first turned onto Southside and the Jukes in the eighth grade (the only one of my peers of course) but I knew i'd found something special. this music has always served, to me, as a paradigm of what great music and a great band should sound like."
The Holy Grail of soul-drenched, bar band rock.Majestic!
Robert Fiesser | 08/12/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The crowd stands, weary but estatic on a hot Jersey night. Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, the World's Greatest Bar Band, are dripping in sweat but a LONG way from being done. In the dark come the unmistakable first chords of "The Fever", Southside steps up to the mike and blows into the harp. The sound is smokey and dense. That is, until the horns blast through the soup and suddenly the whole bar, and it seems like the whole Earth, is jumping. "It's gonna be all right" indeed! "I Don't Want To Go Home" Is a collection of songs almost too good for this world. Penned mostly by Steve Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen, the songs range from passionate to glorious to beatiful aching balleds. Driven by sqealing guitars, driving horns, and, of course, the best vocalist this side of Otis Redding, Southside's first three records are essential proof that there was once a great music called rock and roll. And at its center beat a raging, burning heart. Do yourself a favor- seek out these records at any cost."