Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses

In 1978, the J. Geils Band approached the end of its long and exploitative contract with Atlantic Records. The band was living off scant royalties and paying for most of their own production, and their 10 albums had little success despite hard work and quality music. At one point in 1973, Peter attempted to negotiate a better deal, but Ahmet (the head of Atlantic Records) essentially ignored the request. Ahmet and Peter became friends for a time but never discussed the deal.

When the contract ended, Peter sought a new deal and was rejected everywhere. He ran into a lawyer named Abe who worked with several popular musicians and promised to find him a deal free of charge. Abe arranged a meeting with Bhaskar Menon, the owner of EMI Records, making up a story about a deal with Columbia Records to entice him.

Bhaskar signed the J. Geils Band and propelled them to new heights, helping them sell more records than ever; their third EMI record even became the top-selling record one year. On the night that the deal was made, Peter recalls how Bhaskar’s door was ripped off when another car drove into it while it was open.