Rate the albums by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

THE ONLY ONE YOU NEED IS THE FIRST ONE!

http://www.rounder.com/images/local/300/ff90c077-9b0f-491e-a649-3e1c53e6e97e.jpg

this any good?

it is so good

Spoken intros are A+, Foggy Notion cover is great, "Plea For Tenderness" is amazing.

it is great. everything tylerw said

its so great I wish I had a copy myself

(bandmate has it on cassette)

After years of just having the self titled debut I took a plunge into his back catalogue recently. I took a few recommendations from people on here in the one of the other threads.

I got Jonathan Sings a few days ago and I can't stop playing it. The neighbors, That Summer Feeling, Somebody to Hold Me so many great songs.

The second and third albums are pretty great but not quite in the same league. I have Modern Lovers 88 on it's way in the post but Rockin and Romance and It's time for the Modern Lovers don't seem to be available anywhere. Anyone know if there's any plans to bring them out?

I read that his solo albums are pretty hit and miss. The only one i have is I Jonathan which I really love, are any others as good as that one?

PMLO is indeed awesome. it's available for download on amazon if anyone is looking to pick it up.

New Kind of Neighborhood!!! Love that fucking song.

(oops I guess that's on Modern Lovers 88...?)

One of this albums many pleasures is the version of "I'm Straight" in which Hippy Johnny is called Hippy Ernie.

Re the solo albums: I've always enjoyed hearing songs from them live and enjoyed hearing the albums when friends played them but never felt compelled to own too many of them. I don't know if that is exactly the same as hit or miss.

Always thought the Santana diss on PMLO was hilarious.

Re the solo albums: I've always enjoyed hearing songs from them live and enjoyed hearing the albums when friends played them but never felt compelled to own too many of them.

^^^also this

altho really the "Modern Lovers" was just a rotating cast of randoms for the most part. I have no idea who he uses on his recordings now (is it just him and Tommy?) Would kinda like to hear some of his Spanish albums.

xpost. I always end up answering this question, but Rockin & Romance is available here:

http://www.twintone.com/projects/8558.html

I have it and it sounds great. It's a CD, not a CDR, but no real cover art.

i go to bakeries all day long
there's a lack of sweetness in my life

i have yet to hear a bad album richman made until about, i dunno, 1994--but some of them are really poorly recorded, i'll admit.

will rep for modern lovers 88.

The two poorly recorded ones are "Rock'n'Roll with the Modern Lovers" and the self-titled one, "Jonathan Richman". Some people still like really them though.

Over the last few months I've managed to track down most of their albums so I can now join in.

1.Jonathan Sings
2.The Modern Lovers
3.Back In Your Life
4.Rockin' and Romance
5.Rock N' Roll With The Modern Lovers
6.Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
7.Modern Lovers 88

I'm still missing It's Time For The Modern Lovers.

To get Rockin' and Romance on cd, you have to get in touch with the guy at Twin Tone. He went so far as to get everything transferred, but he never went into production. Still, he'll do a cd for about $15, last I knew. He's also got the Yung Wu album and the great Big Hits Of Mid-America Vol. 3 available. All very much worth it.

The two poorly recorded ones are "Rock'n'Roll with the Modern Lovers" and the self-titled one, "Jonathan Richman"

yeah, the latter in particular--which has great songs--sounds like it was recorded in a bathtub.

Kitchen Person, you need to get hold of Modern Lovers Live as well. It's 80% material that is not available on any studio albums and has a couple of really essential numbers on it. eg. Morning of our Lives is just an amazing song and it's a beautiful performance.

What I love is the way the lyric starts as a naturally candid conversation between Jonathan and one other person with minimal music, then he brings in the other Modern Lovers, invites them into the song and into the story. Finally at the end the whole audience at the gig and also anyone listening to the record is invited into the song during the refrain of "We're young now / Now's the time to have faith in what WE can do". The crowd start clapping along and cheering and it's the end of the show. It's such a great, inspirational way to end a show. When I first listened to this record the honesty, positivity and cammeraderie with the audience was completely at odds with most of the music I had been exposed to that I was really taken aback. It still makes me shiver when I listen to it.

Hurrah! My Modern Lovers collection is complete. I now own vinyl copies of Rockin & Romance and It's Time For thanks to Ebay. I bought It's Time For.. from a seller in Italy who had it as a Buy it now for 4 Euros which seems like an amazing deal. I still love Jonathan Sings the most but those two are both really great.

My revised list is..

1.Jonathan Sings
2.The Modern Lovers
3.Back In Your Life
4.It's Time For..
5.Rockin' and Romance
6.Rock N' Roll With The Modern Lovers
7.Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
8.Modern Lovers 88

I'll keep an eye out for the live album and delve into his solo albums a bit more but for now I can relax having all the albums I have.

YSI...?

Cool. Here's an interesting review of It's Time For... by Julian Cope.
http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1353

Review's not by Cope. It's by one of the people who reads his site.

lol yeah Cope's writing style is... distinctive

The 1st Modern Lovers disc stands head & shoulders above the rest for me, but Jonathan Sings, Rockin & Romance, and Back In Your Life are also good.

omg that Bermuda monologu on Having a Party... is AWESOME.

monologue

Have any of the early Modern Lovers albums been given the deluxe reissue treatment? It seems odd they wouldn't.

No they haven't. I think only the first one has had the reissue treatment, with 8 extra tracks. The rest have been pretty basic issues with maybe only one extra track or nothing at all. I'd love to see a reissue of Modern Lovers Live with the entire concert. Apparently that does exist somewhere.

The 1st Modern Lovers disc stands head & shoulders above the rest for me, but Jonathan Sings, Rockin & Romance, and Back In Your Life are also good.

I really do not agree that Modern Lovers is the best album. It's a good album with some great Velvets-style songwriting and a refreshingly snotty delivery which pre-dated that kind of thing becoming fairly ubiquitous years later. The thing that elevates later albums is the true voice of Jonathan in the songs. He himself dismisses the first album as being derivative and the band as being irrationally uptight and I agree with that. The first album does not represent who he is as a person and because of that I think it lacks the depth of the later more light-hearted, more honest albums.

The two poorly recorded ones are "Rock'n'Roll with the Modern Lovers" and the self-titled one, "Jonathan Richman". Some people still like really them though.

I love "Rock'n'Roll with the Modern Lovers"!

# what's surprising is that, in an age in which tribal allegiances and genre boundaries among listeners are breaking down, the same isn't generally the case within most artists' recorded output [Started by sausage s4rgent (acoleuthic) in April 2010, last updated 28 seconds ago by Born In A Test Tube, Raised In A Cage (unperson)] 77 new answers

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61gG0hsAH4L.jpg

^this

He himself dismisses the first album as being derivative and the band as being irrationally uptight and I agree with that.

seriously, hunt down that Bermuda Monologue track - he discusses the first album and compares it to other stuff/bands from the time and it is HILARIOUS. also totally otm.

Rock n' Roll with the Modern Lovers was the first one I bought after years of just having the first Modern Lovers album, I was pretty shocked when I first put it on but I got hooked on Ice Cream Man pretty quickly.

Jonathan Sings! is just so good all the way through, it's by far my favourite album of his and probably the best album I've bought this year so far.

Back In Your Life really surprised me, I wasn't expecting to like it so much after reading some online reviews but it's a really sweet album.

Modern lovers 88 is the only one that hasn't really grabbed me so far but up until then it's a stunning run of albums.

aw I love 88

New Kind of Neighborhood!

Yes, there are some great tracks on there. California Desert Party, Dancing Late at Night, Circle I, New Kind of Neighbourhood. It's part of the canon for me, with no real drop in quality.

I think I just need to give 88 a bit more time, I think I've only played it twice. I've actually bought 10 albums of his in the last 3 months so it's not surprising a couple of them are still waiting to be properly delved into.

I'm really surprised about Jonathan's attitude toward the 1st Modern Lovers record. He may have been more keenly aware of the up-tightness of the band since he was there, but I don't sense it at all when listening to it. I think there have been moments since then that feel like he is sort of forcing the preciousness of the songs, and ends up straying into Raffi territory.

I think it's pretty commonplace for artists to like their first album a lot less than fans do. For the artist, it was their awkward first step, and they probably got better at getting the sound they wanted later on, but for fans the same album might seem like the freshest, most original thing they ever did.

also, the making of that first modern lovers record was probably pretty frustrating. maybe if it had actually come out in 1972-73, he might not have as bad associations with it.

it would appear he's playing songs from it live these days, though: http://bigozine2.com/roio/?p=462

eh he's never sworn off that material completely - I've seen him do Roadrunner, Pablo Picasso, etc.

I've seen him lots of times since about 1990 and he always has played one or two songs from the first album and yeah, not much from the Rough Trade period. "Give Paris One More Chance" is the one he plays most often. He sets these days tend to be about 75% recent material and 25% older ones, favouring the best tracks from I, Jonathan and Having A Party. It kind of bugs me that every time I go and see him it's "I Was Dancing At the Lesbian Bar", "You Can't Talk To The Dude", "Let Her Go Into The Darkness" and "My Career As A Homewrecker" every time, when there's so many more great songs he never touches.

"I Was Dancing At the Lesbian Bar"

I never liked this song so yeah, agree it's annoying

He has an unnatural affection for that song. I swear he's played it at every single friggin show. And he stretches it out every time with ridiculous dances, guitar solos, singalongs etc.

when an act plays the closest thing they've ever had to a 'hit' at every show i don't necessarily know if that means they have an "unnatural affection" for it.

I should mention that the ridiculous dances, guitar solos and singalongs during the live performances of "I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar" render the song enjoyable. But is that the closest thing he's had to a hit? Really? It was in movies or something I guess? I mean he had hit singles in the 70s in the UK.

it's so hard to really say definitively since he's had so little chart success in the US, but as far as post-Modern Lovers stuff it's one of his most well known songs (and the only one i've ever heard on the radio or seen referred to as a 'novelty hit').

I always thought Egyptian Reggae was the closest thing he had to a hit. In the UK anyway.

that and roadrunner, which there's great Top Of The Pops footage of (danced by legs and co)

oh, youtube also has New England from totp. and a legs and co version of Egyptian Reggae (lol at camel)

I always thought Egyptian Reggae was the closest thing he had to a hit. In the UK anyway.

More than close:

Roadrunner, #11, Jul 1977
Egyptian Reggae, #5, Oct 1977

This one surprised me though:

Morning Of Our Lives, #29, Jan 1978

Yeah, with a long live rendition of "Roadrunner" from the live gig (not on the album, if I recall)

The follow-up, "New England" had an appearance on TOTP, but did not chart.

"I Was Dancing At the Lesbian Bar"

I never liked this song so yeah, agree it's annoying

― the sound of a norwegian guy being wrong (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 30 April 2010 00:51 (10 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

He has an unnatural affection for that song. I swear he's played it at every single friggin show. And he stretches it out every time with ridiculous dances, guitar solos, singalongs etc.

― everything, Friday, 30 April 2010 00:56 (10 hours ago) Bookmark

^^^^^^^
Jonathan Richman fans who hate fun

(be fair, he explains later that all that does add the fun)

yeah, i like "lesbian bar" though I can see getting tired of hearing it live.

just listening to It's Time For... which I'd never heard before. This is like the roughest, most rocking thing I've ever heard him do outside of the first Modern Lovers LP! Like, the guitars on Let's Take a Trip actually get distorted and wild a little bit.

That album's got a good loose, garagey feel to it. Similar to Rock'n'Roll With The Modern Lovers in a lot of ways but not as murky sounding. My two favourite tracks on it are actually the quieter numbers that end each side - Just About 17 and Ancient Long Ago. Both great songs that he absolutely nails.

Ancient Long Ago is probably my favourite album closer of his. The lyrics are just wonderful and the backing vocals when he's singing about the trees swaying really get to me.

Kitchen Person, you need to get hold of Modern Lovers Live as well. It's 80% material that is not available on any studio albums and has a couple of really essential numbers on it. eg. Morning of our Lives is just an amazing song and it's a beautiful performance.

― everything, Thursday, April 15, 2010 7:39 PM (3 months ago)

I just picked this up second hand today, I absolutely love it all the way through. The songs sound so great, the version of Ice Cream Man sounds much better and somehow fuller than the album version. Morning of our Lives is indeed a beautiful song.

Too many dang albums. Anyone up for making suggestions for 1-3 highlights from each one?

on some other jonathan thread, gerald mcboing posted a pretty stellar career-spanning comp...

This is a useful comp, too: http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1371375/a/Roadrunner.htm

Has Modern Lovers Live-era recordings of Astral Plane and Hospital, Roadrunner (Thrice) - the Morning of our Lives B-side – plus Chapel of Love (from the Berserkley Spitballs comp) amongst some oddities that are otherwise hard to track down. Richman's disowned it, naturally. And it is cackhandedly compiled from the Modern Lovers and JR and the Modern Lovers with no useful information. But some great music.

I have that comp! Bought it for the ridiculous cover but it's not bad as a one-disc collection.

Tony, I'll email you the links. Anyone else interested contact me via ilxmail with yer addy.

Thanks!

actually listened to his latest record on spotify -- pretty wonderful! dude's still got it.

Some Jonathan Richman highlights I've come across recently:

Great lost song from the live album Precise Modern Lovers Order (don't turn off before the closing anti-drug, anti-alcohol, anti-smoking, anti-make-up (!) rant at the end)

A Plea for Tenderness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87eocBt4PtA

Excellent version of Roadrunner from the same CD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bo_e9NFm2U

Jonathan tears up after hearing the William Blake poem 'The Lamb' on Tony Wilson tv show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7mHg0H6sy8

Spotify does not have Precise Modern Lovers Order but it does have Live At The Longbranch ... which is from the same appearances.

Does anybody know where "Modern Lovers Live" (Beserkley) was recorded?

I'd always assumed UK, as he had actually had a couple of hit singles here, but there's nothing on the album that says so.

You're talking about the one with Leroy and Asa where he keeps playing "Ice Cream Man" and has the discussion about whether he changed his shirt? Don't know where it was recorded either, good question.

Yeah, (yeah.. yeah...) that one.

Think that was my favorite as regards to the parameters of this thread.

.. and yet, it is credited only to "Modern Lovers"

think that the "this is a brand new shirt" modern lovers live alb was recorded at hammersmith odeon, or palais, but cld be wrong abt that

Ha. "If you had said that last night you would've got me, but this is a brand new shirt."

Big up to "The New Teller" which always needs a special mention since it was on Beserkley Chartbusters and not on any of Jojo's original albums, although I guess it is now on some best-of comps.

Yes! You can listen to "The New Teller" on Spotify on the Roadrunner: The Beserkley Collection.

lesseee....

1. back in your life
2. rock 'n' roll with the modern lovers
3. jonathan sings!
4. jonathan richman & the modern lovers
5. modern lovers 'live'
6. rockin' & romance
7. modern lovers 88
8. it's time for

these are all great records, though, and my order is kind of arbitrary. rockin & romance would probably he higher were it not for the muffled sound mix.

i like almost every record he's made. except for surrender to jonathan (eh) and i'm so confused (which i don't like at all, b/c of production/arrangements). still coming to terms with his records of the past ten years or so.

back in your life basically gets it b/c of abdul and cleopatra and the title song. it's really of a piece with the 2nd JR&ML album (rock 'n' roll w/). mostly acoustic. it's precisely the sort of stuff JR doesn't fuck with in concert these days and the stuff that gets him accused of being the tweest motherfucker on the block. but i love it, not least b/c I associate it with very happy times. conceptually I think r'n'r is his total breakthrough, in its way it's as revolutionary as the "modern lovers" LP (the stuff recorded in 72/73 and released in 76, I mean).

most of these albums are out of print BTW. which sucks. there were bonus-track CD reissues of JR&ML, rock'n'roll, back in your life, ML live in the early/mid 2000s but these have all (?) disappeared.

not sure if anyone is discovering this stuff anymore. i hope so.

there should be a box set of all the 70-74 stuff (the "original" modern lovers era)--all the cale, fowley, intermedia, etc. studio demos plus live stuff, solo demos, etc. i have a lot of this stuff on shitty-sounding boots.

there's a bunch of "missing" stuff/rarities in the JR&ML era too. some interesting rehearsal tapes with andy paley, a "lost" album (which sounds like more demos) from 80/81, an amazing promo live LP recorded @ peppermint lounge NYC 1981, the "jonathan goes funky" sessions, etc. also don't forget the pre-ML beserkley stuff, chartbusters etc. and there are some 1974 solo demos which are pretty much the (fascinating) 1/2way point b/t original ML and JR&ML.

anyway somebody needs to get on all of this pronto. i worry though that between all the different labels involved, and the fact that JR himself does not care for this period of his career, we'll never get more than what we have now.

The Rubinoos are backing Jonathan on "The New Teller," by the way. Might have been recorded as early as '74?

the chartbusters LP was released 75 IIRC, so it's likely.

i always just assumed the new teller was done around the time of the Beserkley Roadrunner version, which was around '74 iirc

1. rock 'n' roll with the modern lovers
2. rockin' & romance
3. jonathan sings!
4. jonathan richman & the modern lovers
5. modern lovers 88
6. it's time for
7. back in your life
8. modern lovers 'live'

yeah IIRC there were a series of singles which were quickly compiled on the chartbusters LP. the 73/74 demos see JR trying out some of his new guileless, happy stuff but still recording velvet underground style stuff. by 1976 the VU-style stuff was totally out.

How old were the Rubinoos? 74 seems too early.

Formed in 1970 according to their Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rubinoos

back in your life basically gets it b/c of abdul and cleopatra and the title song.

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist)

Yeah this album is one of my favourites too. Those songs are two of my highlights but it's all about Affection for me. Emaline and I Hear You Calling are great too. Some of his most beautiful songs are on this one.

yeah, it's all so good.

The sound of the band on those records is really something. Just listening to drums on their cover of Clyde McPhatter's "Lover Please," incredible.

Yeah I love that track. I have an interview somewhere from years ago where the interviewer and Jonathan go into detail about the recording techniques on the earlier Modern Lovers albums like Rock'n'Roll. It's them in a room playing live but the details were about the mic placements, the materials on the floor, getting in the right mood etc. Quite interesting - I think it's in an old copy of Cool&Strange Music magazine.

Here's what I cobbled together.

Top songs....I thought you were gonna rate all his albums. That’s ok. Pretty good list.