Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rated 289/500!
Originally released on the Beserkley label in 1976 (though most of the material was recorded in 1973), The Modern Lovers is a universally accepted proto-punk classic. It's an album that bridges the gap between The Velvet Underground, a band whom leader Jonathan Richman was obsessed with, and the first wave of punk rock. While also displaying the goofy wit that would later be Richman's signature, The Modern Lovers is equal parts geeky, emotional, angst driven, life affirming, and, from start to finish, absolutely brilliant.
"Jonathan Richman moved from Boston to New York as a teenager in hopes of sleeping on Lou Reed's couch. That influence shows on the two-chord anthem "Roadrunner." Recorded in 1972 but not released until 1976, Modern Lovers turned the tough sounds of the Velvets into an ode to suburban romanticism." - www.rollingstone.com
"Boston native Richman was obsessed with the Velvet Underground; when he started his own band, he rewrote the Velvets' 'Sister Ray' into an ecstatic two-chord tribute to cruising down the highway with the radio on. This 1972 recording [Roadrunner] (featuring future members of Talking Heads and the Cars) wasnt released for more than three years whereupon English punks fell in love with it." - Rolling Stone
Musicians:
Eddie Brooks, bass
Jerry Harrison, piano, organ
Jonathan Richman, vocalist, guitar
David Robinson, drums
Features:
180g Vinyl
Selections:
1. Roadrunner
2. Astral Plane
3. Old World
4. Pablo Picasso
5. She Cracked
6. Hospital
7. Someone I Care About
8. Girl Friend
9. Modern World
Originally released on the Beserkley label in 1976 (though most of the material was recorded in 1973), The Modern Lovers is a universally accepted proto-punk classic. It's an album that bridges the gap between The Velvet Underground, a band whom leader Jonathan Richman was obsessed with, and the first wave of punk rock. While also displaying the goofy wit that would later be Richman's signature, The Modern Lovers is equal parts geeky, emotional, angst driven, life affirming, and, from start to finish, absolutely brilliant.
"Jonathan Richman moved from Boston to New York as a teenager in hopes of sleeping on Lou Reed's couch. That influence shows on the two-chord anthem "Roadrunner." Recorded in 1972 but not released until 1976, Modern Lovers turned the tough sounds of the Velvets into an ode to suburban romanticism." - www.rollingstone.com
"Boston native Richman was obsessed with the Velvet Underground; when he started his own band, he rewrote the Velvets' 'Sister Ray' into an ecstatic two-chord tribute to cruising down the highway with the radio on. This 1972 recording [Roadrunner] (featuring future members of Talking Heads and the Cars) wasnt released for more than three years whereupon English punks fell in love with it." - Rolling Stone
Musicians:
Eddie Brooks, bass
Jerry Harrison, piano, organ
Jonathan Richman, vocalist, guitar
David Robinson, drums
Features:
180g Vinyl
Selections:
1. Roadrunner
2. Astral Plane
3. Old World
4. Pablo Picasso
5. She Cracked
6. Hospital
7. Someone I Care About
8. Girl Friend
9. Modern World
