The Modern Lovers

this is the meeting-that-could-have-been-an-email of albums

It's called The Modern Lovers because modern bands loved it at some point to make music that is loved more. Not really a diss but uhh yeah I'll take the modern stuff thank you.

I’m so tired of British trash like this being considered good. “I’m Straight” is a whole song about not smoking weed??? Maybe if you did you’d actually write good music. Fuck, I’m jealous of anyone who’s never listened to this trash.

too british

God I am sick of 70s music. I might abandon the website if this is just going to be an overview of the 70s. The vibe is OK but the lyrics are quite poorly written. The "modern lovers" ? more like the "pre-pubescent lovers". The whole album seems juvenile, like listening to a kid in primary school trying to articulate love and relationships. I'm going to stop it 8 songs in. Why tf does anyone "need" to listen to this album before they die?

This was fucking dreadful 1 ⭐️

Not a fan. Honestly? Like of ALL the music in the world. This is one album that I REALLY should to listen to? There’s soooooo much better classic punk in the world in fact I’m gonna go listen to some right the fuck now thanks bye.

boaring

This album sucks a fat one. Full offense intended.

Torture. Can anyone please make this guy stop groaning at me

BOOMER ROCK WTF if next album is this trash im leaving this website

Womp womp

Overall forgettable and boring to me.

I made it through one and a half songs. Inane speak-singy lyrics, blah music.

4/24/2022 Today's Album: "Modern Lovers" by The Modern Lovers - In my personal opinion, this album is a pile of absolute dog shit. Excluding the highlights, which I will discuss a bit later, this album has absolutely unbearable vocals. The dude sounds like he's shitfaced and just doesn't give a fuck at all. I know that with punk music and especially with what this album is clearly ripping off (The Velvet Underground), there is a lot of "bad" vocals and it's sort of the point of the genre, but jesus christ if it isn't just absolutely grating. I can manage it on the songs where he's singing with any sort of rhythmic intent, but often times it just doesn't fit the music whatsoever. I think the production on this album is actually quite okay and the instruments sound pretty good on some tracks, but most of the performances throughout here are just so mediocre and generic. It often feels like there is little to no difference in the instrumental from track to track and that is truly what makes the highlights stand out. There are only 3 highlights on this record for me. The track Pablo Picasso still suffers from the dogshit lead vocalist's singing, but I think the instrumental is actually really tasteful and the lyrics are kind of funny, even if they come across as completely annoying due to the voice. The track hospital feels way more subtle and mellow than any other track with this really nice soft organ opening and what I can expect is this vocalist trying their absolute hardest to sound somewhat decent (and failing at it). I like the drum groove that comes in at about 45 seconds and I think the time switch ups are pretty cool and well done. Government Center sounds like a punk track you might here closer to the 80s or 90s and is the only time when this album feels forward thinking. The lead vocal is still incredibly grading but the instrumental is fun and bubbly with claps and a goofy synth sound. Overall, though, this record is fucking awful. I think I am still missing some perspective on the punk genre, but at this point I have heard enough good punk songs to know this record never reaches the same highs as any of them. There are some promising moments on this record, but it just is so few and far between that it is seriously one of the worst album experiences I have ever had. Listen to the highlights if you can handle some strange punk and seriously just don't listen to the other tracks. They are generic, blown out, and have terrible vocals over them. Score: 2/10 bad Highlights: Pablo Picasso, Hospital, Government Center

Jonathan Richman is a literal genius and this album finds him with an edge he would never find again. I love all of his phases but this is his most important, iconic work. Jerry Harrison plays keyboards on it too! Highlights are Hospital, She Cracked, I’m Straight, Old World, Pablo Picasso, Roadrunner, Modern World, Astral Plane.

Love this, I think Jonathan Richman is so funny, I've got his best of CD that I've always enjoyed so I knew many of these tracks. I'll go with 5 stars, it was a funny and fun listen for sure

So friggin good. John Cale knows how to produce sounds I like

What if Lou Reed sang about healthy living and Boston instead of heroin and New York? Proto Punk? No Proto Straight Edge. Jonathan was lonely because he liked health food and tried to cock block Hippy Johnny for being stoned. Sounds like an edgeman to me. My favorite Boston record of all time. 5 radios on.

'Goin' faster miles an hour.' In a sense, The Modern Lovers took over just where The VU left things with Loaded, indeed improving on Lou's grand & noble love affair with 'rock 'n' roll.' Interestingly enuf, John Cale produced six of these tracks, tho to my knowledge, Cale was nowhere to be seen in the latter years of that first & greatest of alt acts in rock history. Anyhow, I love this album even more than Loaded. Above all else, I love it b/c it has to do with what's happening 'late at night,' when 'it's getting dark,' but not w/ respect to the magic of a metropolitan nighttime. Nope, this sings to the tune of when 'you're alone in your room.' In a strange way then, it's got to be one of the most romantic & heartbreaking records of all time: 'Hospital.'

Maan this is such an amazing album. I fell in love with Hospital so much when i was like 17, and only listened to the whole album years later. This one, is absolutely one of the best 70s records for me. It’s raw, but still sounds amazing. Sounds undeniably very VU, probably bc of John Cale, but this one can stand toe to toe with a few VU records in my opinion. It rocks, it’s funny, the guitars are bangin. This is an easy 5 for me.

My intro to the Modern Lovers was via a cover of Pablo Picasso by Burning Sensations form the Repo Man soundtrack. That movie/soundtrack was formative for me in high school And that song was a highlight. It took me discover that song was on fact a cover. And a rather raucous cover. So that brought me to Jonathan Richman and the Moder Lovers. And what an album. The fact that it came out in the mid 70s but was recorded on the early 70s but sat on a shelf is hard to comprehend. You can certainly feel VU/Lou Reed and the Doors - and 50s rock n roll - here but the presentation and delivery is all forward looking. Every bit as revolutionary and influential as the first Ramones album and a joy to listen to. I can't imagine how this baffled upon it's release. It felt right at home in the mid 80s, as it did the mid 90s - and the 2000s... I still prefer the BS version of Pablo Picasso but that speaks to the unique talents of Mr Richman.

What a great album. And that from 1976!? It sounds so much 90s. But in the end it doesn't matter. Great music. Only negative part (which has nothing to do with the music) ... it isn't on Spotify so I guess I won't be listening again

An absolute favorite of mine. Kind of proto punk but also much more lowkey. I also love Jonathan Richman’s later music which leans even more into being like this kind of kind hearted guy who also loves the Velvet Underground too much

4.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-modern-lovers/the-modern-lovers/ This is amazing! Coincidentally got this one just after The Cars (which this precedes with its drummer; hoping I continue with Talking Heads via Jerry Harrison). So influential for many of the bands I have ended up listening to years later. This needs to go into my heavy rotation.

if you hate this album then you hate massachusetts

I really ended up enjoying this one.

Proto- Everything! Truly an essential album every music lover should hear before buying the farm. Interesting to note that Jonathan Richman would never top this album be it solo or with The Modern Lovers, which isn't to say that great music wasn't released after the debut but not debut album holy grail great.

Love it. The guitars shine and Richman’s tongue in cheek delivery remains one of the most unique and idiosyncratic vocals in rock and roll.

I went through a phase where I got really into these garage rock/"proto-punk" bands like this one, but somehow these guys never crossed my radar. Very similar sound to the Standells, which makes sense both being from Boston, but with more synth. I really dig it. Pablo Picasso is so weird but fun, same with I'm Straight. Dance With Me is less fun but is enjoyingly eerie. Huge fan of this one.

When I was a teenager, I thought I would be a painter, and then sound overtook me. I made up songs because I had to. I had the need to express how I felt. And that's still how it is. It's just what I do. I do it when there's no audience, I do it when there is an audience. And, when I paint, that's how that is too. — Richman in a 2020 online thread

1 2 3 4 5 6! Roadrunner was the first record I ever bought. It was some years before I caught up with this album along with several others in Richman's discography. From being a VU fanboy, Richman has ploughed a distinctive furrow seemingly without troubling the charts. And long may he continue. This is a brilliant and influential album, though it took several years after recording before it saw release.

uma delícia

really enjoyed this! i loved all the massachusetts references. i was specifically looking for the velvet underground influences because i know jonathan richman was obsessed with them from watching the Todd Haynes VU doc, and I definitely heard them and just generally the 60s-inspired sound, and loved how they were innovated into this 90s alt rock context. i can totally see myself returning to this album a lot. It kind of made me want to be in love with massachusetts... Fav tracks: Roadrunner; Pablo Picasso; Hospital; Girlfriend; Modern World; Government Center; Someone I Care About (Alternative Version)

Highly regarded proto-punk recorded in 1971 and 1972. The other songs besides the classics Roadrunner and Pablo Picasso are very good. Velvet Underground influenced (and John Cale produced). Jonathan Richman led but includes Richman, Jerry Harrison (later Talking Heads - keyboards), Ernie Brooks (bass) and David Robinson (later The Cars - drums). His voice ("all right") works with the music and lyrics. The keyboards are a big part of the sound. Love the references to Massachusetts and NYC.

One of the best finds on the list for me. Some new favorite songs!

I have listened to this album at least a thousand times and it sounds just as fresh today as it did back then. Just as wonderful now as it was the first time I heard it. So raw. So powerful. So honest. Also, If you ever have a chance to see Jonathan Richman live, DO IT! It will be the best show you see all year.

Top album! Een voor een leuke liedje

Day828 - i love the grittiness of this album. not every album has to have a shiny polish on it.

Damn so cool. What a vibe. The lyrics and the lyric tone exude day-to-day hip with a gloss of punk, garage rock, DIY, spoken-word, and the kitchen sink. Mostly new to me--I'd always assumed the band behind that name was synthy britpop schmaltz--now I am hearing everything I love, like Pavement (yes!), Television, Teenage Fanclub,Talking Heads, even The Pretenders. Wow. Yeah I know it gets a little weaker toward the end, but there are still some gems there, pulling my 4.5 up.

Peak

I think the 70s are the decade that I've explored the least. Born in the late 70s, 80s music was my youth soundtrack, hair metal and new wave, along with all the great pop. Got into hip hop in the early 90s and dived deeply. Then came Nirvana and I explored alt rock, then current indie/college rock, leading me to dive deeper into the 80s again. But all along that I became obsessed with early rock and roll and went nuts for everything 60s. But I avoided the 70s due to disco and prog, two things I wasn't interested in. All of this is a long way to say that all of my surprises have been from this decade. Add The Modern Lovers to Nick Lowe and Leonard Cohen. 4/5 Edit: started this review about halfway through. Now that I finished, it's a 5. Sometimes critics know what they're talking about

All-timer

okay, another one that i'll begrudgingly listen to as a way to remind myself that it's perfect

Muy guapos. Gran influencia prévia a grupos punk. Buen descubrimiento

Verdens største Velvet Underground-stan lager band. Resultatet kan beskrives som the Neurotic Underground, og det er godt. Vanligvis kjører jeg original LP tracklist. Dette er ett av få unntak, for jeg klarer ikke å leve uten I'm Straight. (Har endt opp med '86-utgaven som har bonussporene flettet inn i sequenzen på en naturlig måte.) Om skiva også hadde hatt I Wanna Sleep, så hadde The Modern Lovers vært komplett.

Det virker som Jonathan Richman har sunget om "the old world" hele karrieren sin. Tekstene har et nostalgisk, tidvis naivistisk preg, og musikken nikker hele tiden bakover. De nikker en del framover også, så det er en slags metaforisk headbanging. De har uten tvil lært/stjålet mye av Velvet Underground, men jeg hører også mye The Doors ("Astral Plane" og "Hospital"!) og Stooges ("She Cracked" og "Someone I Care About") inni der. Men steal like an artist, det ville ikke vært noe tvil om jeg hadde hørt Richman/Modern Lovers i bakgrunnen på jukeboxen på ei kneipe uti verden. Plata er definitivt en klassiker innen punk/new wave og helt på høyde med Talking Heads og Television, som kanskje er de mest naturlige å sammenligne med blant de samtidige. Men Modern Lovers var først!

I had to listen to it twice through to find its magnificent, Jonathan Richman sounds like a character. VU>modern Lovers > sex pistols influence …Loved it listened to a few other JR with ML albums

There’s just something about Jonathan Richman that I find infinitely endearing. I love everything that this man releases and this one’s a doozy. 10/10 Favorite Tracks- “Pablo Picasso” “I’m Straight” “Astral Plane”

klasyczny tytul od nieklasycznej bandy, ktora byla i nie byla, bo nawet ten krazek to nie jest pelnoprawny album tylko zlepek demosow wydanych pozniej jako plyta, nagrania pochodza z 71-73, natomiast plyta zostala wydana w 76 gdy sie reaktywowali muzycznie, chyba w prawie calkowicie przebudowanym skladzie, gdzie zostal tylko pan od tekstow i wokalu pan richman, ale ja kojarze jedynie to nagranie, jak pewnie wiekszosc ludzi kojarzy ich tylko z tego materialu, bo jest to cos wartego przesluchania, nie czesto zdarza sie taka mocna i rowna kolekcja doomersko gloomerskiego materialu, ktory jest jednoczesnie tak romantyczny jak romantyczne moze byc spojrzenie na uczucia i zwiazki wzrokiem doomersko gloomerskim, pomimo tego, ze ten krazek jest najczesciej okreslany jako art rock, to jak dla mnie czuc w nim cos z punkowosci nawet pomimo jego smutnosci, bo jest to dominujace uczucie ktore bije z wiekszosci trakow, wiekszosci, bo nie wszystkie sa tak wyczilowane jak hospital czy astral plane, ale zdarzaja sie tez bardziej klasycznie rokowo zagrane kawalki, mam na mysli zwlaszcza otwierajacy roadrunner czy im stright i government center, gdzie przewodzi gitara, natomiast najbardziej klimatyczne utwory sa budowane wokol klawiszy ktore chyba najbardziej mi zostaja w glowie, sa tutaj uzywane zarowno orgrany jak i pianino, co daje ciekawe efekty, reszta setupu raczej klasyczne rokowanie, elektryk plus akustyk, bas i drumsy, wiec typowa 4 osobowa banda o brzmieniu typowym, ktory jednak jest podany tak ciekawie i zgrabnie napisanymi teksami pana richmana, ze jak dla mnie jest klasykiem smutnej muzyki romantycznej typu przegrywowego, nawet nie pamietam skad w ogole znam ten album, ale pewnie jakies plejki byly inspiracja, bo widze ze juz w 2018 ich znalem, wiec idealnie pasuje do tajmlajna, chyba nic nie dodam, bo juz 4 traki mam z tego 10 lub 12 krazka na plejce, ale sa to wspomniane juz astral plane, hospital, pablo picasso i dignified and old, ktory dodalem w tamtym roku, gdy zlapalem niespodziewanie uczucia romantyczne i akurat tematycznie ladnie pasowal mi ten song

Goated

A real hiddeb gem this. Other than Road Runner did not know much about this album. Music is raw and similiar to mid 60s garage/early Love - which is no bad thing. Lyrics very witty.

I was only familiar with the first three tracks but I must have been in the mood for this because the rest of it hit just as hard. All of these mundane observations, semi-detached vocals, and WAY ahead of its time indie rock sensibilities came together so cohesively as to make this collection of demos sound instead like a greatest hits. I can hear the influence of these songs retroactively in some of my favorite records, by the likes of Violent Femmes, Pixies, and even Parquet Courts. I don’t really want to follow where Jonathan Richman leads after this, but I’m glad others followed in this record’s spiritual footsteps.

This is the best velvet underground record. All kidding aside, The Modern Lovers is what The Velvet Underground hoped to achieve and came close but not nearly as close as Jonathon Richman did with this record. I met Jonathan in 1979 and specifically asked him about this record. He instantly said he was just trying to copy Lou Reed. This should be no surprise with John Cale having produced much of the record. I listened and returned to this record many times over the last 50 years. I have also seen Jonathan live many times over this same period at different points in his career and in mine. As a musician, Jonathan is a genius. Perhaps a bit crazy, but certainly a genius. This record, was truly a bridge to punk rock. Many will listen to this record and point to Roadrunner as the definitive track, but in my opinion it’s tracks like Pablo Picasso and Hospital that are the touchstones to the genre. It is easy to see the pathway from the Modern Lovers to Television and The Ramones. Astral Plane, Girl Friend balance the three chords and child like melodies with Jonathan channeling Lou Reed at various points. Live, these songs presented differently than on the record, were direct and took on new meaning. Because of the chaos surrounding these recordings, these songs were performed live in the context of the simpler more folk rock style on the Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers record that came out a few months earlier than these recordings. Government Center, I’m Straight were played along side Ice Cream Man, New England and Important in Your Life. As records go, the Modern Lovers has held up so well because it really is a seminal record in rock music. All of what was called college rock or alternative rock of the 80s owes a debt to this record. Sure, the Velvet Underground gets and deserves credit but it was Jonathan who introduced that sound to people all over the East Coast from 1972-76 before heading to California to do the same. Anyone who saw Jonathan was likely mesmerized by his personality and performance and he played these songs. While his performance and muse took him in a radically unexpected direction in his solo career, these songs represent a critical point in American music and have undoubtedly influenced a number of musicians over the years. Like the Big Star records, The Modern Lovers record unlocked the possibilities for many bands that followed. The single Roadrunner was a key introduction to the band I’m sure for many. But for me it was the deeper cuts that I keep going back to. I’ve played she’s Cracked, Hospital, Astro Plane, Girl Friend, Government Center (from the 1986 reissue that added 3 songs) and the demos from the Original Modern Lovers which were the 1973 Kim Fowley sessions released in 1980) thousands of times over the years. It may have started as a Lou Reed inspired record but Jonathan turned it into music distinctly his own. 10/10

John Cage-produced bedroom rawk...Essential!

A perfect album

This is one of those records that you need to be a fan of mid-late-70's alt and punk music to truly appreciate. It mixes what The Doors did with what the CBGB scene (was doing with... well what happened later. It's incredible that this preceded the punk explosion and sounds like what came after at the same time. I can hear every 70's/early 80's new wave/post-punk band and the 70's punk/CBGB bands at the same time. An amazing record that needs to be heard and is more than justified to be on this list.

As good a one and done as the album era ever produced

"Well, the girls would turn the color of avocado when he drove the street in his El Dorado" The Modern Lovers is great for a lot of reasons. Recorded in 1971 and 1972 by a 19/20 year old Jonathan Richman, released in 1976 by a 25 year old Jonathan Richman - the album is shifty, a document of Richman's transition from adolescencent fanboy to real musician. His next albums would keep the sonic fundamentals but almost entirely change their subject matter. It's undeniable that The Modern Lovers is pretty fucking nasty towards and about women. Richman is slighted and wounded and venomous on like half of the songs - like Hospital - but given that he was a teenager when he wrote the songs & that he moved away from being so nasty to writing songs about how much fun it was to go on roller coasters, I think we can cut him some slack. The sound of The Modern Lovers is also really shocking given when it was recorded versus when it was released. There just...was not much else like The Modern Lovers in 1972. Pure Velvets-influenced rock & roll. Grimy fundamentals, two or three chords, nothing else. It's the exact inverse of what was big at the time - prog and glam rock. Now, this wasn't released until 1976 when this sort of sound was starting to gain some traction but someone had to come to the party early! I'd wager that the continuing appeal of this album relative to some of its 1976 punkish contemporaries, really what makes it stick out from the Ramones or the Dictators is that Richman made the decision to slow down how the band was playing the songs. Everything runs at a slack tempo which better fits Richman's voice. There are still notions of that faster rock-n-roll style on the album, like She Cracked, but Richman's most comfortable moving at the speed of Pablo Picasso. These slower tracks let his acerbic, funny lyrics lope toward the listener at a pace that allows the joke to breathe and opens space for Richman to improvise. Worth looking into the making of the album too. Very impressive, considering that Richman went from following Lou Reed around show-to-show like a puppy to working with John Cale, Kim Fowley & Gram Parsons within like four years. You never know where life's gonna take you! Favorite Tracks: Roadrunner, Astral Plane, Old World, Pablo Picasso, Hospital, Modern World, (+ Government Center)

I'm sorting of amazed at the virulence of some of these 1 star reviews. I always assume that Roadrunner is just utterly irresistible and that Pablo Picasso is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. And overall the album is simple beautiful rock and roll with an admittedly unique and off kilter sensibility writing the songs. Anyway my incredibly modest claim to fame is that I once performed Rhys Chatham's An Angel Moves To Fast To See alongside Ernie Brooks the bass player on this. There was me, him, a drummer and um... 99 other guitar players. Me and ol' Ern didn't get a chance to get close. The original recording of that guitar symphony (not featuring me) would put the cat amongst the pigeons on this thing.

Hey man, this was fun. I'll be honest. When I first started hearing Roadrunner, and for most of the song, it very much felt derivative of everything going on with British Invasion of the time. Some Doors, some Ramones, VERY Lou Reed inspired talking cadence. Nothing you havent heard before, right? WRONG. Because you a little bit of research, and other than the Doors, literally every other of those influences that I just mentioned, and all others that eventually take the cake as the preeminent Punk bands, came AFTER this album. And the instrumentals bang. They have fun with rhythm, melody, and leads. AGAIN, Is it anything you havent heard before in some capacity, no. But how much music really is? Very little, and if you believe otherwise, you need to go have a chat with your ego and your sense of musical awareness. BUT theyre having fun as a group. AND everything that the instrumentalists are doing is actually a very cool synthesis of what was coming before them (i.e. Psychedelic rock and Hard Rock (Like Zeppelin) and Rock n Roll). History is but a pendulum, kids. And before you get to the stripped down very basic bones of what Punk music is, there naturally had to be a transition period from the savant guitarists and monster band constructions where the notes were all that mattered. And it seems very clear to me that this album stands at right about that point. And its fun. Theyre having fun! And so is the singer. And he's fucking funny. I havent laughed this hard during an album in years. And the lyrics are cool. One or two lines from Pablo Picasso, or Girlfren did more for me lyrically than Bob Dylan really ever did, and I'm not really trying to dig on Bob Dylan, I'm just trying to use a reference people will get. And I mean it. The whole group isnt taking themselves too seriously and that is kind of the point at the heart of Punk music and what it would really be remembered for when it took full shape in the mid-70s. Yeah all that fancy playing is cool, but I dont care about that, everyones trying too hard to be Page, or Clapton, or Hendrix, but we're just going to bang (our heads). 9.4/10 4.2/5 but gets a 5 for the vibes and for making me laugh and for making me do research and learn some more and widen my view of appreciation.

My hopes were not high going into this one based on the name of the band and the album cover, but so far I'm pleasantly surprised. It's a Boston band so I am inherently biased when you kick off an album with "I'm in love with Massachusetts" but "Roadrunner" is a super strong song to open the album with. I like "Astral Plane" a lot, the synth is groovy and a bit spooky and I'm enjoying Jonathan Richman's vocals so far. I just wish he sounded more Bostonian and less British for a guy born in Boston. "Modern" is a good way to describe this band, this feels pretty cutting edge for the 70s. This does not sound like a record recorded in the 70s. In "Old World" Richman is bouncing around the beat in a really refreshing way, playing around with delivery and timing a lot. "Well, some people try to pick up girls and get called assholes / this never happened to Pablo Picasso / He could walk down your street and girls could not resist his stare and so / Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole". I mean this is just fun man. And you know what, he's fucking right. Nobody every called Pablo Picasso an asshole and he probably pulled like crazy because he was Pablo Picasso. This is a really fun song and it's a joy to listen to. And the instrumental breakdown halfway through rocks. This album has attitude, it's aloof, it's having fun and it's not taking itself too seriously. This is good music. Definition of proto-punk. This album fucks. "She Cracked" is a nice shift of energy after "Pablo Picasso", and I love the abrasive abandon of the musicality towards the end just to go right back into the hook. Wow, "Hospital". This is awesome. The slow build up into the frantic drums and complete change of pace just to bring things back down. This song is really gorgeous. If I was going through a breakup this would fuck me up. I have too many good things to say about this song. Taking a break from the song-by-song, I really love Richman's vocals. I feel like they're growing on me more and more as the album goes on, and he sings with a certain happy-sadness that feels very human and relatable. He sounds like some guy, and that's cool. Some guy who has known sorrow and has known joy. There aren't many things on this album that are amazing or jaw dropping from a technical perspective, it's the emotion and energy that you can feel in the songs that make them really stick, not some crazy riff or masterful drum solo. It's simple music in that sense, but I feel like there's a ton of depth in the way that it's being played. "I'm Straight" is so good. Richman is just having a conversation over this one and I really love it. Brother does not like Hippie Johnny. He thinks he deserves what Hippie Johnny has. Maybe he's right, but either way I like this one a lot. Even if the lyrics are repetitive, his delivery of them never is. Holy shit "Government Center" I know that place! I take the train there sometimes! They just want the poor government center workers to smile and have a good time, what a fine group of young gentlemen. "Dance With Me" is a really unsettling song to end the album off, and I mean that as a compliment. I love the grating guitar coming in over the hook. I loved this album and I can't believe it was made when it was. Fuck it, 5. This was really cool.

One of the best records ever, hands down, bar none. Each song is a classic - epic in pop song format. Story behind the record is fascinating. Story behind the band is fascinating. It all fell apart for reasons out of all their control. Jonathan Richman is a national treasure.

One of my hands down favorite records of all time. 5 *

I really enjoyed this album! Wonderful listen!

Love the Modern Lovers, the bands they influenced not so much. Maybe it's being from New England, maybe it's just that Jonathon knows how to write a tune.

(96/100)

I'm not sure what led me to listening to this album originally, as it's well before my time, but I've loved it since I first heard it. A five star classic for me.

PABLO PICASSO NEVER GOT CALLED AN ASSHOLE

The first four songs are impeccable and use cool words like ‘astral’ and ‘arcane’. I liked all the other songs too and I feel like they were pretty distinct. This is a high 4.5ish album that I look forward to hearing again soon. Also I like really shrill organ music, ymmv.

Pablo Picasso - another song from the past.

I have been looking forward to this album, simply because this album seems to check a lot of boxes for music that I tend to enjoy. I didn't enjoy the album as much as I enjoyed other power-pop records on this list, but it was fairly close. This album has a light-hearted Elvis Costello vibe to it and I enjoyed many of the songs on here. I didn't expect the keyboards (by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads!) to be so prominent. Could I argue against the inclusion of this one because the 70's rise of power-pop had been covered fairly well in this book? Possibly. Could I also argue a band that seems like they are one step away from being the Doors and one step away from being Elvis Costello, while also putting good songs together on an album deserves inclusion regardless. Possibly. Anyway, I liked this one and thought it was fun to listen to. I was going to list the songs I liked but then realized that I was going to list most of the songs. Even the songs on the deluxe version were pretty good songs.

Fucking great. Heavily indebted to the Velvet Underground, but way better than The Doors. Can trace a line directly to 00s indie bands like The Strokes.

Really fresh. I still don’t count it as punk at all

This has the casual rock n roll swagger that any decent indie guitar band should strive for. 'Roadrunner' is superb yet feels made up on the spot. The album lyrics are observations on life, by a young outsider. It's punk before punk. There feels a swirling mix of Iggy Pop (especially), but also the vocals/organ touches of The Doors ('Old World' at one point is very 'LA Woman'); Velvet Underground is a clear influence (unsurprising to learn Cale produced some of it); The Cramps and The Ramones (there are Motown sensibilities mixed in with the downbeat punky vocal; and as with those band the bass is important in setting out simple but effective harmonies and counter harmonies, check out 'Dignufied and Old' for your evidence). They are the band that sounds most like The Strokes, who ripped them off (the drawled semi-spoken vocal must've been an influence on Julian Casablancas - it has a great, disinterested but still tuneful baritone). They also presage new wave, with the jaunty feel of Talking Heads; and Bowie himself actually covered 'Pablo Picasso' on his Reality album. After listening for a while, I read up on it and was astonished this was recorded in 71/72. It has huge similarities to the Velvet Underground but also feels like a different side of the same coin. Lou Reed's laconic songs of urban decay and character studies are replaced with Richmans' introspective and anxious lyrics. Reed sings of the edges of society and Richman _is_ on the edge of society. Don't you see? Anyway it's banging.

What a great and original album. Who would have thought the goofy singer from the Farelly Brothers movies would actually be a talented artist.

A modern classic that set the stage (among others) for the garage rock revival of the early 2000s.

Damn this album is cool. Even after the huge single it doesn't let up on being catchy and fun. Shame this didn't release earlier as it should have been. The singer's voice is just the perfect amount of sincere awkward coolness. Like he is very nervous to sing but at the same time doesn't care how he sounds singing. I love it

I don't know this music, but I love it. This seems very ahead of its time - evergreen. Liked Songs Added: Roadrunner Astral Plane Pablo Picasso She Cracked Modern World

- **Background**: Contextualizes the album's creation and delayed release. - **Lyrical analysis**: Examines Jonathan Richman’s lyrical themes and style. - **Musical composition**: Breaks down the album’s proto-punk sound and influences. - **Production analysis**: Discusses John Cale’s raw production and its impact. - **Thematic exploration**: Explores nostalgia, alienation, and authenticity. - **Influence and legacy**: Details the album’s impact on punk and indie rock. - **Pros and cons**: Balanced evaluation of the album’s strengths and weaknesses. ------ # In-Depth Review of *The Modern Lovers* by The Modern Lovers: A Proto-Punk Landmark ## 🎵 1 Background and Context The Modern Lovers' self-titled debut album is one of rock history's most fascinating **paradoxes** - a record recorded in 1971-1972 but not released until 1976, after the original band had already disbanded. Led by the idiosyncratic **Jonathan Richman**, the Boston-based group created a seminal work that became a **missing link** between the raw simplicity of garage rock, the experimental ethos of the Velvet Underground, and the burgeoning punk movement that would emerge later in the 1970s. The album was pieced together from demo sessions produced by John Cale (formerly of the Velvet Underground) and others, initially recorded for Warner Brothers and A&M Records before being released on Beserkley Records . Despite its complicated genesis, the album has consistently been recognized as a groundbreaking work, appearing three times on Rolling Stone's list of the **500 Greatest Albums of All Time** and being included in Robert Dimery's influential book *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die* . ## 📝 2 Lyrical Analysis Jonathan Richman's lyrics on *The Modern Lovers* represent a dramatic departure from the prevailing rock trends of the early 1970s. While contemporaries were exploring fantasy, mythology, and political grandstanding, Richman focused on the **everyday experiences** and **emotional realities** of young adulthood with unflinching honesty and vulnerability. - **Authentic Vulnerability**: Richman's lyrics explore themes of loneliness, social anxiety, and romantic yearning with a childlike naïveté that feels genuinely vulnerable rather than strategically cool. In "Hospital," he sings with palpable desperation about visiting a loved one in medical care, blurring the lines between romantic devotion and pathological obsession . The song's repetitive structure ("Emergency room, emergency room") reinforces the sense of psychological fixation . - **Social Observation**: Tracks like "Pablo Picasso" and "I'm Straight" showcase Richman's knack for social commentary through personal lens. "Pablo Picasso" humorously contrasts the artist's legendary romantic success ("He was only 5'3" but girls could not resist his stare") with the social failures of ordinary people, while "I'm Straight" presents a manifesto against drug culture through the voice of a proudly sober outsider . - **Urban Poetry**: Richman finds beauty in the mundane landscapes of modern America, particularly on the iconic "Roadrunner," which transforms a nighttime drive along Massachusetts highways into a transcendent rock-and-roll ritual . The lyrics celebrate the simple joy of driving with the radio on, creating what critic Greil Marcus would later call "the most obvious song in the world, and the most strange" . ## 🎸 3 Musical Composition Musically, *The Modern Lovers* delivers a masterclass in **minimalist efficiency**, leveraging simple structures and repetitive patterns to create hypnotic, driving rock that predated both punk and new wave movements. - **Velvet Underground Influence**: The band's debt to the Velvet Underground is unmistakable, particularly in their use of droning organs (courtesy of future Talking Head Jerry Harrison) and propulsive, simple rhythms . Tracks like "She Cracked" and "Roadrunner" feature the same chugging, motorik rhythms that characterized much of the Velvets' work, albeit with more youthful energy and less avant-garde experimentation . - **Dynamic Range**: Despite its reputation as a proto-punk album, the record displays considerable dynamic variety. While "Roadrunner" and "She Cracked" are full-tempo rockers, "Hospital" is a slow, haunting ballad built around a simple two-chord progression that underscores the lyrical despair . "Girl Friend" takes an almost conversational approach, with Richman half-speaking the verses over minimal instrumentation . - **Instrumental Proficiency**: The individual performances are commendable precisely because they avoid technical flashiness. David Robinson's drumming (later featured in The Cars) provides straightforward, powerful foundations, while Ernie Brooks' bass lines offer melodic counterpoints to Richman's vocal melodies . The organ work by Jerry Harrison provides textural depth without ever overwhelming the songs' simple structures . *Table: Key Track Breakdown* | **Track** | **Tempo** | **Key Lyrical Theme** | **Musical Highlights** | |-----------|-----------|----------------------|-----------------------| | Roadrunner | Fast | Freedom through movement | Driving rhythm, minimalist guitar | | Pablo Picasso | Mid-tempo | Social alienation | Humorous spoken delivery, repetitive riff | | Hospital | Slow | Obsessive love | Haunting organ, sparse arrangement | | I'm Straight | Mid-fast | Straight-edge identity | Punchy delivery, social commentary | | Modern World | Fast | Embracing modernity | Energetic performance, optimistic lyrics | ## 🎛️ 4 Production Analysis The production of *The Modern Lovers* reflects its complicated origins as a collection of demo recordings rather than a conceived album project. Interestingly, this lack of polish became one of its greatest strengths, capturing the band's raw energy in a way that more sophisticated production might have diminished. - **John Cale's Influence**: The six tracks produced by John Cale (including "Roadrunner," "Pablo Picasso," and "She Cracked") display his characteristically minimalist approach, emphasizing live energy over technical perfection . Cale reportedly encouraged more aggressive performances from Richman, creating a tension between the singer's inherent naïveté and the music's driving intensity . - **Demo Quality**: Because the album was compiled from various demo sessions, there are slight variations in sound quality and ambience between tracks. "Hospital" was recorded earlier than the others (1971 versus 1972) and has a noticeably different tonal quality . Rather than detracting from the album, these variations enhance its documentary quality, capturing the band at different moments rather than attempting to create an artificial consistency. - **Minimal Processing**: The recordings feature little of the studio processing that characterized most early-70s rock recordings. There are no obvious tape effects, minimal compression, and no artificial double-tracking—choices that make the album sound remarkably fresh and modern decades later . The vocals are dry and upfront in the mix, emphasizing the lyrical content and Richman's distinctive delivery. ## 🧠 5 Thematic Exploration *The Modern Lovers* explores several interconnected themes that were unusual for rock music of its time, establishing Richman as a unique voice with a particular worldview that would influence generations of indie musicians. - **Nostalgia and Modernity**: Richman displays a fascinating tension between nostalgia for traditional values ("Old World") and enthusiastic embrace of modern America ("Modern World"). This isn't the reactionary nostalgia of many rock traditionalists, but rather a selective appreciation for elements of both past and present . He finds beauty in both his parents' values and the contemporary landscape of shopping malls and highways. - **Alienation and Belonging**: Many songs explore the experience of being an outsider while desperately seeking connection. "I'm Straight" presents the narrator as proudly different from drug-using peers, while "Someone I Care About" explicitly rejects casual relationships in favor of meaningful connection . This theme of authentic connection versus social posturing recurs throughout the album. - **Urban Romanticism**: Richman transforms the mundane landscapes of suburban Boston into settings for existential drama and romantic yearning. The "modern world" he describes isn't a dystopian technological nightmare but a environment where meaning and beauty can be found in unexpected places . His romanticism finds poetry in gas stations, highways, and hospitals rather than traditional natural settings. - **Authenticity vs. Performance**: Throughout the album, Richman positions himself in opposition to rock posturing and hipster affectation. His vocal delivery—often described as nerdy or awkward—becomes a statement against the polished professionalism of mainstream rock . This embrace of authentic imperfection would become a cornerstone of indie ethics in subsequent decades. ## 📊 6 Influence and Legacy The influence of *The Modern Lovers* on subsequent music movements is disproportionate to its initial commercial impact, making it a classic example of a cult record that shapes future generations more than its own time. - **Punk Precursor**: The album's raw simplicity and direct emotional expression provided a template for the punk movement that emerged shortly after its release. The Sex Pistols covered "Roadrunner" on *The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle*, while multiple punk and new wave artists cited the album as a key influence . The record demonstrated that technical proficiency was unnecessary for powerful rock expression. - **Indie Rock Foundation**: The album's DIY aesthetic and lyrical focus on personal experience rather than grand themes established foundational principles for indie rock. Artists like Lou Barlow, Stephen Malkmus, and Conor Oberst would later explore similar territory of vulnerable, autobiographical songwriting . - **Band Members' Future Projects**: The individual members' subsequent careers further extended the album's influence. Jerry Harrison became part of Talking Heads, David Robinson co-founded The Cars, and Ernie Brooks worked with various New York art rock acts . Richman himself continued as a cult figure with a devoted following, his later work exploring even more minimalist and lyrical directions . *Table: The Modern Lovers' Influence on Subsequent Artists* | **Artist** | **Influence** | **Example of Impact** | |------------|---------------|----------------------| | Sex Pistols | Proto-punk sound | Covered "Roadrunner" on *The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle* | | Talking Heads | Nerdy intellectualism | Jerry Harrison joined the band after Modern Lovers | | Pixies | Quiet-loud dynamics | Black Francis cited Richman's lyrical approach as influence | | Belle & Sebastian | Twee aesthetic | Adopted similar vulnerability and literary references | | Yo La Tengo | DIY ethos | Covered Modern Lovers songs in live performances | ## 👍 👎 7 Pros and Cons Evaluation ### Pros: - **Groundbreaking Sound**: The album's fusion of Velvet Underground-inspired minimalism with punk energy created a new template for rock music that would prove enormously influential . - **Authentic Songwriting**: Richman's lyrics broke from rock clichés to explore personal vulnerability and everyday experience with unusual honesty . - **Historical Significance**: As a bridge between 1960s proto-punk and 1970s punk proper, the album occupies a unique position in rock history . - **Consistent Vision**: Despite being compiled from different sessions, the album maintains a coherent aesthetic and philosophical outlook . - **Emotional Impact**: The raw performances convey genuine emotion that remains compelling decades later . ### Cons: - **Uneven Sound Quality**: The compilation nature of the album results in some variation between tracks recorded in different sessions . - **Limited Musical Range**: The minimalist approach may feel restrictive to listeners preferring more musical variety or technical virtuosity . - **Acquired Vocal Style**: Richman's distinctive vocal delivery—nasal, sometimes off-key, and deliberately unpolished—can be an obstacle for some listeners . - **Incomplete Vision**: Because the album was released after Richman had moved toward a different musical direction, it doesn't fully represent his artistic intentions at the time of release . ## 🎯 8 Conclusion *The Modern Lovers* stands as a landmark album that transcends its origins as a collection of demo recordings to become one of the most influential rock records of the 1970s. Its power derives from the tension between **raw musical simplicity** and **complex emotional expression**, between nostalgic yearning and embrace of the modern world, between social alienation and desperate desire for connection. Jonathan Richman's unique songwriting perspective—simultaneously naive and deeply perceptive—created a new template for rock authenticity that would inspire countless musicians in punk, indie, and alternative scenes. While the album may sound deliberately unpolished to listeners accustomed to more produced works, its raw energy and emotional honesty remain compelling decades after its release. The project's accidental nature—compiled from demos after the band had already disbanded—resulted in a captured moment of creative inspiration rather than a carefully crafted product. This gives the album its enduring vitality and ensures its place not just as a historical curio, but as a living, breathing work of art that continues to speak to new generations of listeners seeking alternatives to mainstream musical conventions . The Modern Lovers' debut demonstrates that great rock music doesn't require technical virtuosity, sophisticated production, or grandiose themes—it only requires authenticity, energy, and something genuine to say. In embracing these values, the album created a blueprint that would shape the future of independent music for decades to come.

This is an absolutely essential album. Yeah, it's basically a Velvet Underground knockoff (hey, he was young) but without the drugs and with a cheerful spirit, which of course he has honed to a fine point over the years. I can see how you'd wonder what the big deal was if you never heard anything else Jonathan did, though. And if course Roadrunner is an anthem for those of us from Massachusetts--there was an effort a while back to make it the state rock song--so some of us are biased. This is for the Brits: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jul/20/popandrock5

Such strong vibes. Roadrunner Pablo Picasso Government Center is a legendary collection. My only criticism is that it’s kinda same-y. But still at least a solid 8.5/10. 6/09/25

I loved this album. Proto punk, I guess. Unique and cool.

a powder keg of near instant memorability....the minimalism hammers every refrain home and brings so much clarity to the central creative ideas. some crazy bangers, and some deeply uncanny stuff as well. would be great on its own, but its rly put over the top by the singularity and utter Weirdness of jonathan richman, out here recording proto punk five years before the ramones debut (tho it ended up released the same year) yet approaching the stark minimalism not in the context of rebellious subversion but a chasing of, as he repeatedly puts it, the Old World. some of the lyrics are so square that they become dangerous objects when combined with the Sharpness of the songs. elvis costello scribbled notes during this record like his life depended on it.

This is #day371 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it's so much fun listening to music. Take this record: echoes of The Velvet Underground (no surprise John Cale produced the majority of songs), or some Talking Heads, mostly due to the era and geography (but not only! Just looked up and learned that Jerry Harrison started his carreer as The Moder Lovers' keyboardist before joining David Byrne and co on keys and guitars). Or, say, Television, in terms of the sound and aesthetic, (and due to the timeframe again), though The Modern Lovers carved out their own space in way ahead of time. The organ is the backbone here, giving the record a distinctive psychedelic flair. "Astral Plane," which instantly rang a bell, sounds like The Doors doing post-punk. And then "Hospital" is, of course, a brilliant gem of a love song. Anyway, I'd love to have this on vinyl. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day372.

decent. like a ramones lite

My boyfriend and I enjoyed this one, I would listen again

This is SUCH a New Englander album!!! I fucking love it!!! Like, yes, Jonathan, my upbringing *does* make me love the old world even though I want to live in the modern world; yes, I *have* imagined a girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends in the suburbs and driven out to see those suburbs at the end of the red line; I *have* driven past the Stop & Shop with my radio on; and I *am* a girl who dropped out of a Boston-based University (not BU though). All very, very, very relatable to my personal life. Oh, and also, these are some of the greatest songs ever written. But the New Englandness!!!!

Ik luister "Astral Plane" vaak omdat ik die in een afspeellijstje heb staan, maar ik was eigenlijk vergeten hoe goed de plaat van begin tot eind is.

Super Dope

all the moder lovers tracks

Really interesting old rock album. Nice beat/rythm focused songs, easy to groove to.

Loved it when I heard it in my early 20’s and still do in my mid 60’s.

The Modern Lovers is a great introduction to punk for Power Pop fans. 9.5/10

Came in with zero expectations and got blown away. Very similar to Velvet Underground's self-titled and every bit as good. Fun, catchy, not too serious, and so very simple in the instrumentation (it doesn't hit you over the head with volume), which allows for the vocals to really shine. Loved it all! 9/10

“Mom, I wanna get some Velvet Underground!” “We have Velvet Underground at home” This is the Velvet Underground at home. And I mean that in the best possible way.

4.5

Definitely velvet undergroundy sound.

I love this album. Was great to revisit it.

Great album. I love that clean-tone rock and roll

Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole

I discovered & then got really into this album ~15 years ago. It's still awesome. Songs for regular dudes.

Awesome! Need on vinyl!

What a banger. Roadrunner is a killer song to start a record with and from this song on the journey starts. Perfect sebum with a perfect length.

I love Jonathan Richman and I love teenage delusion

The Doors, Sex Pistolas fusionados, es una simbiosis del rock en buena direccion

Kannte ich nicht, aber ist herrlich erfrischend.

Best Boston album of all time

There’s something about The Modern Lovers that just works for me. It’s raw, it’s weirdly charming, and it’s got that perfect mix of punk energy and off-kilter storytelling. This album feels like proto-punk at its absolute best—before the genre was fully formed, but still carrying all the restless energy, sharp wit, and stripped-down instrumentation that made punk what it became. It’s got that garage-band simplicity, but the songs are packed with personality and a sense of urgency that I love. This album nails the attitude of early punk. Jonathan Richman’s lyrics blend sarcasm, sincerity, and a weird wholesomeness. Instead of sneering rebellion, he offers awkward honesty, romantic frustration, and a nerdy love for Boston and old-school values. It shouldn’t work, but it does. Tracks like “Roadrunner” and “Pablo Picasso” mix deadpan humour with real emotion in a way that feels truly unique. Speaking of “Roadrunner”—what a song. It’s one of the best punk songs ever written, and I’ll stand by that. The simple, two-chord structure, the driving rhythm, and Richman’s monotone, almost spoken delivery make it feel like the Velvet Underground sped up and stripped down to its essentials. It’s repetitive in the best way, building and building until you’re completely sucked in. It’s a song that makes you want to get in a car, roll the windows down, and just go. The album’s guitar work is raw and minimalistic, like the Stooges or early Velvet Underground—tight, punchy riffs with no frills. “Old World” and “Someone I Care About” showcase jagged garage-rock energy, while “Astral Plane” adds an eerie, detached feel, enhancing the album’s strange charm. The production is also exactly what it should be. It’s lo-fi but not muddy, keeping that live, unpolished feel while still allowing every instrument to stand out. The keyboards add a quirky, almost robotic texture that gives the album a weird but cool dynamic. It’s simple, it’s direct, and it fits the sound perfectly. The Modern Lovers feels both ahead of its time and timeless—raw, weird, and full of personality. The guitar work, deadpan vocals, and dry humour make it stand out, even among punk classics. Some tracks falter, and the production is thin, but it hardly matters. Proof that punk is about attitude, not just aggression. 4.7/5—an absolute classic that still feels fresh.

The Modern Lovers, proto-punk with a Warhol Factory connection via vocalist Jonathan Richman. "Roadrunner" an ode to the adolescent thrill of driving the Mass Pike with the radio on and hanging out at Stop N' Shop, nothing this infectious has been written about the power of Massachusetts since The Standells loved the "Dirty Water" on the bands of the River Charles and declared Boston their home despite the curfews at Women's college dormitories. "Astral Plane" has Velvet Underground inspired stuttering guitar and keyboard noodling, but meeting your lover on the Astral Plane otherwise you'll go insane is not gritty the Heroin vistas of a leather-clad poets and poseurs. "Old World," is an affirmation of loving parents, arcades, the 1950s and the old world, like a proficient version of the Shaggs "Who Are Parents?" "Pablo Picasso" is probably the best garage rock song about the surrealist painter that rhymes Picasso with "asshole." ("Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole....not like you"). Although Jonathan Richman would top this Modern Lovers track with "Vincent Van Gogh" from his Rockin' and Romance album. I associate the Modern Lovers with Big Star, both late 1970s guitar bands with unique subject matter and niche popularity. "She Cracked" about a girl who eats garbage and does drugs while Richman eats healthy and stays home. Punk that overlaps with twee pop finds its origins with this album. "Hospital," proof that the Modern Lovers can produce something other than propulsive rock, begins as a slow and somber organ dominated dirge and eventually it has a tangential tempo shift while Richman contemplates the ambivalence of loving a self-destructive girl, but he's in love with her eyes and walking down scary streets while crying, perhaps this is his Sister Ray, except he is "straight." "Someone I Care About" is the anti-sex and drugs rock song about wanting a serious relationship not a "cocaine-sniffing triumph in the bar." "Girlfriend" another art nerd ode to love with tongue in check allusions to Them's Gloria and the Shangra-Las ("G-I-R-L- F-R-E-N"). "Modern World" loves the USA and dropping out of BU, but hates cigarette smoking girls. Beat Happening would reduce this style of punk to two chords or less and talk about "Hot Chocolate Nation" and eating Bananas in Pajamas, but Jonathan Richman still has a jam punk sneer under the geek earnestness. Bonus tracks aplenty: "Dignified and Old" hating yourself because the girl you love won't call you back, but one day you can be dignified and elderly together. "I'm Straight" ponders why hippie Johnny is always stoned if this world and the girl he is with is so beautiful (Minor Threat eat your heart out). "Government Center" imagines having a rock hop to disrupt the monotony of bureaucracy, making all the secretaries feel better when they put the stamps on letters and ledgers.

A favorite of mine, and it has been for 30 years. No need to say more.

I am from Massachusetts. I love this album.

This is garage rock for refined-cultured-educated types. One's fully down with any record that name-checks not just Picasso, but also Gauguin and Boston's MFA, and then misspells "girlfriend" just for fun. So much longing so expertly couched in sweet and well-owned irony that it somehow comes of as sincere. Way more substantive, with darker shadows ("Someone I Care About," "Hospital") and sharper edges ("Dance with Me," "Modern World") than one recalls and not so novelty-jokey as as some of JR's later works tended to be. Plus, original-distinctive as hell, totally knowing (but not too archly so), and awfully good fun besides. Rounding up for the truly unique, and tightly controlled vision and pulling it off with near-perfect execution -- a minor miracle, in other words, like all the best records (and indeed, art).

9/10

Prototype for a number of punk, alternative and indie records to follow. Still sounds ahead of its time. Just a big sneering grin across its face.

Spartan, almost perfunctory garage rock with odd psychedelic tinges. I'm not sure I knew these recordings were intended as demos but it makes perfect sense. In its own way, without meaning to be, it's a masterpiece.

What a cool and stripped down proto punk album. So great! And extra points for Jerry Harrison.

The whole album was extremely fun to listen to. The link between the Velvet Underground and 90s/00s indie.

Despite being very vocal about loving VU madly, this is somehow very much its own thing, although you can here the influence to a degree. The feel and energy of this is great, playful, odd and in its own little world. She Cracked and Pablo Picasso are both as good, if not better, than Roadrunner. This also works as an album, consistent and coherent without getting repetitive. Fabulous.

A proto-punk gem. Great songs, fascinating attitude. No wonder why it stood the test of time. 4.5/5

Oh man Jonathan Richman is a hero of mine and this is an awesome record as well as a trail blazing one in its own right. Not necessarily Jonathan Richman best song but of course he hadn’t yet landed in Bermuda for his epiphany. From the bopping perennial Roadrunner, to Picasso and down to closer the Modern World this is a perfect record in my book.

I love the fact that having the ‘radio on’ is such a rallying call for the Anthemic opener Roadrunner, because this is a set of songs that wouldn’t ever see the airwaves in any way. This isn’t at all a bad thing. This is a pretty Dorky project, taking it’s cues from the Velvets and The Stooges musically but introducing some of the comic book and pop culture references that cropped up in later Punk bands like Ramones, Blondie, and The Cramps. It’s a bit of a marked difference from the Velvet Underground, whose most up to date cultural references were little known Austria-Hungarian Novella’s from the 1870’s. But the Dorkiness actually works pretty well in it’s favour, because the sort of people who love the Velvet Underground are also likely to appreciate the importance of those sorts of ephemeral media like comics and TV as an insight into the zeitgeist of the time. Nobody is ever gonna touch Lou Reed for the mixture of high and low art that he manages to achieve with his lyrical style. And Jonathan Richman is no Lou Reed, which is the only big problem of the album. He knows what he’s going for, but he never quite manages to achieve it. But in failing, he manages to set the template for the lyrical themes that Indie Rock would attempt in the decade following the album’s release. Suburban isolation, relationship failings, teenage angst, cars and TV and Radio and all that jazz. Lou Reed’s lyrics worked because the specificity to his scene and the people in the factory gave everything an Epic quality, and the reason Epics work is because of their universality. Jonathan Richman’s scene is more mundane, and it never manages to attain that epic quality, but suburban specificity is still something, and still something that people can understand. And for it’s ambition alone, this deserves 5 stars

Entdeckung! Woher kennt man Egyptian Reggae?

Mega gut!

I listen to Sound Opinions sometimes on NPR and hear a snippet of Roadrunner in the opening musical montage… good to finally hear the whole song. It’s great! I also had heard Pablo Picasso performed by some other punk group and didn’t realize it was a cover song. I love this song - it was great to hear the original. The lyrics are interesting, the punk underpinnings are supported with some great songwriting and playing… this definitely qualifies for this list! Terrific!

People seem to love or hate this album. I love it! 5 stars. Modern Classic! But what happened to Jonathan Richman? Worshipped by millions of white yuppy boomers, who flock to his minstrel shows to hang on his every word. But it’s crap! Boil it right down, it’s simplistic, childish drivel, put to a guitar and sung in dorky, ah-shucks monotone. Sell out? I’ve been to one show in the early 90’s, and was stunned at how boring it was. The shushing hipsters fawning with adoration, me wondering why I wasted good beer money. Modern Lover is a timeless Thing, a discarded message found washed up on a quiet northeastern beach, covered with barnacles and kelp. Rinse off, listen, love.

Great

At first I didn't know what to think but this album is great.

I was charmed by this. I enjoyed the lead singers voice. I could clearly hear the Velvet Underground Sound, it had groove and nostalgia, im eager to hear their other stuff. I am giving it a 5, because it’s worth more to me than a 4

I love Jonathan Richman. I've listened to this album for years, and it's gone from an "I don't get it 2 stars then, to a solid 9/10 today. I know I won't resist eventually, so I'm giving it 5 stars. I wish I could possess a bit more of his beautiful naive optimism.

Have no doubt - when punk hit Sydney in 1976/77, part of it’s soundtrack, apart from The Pistols singles,The Ramones first album & I’m Stranded by The Saints, was Roadrunner by The Modern Lovers. On tour in Australia in 1983 with rock singer and songwriter Jonathan Richman, producer and former Velvet Underground member John Cale summed up the appeal of Richman’s pioneering early-1970s recordings. “There was this music being presented that was extremely anemic and was highly unlikely to be successful,” he told interviewer Donnie Sutherland about Richman’s early songs. “But because the assumption was made that it was not gonna be successful, it was successful.” I think Cale had it spot-on. Although I’d prefer the term “minimalist” to anaemic. Richman was a notorious VU fan, so it was fitting that Cale ended up producing most of this album. I have an original American pressing on Home Of The Hits label, before it changed it’s name to Beserkley Records. I also have The Original Modern Lovers LP, on Kim Fowley’s Mohawk label, recorded in 1973 but not released till 1981. It includes half of the tracks on The Modern Lovers album and it’s great, but doesn’t have the production values that Cale brings to their music. Anyway, Roadrunner began my long love-affair with Jonathan Richman. I saw the Cale/Richman gig at The Capitol in Sydney in 1983 & saw Richman again (with just his guitar) in a wondrous gig at the Paddington RSL in 1990. I was with a crowd of friends from bands including The Cannanes, Particles, Lighthouse Keepers & somebody made a bunch of cardboard masks of Jonathan’s face for us to wear. These friends were members of minimalist post-punk Sydney bands & it was a testament to their love for & influence from Richman & The Modern Lovers. Apart from Roadrunner, special mention to Astral Plane - the great thing about it is that you don’t know if he’s serious or taking the piss (I suppose you could say that of his whole career) and very special mention to Pablo Picasso. I first heard it on John Cale’s Helen Of Troy LP (1975). What a song. And I recommend Phranc’s lesbian interpretation -Gertrude Stein(1991). I love JR.

Somehow anticipating New Wave before punk even happened.

Loved this. Can’t believe it took me this long to finally listen.

people are such buzzkills! constantly talking about how they copy the doors or are just a "watered down version" of the doors; who cares!! the doors makes great music and i don't see what's so bad about another band that makes music like them. they are so groovy and make me want to dance. 5 stars this is insanely cool.

Great to hear so many sounds that have influenced later stuff.

I love this album in a modern kind of way that makes me still in love with the old world. Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole picking up girls on the astral plane. Government Center is one of my favoritest songs ever!! (they got alot of great desks and chairs) "I go to bakeries all day long. There's a lack of sweetness in my life." This Hippie Larry thinks the singer's straight-edge, teenage angst lyrics are somewhat annoying but Jonathan Richman is unapologetically himself. He stays home and eats health food alone. OK then. The music is odd in some of the best ways. And I like their groove. Many good musics. NOTE: the keyboardist goes on to join Talking Heads & the drummer joins The Cars. Jonathan Richman has a solo career worth checking out. I saw him live at the castle (2008?). Great show! I thought the 3 alternate versions of the songs were better than the originals. Recording sound was better. Lyrics are clearer. And the guitar playing lets loose a bit more. I can hear more of a Velvet Underground influence (which is another band I like).

Listened 3/2/24. I can hear the influence this album had in so many bands that followed.

Nevjerojatno koliko mi incelovski djeluju ovi tekstovi ali i dalje je super ploča

I really enjoyed this.

Some may find Jonathan Richman’s vocal delivery grating but I find it endearing. They’re having fun and it’s infectious, the slow vocal drawl works really well with the quick sharp guitars, drums and keys with a surf punk vibe. It’s a well orchestrated mess altogether and am I crazy to think they had a big influence on the Strokes? From the aesthetic of their band logo to their sound. Reading up on Richman, I found it interesting he accompanied his good friend Gram Parsons on a mini golf outing one day before Parsons death. On first listen this was a 4 but on second I was hooked, 5 stars

Ah hey, Boston. This band is pretty good, surprisingly so.

A collection of songs from a band that broke up years before this album was released. Upon first listen I kind of wanted not to like it, trying to find excuses to not enjoy it, be it the signer or the music or whatever but when it was over, I thought about it and wanted to give it another listen. It was something about the contradiction of this “punk” music and these very intimate lyrics. What kind of punks name themselves “The Modern Lovers” anyway? Second time the more I appreciated the music and the lyrics. There something strange about this album, unlike anything I have ever heard. Some of the songs lyrics kind of transported me back to when I was younger with that kind of naive view of life and love. I’m looking forward to listening again. I love the album cover, such a simple design but perfect. I would hang this album on my wall. And the drummer went on to found “the cars” one of my favorite bands! I had no idea.

I've heard a couple of tracks before but not listened to the album seriously. You can really appreciate how early they were doing this sort of thing. It's really radical. Sounds really fresh even now.

Nothing sounds like the modern lovers. His voice and pacing of singing is singular.

I love this album. I was familiar with a couple of songs from it (Roadrunner and Pablo Picasso), but the whole thing is just what my ears want.

Some people try to pick up girls and get called an asshole. That never happened to Pablo Picasso. 5/5

Was not a fan or roadrunner. I kept listening, and I love the spoken word style in songs like Pablo Picasso. Definitely a music group who's discography I'm going to explore.

Ahh yeah c’mon. Jonathan richman is the goat. Just another excuse to put this banger on. I also feel it’s worth mentioning that the only reason all the tasteless hack reviews on this website are comparing this to the doors is probably because they heard an organ. Look, you’re entitled to your opinions, but fuck me, the reviews on this website are often hilarious. You can’t appreciate good, coherent listening experiences. Fricken hell it stresses me out just thinking about you wannabe critics sitting in your stinky chairs writing garbage about music you’re clearly too fucking dumb to understand. Take the L and move on. And I’ve looked at your listening history and see you’ve enjoyed really good albums, (like the person who like fragile by Yes I salute you mate) but how on earth you can enjoy something classic like enter the wutang and then overlook something like this ? Insane.

Before streaming, my friends and I would burn CD playlists of random lesser know musicians we liked. That’s where I first heard the Modern Lovers, and I’ve loved this album ever since.

The link between VU and punk rock, like Hippy Johnny

Ha ha Easy Five stars Next! ... Jonathan Richman saw the Velvet Underground and thought what if I did this, but like me? Goofing "Sister Ray" into an exuberant "Roadrunner" was alchemical genius. "Pablo Picasso" punched a loud laugh out of me with "...in his El Dorado" and a revelation that a thesis on narrative identity could be written about this song, and its envy of Picasso's ability to hit on women, the ending guitar solo poised between sleaze and sexual frustration. Si, did JR do anything else worth listening to? Or are you with Hiooy Johnny? <shocked emoji>

loved it

Desde que sono la primera canción ame todo! Ame este disco. 10/10! Guardado completo .

I LOVED this, literally from the first note. A new favorite of mine.

Not available on spotify

perfect

For a band with a ringleader who proclaims himself in love with the old and modern worlds, The Modern Lovers are as apt of a name for such an enterprise. New York in the early to mid 70s were a colorful yet frightening place, teetering on the brink of collapse that inspired flights and burgeoning movements and missives from Presidents to drop dead. It was such a place for Jonathan Richman and his band of Velvet Underground admirers to make home. There are glimpses of who the former band were but also who Talking Heads were going to become, thanks to the presence of Jerry Harrison (album producer and Talking Heads' eventual guitarist and keyboardist) at the controls. For quite some time, I've been leery of Richman and his contributions, mainly due to his whirlpooling presence amongst my playlists. Yet this album places itself at my sweet spot, largely informative and grasping in its admirably awkward overt manner that would inspire legions of other bands in its wake. In regards to this, all we can do is not resist this album's stare.

Velvet underground kind of vibes, dig it

Could listen to Jonathan Richman all day. This is an old favourite I was happy to revisit

I loved this, I will be listening to it again

5/5

So how do you categorise this? No idea. Lou Reed - esque? I guess that's probably doing it an injustice. I was going to give it a 4, but I reckon this will grow on me like a slow creeping STD. Just as memorable but without the rash.

I was introduced to The Modern Lovers through covers: the Sex Pistols cover of Roadrunner and Burning Sensations version of Pablo Picasso on the Repo Man movie soundtrack. I love this record. Earnest (sometimes painfully so) garage punk songs that are tuneful and still partly sound like they were made up as they went along. The lyrics are sweet and sad and bare. Cale brought a Velvet Underground sensibility to the writing and production the preserved Richmond’s voice and emotion. A favorite.

I can hear the influence that Modern Lovers had on the later generations. Great album front to back.

Pablo Picasso hehe so fun wow ok hospital is good I wish I had g i r l f r e n I'm straight

really really great. tight, poppy and clever, dry sense of humor. 5 stars.

10/10 insanely fun 70’s rock the singers voice tends to feel a bit repetitive at times but it still has great vibes the whole time

If the Strokes did music in the 70's it would have been exactly like that. I'm a huge fan of the Strokes - so I loved it !

Great album in every aspect (like many other Jonathan Richman albums). Hard to believe it took 4 years before it was released.

Wowow I didn't realised the modern lovers are from the 70s! I've been listening to Pablo Picasso for weeks and assumed it was post 2010. What a fresh sound for the era, so far ahead of their time. Can hear a similarity to The Velvet Underground's sound. Really an excellent album.

Incredible. The more I listen to music of this era and genre, the more I realise how unoriginal The Strokes are.

This album is hugely influential is stands as a landmark proto-punk album. Though the instrumentation is simplistic and reminiscent of garage rock, this album leans into its more experimental side producing an enduring art rock statement. The lyrics satirize rock culture and often verge into the delightfully absurd. The self awareness of this album is refreshing and makes its one of the most consequential pieces of 70s experimental rock.

"The Modern Lovers" is the debut album by the Boston-based band The Modern Lovers which, for this album, consisted of Jonathan Richman (lead singer and guitarist), Jerry Harrison (keyboards, future Talking Head member), David Robinson (drummer, future Car's member) and Ernie Brooks (bass). The album was released in 1976 but was recorded in 1971-1972. Going to LA, they recorded six songs for Warner Brothers with John Cale (Velvet Underground fame) as producer and two songs for A&M and Allan Mason as producer. When they returned to Boston, the band couldn't decide on a record label and, additionally, Jonathan Richman wanted to redo the songs in a totally different direction. Eventually, Richman's new record label Beserkley remixed the orginal tapes which then became the album in 1976. The music style is referred to as proto punk. That is actually a very good name; this music is basically an interception between some of the pyschedelic 60's, the Byrds, the Velvet Underground and the forthcoming punk. No surpise a heavy Velvet Underground influence; besides Cale as the producer, RIchman was a huge VU fan and is featured prominently in their Hulu documentary. Lyrically these songs are mostly about girls and relationships but not all. This is a really good album. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and the album starts with their single "Roadrunner." Richman's nasally voice. Straight-forward 60's sounding rock. Nice Keyboard interlude and a fantastic ending with the backing vocals. A song about driving around listening to the radio, stopping by the store and maybe about isolation. A favorite of mine, "Pablo Picasso" ends the first side with a dark Velvet Underground vibe. Acoustic guitar. Electric guitar enters and now gives the song a 60's pyschedelic, Byrd's-esque feel. Some guy (Pablo Picasso) gets all the girls and fame without really trying. Richman said it was about his obsession with girls. Let's get more of the punk flowing on the second side with "She Cracked." Quicker tempo, harder, more rockin' than anything previous. His girl went crazy but he won't. "Girl Friend" is a slower song, more relaxed. Kind of punk poetry and imagery comparing his girlfriend/love to art and understanding both. "Modern World" ends the album rockin'. 60's guitar. Another VU-influenced song. This album is considered a classic and rightfully so. This is good place to start with Jonathan Richman. But don't stop there, he has fantastic music throughout his career and is well-worth checking out.

I Love this album. So cool, so innocent, so straight ahead. To me it ranks with The Violent Femmes debut album as the one that best captures teenage life. Modern Lovers focusing more on teenage simplicity, Violent Femmes more on teenage angst. It helps that Jonathan Richman and Gordon Gano both have idiosyncratic (some might say; annoying) voices that I love. Any album is chock full of classics; Roadrunner, Astral Plane, Pablo Picasso and the fantastic I'm Straight. As well as other minor classics like Girlfriend, Dignified and Old, She Cracked. Just a classic album that laid the blueprint that was later followed by indie rock bands like Guided By Voices, Magnetic Fields, Pavement and the afore mentioned Violent Femmes. 5 stars

good

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... love this, absolute genius! Even though this isn't really an "album" it's incredibly influential. Straight line from the VU to this to everything great in the indie world.

There's nothing I could say about this perfect album that hasn't already been said. And yes, Pablo Picasso might be the greatest song ever. That's all, folks!

An amazing album and arguably on of the most influential releases of all time with it's pronto-punk weirdo genius. Even more amazing as it was nearly never released

Truly a classic record that introduced the world to Jonathan Richman. This version of the Modern Lovers was much different than Richman's later incarnations of the Modern Lovers, almost a one-off that rocked harder than anything Richman would ever release. Much more of a band-format, this debut album featured future members of the Talking Heads (Jerry Harrison) and the Cars (David Robinson). It's a very influential record and proto-punk classic, it has to be considered one of the great art rock albums!

This was an album that I had to check the Wikipedia for to try and figure out why it was on the list. I just didn't get it at first. However, the longer it went on the more I liked it. 'Hospital' is where it started to turn around for me, and I think the album shines especially bright in its quieter moments. By the end I was actually wanting more, which is a complete 180 from where I was when I started listening.

This album is truly amazing. I rarely fall in love with an album after the first listen but it will be an instant classic for me going forward. I already added it to my playlist. The lyrics throughout the album are beautiful but Hospital is my favorite

I saw Jonathan Richman play live a few years ago and I can't really explain it but I just felt so happy during and after the show, I really did have the proverbial warm, fuzzy feeling. I guess what I'm saying is I love this album.

1/31/2022

This album for me is in the 9/10 ballpark or around 4.5 to 5 stars. the songs are all quite strong, with the highlights being hospital an incredible ballad with strong emotional presence behind it, roadrunner a high energy way to kick off the album. Pablo Picasso with a very unique premise centred around the artist with dry wit throughout the song.

One of my favorite albums of the 70s. 9-10/10 1. Hospital 2. Astral Plane 3. Pablo Picasso

heartfelt, simple, direct rock and roll that draws from the Velvet Underground but makes its own world.

Great stuff

4.5 | No solo como influencia del punk sino como un gran disco de art rock que no le da miedo dejarse llevar para bien o mal sacando todo lo que tengan dentro sin importar si tiene sentido y terminando en letras brillantes e interesantes. Crudo, emocional, fuera de la norma... Rock. No es proto-punk... Al igual que en cosas como los Stooges, los New York Dolls o Velvet Underground, no había precedentes de lo que estaban haciendo, ni tampoco una gran intención declarada detrás de ello. The Modern Lovers, como esas otras bandas, eran ante todo una banda de rock. Tocaban rock'n'roll. Cómo otros los definieron estaba fuera de sus manos. Disco poco conocido fuertísimo, importante y excelente.

Giving off some Doors vibes

Brill! Also I am under such pressure from Luke to give this 5 stars as apparently its one of the best rock albums of all time. Trivia from Luke: "the whole album is fantastic, its one of my faves ever. all brilliant songs, i cant pick between them and i love jonathan richman's voice. FUN FACT - they had actually split up when this was released and it's a collection of demos. the singer created a new band which was quite different and confusingly called them jonathan richman & the modern lovers and released an album at the same time. oh and one of them joined talking heads!"

Never heard of them but I loved it.

Loved it, a fun listen

Good album. Would fit very well as music in the car I feel.

Good stuff

Totally dug this. Proto punk is definitely my thing.

Classic

love this

I really REALLY enjoyed this album. The very best of protopunk, you can hear the seeds of the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Violent Femmes, and more. Loved it. Full marks.

7/10… psychedelic rock / art rock / *1976

Exceptional album. A very influential record on a lot of great bands from the early 2000s.

I loved this album—it was weird and punky and funny. Funny I’d never heard of the band before.

Really dug this. Felt very Clash mixed with Velvet Underground to me. Will definitely revisit, so rating might change from initial gut listen.

If I was in a bad mood, I could get really annoyed by the deliberate sloppiness of this record. But I think it's actually great, and the contingencies are fascinating. There's no Modern Lovers without Velvet Underground. And conversely, there's no LCD Soundsystem, Art Brut, Franz Ferdinand, many others without this sound. The right mood = great vibes with this sleazy sweaty sound.

I liked this a lot. Some cool sounds that remind me a bit of an earlier version of some of the post punk bands I like. Glad this one was on the list.

Excellent album, contains a lot of a lot. Early pointers to the punk and new wave elements of talking heads and pil.

"The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band", and Jonathan Richman was probably one of them. On the other hand, everyone who bought The Modern Lovers' debut formed great bands like The Feelies, The Pixies and Parquet Courts. Not that far away from 5 stars. Awesome and influential album!

Another I would never have come across without the list. Interesting, historic and listenable and source of Repo Man song Pablo Picasso. +1 for influence in genre.

literally me fr. simple but very fun. favorite song is Hospital or Girlfriend. solid 4

Rating: 8/10 Some truly influential stuff. Just so ahead of its time. So proto-Strokes and all the bands they influenced that it's actually surprising the band isn't from NYC. Just incredibly cool in a way that's different from the crass and bad boy kind of shit that this band's punk contemporaries displayed as their image. Instead, front-man Jonathan Richman has this charming, quirky, romantic affectation that really suits the feel of the record. An all around great album, but there are some cuts that are better than others. Roadrunner is a killer opening track, winning me over so quickly with its references to their native Massachusetts. I really enjoyed Pablo Picasso, Hospital, and the closing title track, but it doesn't even end there because there are deluxe tracks on this thing that continue to feel like an essential part of the record, particularly Dignified and Old, and I'm Straight. So good, and even though I'm leaving it at an 8 for now this could possibly be even higher in time.

Another cornerstone for the nerds. Sometimes you can feel it owes little too much to its source material, but there’s humour and light and a whole lot of fun.

Au début j'ai cru que j'allais me faire chier mais j'ai beaucoup aimé certains sons genre Pablo Picasso

# Album Name: The Modern Lovers # Artist: The Modern Lovers # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Very enjoyable! Wasnt quite expecting it. Love the offbeat vocals. Some cracking little songs. # Top Tunes: Roadrunner / PP / Straight / Hospital / AP / # Would I listen to it again? Yes

Perfectly velvets adjacent and a bit stupid. Nuggets like and lovely.

I love the proto-art punk vibe. Quirky songs, quirky sound. I’ll take it.

I'm a sucker for that Velvet Underground style deadpan delivery. Gets me pumped up far more than high tempo punk rock.

i can’t explain why i fuck with this but somehow, i do. was previously very familiar with Road Runner, Pablo Picasso, and Hospital but nothing else. maybe it’s the crisp sound quality w lazy vocals (not derogatory)? expected this to be an early 2000s album tbh but maybe that’s aging me. he just gets it. i do go to bakeries all day long. okay after Modern World i’m getting real sick of the lyrics men write about women. not on this particular album, compared to other albums on this list, just got reminded of it. alright now that i’m through Dance With Me, this is too long. but the alternative ones slap! maybe 3.5. can’t decide how much i enjoy.

I enjoyed this. You can hear the energy and simplicity of sixties rock and roll, mixed with the looseness and attitude of punk.

Хороша енергія у альбомі, подобається цей трохи розхлябаний драйв. Топові клавіші по всьому альбому. Roadrunner - бенгер.

Less punky and more jammy than I remembered it, but this was a delightful revisit. So fun, loose, catchy and dorky (in a good way). I’m not fully convinced Picasso was never called an asshole, though. But it’s a cool rhyme anyway :)

One of the first known cases where someone bought VU&Nico and started a band... I’d probably find some of this tedious were it not for my Massachusetts roots and sometimes I do, but hearing someone mention Filene’s and Stop and Shop was an easy win. Radio on!

So good

what a nice ride...

Love this album! I love hearing the 60s organ but something about it just sounds so 80s big button shirts. This kinda punk forever and ever

Good album! Don't know much about these guys but i liked this album!

Another gem on this list. I had never heard of this band and loved everything about it. It was timeless and when my partner walked in the room, she couldn't place when it was made which I think speaks volumes. That the lead singer was the Greek Chorus in "There's Something about Mary" let me re-engage with long lost friends about music and movies. Win and win.

I hadn’t heard this before. I thought it sounded like an early 80s new wave record, but wasn’t surprised to discover that it was a mid 70s punk album. In my opinion, the two genres shared similar sounds, if not themes and attitudes. Musically, I liked the variety of songs, changing tempos and melodies. It kept it from droning, which some punk bands would tend to do. Overall, I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars

“I called this number three times already today, but I, I got scared, I put it back in place.” Poor Hippie Johnny. Love this Massachusetts masterpiece!

I love Jonathan Richman and his lovers

I liked it, though some songs are boring

There is a sense of serendipity that I got this record today after having a Lou Reed album yesterday. This record feels like the rest stop on the journey from the Velvet Underground to the punk movement. It was produced by Velvets member John Cale after all. It is not aggressive by any means, but the back to basics approach to the music is simplistic and frontman Jonathan Richman's vocals were clearly a big influence on the upcoming punk bands. Richman's lyrics are honest and raw, even if it makes him look like the bad guy. It is rather refreshing to hear Richman's willingness to be seen as a geek instead of the usual rockstar bravado. Leaving an imprint on everyone from the Pistols to the Pixies, this is an incredible important record, even if Richman's snotty talk-singing may turn off some listeners.

Really enjoy the vocalist, the stripped down simplicity, the writing and there is some very good guitar work on here. Maybe lacks variety a bit.

When I saw American Rock band, I was expected Dad Rock but I enjoyed the punkish vibe from the group although I've never heard of them.

I should love this one but I find that it does fall off after Roadrunner. There are some real bummers on this record. I wish it could be a five star record but I don't think it really is.

Not a new album to me, I've listened to The Modern Lovers a few times over the years. Always enjoyed their proto-punk, proto-slacker rock. There is a lazy, swagger to the delivery that I really enjoy. And seeing some of the aggressively low scores and reviews makes me like it just that little bit more. Best line: "I go to bakeries all day long/ Theres a lack of sweetness in my life." 4

I don't know how I've never listened to this album. It feels like one of the first "post-punk" albums and I love it. It's not flawless, but I personally recommend it. Best Songs: Roadrunner, Pablo Picasso, She Cracked Worst Songs: Girlfriend

Hard not to like Richman's enthusiasm, the keyboard/organ sounds fantastic (Jerry Harrison!) and Roadrunner is a great paean to Massachusetts - however it can get more than a little over the top at times, like. feels a little like being hit over the head repeatedly, most likely by old Velvets 33s.

I was not aware of modern lovers before being served this album, which is a great shame because I really enjoyed it. It sounded as if somebody lifted some tracks of The Doors, some of The Stooges, and added a heavy serving of velvet Underground before throwing them in the blender for a quick spin. The original release is the most solid of solid 4’s for me. I was particularly fond of the track “Hospital”, which is interesting because I’m also a big fan of TB sheets and Waterloo Sunset, which are also both songs about hospitals. Maybe that’s my niche area?

Excellent album, a really solid level across the album. Would listen to it again

good stuff!

Pa que Bowie te haga un cover algo haz de saber

Album #81, The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a great record this is. I was really happy to see it come up. I’m a huge fan of The Velvet Underground,. They completely changed my life. I’ll probably get into that more when one of their albums comes up. But it feels like Jonathan Richman and the band had their lives changed by that sound too. This is such a brilliant take on that style. It’s funny, tender, cool, geeky, and just pure rock and roll. It’s been a while since I’ve given something five stars, and I’d love to give this one five for what it represents. But I’ve never quite loved it in that way. It’s not the aesthetic, it’s simply that some of the songs don’t fully grab me. Tracks like “Astral Plane” don’t really do much for me, so I don’t think it’s flawless front to back. And, As much as I like “Roadrunner,” I actually prefer Joan Jett’s version of it. She does a great cover, if you haven’t heard it. That said, some of the songs here are incredible and I come back to them all the time. “She Cracked” is probably my favourite. I love that motorik, Velvet-style beat. That kind of rhythm genuinely changed how I hear music, and anything with that propulsion always pulls me in. “Girlfriend” is another highlight. The charm of it, even down to spelling the word wrong in the chorus, I’ve always loved that. It’s one of my favourite love songs. So yeah, it’s a great record. Not quite a personal five, but I can completely see why it would be for someone else.

Ok, it seems I’m a bit of a sucker for North East American art rock. This was really up my street and it was apparent from the off. There is a definite Velvet Underground / The Doors vibe to this which is always going to pique my interest. Like Arnie, I’ll be back.

pretty cool

loved it

Today, I am in love with this.

i like it idc you people are haters. so 90s i like

Wel tof

Ah, I finally find out who the Modern Lovers were! I heard them called out in probably my favorite LCD track, “Losing My Edge”, along with other notables like Can who I’ve gotten to know through the Challenge. And damn, the influence on James Murphy is so obvious. He styled himself after Jonathan Richman—the droll delivery, the bored hipster, the louche urbanite dryly cataloguing his life, relationships and existential angst filtered through a benzo haze. Here are the beginnings of post-punk, of indie sleaze, of thrash dance. In short, I loved it.

Some very cool punk grooves. Really tight for a debut album

"How to be an asshole, the album"

Thoughts before listening: Jonathan Richmond led band doing poppy punk songs I believe. An often cited, influential band that I don't know a ton about. Review: So this definitely isn't what you would typically think of as punk, at least not hardcore punk. Theres a bit of the 60s Nuggets-style garage rock going on mixed with some Velvet Underground and Doors vibes. All songs are upbeat without being overly fast and there is an organ adding a bit of a psychedelic feel to the instrumentals. There is a bit of a talk-sing style to the vocals that is reminding me quite a bit of Lou Reed. All in all I rather enjoy this, and will give it 4-stars.

Don’t know why but it suited my hazy, crazy, esoteric mood.

Erg leuke verrassing, nog nooit van gehoord, maar deze gaat vaker op.

4/5. My introduction to the Modern Lovers was through the song “Losing my Edge” by LCD Soundsystem where they get name-dropped. And they sit in a similar spot to artists like the Velvet Underground or Patti Smith where their music was very predictive of the punk music that would rise later in the decade. And you can sense that all over this self titled album from the energy in the playing to the loose sing-speak vocals. very much enjoyed my time with this one. My favorite song would probably be “Pablo Picasso.”

Noch nie gehört - Original Release 34 Minuten bis inklusive "Modern World" fand ich rschdsch geil Bin grundsätzlich kein Fan von extended re-releases - darunter leiden die alben fast immer...

Guys hear The Velvet Underground's Self titled album once and make it their entire identity. I can recognise how influential it is on genres like punk, but it was actually the softer, mid tempo songs I enjoyed more like Pablo Picasso, Hospital and Girlfriend. I think I'll give it a 4.

7/10

It's fascinating to hear a new musical stock character - the Hyperverbal Overeducated Beta Male Rocker - being birthed in real time. That alone makes this collection worth hearing - everyone from Morrissey to Gordon Gano to Stephen Malkmus to Craig Finn was taking notes. And yet nobody can do this *quite* like Jonathan Richman does it - with just the right mix of sonic novelty and Fifties boppiness and Velvets-y over-it-ness. Some of these tracks could be shorter but that's a minor quibble. Also: crazy that most of this was recorded in 1972 given how late-Seventies punky it sounds in a lot of places.

This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to get from this project! I had never heard of this band but I can absolutely see them entering heavy rotation for me. This album is not perfect, there’s a couple songs that were weird, but overall it’s a keeper for me.

After the first 10 minutes of this album, I'm always thinking "5". Such a cool sound that's way ahead of its time with awesome psych rock and punk elements. By the end, I'm usually a little worn out by the consistency of the sound, and drop it to a 4

There's something really subtley hypnotic about jonathan richman's vocals/lyrics and just the too cool to care playing of this band. Definitely grew on me with more time.

I don't know how I missed some of these bands. I guess US Rock radio stations never played this stuff, and I just missed this era, having been born in late 60s and growing up in UK. Kinda reminds me of The White Stripes and The Doors.

This was nice

I’m in love with Massachusetts

One of the most pleasant surprises so far. Enjoyed every damn song.

Someone DEFINITELY loved The Velvet Underground but gave it a monotone flavour of The Stooges. I can see why No Dogs In Space podcast was going to do an series on these guys... I prefer Television.

A core building block of what we take for granted now as the “indie rock” sound. Progressive, catchy, and fun as hell.

guy gets obsessed with the Velvet Underground's Sister Ray, makes an album. four stars. for some unneeded detail: I've never heard a Jonathan Richman album in full before now, and the thing that strikes me is that it channels VU in sound but not mood. Velvets had a bunch of wild stuff, & a bunch of sweet nonjudgmental songs about somebody that hates the body they live in, doesn't feel at home in this world, etc. Modern Lovers channels the pop music obsession with adolescent male experiences. very 'me/I', kinda preening, cynical, self-deprecating. vocally more in common with Violent Femmes than Velvet Underground. that's the gap between 4/5 and 10/5.

Slightly inflating the score here because I like a pleasant surprise. Probably everyone says this in the reviews, but it sure doesn’t sound like a 70s album. Maybe this is to 90s alt-rock as Twin Peaks is to 2000s TV drama. Or something. I don’t know. I’m watching Twin Peaks.

Quite simple on the face of it but also pretty extraordinary. In my head, this is 80s, post-punk music; incredible that it is in fact proto-punk from ten years earlier. I also hadn't realised there was a John Cale connection. That figures, I suppose. Something about it just seems really pure of heart. Someday we'll be dignified and old, indeed.

This sounds like the lead singer spent years worshipping the Velvet Underground, joined with his high school friends to start a band, and then struggled in the studio to capture their live magic. Eventually they'll probably split up for solo careers or play with bands like Talking Heads or The Cars. Oh wait...

If The Velvet Underground and The Doors had a lovechild who grew up to be an angsty teenager

When I first heard Jonathan Richman I got so into him I totally burned myself out. Fun and enjoyable early punk stuff.

insane that this came out in the 70s. Ahead of its time.

Bring back old memories

4.6

This shit fresh What a vibe and sound, and still mixes it up. Probably a 5

4/5 + These highly emotional alcoholics sound pretty cool + I cannot believe that this was released in the 70s, truly ahead of its time - sometimes the slurred vocals can get annoying - if only some Songs could be a little shorter it would have been truly great, but often there are just not enough ideas to justify the runtime Fav: She Cracked, Roadrunner, Modern World

Favorite Track: Roadrunner

This will be the 501st album out of the 1001 (actually 1089, but who's counting) on the list that I have listened to in the past year and a half, and I have to wonder if they weren't saving it for the day when they planned to hit me up for a donation, because it plain and simple rocks. It is the exact kind of LP I hoped to find when I began this project. A little too hip (and with no Top 40 singles) to have gotten airplay on the stations I got growing up in Iowa when it came out in my pre-high school days, it had apparently begun to be overlooked by the time I got to college and might have appreciated its high energy proto-punk enthusiasm mixed with 50s/60s pop sounds. This is literally one of only two albums I would consider truly great "discoveries" for me so far. I'll be listening to it a lot more in the years to come!

Good

This album placed me in the inter-tidal music zone, ebbing and flowing between early 70s soft rock and mid/late 70s punk, thus between 2 and 4 stars. I finished on the latter.

Absolutely loved it, such a vibe

Excellent! The lyrics are framed with the most alluring vocals while the music itself keeps you on your feet

Täs oli kivat Doors vibat. Like

Never heard of it before, but it was cool. Early proto-punk? Nice. I really like discovering ones like this on here.

8 / 10

I think Pablo Picasso WAS called an asshole.

Good one

Big fan of early punk. Fun, fast, and free. They didn't hold back.

Roadrunner is a five on its' own.

I think this one is a 4 star to me. Really solid album

It was fun to listen to this progenitor of punk and indy rock even if I wasn’t crazy about most of it. “Hospital” is a great song and the original “Pablo Picasso” is cool, but I like Bowie’s version better. Still, I prefer this to their own forefathers, the Velvet Underground.

Old World and Roadrunner are solid tracks,

Ma dai. Forse 5

4.3 That actually kinda ripped. Loved the two guitars throughout and lyrics were captivating. Good stuff

I’ve not heard this one before. Quite good.

We like Jonathan richman lots and lots. Road runner is a real jam and lots of others are good roo

There's not one single thing that makes this album great. The repetitive chords give it tons of energy as the songs chug along. The lyrics are largely weird and zany, with weird concepts or choruses on songs like "Pablo Picasso" and "Girlfriend." And for an early not-quite-punk album there's some nice variety with upbeat songs and slow ones. But one thing that really elevates all of that is the organ / keyboard from Jerry Harrison. It makes these song sound really full and dynamic, contrasting them with some of the other proto punk from this era. And that era is really the early 70s, given when these songs were recorded. How innovate an album is doesn't usually impact my rating, but I was more impressed when I realized this predated New York Dolls, Patti Smith, et al. There's an easy comparison with the Velvet Underground here, but the Velvets rarely sounded this fun or carefree.

Pro-punk sound showed up earlier than I knew. Nice historical album from a band I haven’t heard of but definitely sounded familiar.