The Modern Lovers

"underground rock", kinda raw guitars and vocals but not harsh. Some good synth/organ driven stuff too

Man, I am two minds on this .. Some songs were really good, but then some were just him being like, "Johnny's stoned... But I'm not... If Johnny's so great, why's he stoned?" Over and over Just gonna split the difference

Poppy quirky goodness

It’s like if The Doors were less pretentious and more stoned.

Classic east coast sound, which I love. Bitch wants to be Lou Reed soooo bad but I’d simply rather listen to Velvet Underground

idk whatever it was fine

Found this a bit grating on first listen due to Jonathan Richman's voice but I was compelled to give it another go and didn't mind it.

Kind of like The Doors but worse

I didn't find any exemplary compositions or reasons to listen at length on The Modern Lovers, but the synth adds just the right edge to the sometimes-whiny affect.

quite good

Interesting early punk, some decent tracks.

R U KIDDING THIS STUPID WEBSITE JUST DELETED SLL MY NOTES AND IM NEARLY FONISHED THE ALBUM anyways i’ll still do my wrap up. This album is very cool, many songs are really similar but the band knows what works for them. They have a very particular range which doesn’t offer much excitement or change but is easy listening. The drums to me are a stand out on this album, especially on songs like Hospital and the breakdown in RoadRunner with a big use of high hats. I really enjoy the way this album is song, it’s as if they recorded it from the live performance in front of an audience, it doesn’t sounds scripted instead really natural. Jonathan Richmans voice is quite unique, very accented, reminds me of Joey or Dee Dee Ramone. It seems to me as if this band can only create two different style songs. Either very fast pace with a cool rhythm, or slowed down with nothing much but a simple drum beat. The Modern Lovers didn’t venture much music wise, they stayed in their lane. After reading a few reviews it is now clearer to me this bands style and i can appreciate their choices more. Although it’s a groovy easy listening album, I did get quite bored easily with its repetitiveness. Their style encaptures an awkward angst-ridden adolescent sound paired with a stripped down rock and roll. that’s how it is described in a cool article i found

I've never heard of this band or album before, but I really liked the vocals a lot, because they reminded me of other artists I like: Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, etc. You can hear the early punk influences, and this album sounds very much ahead of its time.

Perfectly fine

Pretty amazing for the time it was recorded, but with today's ears, there's nothing absolutely wonderful about this. Still had a great time!

I liked Jonathon Richman when I first heard him, but soon the wide-eyed, child-like schtick wore off, and like a 70s sitcom, the jokes aren't so funny any more. From a historical perspective, this album being released in 76 would, I guess, put it in firmly in the proto-punk category. I like songs like Pablo Picasso & Hospital, but the ballads are hard to take.

Lots of folks are saying that the Modern Lovers are indebted to the Velvet Underground but personally I prefer the Modern Lovers to the VU. This proto-punk album influenced a ton of bands and I see that it features Jerry Harrison from Talking Heads and David Robinson from the Cars and they ain't no slouches. If you're a fan of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations you'll be familiar with the best track - Roadrunner. I love the driving guitars and Richman's voice perfectly captures the pre-punk NY scene.

tijdje geleden geluisterd maar vergeten te reviewen. vond hem wel prima dus geef het 3 sterren, sorry voor de slechte review!

Ahead of its time but annoying in places.

Meh.

There was something... about this band... that I didn't know. I recognized that voice right off the git. And I was not one iota surprised to see that members of both The Cars and Talking Heads were in this band. I'd heard of Modern Lovers but never listened to them, bit before my time. But I can totally hear their influence in Talking Heads.

Enjoyed the vocal on this, album a bit mad but worked because of it

Fine, nothing special

A one trick pony, but it's a good trick: Roadrunner is outstanding (though some versions are better than others and this album version is definitely not the best). The rest of the album seems to be trying to do it again with various amounts of success. She Cracked comes close.

It grooved at times

I was pleasantly surprised by some of the songs on this album. Normally I don't enjoy slowly spoken lyrics but there were a few stand out songs. Pablo picaso was my favorite, it made me chuckle. The very first song was probably my 2nd favorite.

I’m really torn with this album. The vocals absolutely suck. I don’t know what it is about the vocalist’a voice but I just can’t stand it. I think if the delivery was different I would like it more, because I love psychedelic rock in general and this is slightly reminiscent of those classics from the 60s, but at the same time more modern. I’m enjoying the bits where there’s just instruments playing. The vocals are really not it. Saved tracks: Roadrunner, Old World, Pablo Picasso, Hospital

Voelt als een voorloper van punk

3.5

Another band, that I have never heard of! And it's a shame, because the self titled album was a very cohere and entertaining piece, with few underrated (apparently) gems in there. When I was listening to the first couple song on this album, all I could think of was The Doors. The style of music, slow melodies with a keyboard sounds a'la Manzarek and vocalist, not even close as charismatic as Morrison, but singing in a similar style, almost like reciting a poem in a deep, slightly drunk voice. Over the course of the album the style has changed into something more bespoke and original, but the slight influence of The Doors could be felt until the last song. The little gems I mentioned were as follows: "I'm straight" and "Hospital". The first one was a very outward, happy-like song, with a nice chorus and easy to follow throughout. The other one was a very calm ballad, a little out of style towards the rest of the album, but making it a real highlight. Rest of the songs felt a little monotonous and boring, especially toward the end of the record. I will be happy to come back to it from time to time, but only in small doses.

Like the songs with a bit more pace. Dignified and Old was an early Sloan cover!

Noice

Tutukan!

Simple rock n roll

first listen super boring

It was ok.

2.5/5

Pas mauvais, le petit son early punk est bien nice.

Just to know

What struck me first was that the singer was really nasal and whiny, plus the lyrics were cliché. But, when I looked past that, I found the melodies were really nice, the live-in-the-studio production worked amazingly for the album and there wasn't much padding (only nine songs), overall I'm a little conflicted on this one. A decent record.

Just Generic new wave.

good but the songs kind of sound the same

Nothing fancy, but nice instrumentals. Not the greatest fan of the vocals.

I've listened to this already. 5-8/10 somewhere around that.

This is good, I remember hearing roadrunner from the sex pistols.

Sounds a bit like what the Doors would have been if Lou Reed was their front man. I enjoy most of this.

Some nice early punk with a few fun moments, I most like the Pablo Picasso song.

This is the kind of thing I usually like. But it left me kind of meh. It wasn't bad, it wasn't boring, it just didn't float my boat today. My favorite song was I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms.

Only really know these guys from being name checked in LCD Soundsystem’s Losing My Edge This was fine

I like the music and wacky lyrics but not a fan of the vocals or talk-singing. Kind of reminds me of the Talking Heads

This felt more modern than 1976 and was very emo. Kinda problematic, but not the absolute worst.

Can’t decide if I like the slow-fast talk-singing. Reminds me of toned-down velvet underground. Okkervil river vocals are a lot like this. Somebody get this poor guy a girlfriend.

Garage-rock. Ni fu ni fa.

this would get higher marks from me if Jonathon Richman's voice wasn't so blah and monotone. He has character and some charisma and isn't the only lead singer with zero range. Kind of an indie-pop Iggy Pop? But it all starts to sound the same. The band is great, I like the songs. But Richman...

Tää ei ollut pöllömpi. Tosin vähän ehkä epätasainen. Tykkäsin biiseistä jossa noi urut oli pinnassa. Tuli sellanen 22pp -fiilis. 3/5

Good. Will listen again

So far, this project has made me a little bit leery of proto-punk from artists I have never heard of. Well, this album broke the curse; I was pleasantly surprised, because this album was pretty enjoyable! Aspects of this album definitely reminded me of psychedelic rock, and at times the singer reminded me a lot of Jim Morrison. At the same time, I hear some bits and pieces that sound like 80s and 90s alt rock genres. I wouldn't ever presume to say this is the only band to have past and future musical references spanning four decades, but for some reason it was very apparent to me here!

It feels very prescient (Someone I Care About for instance sounds like a Sonic Youth song??), but this kind of minimalist rock is very hit and miss for me (minimalist as in songs with simple chord progressions and a singing style that's not too melodic and close to speaking). It sometimes sounds cool and other times boring depending on my mood.

Obviously, some classics, but I much prefer Jonathan Richman's later, more naive work.s

Felt familiar. Couple clever songs.

This one was kind of all over the place. Some tracks I really liked, while others were just plain underwhelming. Vocals are fun, instrumentals are strong, but wow, Dance with Me made my ears bleed. Fave track: Pablo Picasso. Not sure if they're idolizing him or making fun of him but it's catchy as hell either way.

Nice

Some the album still sounds jolly.

Liked it!

I feel like there's potential there but they haven't really pushed the envelope.

Enjoyed it. I know Roadrunner but not listened to the other stuff until today

Roadrunner is a 10/10 classic, the rest rather pales by comparison. Disappointed

An important stepping stone on the way to punk - honestly, I'm blown away that it was recorded in 71 - but I just don't see myself coming back to it very often.

It was akin to a really good burger patty with Moldy bread. Horrible Openers and closers, but the meat was tasty.

3/5. First listen. Good stuff!

I love Talking Heads and this is the band Jerry Harrison was in before joining the 'Heads. I've never listened to them. Sounds like a bridge between conventional 70s rock and the post-punk of Talking Heads. Shocker. This stuff is cool. I dig. Feel like Im giving out a lot of 3/5 lately. But there have been some pretty middling records. And I guess this is one of them.

I had heard (and am a fan of) Roadrunner, but I was pessimistic about this album being on the list. But - I liked it. It's a nice "bridge" album. There some 60s Animals vibe (with the guitar tones and organ), a 70s punk-rock feel, and it's a clear pre-cursor to the 80s new wave stuff that would come after. I like it.

A passable impression of The Stooges and Velvet Underground.

What an interesting band and album. They kind of time travel in that they can sound like a surf-rock proto-punk 60s band or a more 90s grunge-y type, and it's all quite fun. The lead vocalist's voice was at times engaging and at times annoying, but I kind of have a feeling that was what he was going for. Snappy musicianship and steady performances here. All in all, good fun.

Kann man gut nebenbei hören

A breath of fresh air after some awful albums from the generator lol, nice sound.

3,5

A fun record and, in it's way, a very influential record.

Never heard this before, pretty good.

buen álbum. me quedo con Hospital. me inspiró. creo que esto le gusta a The Strokes.

Expected more from this.

Nice to become acquainted with another of those hipster bands listed in that LCD Soundsystem song. It sounds years ahead of its time and I found the frontman really engaging. Fun lyrics and some decent tunes too. Downgraded slightly after the second listen as I realised only a few tracks (Pablo Picasso, Hospital, I'm Straight, maybe a couple of others) had properly grabbed me.

Velvet Underground vibes for sure. Its ok.

Rock, proto punk.

Sin pena ni gloria

So I read about how influential this was. I struggled to have any thoughts during listening other than "Hm. Those vocals are a bit too unpolished for me. Guitars are cool, though." I feel like I *should* enjoy this more considering its role in history, but proto-punk (dare I say punk in general?) is a weak spot of mine. I wouldn't turn it off but I'd have to cherry pick certain songs to re-visit unless I were doing some chores where it fades a bit more into the background.

I'd believe this is a recent album if I didn't know better (the Current play list). The sound can be tide loosely to Velvet Underground to show that it was a sound back in the early 70s. I like it.

Never heard of this band until today. Pretty good - reminded me of some bands that I couldn’t quite place while listening. I’m thinking it’s a 3.5 and then went to the Wikipedia page that said Rolling Stone placed it in the top 500 best albums of all time. Rolling Stone mag sucks and I have very little respect for any thing they printed after 1984, so rounding down.

Wow school of rock I love day school of rock soundtrack life, other than that it’s ok they have good hair the dude has a nice voice but he just kinda goes on and on 3 stars imo

nako, 3

Standouts - Pablo Picasso; Modern World; Dignified and Old Interesting sounding band Lyricism is at the forefront, sometimes kind of funny lyrics This album would probably take a few listens for me to get into it

Classic

Some cool tunes, didn't realize this was out in 1976 which was earlier than I thought

Not very impressive.

De zanger stak wat af ten opzichte van de rest van het album. Anders wel oké

I get the influence, the tone and timing of Richman's vocals, but halfway through this exercise of listening from start to finish, I'd rather have put on Chain and The Gang.

3.98

It was pretty good, but everything sounded the same after a while.

Echte ouwe rockmuziek. Ik vind het een beetje 13 in een dozijn. ***

Some of the tracks really sucked, but this is mostly enjoyable. Favorite tracks are Modern World and I'm Straight.

Rating: 6/10

caught my interest after a few songs just because it's weird, but music is lame and too much talk of women

Garage-rock. Ni fu ni fa.

Ehh, not my taste. Jerry Harrison's band before Talking Heads, so that's cool.

Not bad at all but nothing really stood out for me. Just a collection of good rock songs, not sure I’ll listen again in a hurry

забыл что сказать ну гаражи гараж

I liked Roadrunner and Astral Plane, but that was where the album peaked for me. Not much variation in themes, and the guy seems like an ass. Pablo Picasso was super dumb.

Had its moments. Reminded me of a couple different artists mashed together - maybe some overlapping members or influence? 3.5

J'ai passé un très mauvais moment à l'écoute de cet album, comme trop souvent en ce moment, je demande donc officiellement à mon camarade d'écoute robboomer, proche de Robert, de le contacter dans les plus bref delais afin de redresser la barre.

A bunch of ace driving songs, with ‘Road Runner’ still being the best of them. A couple of average to good songs in ‘Astral Plane’ and ‘Pablo Picasso’ and a couple of downright stinkers in ‘Hospital’ and ‘Girlfriend’, two ballads that really annoy. When it’s great, you can clearly hear the importance and influence this record has had on punk and rock in general. Having said that, I didn’t love it all the way through. YMMV.

Cool find! I've never heard of them before, they sound like an edgier version of the Velvet Underground. I can hear the groundwork for bands like the Clash and the Sex Pistols from this album. Favorite Tracks: "Roadrunner" "Pablo Picasso"

Pas pire mais generique comme album. Je n’etais peut etrepas dans le bon mood. 3*

Many different sounds and great exploration of punk rock

another fine but forgettable 3

Fun album if nothing really spectacular to me. I dig the vocalist's style. Reminds me of some modern post-rock.

Lead singer vocals and organ reminiscent of doors, enjoyed the variety of pace and sound in their tracks, boston references, and quirky awkward dating lyrics.

Little cheesy lyrics 3/5

Funny punk rock sound. Hard to believe it’s from the 70s

Rocky. Fun. Like “Pablo Picasso” and “Girlfriend”

Surprised I haven’t heard of them before. Early punk. Can definitely see how much of an influence they had on later bands like the cramps.

Wie Beat!Beat!Beat!

Irregular

Jedan od okejastijih albuma sedamdeset i šeste godine, pogotovo što album započinju sa jako dobrom stvari zvanom Roadrunner. Općenito album je dobar i živi do svoje ocjene koje joj je dano na rym.

Rockigere und saubere Version der Ramones

Banda de rock totalmente desconocida por mí, pero que llevan el rollito de rock hablado más que cantado. Me recuerdan mucho a The Doors. Me han gustado.

Das ist also Proto-Punk... ganz schön!

Another new band for me. Sounded surprisingly current for a 70s album.

punk when there was not punk yet? velvet underground copied it?

Aikakautensa rokkia, kyllä tästä tulee jollain tasolla The Doors mieleen. Muutamia ihan meneviä kappaleitakin oli mukana, mutta aika tasapaksua tavaraa noin yleisesti. Esim Roadrunner ja Pablo Picasso jäivät mieleen.

Not a great album or sound objectively speaking, but I enjoyed it subjectively as a cult classic and as an influence on the punk that I enjoy.

Buen disco de pre-punk, pero sin excesos

I thought it was all right musically but a bit weird lyrically: kind of ironically awkward, but just enough to be uncomfortable. It might be an "important" album but I don't think it's enjoyable.

this grew on me, was a lil drony but I liked the slow ones. pretty cool ‘hospital’ was so nice and sad. bit repetitive tho.

decent

Proto-punk, dat heb ik even opgezocht. Hier en daar wat gelijkenis met the Doors qua geluid en muziek, maar dan een tikkie anders. Zangstijl is kenmerkend, hou ik wel van. Roadrunner en Pablo Picasso (die kende ik al wel) springen eruit.

@@@. A couple of nice songs, sometimes weird singing.

I enjoyed this album. A lot of similarities with Velvet Underground and The Doors. Sleepy punk.

Enjoyably, more so than velvet underground. Quite a distinct twang in the guitar sound which was nice

3

Decent proto punk

I gained nothing from listening to this. No enjoyment, no insight. Won't miss of i never hear again

Pretty lame '70s psychedelic Rock album. No idea why this one is on the list when The Doors and bands of similar genre exist and do this much better.

Really wanted to like this album. I like a couple of Jonathan Richman songs but had never listened to Modern Lovers. This had potential, but overall, it just did not do it for me.

Basic

american rock is definitely not my thing...

Hmmm. Hrrmmrmrmrmrmrmmrmr. The list hasn't been making these genre predictions easy as of late. "The Modern Lovers" strikes me as an English band name given that it's most likely sarcastic, and the 1976 release date leads me to view this album as a proto-punk release. The angular geometry on the album cover verifies this theory for me, though for reasons I can't really explain. Anyways, I'm locking in punk for my prediction. Let's blow this popsicle stand. I'm a fucking genius and I love being right (if you ignore the fact that this band is American). On YouTube Music, the video for "Astral Plane" is of some midget stripteasing while lying on a bed. It's not even an official video - some random guy uploaded a recording of himself set to this song and YouTube decided it was peachy keen to include on their service. This album was okay, though I'm not and will never be a punker. Still, this is a lot more tolerable than your average punk outing. For one, the album isn't jam-fucking-packed with one-minute songs. There's some actual meat on the bones of these tunes (albeit not much). The music of this album is incredibly low energy and unvaried, being comprised almost entirely of the same droning guitars and repetitious drum beats. The same can be said for the vocals, which are neither charismatic nor entertaining. Still, I suppose I didn't mind the bassy sound of this album, which was able to just barely hold my attention across the runtime of this album. All in all, this was an adept, if very boring listen. Book time. The frontman of the group was heavily influenced by The Velvet Underground. The drummer from The Cars and the keyboardist from Talking Heads were in the original lineup of this band. John Cale of The Velvet Underground produced one of the band's demo tapes. The lyrics are very contradictory and countercultural. "Pablo Picasso" was covered by John Cale and later David Bowie. "Roadrunner" has been covered by a wide array of punk bands, most notably the Sex Pistols. The band were dropped by their label once they had finished recording the songs for this album. It released three years later on a different label, with the original lineup having imploded long beforehand. Roadrunner was a hit single. According to Wikipedia, this album was met with an absolutely glowing response from critics. The only music publication that didn't give this album a 10/10 was Pitchfork, settling for a meagre 9.2/10. The album is influential in punk rock circles and has received enduring acclaim, though it hasn't charted anywhere. I just hear The Velvet Underground when I listen to this music, though I suppose these guys got in on the ground floor of punk and appear to be well-respected within their niche. I'm content to let this album through. I cosign this inclusion.

Not as good as I hoped. Richman's voice drones on a bit.

i mean, like, sure, but there's just zero passion here. sounds like they're performing with guns to their heads

mid

Didn’t know this band, but I remember the “Pablo Picasso” song.

Very much like Iggy Pop & The Stooges, but not as good.

Nah. Again.

366/1089 it’s gotten to a point (girlfriend) where it just feels like random rambling, idk it’s losing me a bit 48/100

As a parody of Jim Morrison, its pretty good! Pablo Picasso is a great satire of that rambling poetry style The Doors uses, and... wait, this isn't a joke album?

A fine punk debut album. Had some enjoyable songs, an okay listen. Not my favorite, though.

Not, as they say, for me. At times, it very nearly stops being annoying and starts being fun, but those times are few and far between, and a long way from being worth it. I don't really get what they're trying to do to be honest - there's no shock factor, no musicality, and not really any sense of joy or anything.

A case of the vocals ruining the experience. I hate how nasal Richmans singing is which is a shame because the songwriting is superb.

Me hizo acordar bastante a The Doors. No soy tan fanático de The Doors. Igual estuvo bien.

:(

It was okay, but I doubt I'd listen to it again. Many other bands do the same thing and are better.

Pretty boring.

Feels like budget rate The Doors? Which are already a budget rate band? I don't know, I'm having a hard time this time.

Not totally unlistenable since there's definitely some energy here and I found my self bopping along, but the real issue here is the vocals. The dude is barely singing, it's moreso just talking the whole time which I'm honestly just not a fan of. 2/5

Why is this here. It’s so middle of the road that it’s incredible that it was even thought about after a year.

My least favourite genre: stupid white boys speaking over a terrible band. It would have been a 1 but for the gumption to put out a song which in all seriousness rhymed Pablo Picasso to asshole and avocado.

I think I might have enjoyed this more if the best song wasn't track 1

It's not awful, but it's not really something I'd choose to listen to. I made it all the way through the album but that was in no small part due to being preoccupied by something else. I wouldn't want to hear it again.

Don't remember don't care enough to relisten to.

Kind of terrible no?

A mix between the doors and velvet underground that never got laid. 4/10 Top song Roadrunner

At first i thought this sounds quite good but then everything sounded the same

I was excited when I saw this was the album with Roadrunner, but then heard the rest of it.

Not udder shite but senseless and meaningless. Just goes on with itself like its doing something special but its not. '76 is pretty early for this sound so I'll give a nod to that. But, I'm not impressed.

Oh, well. It was probably provocative at the time, but fifty years later the record Sounds really dated, dusty and desperate.

Thumbs down. Voice not carrying the tune.

The poor man’s Lou Reed. Not my bag, baby. 1.5⭐️

For more than half my life, the only knowledge of/exposure to The Modern Lovers I had was the Sex Pistols' cover of "Roadrunner. At some point not that long ago (5-10 years ago, maybe?) I finally heard the original version and it amused me as a novelty - reminding me of my childhood love of the Pistols - but did not make me want to seek out any more of their music. But now it has sought ME out... Having listened... I guess you had to be there? I don't hate this but it is difficult for me to see why it was such a big deal, even in its day. I guess I can kind of hear proto-punk here and understand why the early punks were drawn to it. But listening to it 50 years after its release, with the benefit of hindsight (hindsound?) and all the music that has come since then, it just doesn't sound very remarkable to me.

I thought a lot of the lyrics sounded like they were written by a 1 year old. It was funny sometimes and fun. But I couldn't listen to some of songs simple because I was cringing a lot.

This is influential? How?? This is music so generic I could've written it myself, and his voice is so bad he shouldn't even be allowed to call himself a singer. I think y'all are just forcing yourselves to like this. You don't have to, you know. It's okay to admit this is not good. It's what Hippie Johhny would want you to do.

I couldn't listen to it - I get that this is the "we don't care about vocals" era but surely there's a line.

idk nothing special

I dunno man. Is this really one of the best 1001? It was fine. Nothing special. I listen to it a few hours ago and can hardly remember it. 2/5.

Nahhh, not for me. I already dislike Elvis Costello for borrowing everything from rock and punk except for the spirit. This is even more “nice.” It’s different and I see how that’s fun for some people. Not me, though, this just irked me. It’s got some nice intrumentals and organ playing so it’s better than one star but not by much.

It's not dreadful. I can understand why other people might enjoy this. I just wish the singing didn't sound so lazy.

Another band completely new to me. This was ok. You can definitely hear the Velvet Underground influence, particularly in the vocal delivery. I’d rather listen to The Velvet Underground though. The album seemed to plateau after about four songs and I ultimately got pretty bored of it towards the end.

uncomfortable and borderline icky to listen to

Oui c’est joli et ça reprend bien certains style, rockabillie ou folk et puis un peu d’ethnique de loin … Dancing late at night est cool et the theme from moulin rouge est mignonne … mais je ne réécouterai pas l’album

Groupe inconnu. Premier constat : le 'chant' est plutôt désagréable. Quand il arrête c'est mieux ! Ceci dit l'accompagnement n'est pas vraiment original, il ne m'a pas vraiment marqué. Rien de remarquable donc, pas de seconde écoute envisagée. Les quelques chorus (sans chant, donc double bonus ...) le sauvent de la note minimale. =>2/5

176 songs is just too many...all average at best, kinda boring album.

It's a less serious, less musically talented version of The Doors. Some funny lyrics, not much else to point out!

Pretty mid

The sheer amount of bad vocalising here deserves some kind of award. From the very beginning of the record, we're blessed with "Rud runnuh rud runnuh". Everything coming out of this guy's mouth is monotonous drunken nonsense. In terms of melody, delivery, enunciation (every vowel is just "uh" and I challenge you to prove otherwise). It manages to represent both the absolute worst and the absolute average of punk at the same time (because let's be honest, the "punk median" is close to the bottom of the music barrel). At least the synth in the second half is pretty good, and the instruments players manage to conjure a catchy, fun, danceable backbeat. Those factors push Roadrunner up significantly. And by track 2, I'm warming up (marginally) to the terrible singing. The fact that these songs were recorded in 1971/2 cannot be overlooked. Anticipating the punk explosion of '77 by one year is impressive. But by five years? We're talking the height of glam and classic hard rock. It's safe to say there were few artists at the time that dared to be as rough-around-the-edges as The Modern Lovers. Rough-around-the-edges just doesn't impress the listener in quite the same way, though. Pablo Picasso might make for a legendary Cubism artist, but he makes for a pretty mediocre 1-chord song by the Modern Lovers. The word "asshole" is overused here. We get it. You like talking about assholes. Girlfriend is also a weak spot here. The singing continues to be extremely poor, and the addition of piano doesn't quite make the experience worth it. We need something rougher, like a distorted guitar, to "justify" that singing. In contrast, Hospital reminds me of something the Velvet Underground might release – lots of changes in tempo and mood, keeping the listener engaged, and still managing to be pretty catchy on top of that. Many points given for that. (A bonus tack, I'm Straight, also takes clear inspiration from VU.) The bonus track Government Center is passable in isolation but once you see the resemblance with poorly-done Doors karaoke, you can't unhear it. It's listenable. A little better than a 1-star effort, yet much worse than a 5-star. (The sheer number of 5s is pretty crazy. As is the major hyping-up done by critics.) 2/5 Key tracks: Astral Plane, Hospital

Didn't love this. I have found through this process that anything too close to proto-punk or its adjacent genres really isn't up my alley. Could have done without this one honestly.

i’m pretty sure people did think Picasso was an asshole. like if The Doors were less tallented

forgettable Would I listen again: by accident Deserves to be on this list: nope 1.6

i didn’t care for it

(2.75) not bad!

Two songs I really liked, one I sorta liked, and the rest I thought were dreadful. Singer sounded like a cross between Shane Mcgowan and Julian Casablancas on the 3rd Strokes record... was begging for songs to end at times.

I’ve heard of the band, not sure I’ve ever listened to them. Very heavily influenced by Velvet Underground and other proto punk music. Can’t say it’s very good though. Shouldn’t be on the list and way too long.

I wanted to like this so bad, but unfortunately, it missed the mark.

Occasionally (Roadrunner; I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms) Jonathan Richman sucks at making music in a way that is actually a lot of genuine fun and almost endearing. But most of the rest of the time he just sucks at making music like any man who sucks at making music. It grates after a while :/ My Certified Woman take here is that it's kind of obvious why the character depicted in many of the lyrics is apparently having so much trouble finding a girlfriend

Some interesting sounds, but a little atonal overall.

I didn't vibe with this album at all.. It feels like an average 70's rock album 2/5

Yeah this dude’s voice sucks, but I think it’s more because he doesn’t just go hard with it. His voice made me think of Tim Armstrong of Rancid, but Tim knows how to take that unique voice and use it appropriately in the music. The music here just doesn’t suit his voice most of the time, and I eventually gave up.

I don't like the singers voice

Whilst not actively repulsive, so not worthy of 1 star, it is incredibly amateurish, sounding like a pub band nervously playing their first gig. 'Girlfriend' is a particular lowlight. 1.5

Just not very interesting. Dull voice dull songs

Not for me, though it's not really bad. Just bores me.

Why does a band that has and plays some decent music have a singer with vocals like that?

nothing special

I despise punk but hospital was a good track

I already hated Velvet Underground. This is 10 years later, sounds the same and I don't see what additionally they bring to the table.

Totally underwhelmed by this mediocre rock album. It wasn’t insultingly bad, like it didn’t belong on the list it just did nothing for me and after like 8 hours I had forgotten almost everything this album has to offer. The only real memory I have from the album is it peaked with the song “She cracked”. I wanted to like this cause I actually liked the half assed vocal delivery. It almost sounds like if a heavily intoxicated British version of Ben Stein was the lead singer of a mediocre rock band. Honestly I’m not trying to be so harsh, like there’s a cool part of Hospital that I liked, I mean I didn’t actually like the full song but it had a creative cool moment for a minute there where the singer sorta picks up his speed to match the best of the song but don’t worry it only lasts for 5 secs and then your stuck with the rest. Mid album at best.

its okay, probably wouldnt listen again though

I guess this was innovative for their time, but I just don't this whiney-talking type of "singing" that is off-beat too many times for my liking.

It's alright, I think, but I understand why I had not heard this before. Pablo Picasso and Hospital stood out, but the rest were mostly kind of same same. In contrast to many other non-5/5 reviews, I don't actually mind the lyrics/singing style.

This had some weird lyrics like "loving the old world" and Pablo Picasso being a ladies man.

I might have given it a 3, but when you can’t spell in your songs you lose one star.

It seemed redundant. I know how to spell girlfriend so why did you try to

This was kinda bleh. Dude's voice was bleh, the music was bleh, the lyrics were bleh. I really don't have anything positive too say about this

really did not care for vocals at all. lyrics were just blah

No standouts, but inoffensive

Toujours les mêmes albums, et celui-ci ne me convainc pas vraiment

Every song seemingly consisted of three contiguous notes, which only emphasized the absurd lyrics.

Album started off okay, however the vocals at times sound like they were being sung by Butthead, and “Girlfriend” was steaming pile of shit

I mostly prefer singing in songs with vocals. This started out alright, but became tedious as a full playthrough. Probably better in small doses.

Had its moments, will probably not revisit it though.

"now we say bye-bye old world, gotta help the new world" once again unsure if i found the right version, i think i just listened to some compilation of theirs i think this guy wants a girlfriend... can't tell if i like or not

Sounds like what I imagine would have constituted college music in the 70s. Starts off rocking with unbridled energy with Roadrunner, dreams fruitlessly of success with girls, and devolves into slurring desperation from doing too many shots on stage with I'm Straight (like his boozing makes him better boyfriend material than Hippie Johnny's pot). The lyrics are youthful and naive, but the talent is lacking.

Not for me, it was fine? Pretty low and slow and the singing felt uninspired.

It's ok. Not my fav. Probably wouldn't listen to it again. Kinda like early rock.

Meh more early punk.

Really just a worse version of Dire Straits that isn't even catchy.

I liked the singer's voice, but I could not stand some of the lyrics. I had never heard of this group before today and I'm glad I had a chance to check out something new, but overall I was not a fan and I won't be continuing with more of their discography.

Dull dull dull

Bleachers remind me of them a bit

Not bad, but I did lose interest from Hospital to the end of the album. No issues with this one, but it's not a immediate add to my list of want to replay albums.

Dit album, dit vat voor mij eigenlijk voor een groot deel samen wat ik matig vind aan deze lijst. Het is dramatisch gezongen, de zanger klinkt alsof hij echt werkelijk alles liever zou doen dan dit en daarnaast is het instrumentaal prima. Het is rock, niet veel meer dan dat eigenlijk. Het is geen slecht album hoor, zeker niet. Maar het is zo agressief 'ok' dat ik me er kapot aan irriteer. Een album als hiervoor is dan tenminste gewoon echt vreemd, dit is gewoon niet heel erg bijzonder en denk dat als het nu uit zou komen dat er niemand naar zou luisteren.

They sound like the clash, but horny

Not for me but can't say it is the worst either

We krijgen punk, lees ik. Nou, wel een heel laf kleurloos schijfje voor punk. Daar doet een orgeltje weinig aan. Misschien komt dat label 'punk' vooral vanuit de matige zang en moet ik het meer scharen onder post-punk. Maar zelfs dan, er zijn zoveel concurrenten in deze lijst die meer indruk achter laten. Eigenlijk is dit nog te min voor een vergeetbare 3...

Is there something I’m missing with this? I understand shit like this is not supposed to be polished to sound raw, but there’s a point where you just end up sounding like shit. Like the lead singer just hurts my ears and the songs just sound stupid. It just sounds like someone recorded some band playing in a bar and put the raw recording on vinyl. Then every music publication calls it shit like “iconic” and puts it on a thousand arbitrary lists… like this one. And I sit here wondering if my musical taste is just shit or if I’m just too uncultured to understand what the appeal is. Funnily enough, everyone says this is similar to The Velvet Underground. I thought that one album was overrated (you know the one), so I guess it’s no surprise I think this one is, too. Favorite track: Roadrunner Other hits: She Cracked, Someone I Care About

Meh.

I would be disappointed if I bought this album in 1976 on a whim

This is nothing special. The music is alright, but the vocals are pretty garbage.

2/5

Meh...

for an album it was fun but it was truly boring

Felt super repetitive and not super enjoyable to me.

Couldn't get into this one.

Ruim! Achei um disco entediante. A banda é competente, mas não surpreendem de maneira alguma, tocam o básico de uma forma básica. Tudo bem previsível. O grande destaque do álbum está nos vocais. São bêbados, surrados, baixo astral e energia. Parece que o vocalista não quer cantar. E claro, muitas pessoas vão apontar para isso como uma escolha estilística, mas pra mim, só me causa tédio e monotonia. Indiferença total. Bléh. 2/5

I can see why unhappy mid-70s rock critics thought this was the t-i-t-z. I do feel like I should have known before today that Jerry Harrison was in this band. I'm less concerned that I didn't know the Cars drummer was also in this band.

Maso

lead singer sounds like zach from gilmore girls

The album was ok

487/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

In a nutshell: straight-edged Velvet Underground. It’s geeky proto-punk with a bit of art rock thrown in. Monotone vocals, simple chords, constant tempo. What’s stopping me from giving this a lower rating is the legacy. I hear The Modern Lovers all the time at indie DJ nights. Musicians do cite the band and/or Jonathan Richman as an influence. Overall: 4/10

3/10

Keyboard is cool. Pablo Picasso is kind of a lame song. This guy is a tool. This jit cracks birds. They sound like Jim E. Brown on some of their songs. If you know, you know. 2.5/5

Ehhhhh idk Jim

I respected this album and there were a lot of elements to it that I found enjoyable, but ultimately it didn't click for me.

Fun early proto-punk, there's a rawness to it that resonates to me to a certain degree. But I don't think I needed to hear this before I die.

Not my cup of tea. Sounds "loud" for the sake of it

Just overly long and boring. Nothing offensive about it per se, but nothing to write home about. Many other bands did this formula (plodding guitars, more spoken lyrics) a lot better. At least I stay awake for Lifter Puller.

Not for me

Their debut album. Rock / Punk. Roadrunner is a good opening track. Lyrically fun and I don't kind the vocals on that at all. The album sounds like a drunken jam session by The Doors, The Strokes and The Stones. Only they're meandering and not really making much sense at all. Old World and Pablo Picasso are not good songs, ha. Very average.

okay part of me kinda likes this and part of me does not. It’s a 2

Felt like a Velvet Underground knock off. I've always heard what an amazing songwriter Jonathan Richman is. There were some fun moments, but I won't be coming back to this or looking for other releases from his catalog. Punk/protopunk just ain't for me, with very few exceptions.

really has this "oh we have this diy not polished punk sound" that my ears and soul doesn't like. isn't terrible but i'd be glad not to hear this again. the closest is really see through tho

There's not much to gripe about this album; it was alright, but I'm just not a fan of his voice and the way he uses it in this. Many people compare this to The Doors, and I hear the similarities; however, Jim Morrison has character and emotion in his voice that this singer will never possess. This album features bland and non-dynamic instrumentation that gives nothing.

Oh i recognize "Roadrunner" from School of Rock, which is probably why it has so many listens

Punk rock - a few cool tracks.

This was a good listen in parts, and it started really promisingly, but at times the album blends into a soup of distorted guitars and sounds that are hard to differentiate from one another. Ultimately, it's a decent enough listen but very samey throughout and gets a little boring to listen to.

Talk singing. Some interesting sounds, but was tough for me to get into.

Easy “chill” sound… Simple music… Lyrics inspired by MJ and LSD…. I could listen to it sometimes but I didn’t feel anything special Just usual british pop/punk rock, even with some post punk vibes in it

I’m so conflicted by this…on one hand, the actual music/instrumentals are so interesting and.ahead of its time. On the other hand, the vocals are just so bad and pretentious sounding. I don’t think I can get past the vocals tbh

2 - not good

Quite reminiscent of The Velvet Underground for me. I would listen to this instead of The Velvet Underground (as I'm not the biggest fan of theirs), but I would listen to plenty of other stuff instead of this. I'd go 2.5, but I'm sticking to my round down policy.

Not too bad.

not my taste at all

If I heard one of the first few songs from this album in a movie from the 70s, playing while the square-jawed, golden-haired protagonist drove down a California highway in his convertible with a girl at his side, I'd think that it was pretty cool music. I would pay attention to the credits and look up the song on Spotify and listen to it about three times in a row. Then I would add it to a playlist and three months later it would come up again and I would wonder where I came across this song and why I added it to this specific playlist. Yup. Favorite track: "Roadrunner"

Great for a punk sounding band.

Not really my jam

Sounded like a band of high school boys from the 60s playing in someone's parents garage

9/25/25. Will need to listen several more times to appreciate this one, thought it was a little boring although the songwriting was interesting at points. My rating today likely won't reflect what I think of it in the future.

Meh

This is incredibly meh

I didnt like this

All the songs sound very much the same. It's not horrible but not memorable. A memorable live band in Boston at the time - precursor to the Velvet Underground.

silmäsi ovat niin kaukana toisistaan.. näytät joltain sammakolta.. nenäsi on ehdottomasti vino... kasvojesi muoto on kauhistuttava.... ihosi näyttää vitun karhealta.. oletko edes kuullut kosteusvoiteesta?.... näytät tässä kuvassa 3/10 meikillä... en edes halua kuvitella, miltä näytät ilman meikkiä.. oksensin suuhuni pelkästään ajatellessani sitä... pääsi on vitun jättimäinen (vaikka se voi johtua kirahvikaulastasi).... mitä tulee hiuksiisi, LMFAOOO.... oikeasti, tee jotain sille kuivalle perseelle... näytät hevoselta... tuijota kasvojasi yli 5 sekuntia... näet kuinka ruma olet... liian kaukana toisistaan ​​olevat silmät vahingoittavat jo ennestään rumaa kasvoa entisestään.... valitettavasti sinulle sitä ei voi korjata leikkauksella, lol.... käsivartesi ovat aivan liian pitkät.... lol miten ne roikkuvat sivuillasi.... muistuttaa minua vähän spagetista.... mitä tulee tisseihisi.... me kaikki tiedämme, että niissä on ylimääräistä pehmustetta.... voi vittu minä kuollut... älä edes anna minun aloittaa ruskettuneesta ihostasi... se toimii vain jos näytät kuumalta... valitettavasti et näytä kuumalta LMFAO... on vaikea tiivistää kaltaisesi olentoa yhdellä sanalla... en pysty enää......"RUMA" olisi epäreilua... koska se ei heijasta sitä, kuinka vastenmieliseltä näytät LOL... groteski on venyttelyä... mutta jossain siltä väliltä... olisit... old world

This was like listening to the worst Velvet Underground tribute band in history. In fact, this is the worst VU tribute band ever. It just isn’t very good, and there is no way I needed to hear it before I die.

I guess I see how this sort of leads to punk but man it's not all that interesting. Boring vocals, boring guitar tone, boring keys...

Pre-listening thoughts: in the fear that I will avoid listening to an album like this forever, I am instead going down the backlog in chronological order starting with the most recent. I knew I would put one like this off for way too long which is ultimately what created the backlog last time. Who knows, this could surprise me. Post/during listening thoughts: well. it didn't. It's like the Doors. Except they sing even less. and I don't really like the doors. so. 4/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: uhh roadrunner? Least fav tracks: Pablo Picasso, Hospital

This feels like one of those albums that probably spoke to something in the youths pretty well at the time, but just didn’t age out of the time well. The music itself is whatever and the lyrics are a bit too specifically “I’m in my early 20s in the 1970s, and this is my life”

Not a fan.

Best Song: Roadrunner. It has a sort of likeable, throwback vibe to it. Worst Song: Dance With Me. What a terrible idea to isolate and focus a song entirely on the vocals, which are clearly the worst part of the entire album. Overall: Ahh, another song from "The Fall" school of talk-singing. Totally skippable, uninteresting droning.

I was very unfamiliar with The Modern Lovers, though I recognized their biggest “hit,” Roadrunner. The reason I was unfamiliar is that the group broke up before their first album came out. The songs were recorded in 1971 & 1972, but the album debuted in 1976. Their history & influence on music afterwards are fascinating. If you’re a fan of the NeW York punk scene & 80’s new wave, then this may be the album for you. However, I just plain didn’t like it. The Modern Lovers were influenced by The Velvet Underground, another band I can’t get into. The songs have a Velvet Underground sound, but also a bit of 60s psychedelic with the keyboards. It’s easy to see how The Modern Lovers influenced rock in the 80s; in fact, keyboardist Jerry Harrison later went on to play for the Talking Heads, & drummer David Robinson went on to play drums with The Cars. Those bands were just two of the many bands influenced by The Modern Lovers. I hate being an old man about music that came out before I was born, but the songs are kind of simple & the lyrics are very teen angsty. Founder/lead singer/songwriter, Jonathan Richman isn’t a good singer. He sounds like he’s half asleep when singing, which is more like talking. The lyrics are weird, he has a song about trying to snake a girl from a hippie, & his main argument is that he doesn’t get high & her bf is always stoned. Another song is about his love for the 50s & how he'd rather things stayed the same, which is weird for a rock band in the 70s, especially a proto-punk band. Other songs are about how he can’t pick up chicks. Maybe it’s satire I’m not getting. I will not listen to this again, I don’t think, but I appreciate the band’s influence on music in the '70s & '80s. It's at least worth a listen for music history's sake.

okay, used to be better.

Within the first 2 songs I was locked in for a 1, but it kinda grew on me, definitely musically and a little bit lyrically. I think I would listen to this again before the Allman Brothers album. The frontman is clearly just ad-libbing for most songs, but also shows some vulnerbility and honesty. His voice is definitely awful. I'm unsure why his bandmates didn't veto him to be the singer when they first heard notes come out of his mouth. Also, very much reminds me of a poor man's the Doors, wonder who came first?

The less I can hear the vocalist the better. Pablo Picasso is a big miss. Roadrunner is a lot of fun. I don’t mind the pre-punk driving guitar, bass, drums.