The Modern Lovers

Ok

O problema deve ter sido a expectativa que coloquei nesse álbum. Esperava algo muito bom e soou apenas mediano aos meus ouvidos. É um disco ok. QoA Vesper.

Interesting and unique for its time. A proto-punk record from when punk was already beginning. A singer that speaks or intonates charismatically more than he sings, kind like Lou Reed by way of Iggy Pop. Energetic and rocking, and today that's all I needed. Key tracks: Roadrunner

Interesting listen. Didn’t know that group. It’s a blend of various genres and sounds. 2.5/5 stral Plane: 3 Old World: 3 Pablo Picasso: 2 She Cracked: 3 Hospital: 2 Someone I Care About: 2 Girl Friend: 2 Modern World: 2

First listen

Favorite Track: Roadrunner

I do not think I like the modern lovers

Decent record for sure, but didn’t really hear much that made me want to think about listening to it again..

Well, this was good, wasn't great. Roadrunner was pretty good, nowhere near the best song on the album though. After Roadrunner, THE ALBUM SUCKED UNTIL HOSPITAL. FOR THAT ENTIRE TIME WISH THE ALBUM DID NOT EXIST. But then Hospital came on and everything was good again like 4 stars but that period between Roadrunner and Hospital makes it a 3. Highlights: Hospital, Someone I Care About, and Modern World Honorable mentions: Dance With Me and Roadrunner 6/10

This is right up there with some of Big Star's albums in terms of "transcendent genius that wasn't as huge as it should have been because reasons." Literally older than me but it still sounds fresh. Almost bought it on vinyl for $49.99 yesterday; might have to go back.

Absolutely loved this album. Keep in it as a favorite ;-)

Not my cup of tea. Lots of sound not a lot of melody

Loved the old school grit in the music and lyrics, although questionable at points

Pretty album with some nice punk/pop songs. Lead singer reminds me of Lou Reed on a few songs.

Lo-fi, but not in a good way. There's way more interesting stripped down stuff out there.

This is alright... Maybe it sounds ahead of its time for 1976 and is more influential than I am able to know, but it wasn't anything incredible to me. Probably won't return to it, but it did have a cool, brooding sound.

Pleasantly bland are the words that come to mind. ★★★

I get how this album and others like it helped with the early transition from the 1970s vibe into the 1980s, but this just isn't my jam

It's alright. Tbh it's really easy to stop paying attention, all the songs kinda blend into one another. I still think there's some decent replay value. I do enjoy Johnathan Richman's singing. P.S. Dance With Me SUCKS. I don't know what exactly is going on in the song, but it made my ears bleed. That might be the worst track I've ever heard.

Might want to put southern man on my song singles list

I've listened to bits of this album over the years and never seen the Doors comparisons until reading the reviews on this app. I assumed this was from the early 80s rather than the late 70s. I'm a fan of the album. It's consistently very good. They're no Doors, but it's very good in its own right

Big Jonathan Richman fan. I know that his voice, and Velvet Underground influenced style of rock poetry - rough, loose, repetitive - aren't for everyone, but he was one of those musicians I just recognised and loved on first encounter. Couple of his best tracks on this album (Roadrunner and Pablo Picasso), but relistening has reminded me how much joy the rest of it brings too.

ended up finding this pretty enjoyable

Roadrunner - 4.5/5 Astral Plane - 4/5 Old World - 4/5 Pablo Picasso - 4/5 She Cracked - 4/5 Hospital - 3.5/5 Someone I Care About - 4/5 Girl Friend - 3.5/5 Modern World - 4/5 These guys took their influence from the Velvet Underground and maybe some from the Doors and/or Stooges to create an interesting proto-punk sound. Even though this came out in 1976, the song were recorded years early and thus sound way ahead of their time. Its also not really a surprise when two of the members here went on the Cars and Talking Heads after their only album. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Roadrunner

Mid

Perfect album and you lack creativity if you disagree

One of my favorite albums in recent years. Jonathan Richman is just so cool. This is like the ideal music for a college student

Been a while since I last heard this so I’m glad it popped back up. One of them records that I enjoy but often forget about. Kinda somewhere between The Fall and Velvet Underground, which makes sense given John Cale produced this. There’s also a bit of Doors and Stooges at times too. Kinda like a good mix of all of these. Very good

Pretty mad that they recorded some of these songs in 1971, feels very ahead of its time. Reminded me of the doors early on but there's a more punky streak in there too, particularly how the lyrics are delivered, lots of repetition and messing with the timing. Just generally has a repeatable quality, sounds a bit DIY in the right way, must be very influential. Not completely wowed to a 5 at this point but still great, say 4.5.

Vocals are really one note - to a massive detriment, as some of the music is cracking. Never a fan of carnival tunes though, like in Government Center. I'm Straight is a horrible song, all over the place and really misplaced. I don't think it warrants a 2, but it certainly scrapes a 3.

I'm familiar with "roadrunner", which is a great track, but couldn't have told you it was the modern lovers. Thought this was really good though. It sounds like the velvet underground, and I'm sure he's trying to Imitate Lou Reed at times. I'm fine with that though as he's great. I really like the kinda messy nonchalant singing style. Lyrically a bit weird in parts but at least 4 and I reckon I'll be back

paar zeer goeie nummers, maar ook wat opvullers

-Tracks longer than 3:59: A few -Long tracks interesting or special: No. I get it Pablo Picasso was an asshole and Hospital was painful. -Album shorter than 58 minutes: Yes -Will listen to album again: Unlikely -Overall: It was fine. I was not particularly impressed, although I can hear the influence it had on future artists. 3 stars, but would not recommend.

Solid and addictive.

pablo picaso was a cathartic ass listen cuz ive been getting mad reels abt how awful of person he was. funny ass song good stuff all around love the songwriting good stuff

Listened to it - average. Couple of good, couple of silly ones

Classic, close to 5 but the songs are closer to 4 to me

There's a bunch of favorites here that populate various playlists of mine. Party tunes of a variety of moods, 100% fun, 92% weird, and simultaneously 110% normal honest-to-God rocknroll. "Roadrunner" is among the all-time great rocknroll tracks, but they're all solid. The bonus tracks like "Government Center" and "I Wanna Sleep in Your Arms" (co-written with Iggy Pop) are great, too. The band here (with future members of Talking Heads and the Cars) is a big part of the magic. Jonathan Richman is a treasure. There's a bunch of great albums, but this one (with 1992's *I, Jonathan* not far behind) are the classics. Long been a recommend from me.

Salvador Dalí was an asshole too

Decent once made peace with the voice

Good ol fashioned though at the time new fashioned rock and roll.

5.5/10 Singer annoys me

(insert michael scott yelling "no")

Low 2, not enough

Its an incredible album only by an instrumental and chords perspective. The weak part of it relies on how goofy ass the lyrics are and how jarring the mainly voice is :c such a sad thing, bc i do really think it has some awesome beats and many cool guitar solos!

Richman formed this band when he was 19, chasing his VU dreams. He was doing more worthwhile things than me at that age. Uncomplicated and propulsive, this debut was a harbinger of the punky new wave sounds to come. This always puts me in a good mood. It did again today. (No easy feat btw.)

Jonathan Richman is great in small quantities. An entire album is a little tedious.

I freaking love this album. She's Cracked is one of my all-time favorite songs. But the entire album is excellent. One of the thing that I've found mystifying is how Jonathan Richman could write so many great songs for this album and then spend the rest of his career churning out crap. In listening to this, however, I realized that much of this album is basically about how much of a square Jonathan is. I mean, Old World? He's basically saying that he prefers 1950s NYC to 1970s NYC. I think maybe the guy had one killer album in him, and it needed John Cale and the rest of the Modern Lovers to bring it to fruition. Anyway, whatever, this album is fucking great.

It feels weird to give 5 stars to 3 album in a row, though with Madonna and Afghan Whigs in my future, I can see a course correction coming. It's a little ragged and more than a little slacker in attitude. I love it. Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole. Not like you.

Roadrunner is great, like a really good VU song. Most of the rest is like the VU songs I don't like as much: talky, meandering, lacking in melody.

4/5 - This is a tough one to rate for me, because I adore about half of it, and get irritated by the rest. Feels like an essential proto-punk entry and belongs on the list.

A whole album of the modern lovers is hell

A recent spate of albums featuring bands that sold poorly, but have become legendary. The original band with this label, The Velvet Underground, followed by Big Star, and now The Modern Lovers. Of the three, you root the hardest for Jonathan Richman and his group of Bostonians. Unlike Lou Reed, John Cale, Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, Richman is the most relatable. A seemingly nice guy pining for girlfriends to gain and not lose, Richman also offers a Ray Davies nod to the past and an uncool guy’s view of the hippie drug scene swirling around him. No whips and leather in his world, just his yearning for people to treat each other better. Richman writes about his own needs, the girls (and they are all girls, no one seems older than 21) and a few of the jerks that somehow manage to get the girls instead of nice guy Jonathan. “Pablo Picasso” and Hippie Johnny in “I’m Straight” leave Richman perplexed. Why can girls fall for them when he can handle the world drug free and not be an asshole? He tries both the “Old World” and “Modern World”, even the “Astral Plane” to win over his crush of the week. “Girlfriend” and “Someone I Care About” lay out Richman’s dependable qualities and desire for a real relationship, not just “cocaine sniffing” sex romps. His nasal voice and redundant themes have the potential to wear thin. Somehow he manages to avoid this problem. A great deal of the success comes from the driving V.U.-like beat that Richman’s guitar and drummer Dave Robinson provide. While Jerry Harrison chips in with numerous organ riffs and Richman will occasionally deliver distorted guitar, the songs stick to the basics. While it has lo-fi qualities, someone (producer John Cale? Robinson’s skill) found a way to have the drums appear prominent without taking over the songs. The music offers a joyful break from Richman’s travails, especially the can you top this handclaps on “Someone I Care About.” Two exceptions appear in Richman’s focus, the most fun tracks on the album. The organ swirling can get annoying on “Government Center”, but it scores anyway with its image of a great Friday work party with the secretaries and young mail room guys dancing around the office. Nothing can stop the momentum of “Road Runner.” Outdoing even Reed’s “Rock and Rock”, Richman communicates the power and joy of rock and roll better than anyone. It is a testament to the rest of the record’s strength that the songs can match this great opener. Unlike The Velvet Underground and Big Star, Richman and The Modern Lovers’ catalog contains no other masterpieces. This one is good enough to ensure their legend status.

Wasn’t familiar with this band. Reminded me of The Doors in some ways. Not a fan

C’est l’un des groupes qui a achete un album des velvets et qui a eu la revelation

I feel like I should like this album and I really don't. I feel that the lyrics lack conviction or purpose, and that the singer is less singing them and more just reading them out loud. Something about his voice really irks me. I personally like this old style rock, so I was surprised to find how much I struggled through this album. It's not the worse, though. Some of the more upbeat songs are nice with the exact punk/indie rock drums and guitar which usually have me obsessed. Modern World and Roadrunner are the 3s on this album.

I don’t get the critical adulation for this album, it’s just very pedestrian 70’s proto punk. It sounds more aligned with post punk / new wave, very reminiscent of early Talking Heads and Patti Smith so I guess you could say they were ahead of their time but based on this album they may have been more influential than good. It’s not terrible, but it has no high points, It’s just meh. 2.4

Big fan of this album. The songs, the guitar sound, the drawl. 4.6/5.

Interesting listen and given when it was released, very ahead of its time.

ok

3/5

They have such a different style. The singer is a weird dude but it’s cool stuff.

I just can't it's so boring. it's not a 1 star unlistenable album but it's sooooo close

eh not really that good but occasionally ok Will I listen to again: 1%

Gott stöff!

Legendary plata og mikil áhrif á pönkið. Frábært sánd.

3.5 stars. I can't quite give this a 4, but I really enjoyed it. I hear little bits that remind me of The Stooges, Lou Reed, The Clash, Felt - the fact that the sound ties to so many different decades of music is really cool. To my modern ear, it's a bit forgettable, but I get why it was a standout at the time and I always love a bit of proto-punk.

Sounds pretty fresh today, which makes me think this must be a massive influence on the indie rock makers of the 2010s, or at least on the bands that influence them. Also wears its own influences on its sleeve; some Doors, some Velvet Underground. An influence ouroboros. Competently made and features a lead singing performance that’s at least unique. While I don’t really think this album is bad, I did find it underwhelming. As I get further into this list I’m getting more fatigued by all the rock albums. I’m sure these have their due influence and many of them are actually important, but surely other important music was being made at this time? I guess this one is important to punk as we know it, but I had to check the notes to get that.

Didn't stick out much, but I still enjoyed the listen. Vocals felt a bit lazy, but it had a cool sound. Rating: 5/10 Favorite Song: Modern World

Funny this came up right after Ian Drury. This album is fascinating. I read that the tracks were actually recorded in 1971-72. Seems so much more modern than that. I can clearly see that it would've been a big influence on later punk, post-punk, indie, etc bands. It's a solid album overall but dragged a bit in some spots. I'll give it 4 stars though. I'd definitely give it another listen.

3.3

Pretty solid record.

I honestly didn't know what to think about this album even after several listens. It wasn't an outright bad album, but it felt a bit dull at first. It was like a punk-ish rock album that was a very smart version of college rock more than a groundbreaking demonstration of musicianship. Being recorded in the early 70s, this is obviously an outrageously influential record, with some of its songs covered by the likes of David Bowie and Sex Pistols. If you pay attention, you can hear how some of the ideas here have been reverberating through rock music for decades and are still influencing guitar music today. Or maybe those were someone else's ideas that just started reverberating with this record? In a way it felt like listening to the Pixies, because I can't say I enjoyed it all that much, but I like that artists that I love have listened to this music and then executed some of its best idea in a way that works better for me. In a way, that's the curse of the classics, right? I kept listening, and I realized this was like a stripped down The Doors ripoff with a less talented singer. It felt like The Modern Lovers were listening too much to The Stooges and The Kinks while being massive fans of The Doors. Then I felt like I had to check if this was recorded before or after Talking Heads, and it turns out the keyboardists Jerry Harrison was in both bands. This journey made me appreciate this album much more. I doubt I'd ever name it as an album I love, but it made me realize how my idea of modern music is changing thanks to this list. Even a couple of months into it, I've already explored parts of music history that allowed me to understand why this album is on the list. It's a 3.5/5 but I round it up because of the journey.

Lyrics are infantile and bland. Singing is.. bad. Mostly talking but still out of tune. Boring, gives nothing to take with you. Gets a 2 since there is so much worse stuff on this list.

um.

I understand why people may not like this, his voice is an acquired taste and the “geekiness” of the lyrics may appear an affectation but these are the things I love. The lyrics are real and heartfelt and his iggy esque bark has enough authenticity to pull you in and musically it’s a lot more nuanced than it would appear. The chamber room interplay of girlfriend is a great example of this. A beginning point for many bands I love and an album that I’ve grown to love too

This is like an hour-long jam session with the neighborhood dads who happen to have all the gear. Seriously, though... I imagine a bunch of bands would cite Modern Lovers as influences, but they're a band that never really got over themselves. It has a groove, but not a lot of pesky chords.

More less.

1066 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming."

Not much I can say about this one. A good album but there was nothing on it that I found overly memorable.

Dull as fuck

From the surface, it sounds like such a basic album by today’s standards because every band that came after were heavily influenced by them. It’s a great album for that reason, but I need to listen to it more to see a reason for it being a 5.

Rock de lovers un peu, genre un peu traînant et blasé, vite fait vibe Arctic monkeys par moment Je jure que je me suis dit ça avant de me rappeler que y'avait littéralement "lovers" dans le nom du groupe

Sympa

Boring de fou

Very interesting album, and it was fun to read more about the banda and Jonathan Richman because I had never heard of them before. Low-key parts of it do just sound like some drunk slurring but Roadrunner (which I have heard from School of Rock) is pretty good and Pablo Picasso is hilarious (choosing to assume that the lyrics are satirical)

not bad

Pretty bad. If jim Morrison and Iggy Pop had a crap baby

Favorite song: Roadrunner, Astral Plane, Pablo Picasso, Modern World 2.5

the Joni Mitchell’s Blue of faster miles per hour

Good Energy Voice like Ray Davies

Iggy and the Velvet UnDoorsGround. The influences are pretty obvious which doesn't always has to be a bad thing I just state the fact that The Stooges The Doors and the Velvet Underground contributed a lot to the sound. On the other hand what needs to be mentioned is that this record really sounds like a precursor to the 90s 2000s indie scene I believe this probably had some kind of influence on many of those later indierock songwriters. The Modern Lovers self titled album is not flashy or overproduced its pretty raw but also doesnt have real peaks or is that special in any way my opinion. Surprisingly though it somehow works for me whilst I have a hard time with the indie genre most of the time I found this one quite relaxing and with 35 minutes playtime on the original release its also not too long. Nothing too special like I mentioned but a relaxed pleasant experience in general. 3,5/5

Kind of like a doors meet giant sand vibe? Idk definitely odd but I could see myself maybe liking it

Yeah, I can dig it.

Was pretty obsessed with this album in college and I still love it. Jonathan Richman is a truly weird guy and this album is the best thing he's ever done. Skronky proto-punk pop magic.

I have no idea what this is supposed to be adding to this project. Pure, unadulterated filler.

I think I listened to this album too many times when I was a teen (in the 90s), making sure I was up on all the big proto-punk all-stars. It's good and even great for anyone new to it. I used to like it, then I got tired of it. Now I can't wait for it to be over. But THAT'S JUST ME.

Is it the Doors? The Strokes? Does it matter?

I don’t think I can explain well what I love about this, but it’s an album I’ve come back regularly to for years. Velvet Underground-inspired but less noisy and edgy. Important for punk and later indie sounds, but it’s also not really punk. Richman has this kind of flat, unaffected voice while also being completely sincere. Whether singing about driving, girls, Pablo Picasso, or old vs new, something about it just hits right for me.

Me gustó mucho. 4/5