Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Compiled of demos the band recorded with John Cale in 1973, The Modern Lovers is one of the great proto-punk albums of all time, capturing an angst-ridden adolescent geekiness which is married to a stripped-down, minimalistic rock & roll derived from the art punk of the Velvet Underground. While the sound is in debt to the primal three-chord pounding of early Velvet Underground, the attitude of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers is a million miles away from Lou Reed's jaded urban nightmares. As he says in the classic two-chord anthem "Roadrunner," Richman is in love with the modern world and rock & roll. He's still a teenager at heart, which means he's not only in love with girls he can't have, but also radios, suburbs, and fast food, and it also means he'll crack jokes like "Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole...not like you." "Pablo Picasso" is the classic sneer, but "She Cracked" and "I'm Straight" are just as nasty, made all the more edgy by the Modern Lovers' amateurish, minimalist drive. But beneath his adolescent posturing, Richman is also nakedly emotional, pleading for a lover on "Someone I Care About" and "Girl Friend," or romanticizing the future on "Dignified and Old." That combination of musical simplicity, driving rock & roll, and gawky emotional confessions makes The Modern Lovers one of the most startling proto-punk records -- it strips rock & roll to its core and establishes the rock tradition of the geeky, awkward social outcast venting his frustrations. More importantly, the music is just as raw and exciting now as when it was recorded in 1973, or when it was belatedly released in 1976.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133.33/month
Jonathan Richman, Composer, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, Performance, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1973 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Composer, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1973 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, Performance, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1973 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jonathan Richman, Guitar, Vocals - JERRY HARRISON, Producer - The Modern Lovers, MainArtist
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Album review
Compiled of demos the band recorded with John Cale in 1973, The Modern Lovers is one of the great proto-punk albums of all time, capturing an angst-ridden adolescent geekiness which is married to a stripped-down, minimalistic rock & roll derived from the art punk of the Velvet Underground. While the sound is in debt to the primal three-chord pounding of early Velvet Underground, the attitude of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers is a million miles away from Lou Reed's jaded urban nightmares. As he says in the classic two-chord anthem "Roadrunner," Richman is in love with the modern world and rock & roll. He's still a teenager at heart, which means he's not only in love with girls he can't have, but also radios, suburbs, and fast food, and it also means he'll crack jokes like "Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole...not like you." "Pablo Picasso" is the classic sneer, but "She Cracked" and "I'm Straight" are just as nasty, made all the more edgy by the Modern Lovers' amateurish, minimalist drive. But beneath his adolescent posturing, Richman is also nakedly emotional, pleading for a lover on "Someone I Care About" and "Girl Friend," or romanticizing the future on "Dignified and Old." That combination of musical simplicity, driving rock & roll, and gawky emotional confessions makes The Modern Lovers one of the most startling proto-punk records -- it strips rock & roll to its core and establishes the rock tradition of the geeky, awkward social outcast venting his frustrations. More importantly, the music is just as raw and exciting now as when it was recorded in 1973, or when it was belatedly released in 1976.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 17 track(s)
- Total length: 01:02:07
- Main artists: The Modern Lovers
- Composer: Jonathan Richman
- Label: Sanctuary Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2003 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Distinctions:
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.