The Modern Lovers - Rock 'N' Roll With The Modern Lovers (1977)

Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern Lovers is an album by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, released by the Beserkley Records label in August 1977. It reached #50 in the UK Album Chart in that month.

Rock 'N' Roll with the Modern Lovers. Richman branches out to Japanese music, a "South American Folk Song," and even "Egyptian Reggae" (the last earning him a UK Top 5 hit), but the real highlight on Rock 'N' Roll with the Modern Lovers is that ode to a totaled car, "Dodge Veg-O-Matic."

With Rock 'N' Roll With the Modern Lovers, Jonathan delivers yet another album filled to the brim with innocent delight (perhaps even more so than its predecessor). At first, I was thrown off by the inclusion of the children's song "The Wheels on the Bus", but good god, it's perhaps the most genius cover of a traditional children's song I've had the pleasure of hearing. Especially the inclusion of the verse with the monster, which he returns to at the end in what is possibly the greatest 15-seconds in music history. And to people that call Jonathan Richman "punk" or "proto-punk" -- eff you. Pure childlike innocence and charming rock n' roll tunes =/= "punk".

"Ice Cream Man", "Egyptian Reggae" and "Roller Coaster by the Sea" are all superb, and if this album doesn't make you happy, you oughta take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and think about how detached you've become from your fun-loving roots. It's amateurish and uncomplicated, sure, but if you let your allegiance to prog and wanky musicianship influence your view of this, then the only solution is to find the nearest bridge and dive off of it. Jonathan Richman is simplicity at its most affecting.


Side A
A1. The Sweeping Wind (Kwa Ti Feng) - 1:59
A2. Ice Cream Man - 3:01
A3. Rockin' Rockin' Leprechauns - 2:09
A4. Summer Morning - 3:49
A5. Afternoon - 2:45
A6. Fly Into The Mystery - 3:19

Side B
B1. South American Folk Song - 2:34
B2. Roller Coaster By The Sea - 2:05
B3. Dodge Veg-O-Matic - 3:45
B4. Egyptian Reggae - 2:34
B5. Coomyah - 2:08
B6. The Wheels On The Bus - 2:26
B7. Angels Watching Over Me - 1:50

Companies, etc.

• Copyright (c) – Beserkley Records
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Beserkley Records
• Recorded At – CBS Studios, San Francisco
• Manufactured By – Janus Records
• Distributed By – Janus Records
• Pressed By – GRT Corporation

Credits

• Arranged By – Jonathan Richman (tracks: A1, B1, B6, B7)
• Art Direction – J. Blodgett
• Concept By [LP] – Flashing Neon
• Drums – D. Sharpe
• Engineer – Glen Kolotkin
• Engineer [Assistent] – Tom Lubin
• Guitar, Vocals – Leroy Radcliffe
• Mastered By – P. Brown
• Mixed By – Glen Kolotkin
• Other [Logistics] – Billy Cole 
• Painting – William Snyder
• Photography By – Carol Fondé
• Producer – Glen Kolotkin, Matthew King Kaufman
• Vocals, Guitar – Jonathan Richman
• Written-By – Jonathan Richman (tracks: A2 to A6, B2 to B4) 

Notes

Released: August 1977
Recorded: 1977
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Genre: Rock 'n' roll
Length: 31:24
Label: Beserkley Records
Catalog# JBZ-0053

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