The Modern Lovers
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s. The original band existed from 1970 to 1974 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist Ernie Brooks with drummer David Robinson (later of The Cars) and keyboardist Jerry Harrison (later of Talking Heads). The sound of the band owed a great deal to the influence of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, and is now sometimes classified as "proto-punk". It pointed the way towards much of the punk rock, new wave, alternative and indie rock music of later decades. Their only album, the eponymous The Modern Lovers, contained idiosyncratic songs about dating awkwardness, growing up in Massachusetts, love of life, and the USA.
Later, between 1976 and 1988, Richman used the name Modern Lovers for a variety of backing bands, always billed as "Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers". These bands were quieter and featured more low-key, often near-childlike songs as Richman drew on folk-rock and other genres. Of Richman's original bandmates, only Robinson was part of any of the other Modern Lovers incarnations.
Contents |
Discography
Albums
The Modern Lovers
Title | Label | Recorded | Released |
---|---|---|---|
The Modern Lovers | Home of the Hits | April 1972 | August 1976 |
The Original Modern Lovers | Mohawk Records | 1973 | 1981 |
Live at the Longbranch Saloon | Fan Club | April 1973 | 1992 |
96 Tears | Vinyl Lovers | 1971 | 2010 |
Precise Modern Lovers Order | Rounder Records | 1971-72 | 1994 |
- Singles
Title | Label | Released |
---|---|---|
"Roadrunner (Twice)" | Beserkley | 1977 |
"Pablo Picasso" |
Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers
Title | Label | Released |
---|---|---|
Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers | Beserkley | July 1976 |
Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern Lovers | August 1977 | |
Modern Lovers Live | 1977 | |
Back in Your Life | February 1979 | |
Jonathan Sings! | Sire | 1983 |
Rockin' and Romance | Twin/Tone Records | 1985 |
It's Time For... | Upside Records | 1986 |
Modern Lovers 88 | Rounder Records | 1987 |