The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers

RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK:

The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers

This week’s Recommendation of the Week is the debut album of The Modern Lovers. Released 50 years ago this month, The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers is an album that has been an integral part of my life and music tastes since I was a teenager! It also, in many ways, is the foundation and the birth of Punk Rock, the early wave that brought us The Ramones and the CBGB’s scene. Although released in 1976, many of these songs were recorded for a 1972 release, albeit scratched before the sessions were completed.

To tell the story of The Modern Lovers is to tell the story of a few very prominent figures in the development of the New York Underground. Within this story, we will have to go back a few years to talk a little about the band that Jonathan Richman idolized and made the focal point of his early career. We must talk about The Velvet Underground.

The Velvet Underground formed in 1965. Its members were Lou Reed, John Cale, Maureen Tucker, and Sterling Morrison. In 1966, they became the house band/soundtrack to the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, Andy Warhol’s travelling multimedia, multi-faceted, art and fetish show. With the addition of Nico as vocalist, they recorded and released their first album, The Velvet Underground and Nico, one of the most important pieces of music and art to ever exist. It has been said that with this album, it may have only sold a small amount, but everyone who bought one started a band. Jonathan Richman bought one, and he fell in love immediately.

Lou Reed and John Cale were the driving forces behind the songwriting, production, and the sound of The Velvet Underground. Lou had visions that would take the band into more of a traditional Rock N Roll style, with a very sarcastic attitude. His lyrics painted pictures of dirty NYC streets and conjured images of drug houses, back alleys, and the alternative lifestyles of the New York underground. John Cale, who had previously studied with John Cage, the famous experimental composer, had a much more Avant-Garde, experimental, outsider approach to arrangement and song composition. He had an incredible ear for production, particularly music that would be on the fringe. The Velvet Underground’s second album, White Light/White Heat is a prime example of John Cale’s influence, being purely chaotic in nature. In 1968, John Cale would leave the band, and he would go on to create over 60 years of weird, cool music of experimental kind, breaking new barriers in production, arranging and reimagining what a Pop song could be.

John would go on to produce and oversee many incredible works of art in the annals of music history, including The Stooges explosive debut album and Nico’s seminal, influential The Marble Index. Then, in 1972, he would go on to produce The Modern Lovers. Although the album wouldn’t see its release until 1976, the tapes circulated throughout the music world and the influence and impact was something worth taking notice of.

Danny Fields was a Rock journalist, artist, producer, manager, and close friend of Andy Warhol. He, along with much of “The Warhol Crew”, spent their nights soaking in the sounds at Max’s Kansas City, where the “freaks” were, where The Velvet Underground provided the soundtrack, and where a young Jonathan Richman would find his calling.

Jonathan was living in NYC at the time, before his return to Boston. Danny Fields had been hired by Elektra Records in 1968 to bring a little of “The Underground” to the mainstream. He discovered both the MC5 and The Stooges, and signed both. He helped guide the final years of The Velvet Underground, the solo careers of both John Cale and Lou Reed, and saw to the signing of and development of Nico’s unique musical stylings and influential sound. It was at this time, around 1971, that he was introduced to Jonathan Richman while at a gig in Boston. This is when he discovered Jonathan’s band, and their highly energetic, quirky, Velvet Underground influenced songs. Their shows were fun, high energy, and with Jonathan, always entertaining. Danny fell in love with them and felt like he could assemble a team, with the help of Elektra, and take their sound to record, the mainstream and break through.

The original line up of The Modern Lovers consisted of Jonathan Richman, John Felice (The Real Kids), Jerry Harrisson (Talking Heads), and David Robinson (The Cars). This early lineup would be one that John Cale produced and would be the band that eventually Elektra Records crushed. See, Elektra liked The Modern Lovers but had personal issues with Danny Fields and wanted him to be gone. Crushing The Modern Lovers project was a way to eliminate Danny. That’s what they did, by having them open for Edgar Winter Group, a Blues Rock outfit, with a fanbase who abhorred the style of music The Modern Lovers played. The series of gigs were being used as a label audition, and failed miserably. Both Danny and The Modern Lovers were out. They never got their break on a label, and eventually that lineup broke up, with only Jonathan remaining in the band. Danny would get the last laugh, though. Just a couple years later, Danny would help bring the emergence of The Ramones. Punk Rock would take over the New York Underground, influenced by the style, sound, attitude, and energy that can be found all over the early Modern Lovers recordings.

With the original tapes shelved, it seemed the end of the line for Jonathan and his band. In 1974, they got another shot with a smaller label, Bomp!, to record. This was with a different line up and produced by Kim Fowley. These tapes would be released later as The Original Modern Lovers, but would not be of the same quality as the John Cale tapes.

In 1976, another Indie label, Beserkeley, would show interest in the tapes and look to release the album. They would sign Jonathan and The Modern Lovers to a multi record deal, and got to work on the debut album release. They took the John Cale produced tapes, remastered and added more production, and released the album. The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers finally saw its release, with the original tapes and overdubs performed by the new lineup. The album saw little to no fanfare but would become a cult classic and get its due many years later, in the 90s.

I first heard this album when I was about 18 years old while shopping at my local record store in Salem, MA. Jonathan was, and still is, a Boston legend! That day I was able to get an original copy on vinyl, one that I still own today. From start to finish, I just love this album. It is truly as if The Velvet Underground met Buddy Holly but only done the way someone from Boston could do it. Being from the North Shore of Boston, it hits home and every word, every note, every accented verse resonates with me. I feel so at home in this record. It sounds like Boston, it feels like it rises like steam out of a grate on Mass Ave, and conjures that smell you get in the tunnels of Government Center Station. It’s uniquely Boston, and I love it! It’s a little gritty, but also fun, with an innocence to it. It’s the birth of the Punk sound that came from Boston. The sounds that made “The Rat” Boston’s long gone home to Punks.

It has always be one of my favorites and has been an incredible influence on my life, fueling many deep dives into music inspired by the band. It really has an infectious, youthful spirit of carefree love, attitude, and energy that still moves me today. It really is just such a fun record and Jonathan Richman is like no other. If you like The Ramones style of carefree, fast, fun 3 chord mania, and you want a little Buddy Holly virtue and thoughtful charm mixed in, look no further than The Modern Lovers.

Essential Track: "Roadrunner"